Clopwyck River (Book One)

Clopwyck River Part 3

Chapter Three

"What's the matter with me!? Are you serious!?" I blink at him. "You just attacked me. I'm clearly not the crazy one here!"

My hands shake with fear, anger, and the pump of adrenaline as I've never punched anyone before.

"Attack you?" He pulls himself onto an elbow, his other hand pinching the top of his nose. "I was trying to help you. You're welcome, by the way."

"What?" I take a step closer to him, my muscles poised ready to run away or lash out again if I need to, but something tells me that this guy is harmless. Maybe it's those blue eyes.

"I saw you running into the woods and I was worried you'd get lost."

"How very stalker of you."

He smiles sarcastically at me. "Then I saw Agnes come in after you. I thought she might scare you."

"And you thought jumping at me from behind wouldn't scare me? Wait. Is Agnes that old woman?"

"Yeah, that's Crazy Agnes. She sleeps rough in town, sometimes in the woods. She's a bit weird, but she's harmless." He looks me up and down. "Unlike some people. I saw you talking to her and then you ran off towards the river. I shouted that you were going the wrong way, but you carried on running, so I figured you couldn't hear me."

"So you weren't trying to kill me?"

"No, I wasn't trying to kill you."

"What made you think I'd get lost?"

"Because you're new here. It's Demi-Louise isn't it?"

"How'd you know I'm new?"

"Clopwyck is a small town. News travels faster than the broadband around here." He puts a hand out to me. "Anyway, I'm Leo. Now we're acquainted do you think you can help me up without breaking any of my bones?"

"Sorry." I put my hand around his, and feel a shock of static scorching up my arm as I pull him to his feet. "Call me Demi."

He stands in front of me and I study his face. Once he gets cleaned up and his nose stops bleeding, I'm sure he's quite good looking. Great. Two gorgeous guys in one day, and I manage to piss off the girlfriend of one and jab the other one right between the eyes. I'm still holding his hand and he starts to shake it.

"Pleased to meet you, Demi. I'm sorry I assumed you needed helping. You can obviously look after yourself."

"You just surprised me." I tear my gaze from his face and frown at my hand. "I've never punched anyone before. My hand is killing me."

His face brightens as he laughs. "I'm sure you understand if I don't give you any sympathy."

"Is it broken? Your nose?"

"I don't think so, but I'm not sure how long my retinas are going to hold out if you carry on shining that thing in my face." He raises his hand and attempts to block some of the bright light that's streaming into his squinting eyes.

"Oh! Sorry!" I push the light down so it's angled at the floor. Great. I've probably blinded him, too.

"This is the way back out of the woods. Even though you knocked me out, I should still make sure you get out of here okay." He puts his hands in his pockets and starts walking. "So, what brings you to Clopwyck?"

I catch up with him. I'd rather risk being walked out of the woods by a partial stranger than be left alone to find my own way. Leo is big, like rugby player big, and I feel like I'm being escorted by a personable grizzly bear. It's strangely comforting.

"I'm moving in with my sister and her family."

"That's Daria, right? And Andrew? How come?" My jaw clenches and he looks uncomfortable. "Sorry, I'm being nosy. None of my business."

"It's fine." Knowing that I'll have to get used to this, I take a deep breath. "My mum died a couple of months back. I never knew my Dad, and Daria is my only family so I've got to stay with her."

"I'm sorry."

I shrug. What do I say? 'Thanks for your concern good looking stranger who I just punched in the face'? People never know what to say about my Mum, and I don't know either. I'd rather just keep it buried and then nobody needs to feel uncomfortable. Especially me.

We continue walking past trees blacked out in the darkness, the silence growing comfortably between us. The sounds hiding in the dark are weirdly natural: not a smartphone or car engine can be heard, even when I strain to listen for something man-made. Suddenly his voice makes me jump.

"So, where were you born?"

Remembering Ciara asking exactly the same thing earlier, I look around at him, but he doesn't seem to notice and I dismiss the repeated question as a co-incidence. "I was born in Cambridge, but I've been here a few times." I sneak a look at him and can just distinguish his profile in the darkness. "Um, where were you born?"

"I was born here."

I stumble and he grabs my arm. That shock of electric flows from his touch again. "Steady. There used to be a hospital here so most people who live in Clopwyck were born here. It burned down a few years ago though."

Moonlight pushes its way through the tree branches and I can tell that we're getting closer to the edge of the woods. A shiver runs through my body, and I'm not sure whether it's because of the cold breeze or because I can feel the heat of Leo's skin as he walks close by my side.

"Have you met anyone else yet? Apart from me. And Agnes." I can't see his face but I can sense that he's smiling.

"I met a couple of people earlier: Sullivan and Ciara."

Our footsteps mark a few beats of quiet before he responds. "Hmmm. Lucky you."

"You know them?"

"Unfortunately. Everyone knows them. I'd keep your distance if I were you."

Before I can probe him any further, we reach the edge of the woods and I blink in the light cast by the bright crescent moon. The darkness of the woods recedes as we step into the illumination and stop a few metres from the trees. I look up at him and realise that I've underestimated just how good looking this guy is. He's stunning. He runs his hand through his light brown hair, leaving tufts of it sticking up like he's just rolled out of bed, and his blue eyes are shadowed by thick eyebrows and long boy-lashes. Full lips smile easily at me, and I suddenly feel like I'm sitting on a rollercoaster heading towards a vertical drop. Without a seatbelt.

"Well, we made it. With no more blood spilled."

"Yeah. I better get back. Sorry again for the...you know...punching and everything."

"I forgive you." He looks into my eyes with such total concentration that I feel like I'm falling forwards. His voice shakes a little as I try and steady myself. "Hey, I didn't realise something when we were in the woods."

"What?" I swallow hard, his gaze making me feel very aware of myself.

He glances at the floor then looks right at me again, and smiles. "I like your eyes."

My mouth opens to say something, anything, but I just stand transfixed, a gaping goldfish that's grown a pair of very wobbly legs. He shifts on his feet and I can smell his scent as a gust of wind blows between us. "I....I...thanks."

He smiles as he steps forward and his hand reaches up to my face. I close my eyes, and the hairs on my arms shoot up straight at the anticipation of his skin on mine. Confusion twists through my body: do I want him to touch me or not? Above my eyes, a quiet click makes me flick my eyes open, and my cheeks warm with embarrassment as I realise he was reaching up to turn off my head torch.

"I don't think you'll be needing that from here." He turns and starts to walk away. "See you at school, Demi-Louise."

Shell-shocked, embarrassed, exhausted, I jog silently back to Daria's house.

Thank you for taking the time to read Part 3 of Clopwyck River! I'd love to hear your feedback and please remember to vote if you liked it :)