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[I][color=AD5050]Like cardiac arrest, high voltage in her lips[/color]
[color=D52759]Like cardiac arrest, high voltage when we kiss[/color][/i]
[img]https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2016/02/living/love-story/media/assets/divider.png[/img][/center]
[indent][indent][color=darkgray]
Nathan laid on his side in the ground next to the bonfire. His journal laying open in front of him as he scribbled away inside it, spilling all of his feelings about the events of the day. With Em's breakdowns and Val's fight, Nate felt emotionally drained- and it was only the first day of the trip. As he wrote he kept flicking his eyes towards his friends: one small one, in particular. He couldn't help but notice how her usually confident smug face was stained with a more sullen expression this evening. 

He closed his journal with a sigh, turning to lie on his back and look up at the night sky. Nate heard the group starting to talk about the next leg of the trip, but in all honesty, he couldn't be bothered to care. At this point, he would just go along with whatever. The brown haired boy sat up just as a weird scruffy looking man he had never seen before started to play a guitar. A frown spread across Nathan's face as he slowly got up.

He didn't really know why he did it: maybe because she looked sad, or maybe he wanted to get her away from the bearded dude for some reason. But he found himself walking to where she was, squatting down behind her and whispering: [color=AD5050]"Hey, uhhh… Do you want to come take some pictures?"[/color]

The argument with her -best friend? Ex-friend? Whatever they were at this point- and the words exchanged were still fresh in Valeria's brain, her heart still heavy and stinging. Had she really thought that being honest would be the best way to go? And with AJ, no less? The boy was loved and adored by everyone, for crying out loud! He would never even begin to understand what it was like to fucking hate himself. She knew trying to give him a new face wasn't the best way to go about things either, but it would have made her feel better.

But if she was really, truly honest with herself, Val knew that her reaction mostly had to do with Amanda's unwelcome presence (who had luckily she'd bailed at some point of the trip). The deep rooted truth of the matter was that she didn't want to lose AJ to someone else again. Watching him with Jamie had been torture. Having him back after so long had been a blessing. And the possibility of losing him yet again to some leech who would probably break his heart again was as excruciating as ripping her chest open and pulling her insides out.

Lost in her thoughts as she was, Val was completely oblivious to her surroundings. So when the girl felt Nate's hot breath in her ear, she flinched in surprise.

[color=D52759]"[i]Fuck[/i]!"[/color] she muttered, hand flying over her heart. Her big brown eyes were wide with both surprise and disbelief. Did Nate seriously want to hang out with her after what had just happened? Or was this how he planned to lure her away from the group to break her heart?

Only one way to know.

[color=D52759]"Um, sure…"[/color] she heard herself saying awkwardly in a small voice, shifting her nervous eyes from Nate's face and to the bonfire in front of her.

[color=AD5050]"Alright, let's go…"[/color] he offered her a reassuring smile as he got out his camera from its case and she stood up. [color=AD5050]"Come on,"[/color] he flicked his hand indicating Val to follow him.

The two walked in silence for a few minutes as Nate clicked away with his camera to his face. First he took some of the barren desert landscape, but then he turned the camera towards Valeria. Illuminated by the moonlight and backlit by the campfire the small girl made for a beautiful shot. He pressed down on the shutter as to not miss the opportunity and before she would notice, he lowered the camera slowly.

[color=AD5050]"So, what a day, huh? You and AJ really duked it out. Did he say something stupid again?"[/color] He asked tentatively as he sat on top of a boulder beside her, kicking at the dust underneath him. 

Val -who had been busy studying the pebbles on the dusty desert floor- suddenly looked up, brown eyes were alight with hope. [color=D52759]"You didn't hear?"[/color] she croaked, her heart racing in her chest as she waited with bated breath whether Nate was now aware of her pathetic crush or if he remained as unassuming as ever.

Nathan scrunched up his face in confusion. [color=AD5050]"Hmm?"[/color] he shot her a quizzical look. [color=AD5050]“What do you mean? All I know is that you jumped on the poor kid.”[/color] He let out a small chuckle [color=AD5050]“So I’m just assuming that he said something...dumb.”[/color] the young man finished, looking at her from the corner of his eye to gauge her reaction.

Much like the three generations of females and her darling father before her, Valeria Drake wasn't known for her poker face. Whatever she was feeling on the inside would reflect in her facial expressions. It was something that had landed her in hot trouble frequently as a child, as a teenager and now as a young adult. But right now, the girl's face was twisted in a cocktail of relief and gratitude for whatever supernatural entity had kept Nathan distracted enough to not hear AJ outing Val. 

Her secret was still safe.

