For Real? ✅

Chapter 27

LEAH

I can hear the river nearby.

Adam and I have been trekking down the mountain, treading carefully around large rocks and trying not to slip on loose pebbles and mossy outgrowths. Patches of grasses cling determinedly on the stones, thriving from the tiny bits of soil trapped on their roots. Overhead, the sky finishes off with a brilliant blue, the sun bright as it was approaching summer.

Every now and then, I pause to pick up random flowers that I see on the slope and carefully place them in my pocket. Then we proceed forward, Adam with a compass in one hand and a large stick in another. He's navigating with his tools to help us find the mountain stream.

He points suddenly to a small clump of trees, which were ahead of us.
"Yeah, I remember this place. We're closer."
The excitement on his face leaves a small smile on mine. He forges ahead, using the stick to move branches that might be in our way.

When I asked Adam to take me out, he gave a mysterious look.
"I know a place", he whispered.

Naturally, one would assume he's taking me out to a restaurant, but Adam is anything but ordinary. He told me that he knew of a secret mountain stream, which he'd visited as a child.

"I want you to see the place. It holds very special memories for me", he'd explained.

Suddenly Adam stops right in his tracks. He lifts his head, surveying our position. He glances at his compass, taps his stick, pauses a bit before finally moving again.

"Yeah, do you hear it now?" He asks me, observing the air around him.

I hear the slow bubbling of a creek, as though water is flowing steadily down large pebbles.

"Yes," I breathe, feeling relieved. We were closer at last.

Adam grins at me, extending his hand to grasp mine. Together, we move down a narrow path, following the direction of the sound.

Sunlight streams through the trees, but not as much as before. We're deep into the forest now, although the ground is still rocky, with random plants adorning the surface. We tread more quickly, now that it was less steep.

Finally, Adam laughs in joy, "L, we found it! Look!"

I see a tiny stream, only large enough to dip my feet in. However, it runs steadily, the water cool and clear. I can see the rocks beneath, smooth and round and perfectly aligned, as though the stream had been flowing there forever.

"We need to follow it to find the pool," Adam replies, not letting go of my hand all the while.

We follow the water for a few more minutes until another stream joins to connect with it. Soon it is a small river, with crystal clear water and little silverfish.

I feel like I am in an unreal world, for its so beautiful that my mind can comprehend only a part of it.
It made me feel at peace, my problems looking insignificant at the wonder of nature.

No wonder this place held special memories for Adam.
It seemed so alive by itself.

I see the pool, at last, an emerald amid a thousand trees. Adam whoops with joy and plants a kiss on my forehead.
"This is the place, Leah, the last place with happy memories before my whole world was torn apart."

I stare at him, not quite sure of how to react.

He smiles at me, a hint of sadness on his face too. "Let's go for a swim. I'll tell you the story later." Adam tells me gently.

I nod to him, as he sets his bag on a rock and proceeds to place mine near his.

*****

After a very tiring swim, which was mainly Adam and I doing more than making out in the water, we sit by the flat rock, breathless from our 'physical exertion'.

I wrap a towel around myself, shivering slightly, as it felt colder now. Adam is sitting next to me, the towel draped over his broad shoulders. His hair is dripping wet, but he also looks suave, some parts sticking up and some falling over his eyes.

He catches me staring at him and he grins at me. Not wanting to look like I was drooling at him, I delve into the main reason why we had come here in the first place.

"So what's the story behind the mountain stream?" I ask him. I open my bag to bring out some snacks.

His hand reaches into my bag and pulls out a packet of chips. He opens it and wolfs it down, the way his jaw moved was mesmerizing. His eyes seem distant like he's deep in thought.

I guess it's not a good time for me to remind him of his diet. Where he has to swear off chips.

"My dad used to bring my brother Jason and I here. We'd spend the whole of Sunday, swimming in the pool, playing and laughing. It became a weekly thing at one point because Jason and I loved it so much."

I try to imagine a small blond-haired Adam, swimming in the pool. It brings a smile to my face.

"My dad died when I was thirteen, my brother sixteen. It didn't help that my mom soon remarried. Jason and I both hated our stepfather as we felt like no one could replace our father. "

I remain silent as he continues, his voice growing deeper.

"Jason was especially devastated after my father's death. He'd spend a lot of time locked up in his room." Adam takes in a deep breath.

"I had no idea back then that my brother was getting bullied. He'd only come back from school before he'd started venting out all the anger on me." I gape at Adam, pity arising deep in me.

"I began to hate my brother. He became my competitor. That's the reason why I'd started sleeping around with girls, just to prove that I was more of a man than him."
Adam says, with a look of disgust in his eyes.

"I know it was stupid. But old habits die hard. A lot of my classmates from high-school had joined our college and they labelled me as 'the player' all over again."

It makes sense now, it really does.

Adam is misunderstood. By everyone.

"I regret the things I've done, L," He sighs, "I have a tainted past. But everything changed when you entered my life," He gazes up at me, his eyes filled with emotion.

"Me?" I ask.

"Yes, you." He replies his words a mere whisper. "The one girl who changed me for the better."

"Oh, Adam," I touch his cheek, ecstatic that I had such a huge impact on him.

He leans forward, closing the remaining space between us, his mouth on mine.

And that's when I knew.

I'm in love with Adam White.