Chapter 18

Hunter

Hunter and Chase were getting ready for the next contest - a rock climbing contest. Hunter had put on brown slacks and a loose long sleeve white shirt. He ran his fingers through his brown hair, trying his best to tidy it before he would see Cassia again.

She'd been avoiding him like the plague. Even though she said nothing would change between them, she stopped looking at him, stopping reacting to him, and it tore him apart.

"I think Cassia hates me," Hunter blurted out, glancing at Chase who was shrugging on a loose black shirt. "She's been avoiding me. I ruined everything."

Chase frowned as he straightened out his shirt.

"I think she's embarrassed," Chase said. "You said she made the first move right? Maybe she thinks you're the one who doesn't care for her."

Hunter barked out a laugh. "I doubt that. She's the one to say I'm nothing, but a rival."

"It's only because she doesn't know how you feel."

Hunter tensed. His hands shook as he ran his fingers through his hair again.

"Why don't you tell her how you feel if you're so bothered by her avoiding you?"

Hunter was quiet for a moment. Chase was examining him with a serious expression, his gaze unwavering and Hunter felt himself unfold.

"Because I'm scared to," Hunter confessed. "I'm absolutely petrified to tell her how I feel. What if she rejects me?"

"I highly doubt she would have slept with you if she felt nothing. Unless she's an incredible actress, but I doubt that's one of her skills."

Hunter blushed madly. His heart still raced whenever he thought of Cassia touching him like treasure she unearthed.

"I just don't know when it comes to Cassia," Hunter said. "She's confusing and I'm scared of scaring her off forever. She's already giving me the cold shoulder."

"But if you don't do anything at all, she'll shun you for life."

Hunter said nothing to that. He was absolutely lost, but Chase and Hunter were silent as they finished getting ready. They were almost done when someone knocked on their door.

Hunter frowned and opened it up.

"Hi," Liana said. She was standing there in pants and a long sleeve red top, her blue eyes gleaming. "Can I talk to you?"

Hunter glanced at Chase, unsure. Ever since Liana tipped over Cassia's canoe things were off between them.

"Please," Liana said, giving Chase a pointed look. "Alone."

Chase sighed before he took off and Hunter's heart sunk. He didn't want to be alone with Liana, but it was too late as the door fell shut.

"Are you mad at me?" Liana asked.

Hunter and her stood in the middle of his cabin - beneath the blinking lights. He towered over her and she gazed up at him, her blue eyes full of sorrow.

"Kind of," Hunter confessed. "But, you're one of my oldest friends and I could never hate you. So don't worry. I'm upset, but we're okay."

Liana sighed heavily. Her body relaxed as her shoulders grew slack.

"I never meant to nearly drown Cassia - I would never hurt someone like that. I swear it was an accident."

Hunter shook his head. "It may have been an accident, but it was still cruel. I'm sorry, but I'll never forget what you did."

Liana's body went rigid and Hunter sighed. Fatigue washed over him as he glanced around, wishing to escape.

"I noticed Cassia is avoiding you," Liana said, blinking back tears that threatened to fill her eyes. "Why is that?"

Now Hunter tensed. Blush crept into his cheek and he cursed himself.

"I don't know. Ask her."

"Is it because of what happened when you took her back to her cabin?" Hunter's eyes flew wide as Liana sighed. "Chase told me what happened."

Hunter cursed under his breath, annoyed that Chase told Liana what happened. His cheeks were enflamed now that someone else knew what went down.

"It was in the heat of the moment," Hunter said. He paused, wondering why he was defending himself. "Well, Cassia thinks it's a mistake."

"Is this why you've been so miserable lately? Because of Cassia."

Hunter's heart slammed against his chest. For once, Liana was speaking to him with a gentle tone, as if she feared hurting him more and he hated it. He hated how Cassia had thrown his world off balance.

