When you agree, somewhat apprehensively, to a week-long camping trip courtesy of your best friend Nat, you end up irate to discover Jake Seresin is also on the guest list. He's everything you hate, everything you want to believe you hate. Because th...
Chapter Warnings: +18, Minors DNI, Strong Language, Enemies to Lovers, Original Female Character (s), Short OFC, Bradley Bradshaw x Natasha Trace, Verbal fights, bullying, camping, and pranks.
"I can't go on without you."
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Remember that tiny feeling of guilt building in the pit of your stomach? For doing something as simple as switching sugar for salt in Jake's coffee?
Yeah. It got worse.
Worse, as in it was eating your stomach alive. Worse, as in, your heart was leaping out of your chest. Worse, as in you wondered what the rest of the group thought about you or if they had caught on, such as Nat and Cora had done.
All because that asshole stayed silent the entire time you were leading the group to the waterfall.
It's not as if he didn't try to approach you - He did, or at least tried to. Every time you saw him coming, you'd either take Nat or Cora by the arm to start a conversation. Or you'd engage Bob in a talk about what artifact or item he was currently working on at the museum. The man loved to talk about his work, and you were all too happy to indulge him, regardless of whether it got you out of a confrontation with Seresin.
You could say it was your guilt keeping you away from him.
But with the lack of heckling or hollering you've come to suspect from him, you honestly thought he'd at least try to keep up that facade. Hassle you over the map or something to do with the compass. Maybe even cause a fight when it came time to switch to a new trail marker.
You did it to him. You could only assume he'd do it to you. Even with his view at the back of the pack, the same spot you had taken the past two days, he didn't. He only spoke when he was spoken to.
It was making everything that much worse.
As the group rounded the final bend on the trail, you could hear the sound of rushing water. Everyone perked up, seemingly finding a new energy and pace, eager now more than ever to finally see one of the sights that made this place so popular.
The moment the falls came into view, a collective gasp swept through the group.
Despite the clouds above, heavy with the promise of rain, the two twin waterfalls were breathtaking, one higher up than the other, both situated on their own angles. The water itself shimmered, cascading down the rocky cliffside into the pool below into a thousand shades of blue, and the sound was enough to mute the conversations of the other hikers. The surrounding forest was lush and green, making it a scene of pure, unspoiled wilderness.
You wanted to paint this place. The way the water fell over the rocks and how the two falls shone the light—the green in the trees - even the dirt and mud—the fact you couldn't hurt more than you could fathom.
You flexed your hand, the bandage tightening around your wrist. If you couldn't experience why you wanted to be here, you'd at least try to find joy in how happy your friends were to be here instead.
