Genre: Romance
Rating: NC 17
Disclaimer : Standard disclaimers apply. The characters belong to Shalz R.
Chapter 15 : Part Two : Five Glorious Days
Come morning Ian was the first one to be up. It was still somewhat dark. He looked around at Evan and began to pull his sheet on him, when his eyes took him to Sonya, sleeping on the other side of Evan. He smiled and propped himself up on his elbow and supported his head in his palm. Sonya slept curled up with both her hands under her head, her beautiful hair made into a loose plait spread behind her. In the rays of early morning sun, she seemed as pink as her nightdress. For the first time, Ian had a chance of looking at her so closely.
The line where her hair met the forehead was covered with soft curls of light hair, shapely eyebrows, eyelashes closed in a deep sleep, the perfect shaped nose, and the beautiful curl of her pink lips, long shapely fingers tucked under her cheek, that was quite red with pressure, a drop or two of dew in her hair falling on the slender neck. A loose strand flew and landed across her face, tickled her and she stirred a bit.
Ian's smile widened. He stretched his hand towards her to push the lock away but then pulled his hand back just when it was but a couple of inches away from her face and did not touch her.
He lay back on his arm and drinking in the beauty.
A squirrel in the tree above, who had been observing him for sometime ran down and stood beside him, curious to see what he was so intently gazing at. Ian saw the bushy tail and whispered to the squirrel, "Yeah, she is beautiful, isn't she!" The may have agreed with him, but it took a sudden start and ran back up to its branch.
The rays of the sun were playing villain, peeping more keenly every moment on his pretty moment. He nodded, "Gotta get up!"
He went to the stream to wash himself and remembered that he had turned to cover Evan and got lost in Sonya. He walked back faster and through the tree branches he saw movement in the camp. He looked closely. Sonya was up and was covering Evan, fondly tucking him inside the warm blankets.
"I needn't have worried about Evan with Sonya around" he thought to himself and walked on.
"Good morning, Sonya" he whispered, keeping his voice as low as possible so as not to wake others up.
She sat up immediately, becoming conscious of herself, "Good morning, Ian."
"You can go to the stream to wash up and change."
"Thanks!" she said, and picked a small bag and left.
Ian saw her going and saw others sleeping. He was about to sit back in his sleeping bag, "Others all sleeping. Sonya and I are the only ones awake and sun is not fully risen yet. They look like they'll sleep till a little later. They are tired from yesterday. Sonya and I could go for a walk. I may never get this chance to be with her alone, at least not again on this trip."
He waited eagerly for Sonya and she returned in a few minutes having changed into jeans and t-shirt and went straight to the stove and started to get the tea ready. He hurried after her and said in a low but excited voice, " Sonya, let's go for a walk!"
"I've got to get the tea ready for everyone!" she looked surprised, and went on trying to get the stove lighted.
"They'll sleep late. They are tired." He carefully looked over to confirm it.
"Shouldn't you wake them?" she asked filling up the kettle and wondering about his sudden leniency.
"No. They should get proper rest. Come, we'll take a short stroll and be back before they are up." He replied and took the water bottle away from her hand.
"Ok!" she gave in, kept the half-filled kettle down and got up.
Slowly they crept out of the camp area. It was Sonya's first experience in such woods and she was enjoying every moment of it. Ian could see that. He was amused at the way she kept hopping over stones and roots and jumping high to touch the branches. Soon she had worked up a sweat and walked faster than Ian.
He told her to slow down, "This is a stroll. No need to cannonball along!"
She giggled and slowed down, still reaching out touch the shrubs and wiping dew off them. He looked at her free hand swaying by her side and longed to hold it.
"Why are you so quiet?" she turned around and asked.
"Enjoying the place, just like you!" he said, not knowing what else to say. What he enjoyed more than the place was the fact that she was with him. Alone this place wouldn't have been half as good. Alone in this place without her would have been worse.
"You've been here before, haven't you?"
"Yes. Some years back."
"You seem to have done a lot of camping! When did get the time to do that?"
He chuckled, "During school! I used to camp and hike and trek and raft a lot. I love adventure. Camps like this, in company of friends like you, are the best!"
Sonya was walking ahead of him. She turned and looked at him, but continued walking slowly. He saw disbelief in her eyes and his gaze became quizzical.
