A/N: And this one is for you itturnsoutfine I hope you like it :)
Chapter 18
Avi and Kirstie walk out of the back door of the cabin, hand in hand. Avi goes to walk straight off the last step but he is pulled back by Kirstie. She does a quick scan of the grass before she lets them go on.
"You sure you're okay to walk in those shoes?" he asks as they walk into a forestry area.
"For the millionth time, yes. You said it's only a short walk and besides I came up the mountain in them, this should be fine," she nods happy with her hidden heel sneakers. She isn't going to tell him that she hadn't brought proper sneakers with her, if she were a blonde she'd call it a blonde moment, unfortunately she had no excuse for this lack of judgement.
Avi has a backpack with snacks and water and towels and sunscreen. He had been amazed with Kirstie's packing skills in the face of lightning her load to absolutely nothing, luckily for her: Avi didn't mind.
"It's about a fifteen minute walk," he says as he helps her up a small ledge.
"Oh, so what's your idea of a long walk then?" she asks.
"A day's trek that you then camp up top and the next day you finish the trail."
"I am never doing one of those," she speaks firmly.
"That's alright, that kind of thing is really only for people who love camping and look forward to it."
"Avi you forgot your guitar."
"Oh shit!" They stop, "Wait here," he tells her, "Unless there's a snake or a creepy crawly." He tickles her side making her squeal and slap his hand away before he darts back off the way they'd come.
Kirstie sits down on a rock to wait, she knew he wouldn't be long but she didn't want to be standing any longer than she had to.
Avi returns after not long at all, out of breath, he'd clearly run and his guitar is over his shoulder in its case. He gives her a smile and they walk on. They're quiet for a while, he assumes that Kirstie isn't in the mood for talking since she usually initiates conversations, he never knows where to start with her.
"It's really pretty," she says quietly. This makes Avi smile, he loves knowing when others see what he sees.
"And peaceful," she adds. "So do you come up here a lot?"
"When I need to, sometimes I just have to get out and fully immerse myself in nature. The city just gets too much and local parks aren't enough."
Kirstie nods along as he speaks. She didn't necessarily get it, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't understand where he is coming from. She's out so much with parties and touring that home is her escape, being with her dogs. Avi's is nature and his guitar.
She picks her next words carefully, "Have you brought any girls up here before?"
Avi freezes for a micro moment, Kirstie doesn't notice as they just keep walking. Why did she want to know that? But he had a clever answer up his sleeve.
"Esther's been up here once, hated it."
Kirstie rolls her eyes, "Any girls that aren't your sister? You can tell me Avi, I won't judge you."
Avi sighs, "Besides you, one other girl."
"Jess?" she asks too quickly.
His eyes narrow for a moment, he didn't know how she knew Jess' name then he remembered her so called 'research' she did for that blog post. It wasn't Jess though so he shakes his head, "Another girl, I didn't have access to the cabin when I was dating Jess."
"Was she not a camp in a tent kind of girl?"
Avi laughs, "She was almost as bad as you. Besides I've only dated one camp in a tent kind of girl, but she wasn't the one I brought up here."
Kirstie looks across at him curiously, she was learning about him and in particular his past relationships. And so far she's learnt that he's dated two girls besides Jess, that's two relationships the internet never found out a about: she had to give him major kudos for that.
"So it's a one in two situation?" she jokes, "Four girls, and only two have come up here," she giggles.
"More like two in five," he shrugs.
"Ooo, Avi you player," she teases, poking his shoulder.
"Why? How many guys have you dated?" he asks.
"Actually not as many as you'd think. I talk big but I'm pretty shit at relationships."
"Well that makes two of us," he nods slowly. "What's your excuse?"
"What do you mean excuse?"
"I guess it's like the thing that you use as the reason things don't work when you don't want to blame your personality anymore."
Kirstie pauses to think, "I guess it'd be my image. People, men in particular, see me as one way, but I'm something completely different. The real me is lame compared to the stage me, real me is not what men want."
Avi shrugs, "Real you is what I want, and I'm a man."
Kirstie's face goes red as she looks down, "I think that makes you the first." She wraps an arm around his waist, snaking it under his pack as they walk. "And what's your excuse?" She asks, wanting to get the topic off of her old love life.
Avi sighs, "My sister."
Kirstie frowns, "Is that really fair Avi?"
"Yep," but he doesn't say anymore, so she puts a hand on his chest to stop him walking, he looks down at her.
"Why is it Esther's fault?"
"Because no girl I date is ever good enough for her."
"And why does that matter? You're dating them, not Esther."
"I know. But she drives the girls away, she's subtle but effective and she doesn't think that I know what she's doing, but I do and it really freaking hurts."
"Why doesn't she want you to be happy?" Kirstie asks quietly.
"She always says she wants what's best for me. And sometimes Kirstie I start to think about how maybe she's not what's best for me." He hesitates, "Can you promise me something Kirst?"
"It depends I suppose, what it is?"
"Can you promise me that you won't let Esther get to you?"
"How do you know for sure that she'll try something on me?"
"Because she disowned her best friend, I dated her best friend and she disowned her. If she can do that to someone she cared so damn much for, she can do worse to you. Please promise me Kirstie, I really care about you and I don't want to lose you too, please," he stares at her with pleading eyes.
She stares back.
A/N: Will she make that promise?
Find out next time ;)
Hannah