54| Another Step Forwards

It was about 8 in the evening both cars stopped in front of Zoey's grandfather's lake house. The caretaker let them in and the boys brought in all the luggage bags.

"Wow. This place is beautiful." Ethan said as he slumped on the couch in the living area.

"Yeah, it's been so long since I came here." Zoey said and stretched her limbs to kill the exhaustion.

It was a two-storey house built of imported woods that was designed by her grandfather herself. She had been here before her parents divorced, when they were a happy family and there was no toxicity among them. But everything changed when her father drowned himself in work and her mother found love outside her marriage.

Shaking her head from these thoughts, Zoey announced, "There are four bedrooms here and we are eight. So let's divide in pairs. Cindy and Ethan will obviously stay in one room so they are excluded." Hearing this, Cindy and Ethan exchanged a look and then nodded hesitantly.

"I have an issue with sharing a room." Althea said.

"You can share with me. I won't be in the room most of the time anyways." Olive offered and Althea agreed.

Zoey then looked at the rest of them, which were Maya, Travis, Zachary and herself. "I don't mind sharing a room with anyone. Just decide yourself." Zoey said and went to the kitchen to make a sandwich for everyone. Her stomach was growling by then and she was sure everybody else felt the same.

Five minutes later, she returned with a tray containing bread, mayonnaise, jam, peanut butter and Nutella so that everyone can make a sandwich of their own choice.

"Travis and I can share a room. We don't mind." Maya said.

"Okay then, Zachary and I will be in the fourth room upstairs." Zoey replied.

"I'm tired. I need my beauty sleep otherwise I'll end up with dark circles in all the pictures of this trip." Althea said and made her way to one of the rooms, causing everyone to roll their eyes.

One by one, everyone else dispersed, leaving Zoey alone on the couch. Few of them left to explore the lake while the rest went to their rooms to take some rest. Zoey stayed behind because this place brought so many memories for her. She felt overwhelmed all of sudden and the urge to do anything else left her.

She kept sitting there for some half an hour, eating the third sandwich she had made while her eyes remained fixated on the floor.

"You are still sitting here?" Olive asked as she entered the living area in her swimsuit. "Wanna go to the lake?"

"No, I am a little tired." She said and stood up. "I need some sleep."

Wrapping a shawl around her arms, Zoey walked up the stairs to her room. Once she reached the door, she peeked inside and found Zachary and Maya sitting on the bed, busy in laughing at whatever they were discussing. To avoid disturbing them, Zoey slowly backed away and made her way to the next room in line.

She knocked on the door and then entered inside, only to find Travis lying on the bed and reading a book. He lifted his head to look at the intruder and his eyes widened when he found Zoey.

"Your best friend and my best friend are getting cozy in my room." Zoey said and entered inside. "Move over."

Travis scooted to a side and Zoey hopped on the bed, pulling the blanket over her. "This place is really nice." He said.

"Thanks." Zoey replied.

"You don't look so happy." He pointed out.

"I'm just a little tired. Can I lie here until Maya comes?" Zoey said.

"Sure. It's your place after all." Travis said and gave Zoey space to lie down. He observed the small frown on Zoey's forehead and it was a little strange because she was rarely this silent. Something was wrong but he didn't have the courage to ask her.

"Do you want me to leave?" Travis asked so he could give her some privacy.

"No. Stay." Zoey said and turned to her side to face him.

Putting the book on the side table, Travis lay down on his side, mimicking her position. There were only few inches between them and their eyes were locked together. Neither of them spoke anything, just kept staring at the other person with a strange look in their eyes. There was something so comforting about this silence that neither of them tried to break it for a long moment.

"You know what, we are away from the city. What happens here doesn't count." Zoey whispered, scooting a little closer to him.

A corner of Travis lips lifted up and he whispered, "Everything counts, Zoey. With every step I take towards you, it becomes harder for me to take that step back."

Zoey pouted at this. "Yeah, you are probably right." She conceded and rotated on the bed to face the ceiling.

Once again, silence prevailed in the room and both of them got lost in their thoughts. When Maya didn't return after another five minutes, Zoey decided to sleep. She closed her eyes and the very next minute, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"What is it, Anderson?" She asked, angling her neck to look at him.

"Are you going to sleep here?" Travis asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry, your virtue will be safe with me." Zoey rolled her eyes. "Which is ironic because because I was the one who---"

"I remember very well." Travis scowled. "I am serious, Zoey. I don't think we should sleep on a---"

"Be quite and sleep. And let me sleep as well." Zoey said and snuggled deeper into the blanket.

"But---"

"Travis! Sleep." Zoey growled.

Not wanting to poke the bear, Travis switched off the lamp and lay down beside her. She was sprawled on more than half the bed despite her petite figure and this sight was enough to make Travis smile.

Texting Maya that Zoey was sleeping in this room, he lay down to sleep. He tried his best to maintain a reasonable distance from Zoey who didn't take a minute to succumb to sleep.

Few minutes after he closed his eyes, Zoey scooted closer to him in a way that her back touched his front. The sudden movement alerted Travis and he opened his eyes, only to find Zoey snuggled against him.