"You don't believe me?" he smiled, wondering what could be the reason for her not believing him.
Sonya remembered the day when she had planned to get details for renovation from him and he had snubbed her rudely. He just seemed like a rich spoilt brat back then. Such a man could enjoy the company of friends like her seemed a little unlikely. But then he had never failed to surprise her with all the things he had done, from coming to her house to invite her, buying her the expensive clothes, and then this camping trip! She would never have expected that brat to be so kind to her. She turned to face the direction she was going in.
"What's so difficult to believe?" he could not make out.
"Nothing!" she said quietly. Then looked at him and smiled. "Nothing, really!"
"Tell me!" he pressed her. More than wanting to know what bothered her, Ian wanted that Sonya would ask him about him. 'But would she be interested in knowing about me?' he wondered.
"There is nothing to tell!" she had the familiar feeling again that Ian would not rest until she told him. Like he did before.
"Then why did you look at me like that!" he egged her on! "C'mon ask me, I'll tell you!" went his thoughts.
"Well," she turned and looked at him, nervously, "nothing much. Really." she went on nervously. 'How can I tell him? How would he take it? Wouldn't it be rude? What if he laughs at me?'
"It's ok. Let me know." he felt vaguely that she was confused as to how he would react. "You can tell me!"
She stayed quiet for a while. "It's getting late. Shouldn't we go back? Others may be getting up!" she said and abruptly changed the subject.
The smile faded from his face. "Ok!" he said quietly and turned back towards the camp.
Sonya felt bad again that he asked her so many times and she still did not tell him. But how could she tell him!
Ian became quiet when he felt that Sonya didn't want to know about him and more than that he felt that she was yet uncomfortable with him. She could not talk to him at ease. But then wasn't he rushing a bit too fast. He told her that he would tell her but if she didn't ask how could he get near her! Confusing! He had never in his life tried to be open with any girl on the personal front. And this looked like while he was ready to be open, she wasn't.
"Maybe I should give her a little more time to be comfortable with me. She knows me for only a couple of days. Before that, I was just a guy she was working for. I think I'll just let her be for a while and allow her to be as comfortable with me as I am with her."
"Ian!" Sonya said, wanting to apologize.
"Hmm" he went on walking, lost in his thoughts, and did not turn around.
"What should I make for breakfast?" she chirped, changing her mind. It wasn’t clear to her as what she would apologize for.
"Hmm. Whatever. I'll eat anything. No hassles." he said casually, not giving her question even a little thought.
She had been silenced again. “He has no hassles whatsoever with whatever I cook! Maybe he's just upset.” Sonya was having a hard time just trying to get to know him. Just trying to understand what kind of a person this guy was!
The two came back as quiet as they had gone, with Ian a little put off. Every time, he had thought that he had a good opportunity to be near Sonya, something or the other posed as obstacle. More often it was Sonya's own resistance. He could not understand this. All his life, all the girls he had met had done everything in their power to be close to him, to spend time with him. But this one girl with whom he wanted to be close, with whom he wanted to spend time with was doing her best to resist him at every step. His intention to know her more, for her to know him was first thwarted.
Sonya's thoughts were not very different from Ian's. Only a different perspective. She could not understand that a man as rich and powerful as Ian Maxwell would want to be friends with someone like herself. It was quite odd. In the first few meetings, he had made it pretty clear that he was the boss. And then all of a sudden things took a roundabout and here she was in the middle of the woods, camping with him, discussing his interests as a boy.
They hadn't been able to go very far before they returned and were very soon back at the camp. Adrian was up and lightly exercising, his back towards them. He had seen Ian and Sonya missing and had noticed the half-filled kettle and the open bottle; putting two and two together he was smiling at the outcome.
"Morning Adrian!" said a bright Sonya, and she moved to the stove.
"Morning Sonya. Morning Ian!" he answered her but looking closely at Ian.
"Hmm ... Morning!" replied a pensive Ian.
"Where've you been?"
"Out for a walk" he said, still mentally far off.
"Seems you are still there!" he laughed and Sonya joined in, "What's the matter? Any problem?"
"Hmm ..." Ian finally came back to the site, "Nope. Just planning the day."
