Scattered Souls

Chapter 26 - Take a Hike

Fortunately, the rest of the week went by pretty quickly(it was quite uneventful compared to the first few days) and Saturday had finally arrived, Xypher and I were getting ready for our early morning hike to Gran's place.

On my side, there were some mixed emotions involved, considering the fact that I hadn't been there in years. Six years to be precise. I pushed all of my mixed emotions aside as the doorbell rang.

It was Xypher. Thankfully he was dressed more casual and hike appropriate today, as per my subtle instructions of course. He looked uncomfortable as hell though. In fact since he randomly showed up at school as Jordan the other day, he constantly looked uncomfortable. And I was still unable to place my finger on the exact reason behind it.

"Not a fan of casual clothes?" I teased.

"Oh no, it's not that." he said, staring at the ground.

From what I'd gathered in these past few weeks - it's that him staring at the ground was never a good sign.

"Then what is it?" I looked at him with concern.

"I... Well...  I think I'm still adjusting to my new host. That's all." he tried to reassure me with a small smile.

"Let's do this." I tried to make light of the situation, grabbing my backpack and his hand.

Not my smartest move. I could immediately feel the chemistry when our hands touched.

"Where are we off to?" he questioned.

"Not too far." I said, while leading him into our backyard. There was a route straight from the path that lead to the woods in our backyard to Gran's place.

When I was younger, it used to be my everyday route with mom after school and dad would fetch us on his way home from work in the evenings. As soon as I was old enough to venture out on my own and mom got a little busier, mom stopped accompanying me. Those afternoons spent alone with Gran were the absolute best time of my life. Listening to all her worldly stories while I was coloring or painting is an experience I'll always treasure.

"Not too far indeed." Xypher interrupted my reminiscing.

"I've missed this." I said as we started off into the woods, I don't really know why I felt the need to tell him that.

"Being outdoors?" he asked.

"Well, that too. But mostly going up to Gran's place. I used to go all the time when I was younger." I explained, I was definitely over sharing.

"We don't have to, if it's too much for you." he said with an understanding tone,  although he sounded a bit hopeful.

"I want to." I declared. "I feel like it's something I need to do. And we have to find the diary and the locket that you've been searching for."

"True." was all he said,  not looking one bit as enthusiastic as I'd anticipated. I mean wasn't he supposed to be thrilled that we were about to get this locket he's been searching long and hard for? I wasn't picking up on any vibes of excitement. Perhaps he just didn't want to get his hopes up in fear of being disappointed if we don't find it.  He's probably had plenty of times where he felt like he was close to finding the locket and didn't. 'That has to be it' I thought, as I shrugged off my suspicions.

Xypher was a bit of an amateur in the woods, but he kept up quite nicely and he was good company, I'd like to assume it was because he was still adjusting to his 'host' as he mentioned earlier. He kept looking around in awe and taking in everything. He was like a deprived kid, appreciating the great outdoors for the very first time.

"Enjoying your freedom?" I asked.

"Most certainly, love. I'm only now realizing how much I've missed experiencing all of this." he said with a reminiscent smile on his face.

"It must have been a really long time." I said,  just realizing it must have been a few decades,  if not a century or two, of being trapped in that teapot.

"You have no idea." his response was sorrowful.

"Well, you can make the most of everything now." I encouraged him as he continued taking in our surroundings.

I have to admit he was cute as hell though. I loved watching the way his toned calve muscles moved as he walked. It was drool-worthy, no doubt.

After a good few uphill rocky climbs - we were both out of breath and in desperate need of a break to replenish our energy. We stopped at a rocky waterfall. I was delighting in the sound of the water gushing against the rocks. It always brought me peace.

"Wow, this is amazing." he said in awe,  Xypher was taking in the beauty of our surroundings once again. We were surrounded by lush green trees and some mountains on the horizon. With the waterfall being the ultimate companion.

"Come enjoy it with me." I beckoned him to come closer to me, with a stupid smile on my face.

He eagerly took a seat next to me on the blanket I spread out for us. His hands finding their way to mine. Our eyes met and we moved closer to each other, until our lips were touching, they moved in sync.

The kiss deepened, I could feel the passion and excitement exuberating between us. We stood up, without breaking the kiss. His hands found their way underneath my shirt, taking it off, as my breath hitched. I moaned as he unclasped my bra, I was aroused by the cool air against my flesh and his hands gently grazing over my breasts, igniting the kind of fire that I didn't even know was possible until now. I eagerly pulled off his T-shirt. Our hands moved ferociously all over each other. It's like our carnal instincts were being unleashed by that waterfall, aided by the serenity of our natural surroundings.

There was a shuffle in the trees nearby, causing us to separate immediately.

"What was that?" I asked, scanning our surroundings and simultaneously clasping on my bra.

"A wild animal perhaps?" he offered.  Picking up both our t-shirts and handing mine to me.

"Thanks." I said, admittedly a little disappointed that our intense make out session was short lived. It's like every part of me was still craving more.