"What about bears?"
"Lydia, there aren't any bears out here," Sean answered with a sigh.
"How do you know?"
"Because I do," was his very predictable guy excuse.
I sucked my teeth. There is no way he could know if there were bears up here or not. We were hiking in the woods for Christ's sake. There could be a whole cave of bears for all we knew. Okay, maybe not an actual cave.
"Besides," he continued as he stopped and shot me a look. "This was your idea, anyway."
It took me a couple minutes to catch up to him. He was a few feet ahead of me and was definitely more used to this type of thing than I was. I was too busy being paranoid about snakes, coyotes, and now...bears.
I took his outstretched hand as I carefully stepped over some large branches that had grown into the ground. He was technically right with his claim. When we woke up this morning, he recommended that we stay in, relax and maybe read or watch some movies.
I suggested that we go hiking since it was a beautiful day out. I told him I wanted to explore since I had never been here before and it would be good exercise. At this current moment, I wish I had listened to him.
Refusing to own it, I rolled my eyes. "Maybe it was my idea-"
"It was."
"-but still, I've never been hiking like this before. Its normal for someone who isn't outdoorsy to get a little nervous about things with venomous teeth or claws big enough to slice you open."
"How about this," he started as he led me further into the woods, "if we see a bear, I owe you $100. If we don't see one, then you owe me $100."
"You're on," I replied with confidence. This was way too 'off the beaten path' to not have any sort of wildlife.
As I continued to let Sean lead the way, my mind drifted off to the last conversation I had with my mom. I still wasn't sure how I felt about her coming to New York. Especially since it'll be the same time the art show is.
When we get back to the city, I'm planning on calling Michael and talking to him about this. He's spoken to Dr. Sinclair a few times since he's met her. Even though he wasn't related to her, he said that, since she was a part of my life, he wanted to get to know her. I was extremely grateful that me and Michael were able to fix our estranged relationship.
"What's on your mind, beautiful?"
I was so lost in thought, I barely heard Sean's question. "Hm?"
"You have that look on your face when you're thinking of a million things at once."
"I don't have a--"
He arched a brow at me. He really did know me a little too well. I hated to admit it, but he was right.
I let out a long breath as we sidestepped a giant spiderweb. "I'm a littler nervous about my mom coming to New York."
He stopped and frowned at me. "Wait, she's coming here?"
"Yeah, didn't I tell you?" I could have sworn...
"No, you didn't. When did this happen?"
That's when it hit me. "I'm sorry, babe. She called me when I was on my break at work a couple days ago. She told me she wanted to fly out here and visit with me. She wanted to see my dorm and for me to show her around the city. I was going to tell you that day, but that's when I got the letter from the landlord. I guess I forgot."
We continued walking as he asked, "How do you feel about that? Do you want her to come here?"
I still didn't even know the honest answer to that question. "I'm not sure. I think it's nice of her that she's making an effort. But at the same time, I've always felt like I was in control when I went to visit her."
"You feel like it's taking you out of your comfort zone," Sean added.
"Yeah. I'm glad that we're building a relationship, and I enjoy spending time with her. I just don't know if I'm one hundred percent ready for her to come here."
Sean seemed to think about my words for a few minutes. He was probably the only person who new pretty much everything about me. He knew how I was, how I thought...maybe he could give me some advice.
He pulled me to a stop and held my gaze. "Do you want my honest opinion?"
"Yes."
"I think her coming here is a step in the right direction for you guys. On the other hand, I also know where you're coming from and I understand how you feel. So, I think when she comes, you should stay at my place. We'll put her in a hotel and you guys can have your girl's day and do whatever you like. If you need a buffer, the three of us can go to dinner or do something together."
I thought about what he said. To be honest, I did get a little excited when she offered to come here. That was before the fear took over. Maybe staying at Sean's place was a good idea. That way, whenever she wanted to meet up with me or anything, we weren't going to be alone at my dorm room.
The thought of being alone with her in my dorm room is what made me uncomfortable. It was just a small, personal space that I wasn't ready to share yet.
