BitterSweet - 1

Chappie 11

"You let me die." James stared at me with hollow dead eyes,

"I didn't. I couldn't do anything!" I whispered. Blood stained his shirt and his skin was yellow and pale,

"Everyone dies for you Scarlett and guess what he's next..." He smiled and the blond surfer hair which surrounded his soft face started to fall out, his skin was rotting away, turning green. Worms buried in the flaps of his flesh...

"Scarlett! Wake up!" I could hear someone crying and then I realised it was me. I shut my big wailing mouth, embarrassing much? Strong hands gripped my shoulders, shaking me. Telling me to wake up,

"I'm OK." I mumbled, trying to shake away the nightmare. I could still see James's hollow eyes gazing into mine. I felt like crap, all shaky and shivery. Really hot and cold at the same time. I opened my eyes and stared at Clay, who was watching me with his green depths. He was still holding me. The sleeping bag had fallen to his waist and he didn't have a shirt on. Omg, did he wear underwear to bed? Maybe I could ask him. I'm sure he wouldn't mind telling me. I flushed deeply. Shut up brain! It was still dark outside, the smell of a fire drifted in the air. Clay had a small torch lamp on, which was spreading golden light around the tent, making him look like some sort of god,

"You were having a nightmare?" He asked. I nodded and pulled away from his grip to cover my mouth as I started to cough. My throat screamed in agony. Oh don't let me be ill, not now. When I finished Clay was still staring at me in concern, "Are you OK?"

"I feel yuck." I mumbled. I had to get up.

"Where are you going?" He asked before I stood up. My cheeks turned red and I couldn't look at him,

"I, erm, need to, um," I left the sentence hanging and he just looked confused, "Pee. I need to pee. Did you bring toilet roll?" I mumbled,

"It really wasn't on my to do list as we were running away Scarlett." He chuckled,

"What do I use then?" I asked,

"Leaves?"

Ewwwwww!

*****

*****

I hate camping. I hate the woods. I hate the night. I hate using leaves as toilet roll. I mean for starters which leaves do you use? And where do you put them after? And there's always that worry that your going to pee on yourself, and if I pee on myself, then what will I wear? An owl hooted above in the tree making me jump and squeak,

"Scarlett?" I could hear Clay coming out of the tent.

"AH! NO! I mean I'm OK. Get back in the tent!" I shouted. He laughed and I heard the zip of the tent. Thank god. Stupid hooting owl. Hooty. I mean why do they even hoot? Why did it hoot at me? I stared up and saw its round eyes glinting down from the tree,

"Hoo." Hooty called softly,

"OK so maybe your not that scary." I muttered,

"HOOO!" Hooty flew off the tree and dived to the woods floor. I almost pee-ed on my foot as the owl flew back to the tree eating something which was still squeaking, loudly. Hooty stared at me and ate the mousy thing whole in the glint of the moonlight. OK then, super freaky. I held down my coughs and hobbled back to the tent. My feet felt like needles were growing inside them. I bit my lip and tried not to cry. Clay was still awake when I went in. He glanced at my face, frowned and stared at my feet. I say stared. What I really mean is glared at them, and then his frown changed to a furrow of anger,

"Your bleddy feet!" He swore loudly, "Why didn't you say anything!!!" I looked down at my feet in the lamp light and to be honest, they did look bad. Ripped and cut, blood wet and dried all sticky on my skin,

"I tried but you thought I was moaning about nothing." He swore again and got out of the sleeping bag....turns out he didn't sleep nude...unfortunately...his grey sweet pants still made him look hot,

"You walked for 3 hours in bare feet?" A run of swear words followed,

"Sorry." I muttered. He pulled out a green first aid kit,

"It's my fault. Give me your foot." I sat down on the sleeping bag and stretched my foot to his outstretched hands. Oh please don't let my feet stink. Please god just don't,

"Oh," I mumbled as his fingertips rubbed cream along the aching feet,

"I'm sorry. It may hurt a bit." It didn't hurt at all. I bit my lip and closed my eyes. The pain was gone. All I could feel was the soft touch of his fingers running along my feet. He was amazing. His touch moved slightly up along my leg, where there were no cuts and no pain but I wasn't about to complain. It was like heaven. There was nothing, nothing apart from his touch and his fingers encircling my skin. My body was tingling in ways I'd never known and I had to open my eyes, had to see him. Clay was looking at me. His green eyes hiding his emotions. What was he thinking? Did this moment in time mean anything to him?

"Is it better?" He whispered so soft. I tried to talk but words failed me for once. I gazed at him, speechless except for one word,

"Clay." I breathed. I saw his eyes widen as he realised something unknown to me and he pulled his hands away,

"I need to put plasters on the cuts." He muttered. His fingers had left my skin but I still felt the echoes of them. I watched him digging into the first aid box. His gashed arm glowing sickly in the lamp light. Was it wrong? To feel what I felt about him? But then what did I feel? I'd never felt like this with anyone. Clay pressed the plasters on my cuts gently,

"Done. Is there anything else I can do to make it better?" He asked,

"The cream was helping loads maybe a bit more?" The words left my lips before I could stop them but to be honest I didn't care. Maybe it was because we were all alone in the middle of nowhere, but I felt brave and reckless. I thought he was going to say no but he surprised me,

"Like this?" His fingertips smoothed down again. I wish I knew how to flirt, wish I knew what to say. Clay loaded more cream on my skin and ran it out on my leg, his fingers running in soft circles and they were going higher and higher up, until he reached my knee. I held my breath feeling hot inside. A thousand tingles running through my body and he was leaning forwards, towards me. I felt dizzy being so close to him, smelling his pine fresh aftershave only a breaths away. His eyes were so green, easy to sink into. His hand reached up and took a strand of my hair. I think he liked my hair. I felt his fingertips touch my cheek and I melted in the moment,

"Get some sleep." He whispered, pulling back in a flash and exiting the tent in a heartbeat. What had just happened? I let out my held breath leaning back on the sleeping bag. My hands were shaking, my pulse thudding.

Well hell...