He tried to ignore her but soon, she started to move again and this time, her behind pressed against his pelvis, causing him to stiffen.

Shaking his head at her childish sleeping manner, Travis gripped her by waist to stop her from moving. When she didn't move for some time, Travis pulled the blanket over both of them and closed his eyes to sleep.

••••••••••

Zachary and Maya were sitting side by side on the bed, watching the latest episode of Game Of Thrones on the LCD screen. They were having a very heated discussion about who should sit on the iron thrones when Maya's mobile beeped.

"What happened?" Zachary asked Maya whose face suddenly contorted.

"Umm... Travis said that Zoey is sleeping in the other room so I have to spend the night here in this room." Maya explained.

"Oh." Zachary mumbled. "You can sleep here. I'll sleep on the couch."

"No, it's okay. The couch is too small." Maya said nervously. Sitting with him on the bed was one thing but sleeping in a dark room on same bed was nerve-wrecking.

"Okay." Zachary said and they once again started watching the series.

Once the episode ended, Maya went out to bring her clothes from the other room but when she found the lights closed, she made her way back to Zachary.

"I don't have any pyjamas." She told him.

"You can take something from my bag." Zachary said.

"Yours? But you are a hippo." She commented.

"Hippo? These are muscles and girls love them." He stretched his bulky arms over his head.

"Yeah, right." She said and searched in his bag for something cozy. A pair of trousers and a shirt caught her attention and she took them into the bathroom with her.

After she left, Zachary straightened himself on the bed. The thought of spending the whole night with her was enough to make his thoughts jumble. Being with her in the same room was enough torture for him. With every passing day, it was becoming difficult for him to not close the distance between them and kiss the hell out of her. It was killing him, literally.

He was lost in these thoughts when Maya walked out of bathroom dressed in just his shirt that reached her thighs. The rest of her legs were bare and the sight made Zachary uneasy.

"Your trouser didn't fit me." She replied.

"Oh." Zachary sucked a sharp breath and tore his eyes away from her legs that were stirring his insides.

Maya shifted on the bed beside him and they both sat there awkwardly, the previous comfort already evaporated. The friendly atmosphere of the room was now charged with a strange sexual tension.

"So, um, should I turn off the lights?" Zachary asked.

"Yeah." Maya said and covered her legs with the blanket.

The lights turned off and they both lay down to sleep.  "Fuck." Zachary said under his breath when his foot accidentally grazed against Maya's legs under the blanket.

"What happened? Are you uncomfortable?" Maya asked in confusion.

"Something like that." Zachary said and forced his eyes shut.

••••••••••

"So we are stuck in a room, boyfriend." Cindy said to Ethan as she walked out dressed in shorts and a crop top.

"Yep, girlfriend." Ethan teased. "Any chance you are bi so we can do something to deal with boredom?"

"Nope. Strictly lesbian." Cindy shrugged.

"Tch." Ethan clicked his tongue.

Chucking the towel towards him, she left the room to discover this place. She walked out of the main door to enjoy the beautiful view of the lake. As she slowly reached the lake, her eyes caught the sight of something, or rather someone.

It was Olive, swimming gracefully in the clear water of lake, her blonde hair trailing behind her in effortless manner. Cindy found a wooden bench beside so she sat down and observed her carefully.

Feeling eyes on her, Olive rotated her neck and caught Cindy red handed. Her cheeks blushed profusely as she watched her swim back to the shore.

"Hi." Olive said and dried her hair with a towel she had put on the bench. Due to all the years spent in sports, Olive was toned and there was not an inch of fat on her body. That was the reason Cindy couldn't tear her eyes from her body.

"Hi." Cindy replied nervously. This was the first time they were talking alone, without Ethan or anyone else to interfere.

"Where is Ethan?" Olive asked, looking around.

"He is sleeping." Cindy lied and scooted over to make space for Olive.

"Hmm." Olive mumbled. "So, when are you telling Ethan that you are gay?"

"What?" Cindy's eyes widened on hearing this. "H... How do you know?"

"The way you stare at girls, you are either gay or a vampire dying to suck their blood. I just figured it's the former." Olive chuckled and Cindy felt her own mouth forming a smile. "Ethan deserves to know."

"He knows." Cindy said and a frown appeared on Olive's forehead.

"He knows?" She repeated.

"Yeah. He is helping me keep this a secret." Cindy said.

"Why?"

"My parents, they will kill me if they find out. I just... I need to keep this a secret until I am eighteen and ready to move out." Cindy said.

"Hmm. I understand." Olive replied. Extending her hand, she rested it on Cindy's small, manicured one and passed her a reassuring smile. "It gets better. I told my parents last month and I expected them to unleash their rage on me. And they kinda did. But it gets better."

Cindy's eyes switched between their linked hands and her face; her heart started beating faster as Olive's eyes stared deep into her own. She was so beautiful, with eyes the color of ocean and hair like melted honey.

How can someone this perfect be so nice? Cindy thought to herself.

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We have another ship.