She remained seated next to the boy, letting the good mood wash over her and trying hard to not express how giddy she felt. [color=D52759]"It's nothing, really,"[/color] the long-haired girl easily lied to Nate, waving a dismissive hand and tucking her hair behind her ear. [color=D52759]"I mean, it definitely was something: I didn't get that riled up over nothing. But it's nothing important in the grand scheme of things, if you know what I mean."[/color]

The boy shrugged as he stood up, gesturing for her to do the same. [color=AD5050]“Alright, if you say so...”[/color] he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He dropped the subject, but as he surveyed her he could see she had something more to say. Instead of prying further, though, Nate just offered her a smile.

He picked up his camera and pointed it at Val, who made up some cute or funny little poses for him on the spot. [color=AD5050]“How do you feel about joining up with the other guys?"[/color] He asked as he snapped a few more shots of her before turning his lens towards the desert again.

Valeria let out a long, tired sigh. [color=D52759]"Honestly? I'm not thrilled,"[/color] she confessed, taking a seat again and looking out at the stunning scenery stretching out in front of them. Under a starry night sky, the desert mountainscape could be seen in the distance, faintly illuminated by the moonlight. It was a stark contrast to the coastal views the brunette was used to, but a welcome, beautiful sight all the same. [color=D52759]"Things between Al and I are awkward, I can't stand Yessi Astor, I hate Matt with the blazing fire of a thousand suns, I have no idea who Ellie or Monica are, and you see how things are between J and I. And the cherry on top? Our ride's fucking gone. There's really nothing to be excited about."[/color]

He nodded in agreement as he listened to her explain how she felt. Honestly, Nathan felt indifferent about the whole situation: he didn't really care who joined them as long as the misfits were all still together. [color=AD5050]"Yeah... I'm not really looking forward to sitting awkwardly in the backseat of one of their deathtraps, but at least they're offering to drive us until we get the RV back,"[/color] he offered, trying to see it from another angle. 

[color=D52759]"I guess…"[/color] she muttered with a small shrug. At any other time, Val would have clapped back at Nate with one of her snide, snarky remarks about being a pussy and not understanding how the hell he was always able to look at the bright side of things like a foolish idiot. But it seemed the fight with AJ had sapped the sass out of her, because instead of picking up a fight she chose to simply keep quiet, enjoy the view and take comfort in the taller boy's soothing company.

Nathan sighed, letting his camera hang by its strap as he took a seat next to Valeria on the boulder again. [color=AD5050]"So have you figured out what you're doing for tonight? Are you roughing it out like 'wilderness expert' AJ or did you get a cabin? They were surprisingly cheap."[/color] He said as he dangled the key hanging from the wooden key chain.

[color=D52759]"Oh, [b]fuck![/b]"[/color] the girl groaned, smacking her palm against her face. She'd been so busy simmering down after the argument that the thought of where she would sleep had gone right over her head. [color=D52759]"I didn't get anything, like the idiot I am. Jesus fuck… How in the hell did I forget [i]that[/i]?"[/color]

Nathan was surprised by the declaration. For him, it had logically been the first thing to do when they arrived at the campsite. [color=AD5050]“Well…”[/color] he trailed off, scratched the back of his head and letting out a puff of air before speaking up again. [color=AD5050]“I guess you can share mine-”[/color] he began, his hazel eyes widening when he realized what he had just suggested. [color=AD5050]“I- I mean, there's a sofa! I’ll sleep on that and you can take the bed,”[/color] he sputtered in embarrassment, looking away towards the starry sky.

The second Nate said they could share the same cabin, Valeria's big eyes widened, and her chunky cheeks flushed crimson. This was something straight out of her midnight dreams… but damn it, she was here for it! The real question was whether it was better to play it cool and appear uninterested? Or should she just drop one of the spicy, suggestive lines she was thinking about?

Like the coward she always was in matters of the heart, Val went with Option Number One. [color=D52759]"Oh, I don't know… I wouldn't want to impose on you like that or anything…"[/color] she replied bashfully, hoping that if she acted shy enough she would actually convince herself she was.

[color=AD5050]"Oh…"[/color] he felt both relief and- for some reason- disappointment. [color=AD5050]"Yeah, I guess you would be more comfortable sharing with Em or Kim…"[/color] he said, quickly glancing back at the group still sitting around the campfire. He pulled his legs up towards his chest and hugged his arm around them leaning his head on his knees watching Val still illuminated by the moonlight.

