18) I wore shorts

I smile, without being able to restrain myself, to Ian when I hear him coming from behind, nodding his head at his words, but continuing

even to turn around to admire this place.

I don't know how Ian knows this place, as it looks completely abandoned, but it is

so perfect that i don't know why i have never heard of this wood before.

I didn't know I loved nature, while now I find myself looking around in amazement.

I'm surrounded by giant trees that look taller than Seattle's skyscrapers while

the grass is so short that it looks like a well-kept green carpet.

"Do you come here often?" - I ask after a couple of seconds, turning this time towards the river

flowing next to the tents, already set up, and then walking towards the shore with Ian that

follows me behind.

"Yes." - I hear him sigh when we approach the river, while I look at him sideways to

understand if I was wrong to ask him, but his eyes are turned towards the clear water

flowing on the river bed.

"When I missed her." - he whispers in a voice so low that I find it hard to understand his

words for the sound of the flowing river.

I watch him closely as he lowers himself to sit near the shore and I don't think it twice before imitating him.

'When I missed her.' - I close my eyes and refrain from asking him who she is.

It didn't go unnoticed that Ian has been trying to get close to me these days: he

never lets me get home alone and insists on accompanying me at the end of each shift,

as if he wanted to know me better.

Even in the gym I always find him at the machines ready to wait for me to have a chat, which I don't mind at all, but only now I realize I don't know

much of Ian.

I look carefully at his profile, trying to figure out what color his eyes are in vain,

so much that I snort and deliberately decide to change the subject to attract his attention:

"When will you stop wearing these glasses?" - I raise my chin annoyed, but in

answer he bursts out laughing out loud and places his hands on the grass around his legs to hold himself, then project his body back.

"When you will no longer wear that sweatshirt." - he replies with a smile on his lips, but at his

words I take on a serious and offended expression, looking down at my bare legs.

"I wore shorts." - I pout my pale knees, that

they have not seen the light of the sun for more than three years.

His lips form an 'o' in surprise, as if he had just noticed my bare legs:

"Who made you change your mind?" -he looks at me with a grimace so amused that

I can't hold back a smile and shake my head, but I don't answer his question and just shrug my shoulders with indifference.

Matthew.

Nobody has to know that I wore a pair of shorts thanks to Matthew

and the words he threw in my face a couple of days ago, making me understand that I can't only keep hiding because a pervert is ready to drag me into his

flat by force.

The smile dies on my lips when my thoughts return to Paul and his dirty hands

, as I take a deep breath and bring my knees to my chest suddenly, almost

wanting to hide my skin under the sweatshirt fabric.

"Do you know why I like this place?" -he suddenly mumbles, making me get up my

shoulders again absently.

"There is a legend." - he lowers his voice to appear more mysterious, but his attitude

makes me roll my eyes, even if I let him continue and listen to him with mock interest:

«If you bathe in this river ...» - he begins, slowly approaching my ear, like

if he was about to tell me a big secret:

"Bad thoughts go away."

This time it's me opening my mouth wide in mock amazement as he nods to his

words exaggeratedly:

«But you have to be naked.» - he adds after a while, but this time his expression is

so serious that I abandon myself to a loud laugh, attracting the attention of my

friends, who stop taking selfies and look at me from afar amused, and then set off

towards our direction, but the grimace on Ian's face becomes even more offended, making me

throw my head back and rest my back on the grass, but still unable to stop laughing, this time accompanied by the man by my side.

Just looking at the sky I realize that it is already late and I understand why my stomach is grumbling from half an hour , but the lying position calms me so much that I decide

not to stand still and stare at the faded moon until Tessa's voice brings me back

to reality:

«Dinner is ready.» - she says looking at me from above, as if she had cooked and we didn't have

brought the ready-made pizzas from Seattle, but even if I would stay in this position forever,

I decide to get up in order not to risk starvation, noticing just now that Taylor and Hardin finally managed to light the fire.

I like this place, but not so much the people around me, like Matthew's cousin,

who has decided to get noticed even today by coming with us, even if she doesn't usually address us a word.

But the redhead had to hide with Matthew in a tent so that Hardin could

concentrate and help Ian start the fire.

I don't understand what that hateful Barbie is doing in a place like this, but apparently

she couldn't stay away from Matthew for twenty-four hours, while that asshole

couldn't help fucking a woman for one night.

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