Conflicted

Chapter 1

It all started on that fateful rainy day. The day was dull and grey with cold biting into your bones leaving your teeth chattering. Ordinary people would be seated at home bundled up in layers of clothes, with a mug of hot chocolate to warm their hands but not Alexis Morningstar.

Alexis

The rain felt wonderful as it fell against my skin. I knew my brother would kill me once I got home but at that time I didn't even care about that. Mt. Yalestar was magnificent and majestic towering over every other thing. As suddenly as the rain had come, it stopped leaving the forest quiet and wet. The only sounds were my own as I splashed through puddles but soon I was joined by the birds chirping. The forest slowly came back to life and I could feel the essence of every living creature envelop me. I closed my eyes as I took in the scents and sounds around me. It was almost magical

I opened my eyes and continued with my venture into the forest. Droplets of water caught rays of the sun making it look as if the tress were sparkling.

It was then that I noticed something out of place just ahead on the ground. It looked like a jacket from a distance. My boots made no sound as I approached it cautiously. As I drew near, it dawned on me that it was a person. Who would come out here and lie down? I wondered. As I got closer, I noticed the person was lying on their stomach. I found it strange. It was even stranger that there was no movement. Maybe the person was asleep. But who could sleep through a shower like the on that had just passed. I figured maybe the person was a very heavy sleeper. I stood above the persons body and nudged him or her with my foot and got no response.

Cold sweat broke on my brow as my imagination went into overdrive. What if this person was murdered and dropped here? What if it was a zombie? There was only one way to find out. I knelt beside the body and turned it to face me.

My breathe caught at what I set my eyes on. It was a man. He didn't look any much younger than me but I could not take my eyes off him. He was beautiful or should I say handsome in the rugged kind of way. His dark hair and eyebrows contrasted sharply with his pale but tanned skin. His lips though blue were full and sensous. It was then that my brain kicked into action. I thought he was dead as I had previously assumed and blanched. Just to be sure, I checked his pulse. I let out a sigh of relief as I felt his heartbeat. It was slow and his breathing was shallow. I had to get him out of the cold.

This is what my brother had always cautioned me about. I had a big heart and would want to help anyone I came across who was in need. He had told me that one day I would get killed for my naivety. This hot guy sure looked like a serial killer but dammit, I couldn't help it. I had spotted a cottage some metres back as I was trekking in the rain. I hoped the people there were good enough to help us out. The next problem was how to get this guy all the way there. He looked well built and he was huge. It would take all I had to carry him. I grunted at his weight as I took him in my arms

"Boy, you are heavy," I growled as I put him over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Even though you cant hear me, I apologize for the slaps the trees will give you," I mumbled at the man as I started walking. The cottage was not far but it seemed a lifetime away because of the deadweight on my shoulder. I spotted the cabin and almost ran towards it. My muscles were screaming for relief. There was no sign of life inside the cabin. There was no smoke coming out of the chimney. There was no light coming out the windows. It looked abandoned.

"Hello! Anyone home!" I shouted once I got to the door. I got no response and after two minutes of waiting, I smothered down my conscience and kicked the door open. It surprisingly flew open and I couldn't help but grin at my success but the weight on my shoulder reminded me I had no time to gloat.

I walked round the cottage looking for a room and after finding it, I dumped him unceremoniously on the bed. As I stretched my sore muscles, I thanked my brother silently for the weight lifting training he put me through. I got to work removing his sodden clothes and shoes leaving him in his boxer. I couldn't sum up the courage to remove it, and besides, it was not wet so I left it on him.

With that task done, I took a moment to now examine his body. I liked what I saw. He had a lean muscular body with long sturdy limbs. His whole body looked tanned meaning he spent a lot of time outdoors. But did he spend them naked? I almost slapped myself at the thought. My eyes flew to his face and as before, he took my breathe away. I couldn't help but wonder what color his eyes were. Were they blue or grey? Oooooh, maybe they were green. I loved green eyes.