"Maybe... Maybe I'm scared I went too far with her and now she's pushing me away," Hunter confessed. "I didn't mean to scare her off."

Liana's eyes searched his face now. There was a look of wonder on her face that made Hunter feel like he was cracking. And if he were to fracture any further, Liana would see that Cassia was what his heart consisted of.

"You like her, don't you?" Liana whispered.

Hunter said nothing. He was breaking, shattering with every word Liana spoke. Chase had already snapped off pieces of him and now Liana was causing him to fall apart at the truth. And he couldn't hold it in anymore. He couldn't bear to lie.

"Yes, I like her so much it hurts," Hunter said, feeling breathless. "It's like being tortured. I'm like some sort of masochist. It's horrible, but yet I can't get enough of how I feel for her."

Liana sighed. She shook her head as if she couldn't believe it, but yet, it all made sense. Even to Hunter, suddenly everything came together.

"Then why don't you tell her how you feel?" Liana sighed. "Instead of sulking over her, wouldn't it be better to show her how you feel before it's too late?"

"I'm scared, Liana. You don't understand how terrified I am to ruin everything. She's already avoiding me."

"She's only avoiding you because she cares. Get it through your thick skull. If you meant nothing to her, she would have acted like nothing happened."

Hunter went still. He never thought of that and now, hope was blossoming within him.

"Any girl would be lucky to be with you. Trust me, I know," Liana whispered. "It kills me to say this, but if you're so miserable stop moping and do something about it."

Hunter's eyes softened as Liana smiled sadly. He smiled down at her, forgetting about the anger he once felt for her.

"I want you to be happy. That's all I ever wanted for any of us," Liana said. "Even if you aren't happy with me."

Liana turned around and departed and Hunter was left stunned. But, hope was still blossoming within him, blooming flowers of hope all over him.

*****

All the campers stood before a cliff. It was a small cliff that rose up a few meters and on the wall were crevasses and rocks jutting out to allow campers to scale up the jagged walls. The cliffs were built out of years of dirt being compacted together and it was chipping away with age.

Dawson and a few other camp employees were at the top. They were holding ropes that would be tied around them to keep them safe and upright, and at the bottom two campers prepared to climb. Whoever scaled the wall the fastest was the winner and everyone took turns racing each other.

Hunter had already gone twice and with every minute that passed, the number of campers dwindled. Currently, he was with Chase and Cassia stood with Astra a few feet away.

His eyes lingered on Cassia, wishing she would look at him. But, she was fixated on the wall as the next two pair mounted it. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she wore a guarded expression, and it made his heart sink. He hated how he changed her. He hated how it felt like he forced her to barricade herself.

"Just talk to her," Chase groaned.

Hunter stiffened. It was late and the sun had set. The sky was dark and the forest around them loomed over them, shadowing the clearing they stood in, but Chase's eyes still gleamed.

"Tell her," Chase repeated. "Stop ogling her and tell her, so we can stop seeing you moping."

Hunter's heart twisted. He said nothing, but he shattered completely. Because with Cassia there, her brown eyes wide with fascination, he couldn't hold it in anymore. He couldn't lie to the world about how he felt.

Soon, everyone had lost and it was Cassia and his turn. She still wouldn't look at him and he hated it. But now, he had the confidence he could change that.

So, Hunter tied the rope around him tightly, tugging it to make sure it was firm around his waist. Dawson waved at them from the top of the cliff and they took ahold of the rough crevasses on the wall. Cassia was next to him - only a few feet away and his eyes lingered on her. She was trembling, he realized.

"Are you scared of heights?" Hunter asked.

Cassia shook her head. She still wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Don't worry, I have your back," Hunter said. "Because for you, I would fall just to catch you."

Cassia froze. She finally looked at him and he smiled at her, his eyes lighting up.

The moon shone down on them and Dawson shouted at them to start and they began to scale up the wall. Cassia was shaking and Hunter was climbing swiftly, but with Cassia right on his tail.

