If We Ever Meet Again

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Under a lovers' sky, gonna be with you

And no one's gonna be around

If you think that you won't fall, we'll just wait until

Till the sun goes down

Underneath the starlight, starlight, there's a magical feeling so right

It will steal your heart tonight

~"Can't Fight the Moonlight" LeAnn Rimes

Whoever invented hiking needs to die. In fact, so does the person who invented the word ‘hiking’. And anyone who sells hiking gear. And…and…

“Aaargh!” Unable to help herself, Farrah let out a growl of frustration as she stumbled over yet another rock. She resisted the urge to stamp her foot childishly.

It was hot, she was thirsty, her legs felt like jelly, and she’d been bitten by more mosquitoes than she could count.

And people wondered why she wasn’t an outdoors kind of girl.

“Whoa, careful there.” Blake gripped her arm, steadying her. “That’s the fifth time today, Miss Klutz,” he teased.

Farrah made a face. “Wow, you sure know how to make a girl feel good,” she joked, trying to ignore the fatigue in her legs. If she walked any further, she’d probably collapse.

The FEA group who’d decided to go hiking this morning had been doing so for seven hours already, and Farrah was completely over it.

I should’ve just slept in, she thought grumpily, swatting at yet another mosquito flying in front of her face.

But then again, she had been sleeping in Blake’s room, so that hadn’t been an option. Shockingly enough, they’d managed to wake up in time to make the trip. Farrah had been a bit nervous that things might be awkward between them after last night, but Blake had acted perfectly normal.

Although she supposed the three-hour nap they’d taken on the way to Khao Yai had helped a bit.

“Everyone has their talents,” Blake replied flippantly. “Anyway, don’t worry, we’re almost there. I can hear the waterfall.”

Farrah stopped. “Really?” She strained her ears to hear over the loud chatter of fellow FEA-ers…yes!

She almost did a happy jig when she heard the unmistakable sound of rushing water. The hiking destination for today was the Haew Suwat waterfall, where they were supposed to have a moonlight dinner picnic before being transported to their sleeping quarters.

The proximity of food, a shower, and a cozy bed was all the motivation Farrah needed to force herself to complete the rest of the hike.

“Oh my god,” she gasped, temporarily forgetting about her exhaustion as they finally reached their destination. She gazed in wonder at the waterfall.

Surrounded by lush greenery, the foamy white natural wonder cascaded over the rocks into a small lake that glittered under the moonlight, lending the whole scene an almost ethereal, fairy-tale feel.

“This is beautiful,” Blake commented, sounding a bit in awe himself, which surprised Farrah a little.

Managing to tear her gaze from the water, Farrah realized that while FEA-ers made up the majority, they weren’t the only people who were here. There were a few guys and girls she didn’t recognize, lounging by the water.

A pretty good-looking boy with floppy dark hair caught her eye and winked.

Farrah immediately turned away. “We should grab a spot to eat before all the good ones are taken,” she suggested, scanning the area for a place to sit.

Farrah and Blake ended up sitting on a grassy patch right next to the water, near enough to the others that they were still part of the group but far enough so that no one could hear what they were saying.

The program had given them all dinner packs, each of which contained a sandwich, a bag of chips, an apple, pudding, and water.

Ignoring the dinner pack for the time being, Farrah eagerly pulled a Snickers bar from her hiking backpack.

Blake’s jaw dropped slightly. “You have more? That’s the tenth one you’ve eaten today!”

Farrah smirked. Though there was still an undeniable physical tension between them, seven hours of hiking together had turned their…whatever it was they had into a more comfortable, playful one.

“Eighth,” she corrected him. “Although I do have two more. You want one?”

Blake had been so nice today, stopping to keep her company whenever she needed a rest and helping her over the more precipitous terrain, that he definitely deserved some chocolate.