I covered him with a blanket I had rummaged from one of the boxes in the room and left him to sleep. It was then that I noticed how cold It was. I was shivering from head to toe. My top was plastered to my body and my jeans held on as if for dear life. My boots at least kept my feet warm and dry. I couldn't help but giggle as I imagined how my hair looked like. I bet it was covered with twigs and leaves.

The house fortunately and surprisingly was stocked for winter. I found a lot of firewood In the kitchen and a lot of canned food in the pantry. At least we would not be cold or hungry. At the thought of food my stomach rumbled. I had to feed it but first I had to make a fire. I took the firewood and some matches and headed to the sitting room. In no time, the fireplace was lit. The fire blazed cheerfully as if welcoming me in. It felt good.

I went to look in on my stranger. His colouring was better but he was burning up. Looked like he had a fever and he was muttering things under his breathe. That couldn't be good. I had to do something and do it fast. The room had a bathroom. I ran inside. There was a huge tub. That would do. I opened the taps and ice cold water gushed out. It looked clean and cold was good. It would lower his temperature. I hoped it wouldn't kill him. I ran back to the room and with an effort threw him over my shoulder again. He was really hot. I could feel the searing heat though my sodden clothes. Once there, I tried to place him gently in the tub and was dripping with sweat by the time he was inside. I thought I saw him sigh but maybe it was my wild imagination. I sat beside the tub. Taking a cloth from a rack, I dipped in the water and placed it on his forehead.

As the minutes trickled by, his fever went down and with it went my energy. I felt tired to my bones but I had to get the guy back to bed. I drained the water and wiped him dry. His boxers were now wet. Oh goodness, this day seemed to get better by the minute. Now, I had to remove those. Pulling on my last reserves of energy, I took the guy in my arms and placed him on the bed. Here comes the hard part, I mumbled to myself.

Closing my eyes, I got a hold of his boxers and pulled them down his legs. Once I had discarded it on the floor, I felt around for the shawl but couldn't find it.

"Dammit!"

I opened my eyes and my jaw almost hit the floor. It was huge. He was clearly blessed in that department. I could feel my cheeks growing hot. I snapped out of the trance and quickly covered him with the shawl. The room was still cold so I decided to go get some firewood to light a fire. And I needed some fresh air. I got the firewood and came back to light the fire.

"Who are you?" a gruff voice said behind me making me almost jump out of my skin.

"You startled...." I couldn't finish the sentence after turning around. There stood Mr.Stranger in all his naked glory. I grew flustered as I took him all in again.

"Like what you see?" he asked with a smirk on his face with no shame whatsoever. I couldn't focus on anything else. I stood up and went to the bed and threw him the shawl.

"Cover yourself," I managed to say as I looked away.

"All done," he said in that sexy voice of his. I turned around and almost smacked into him. I didn't realize how tall he was until that moment. I had to look up to look him in the eye.

What hit me first were his eyes. They were emerald green. Just beautiful.

"Excuse me lady, I asked you a question," he said drawing me out of my reverie," Who are you? Just where are we? And why am I naked?"

I took a step back to create some distance between us. I couldn't think when he was that close. Just when I opened my mouth to try and answer some of his questions, he suddenly clutched his head with his hands as his face contorted in pain.

"My.....head," he groaned. Suddenly he collapsed right into my arms. Fortunately we were near the bed or else we would have both hit the floor. I withdrew my arms from around him and sat up on the bed. So many questions ran in my head. Why had he suddenly collapsed? There seemed to be no physical injuries anywhere near or on his head. I got out of the bed and covered him again with the shawl.

I sat beside him and let out a loud sigh. It had been a long strange day but I still loved it. I looked down at the man beside me and brushed away a stray lock from his face.

"We will figure this all out mystery man," I whispered and kissed his forehead out of impulse.

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Hello guys! Thanks for choosing to travel through this world with me. I hope you enjoyed my first chapter