[indent][color=D52759][i]Ugh, what the fuck are you doing, Val! Stop being a pussy! Man the fuck up and make this right! Don't screw it up![/i][/color][/indent]

[color=D52759]"But I mean, if you want the company I can totally stay with you,"[/color] the girl impulsively blurted as damage control of sorts, getting visibly nervous at the thought of losing her golden opportunity. [color=D52759]"I honestly wouldn't mind us spending the night together."[/color]

Sweet baby Jesus: put a damn bullet through her head. That sounded so fucking desperate- even if it was the honest to God truth. It took all her self-control to hold back from smacking her face with her open palm or against the boulder she was sitting on.

Nate looked at her with a mixture of amusement and confusion playing on his face. [color=AD5050]“Okay,"[/color] he whispered softly. Taking a deep inhale, stretched out taking a look at his watch. [color=AD5050]“Uhm, well I was thinking of heading to bed, so I guess you’ll have to make your mind up.”[/color] He shot her a smile as he stood from the rock they were sitting on and began to walk away.

[color=D52759]"Fuck, wait a second… Nate?"[/color] the girl called out to him, jumping up from her seat.

He spun around when he heard his name being called out. [color=AD5050]"Hmm?"[/color] Nathan walked slowly back to where he had stood.

[indent][color=D52759][i]It's now or never, Val.[/i][/color][/indent]

The short girl swallowed hard, took a deep breath and closed the distance between them with brief, determined steps. She took a second to take in Nate's handsome features and the way his hazel-colored eyes were shining in the moonlight before closing her own eyes, cupping his face with both hands and pressing her full lips against his.

Nate's body tensed up when the short girl grabbed his face and kissed him deeply. He was shocked with out of the blue it had come, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying it. Still it felt… Strange.

He grabbed Valeria by the shoulders and gently pulled her away from him. [color=AD5050]"What are you doing?"[/color] He whispered slowly dazed and confused.

It took a moment for Valeria to realize that the kiss had ended. She remained with her eyes closed and her lips comically puckered up for a few more seconds before her face lit up like a fourth of July sky.

[color=D52759]"[i]Oh my [b]God[/b][/i]!"[/color] she cried out, going as far as to give a little happy dance. Once she was done, she placed a hand over her racing heart and tried to control her heavy breathing. Smiling so hard she could feel her cheeks hurting, she turned to look at Nate. [color=D52759]"Oh God, I've been wanting to do that for [i]years[/i]! God, that was fucking [i]amazing[/i]!"[/color]

[color=AD5050]"I- what?"[/color] Nathan asked eyebrows high on his forehead. The boy just looked at the elated girl in front of him with a puzzled face. [color=AD5050]"What's that supposed to mean?"[/color] He questioned again.

[color=D52759]"Duuuuuuuh, what do you think it means?"[/color] Val scolded, and although rolled her eyes the bright smile was still in place. [color=D52759]"Do I have to do a cute little mating dance for you, or use smoke signals from our bonfire over there, or serenade you with my nasty as fuck voice? Read between the lines, Nathan. You seriously can't tell me you don't know what this means."[/color]

He rolled his eyes back at her. [color=AD5050]"I mean, I guess… Are you saying you've had some sort of crush on me for years?"[/color] He huffed. [color=AD5050]"You have a real weird way of showing it… I haven't been called a pussy by anyone else other than you."[/color] Nate continued still very confused as to what was going on.

The short girl let out a sigh, her face slightly blushing with embarrassment now. [color=D52759]"Okaaaayyyyy, so I'll admit I didn't go about things in the best way,"[/color] Val began, looking down while shifting her small feet on the sandy ground. [color=D52759]"But in my defense, I'm not exactly the most eloquent of people- especially not when it comes to pussy shit like feelings and stuff. So I guess this is my... Apology… Of sorts."[/color]

[color=AD5050]"Thanks… I guess,"[/color] he chuckled, shaking his head. [color=AD5050]"Well anyway, the offer still stands if you want somewhere to sleep or… Apologize some more,"[/color] He smiled and started to walk back towards the campfire.

Wide eyed, Valeria sat there in the dark for a long moment, letting the realization of what had just happened and what had just been said sink in. The implications of Nate's last sentence hung heavy in the air as the tall boy made his way back to their group. She'd kissed Nate… She'd kinda-sorta come clean with her feelings and hadn't been immediately shot down or called insane… She'd be spending the night with him… [i]And[/i] he'd pretty much given her the green light to 'apologize some more'- which hopefully meant more of what they'd just been doing [s]or maybe even [i]more[/i] than what had happened, but she didn't want to let her hormones get the best of her twice in one night.[/s]

The brunette wanted to get up and laugh and cry and scream, but she settled for letting out an excited squeal and clapping her hands together. It was only until she made sure she wouldn't bawl her eyes out in joy, Val finally stood up from her makeshift chair and skipped back to the group, positively beaming.

Maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad after all.
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