"So, what's the plan?"
"Thinking. Wake up everybody. Get up and ready in fifteen minutes. I want you all done with breakfast in thirty minutes." he roared suddenly and pulled the blanket off Tyler who had curled up, clutching his blanket tight, as soon as he heard Ian's first command.
"Oh, man!" grumbled Tyler. He had involuntarily sat up when Ian pulled his blanket off. He covered his eyes with his hand, "I knew I shouldn't have come with you!"
Ashley and Lauren were already on their feet scrambling for toothbrushes and soap and towel and clothes. Adrian and Sonya were having a fine time.
"Girls will go to the stream first, before a lot of people are there. And also because they take longer to get ready. Till then guys will get the bags ready. After girls are back from the stream, you can go." He continued commanding, his arms crossed over his chest.
"We can go with the girls", said Tyler, squinting at Lauren, and then noticed Ian, "It'll save time."
"Ashley, Lauren, better hurry up." Ian ignored Tyler.
"Hey, how about me and Lauren go first! I'll make sure she comes back soon. And then Adrian and Ashley can go." offered Tyler, again.
"We're here for camping, not romancing!"
"Yeah!" Tyler mumbled to himself, "Specially with you!"
"Oh, yeah!" remarked Adrian, at the same time but with quite a different tone, and Ian noted the sarcasm, "Girls get going!" he corrected the tone, but his smile still remained and Tyler became suspicious. He waited for Ian to turn around and then raised his eyebrows looking at Adrian. Adrian was still smiling, when he caught Tyler's look, he smugly cocked his head towards Ian who was walking to Sonya. Tyler's eyebrows shot higher and a smile emerged. He got out of his bag and picked it up, and under the pretence of helping Adrian roll his bag, walked over to him.
"What's new?" he mumbled.
"Walked in the morning", Adrian whispered back.
"Which one?" came Tyler's confused whisper.
Adrian took a deep breath of exasperation, "Both!"
"So?"
Adrian’s eyes rolled inside his forehead, "Together!" he said louder than a whisper.
Ian turned, "What?" and they froze with the irritated and confused look still on their faces.
"Let's fold it together!" clarified Adrian, still bent over his bag with Tyler.
"Ok!" smiled Tyler, finally, "No need to shout! I’m just standing next to you."
Ian turned back to Sonya again. Evan who had been seeing all that was happening, but not being able to hear or understand anything, got up and walked to Ian, "Uncle can I go to the stream and wash up?"
"No, Evan. Boys will go later. You will go with Tyler and Adrian."
"But I don't want to go with them. They don't keep me in their game." Adrian and Tyler exchanged a confused smile.
Ian smiled, "What game?"
"I don't know. They keep whispering to each other and never let me in." Evan explained, and the Adrian and Tyler shot up a glance at Ian.
Sonya couldn't help laughing, "Oh Evan! They must be talking something important."
"Yeah!" said Ian, but he wasn't so sure, especially since they looked shocked and hadn't yet given an explanation or even laughed it off.
"Yeah! Important matters." said Tyler and Adrian repeated.
The girls came back, and Tyler and Adrian picked up their stuff and tried to get away as soon as possible. "Hey, take this with you." Ian shouted after them and prodded Evan towards them. Tyler ran back and picked up the kid, "Come here, you little ra...!" and stopped midway, having just realized Ian's presence, looked at Adrian, and squeaked "ra...?"
"Reaaally cool chap!" made up Adrian, and Tyler looked back and grinned at Ian and repeated, "Really cool chap!” Evan grinned at the unexpected compliment. Then all of them bolted from the scene. Ian looked at Sonya, who looked equally baffled. Sonya saw Ian looking at her and she immediately got back to her stove. The girls who had just returned and did not know anything were perhaps the most baffled of the lot.
Soon everyone was back and ready in their shorts and t-shirts. "Good for a hot, hard-working day. Ready everyone?" Ian looked about him at the group piled up with their bags, "Today we will go up ahead the same direction we were in before we stopped here to set up camp.” He continues his speech, now walking on and pointing out to the group, “On ahead is a good steep hill. Great for trekking! We'd be climbing that today. All tools required are in your bags. Be careful and do exactly and only what you are told. Now we'll be off."
* * *