"Yeah, I think that's a good idea."
His smile fell and he frowned at something over my shoulder. I turned around to see what it was.
"Holy shit," he breathed. "I owe you $100."
I nodded like an idiot as I watched the large black bear in the distance. "What now?" I whispered.
"Now, we run."
"My legs feel like Jell-O right now," I groaned as Sean helped me get out of my clothes. After hour run back to the cabin, we were both exhausted and sore. "I told you there were bears," I chided.
"Babe, I already gave you the $100. You were right, I was wrong. I admit it."
I was surprised that he actually admitted he was wrong about something. It was definitely out of character for him. When we saw the bear, we turned and hightailed it back towards safety. Thankfully, we weren't seen by the hungry beast.
Now, I could barely stand due to the fact that my legs we're killing me, and I must have gotten bit by something because I couldn't stop scratching at my neck.
"Stop that." Sean swatted my hand away and inspected the area.
"Let me guess," I breathed, "I either got stung by a bee, bit by a spider, or a disease-carrying mosquito? Am I right?'
"Uh..."
"What?" I didn't like his response, or the fact that he was staying silent. That definitely wasn't a good sign. "What the hell is it?"
His eyes met mine and his expression was sympathetic. "It looks like poison oak. Something must have brushed up against you when we were, you know... Running from the bear."
I stared at him dumbfounded. Poison oak? POISON OAK? Seriously? "Please, tell me you're joking," I begged. Sure, I would be mad at him for playing such a stupid joke on me, but at least I knew I would get over it. The last thing I wanted right now was poison oak on my neck.
"I'm sorry, baby. It doesn't look too bad though. Let me see if I have something for that."
While he went in search of medication for me, I walked in front of the mirror in the bedroom to inspect my neck. Yep, he wasn't lying. This fucking sucked. If we had just stayed in the cabin--
"You know," Sean said as he walked over with a bottle of something in his hand, "if we had stayed inside--"
I shot him a look in the mirror that told him it would be in his best interest to not finish his sentence. It appeared to work, because he held up his hands defensively. "Right, sorry. Let's get you in a hot bath then I'll put some of this on it for you."
I sat on the edge of the bed while he filled the tub. Now that I knew what was causing the itching, it only made it worse. I had my hands locked together, trying to think of anything else other than the urge to scratch the skin off my neck.
"It's ready for you, baby," Sean said as he came and knelt in front of me. "Why don't you hop in and I'll make some dinner for us?"
"Yeah, okay. Thank you."
I went to the bathroom and climbed in the tub. I couldn't stop the moan that slipped past my lips as I submerged myself in the hot water. I leaned my head back against the cool porcelain, hoping to relax since my thoughts and nerves were all over the place.
Even though I was itching like crazy and had some pain from being attacked by a plant, I was glad that I was spending this time here with Sean. We definitely needed some alone time. We had one more day here before we had to drive back to reality.
A reality, where I had a meeting early Monday morning with the lawyer. I've never spoken to a lawyer in my life. As much as I was gung-ho about taking on this issue by myself, now that I've thought about it, I was relieved that I got Sean involved.
I wanted to handle this the right way, and he can help make sure that I do that. Since I met him, he really has come a long way. I wasn't the only one in a dark place when we first met on that bridge. We still had our own demons to battle, but at least we were doing it together. He's also gotten better about spending money on me. I know it's in his nature to provide for me and shower me with gifts, but it wasn't in my nature to accept. That's why we had compromises. Like this trip.
"Foods ready," he said as he entered the bathroom. I turned my head to look at him as he got on his knees by the side of the tub. He frowned as he gazed at me with love and concern. "How are you feeling?"
How was I so lucky to find him? Even though we both had our faults, we seemed to fit together perfectly. Like two puzzle pieces.
"Better." I smiled as I caught the aroma of dinner from downstairs. "Is that..."
"You're favorite," he finished with a satisfied smile. "Pepperoni pizza. And I have a Jim Carrey movie ready to go on the DVD player."
God, I loved this man.