It was cold and dark outside and the moon was their only source of light. Hunter could feel his heart pounding, feel the way adrenaline pumped through him as they climbed side by side, going higher and higher as their feet and hands settled into ridges, and they yanked themselves higher and higher.

Cassia breathed heavily next to him. She was catching up on him and he grunted as he clambered faster. It felt like it was just the two of them. In this giant crazy world, it was just Cassia and him as they conquered the wall, feeling the wind sail past them - their breathing matching each other's.

Soon, Dawson came into view and Hunter pushed himself harder and Cassia gasped. She pushed herself, her body swiftly reaching out for higher crevasses and she hauled herself up. Hunter's eyes flew wide as she shot him a smile, her eyes lighting up.

They were almost there. Just one more step. One more until he'd win, but then, they both reached the top. Exactly at the same time.

"Whoa!" Dawson said. "Both of you have won!"

Cassia panted as they both went to sit on the edge of the cliff. Their feet dangled off the side and Hunter couldn't hold back anymore. As Cassia stared at him with her eyes pooling with moonlight, his restraint shattered.

"I like you," Hunter said.

Cassia's eyes flew wide. Hunter blushed, but he straightened himself up as Dawson and the other employees strode away to give him privacy.

"What?" Cassia whispered.

"I like you, Cassia Winters. I like you so much it breaks my heart to see you avoiding me. It hurts me to see you struggling to be around me. So before I lose you for good, I have to tell you this."

Cassia breathed heavily. Her body rose and fell with every breath she took and her eyes glimmered with moonlight casting light into them. She wasn't speaking. But, she wasn't looking away either.

"Did I ruin everything?" Hunter whispered. He slid closer to close off the distance between them. "Do you hate me for going too far because I apologize. I would do anything to take it back if I could."

"No," Cassia blurted out. "You don't need to take it back."

This time, Hunter faltered. He was speechless as Cassia's barricade shattered.

"I'm sorry I've been avoiding you. It's just that I'm terrified," Cassia confessed. Words were spilling out of her mouth - like a dam that had been broken. "No one has ever made me feel this way."

Now, Hunter was stunned into silence. He couldn't form a coherent thought.

"You make me feel like my armour has fallen apart. I feel like all of me is exposed and you can see parts of me I've never shown anyone before," Cassia said, her eyes full of pain. "It makes me feel vulnerable. It makes me feel like I'm setting myself up for failure. And I hate it."

Hunter's eyes softened. It finally all made sense.

He cupped her face with his hands and held her like he would hold moonlight - like it was precious and fleeting. She was still panting as if she ran a mile and her brown eyes were wide with fear.

He wanted to take it all away.

"I like you like this," Hunter confessed. "Vulnerable. Open. I want to see your heart on display." He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper. "It makes me feel like I'm one in a million. As selfish as that sounds, I want to be the one you open your heart to."

Cassia teared up. And finally, she reached out and touched his cheek, her eyes full of a thousand emotions that made his heart race. Her hand was shaking, but it was on him.

"You are one in a million," Cassia said. "Like I've said, I've never felt this way before."

Hunter couldn't contain it anymore. He leaned forward and kissed Cassia, and his heart jolted as Cassia kissed him back immediately. Their lips were gentle - tentative, as if they still feared messing everything up.

"I really like you," Hunter said, pulling away. "I wish we didn't go so far so soon and I want to start over. This time, I want to take things slow. So if you'd let me, I would love to take you out on a date."

Cassia's eyes softened. Her hand fell on top of his heart and her fingers spread out to capture every heartbeat that beat for her.

"I would love that," Cassia said. "I want to start slow."

He let out a breath as she pressed her lips against his again. This time, without the previous restraint. She kissed him as if she was sure of this. As if she really did wanted this and he melted under the touch.

Because finally. Under the moonlight and deep in the night, Cassia was no longer trying to banish him.