CHAPTER IX

Tony went home shortly after dinner when he received a call from his mother saying that as much as he was already twenty-one years old, it was too late for him to be out of the house.

After picking up the dinner plate, a lasagna that my father had prepared I went back to my room where I just walked in and took off my clothes and threw myself on the bed.

I woke up the same way I had laid down, lying on the width of the bed with my feet hanging out.

I got dressed and as always I took the route my body was so used to.

Strangely that morning Tony did not show up at the beach to give me the towel so I had to go home still wet.

At times like that I was grateful for the average temperature of 42 degrees that my body was always in. If I had had the temperature of an ordinary person I would have died from hypothermia by now.

I ate breakfast faster than I used to, practically gobbling up all the food my father had prepared for me before leaving the house on the way to the Diaz's, after taking my car out of the garage and leaving the backpack with everything I needed for today in the back seat.

My knuckles gently collided with the door before I drove into the Diaz's house, straight into the kitchen, where Fatima, Tony's mother, was finishing putting breakfast on the living room table.

"Good morning Mrs. Diaz."

"Matt, I've known you since you were in nappies; please call me Fatima" asked Tony's mother, coming up to me and leaving a kiss on my cheek.

"Sorry, good morning Fatima."

"That's more like it. You've come for my Anthony, haven't you?" she asked as she left the last tray, with fruit, on the table.

"That's right, I was very surprised that he didn't come to run with me as he does every morning. Is something wrong with him?"

"He must have stayed up late, and you know what my son's little groundhog looks like. If he doesn't sleep his ten hours, he's not a person, he'll keep on sleeping. Are you going to wake him up?"

"Of course I am."

The structure of the Diaz's house was identical to ours and I had known that house since I could remember so it was not difficult for me to locate Tony's room.

I went in without making any noise. Tony wasn't a mess but he was more of a mess than I was and you could tell that in his room. The armchair on the wall parallel to his bed was completely full of clothes, his bed was still not made and he was asleep at his desk drooling over some book I didn't know the title of.

The opportunity to keep an ace up my sleeve in case he played one on me was obvious, I took a picture of him in his state and uploaded it immediately to my cloud, making sure I had a copy just in case he deleted the one on the Iphone film.

"Tony" I whispered in his ear as I gently shook him.

"Hmm" he let himself be heard in a sigh but there was no further reaction.

"Anthony, you have to get up now or you'll be late for college."

"Five more minutes mum," he asked as he settled down more on his own arm.

"I'm not your mother T. You have to get up now" I asked as I pulled her hair out with a quick movement of my hand.

"Matt, who took a long time to get it the way I like it" complained as he sat down on his desk chair.

"Hurry up, go to the shower while I get your clothes ready" I announced while opening the door of his wardrobe, from which I took out a light blue pair of trousers with broken knees, a white tank top and a forest green sweatshirt.

He jumped out of his chair and ran to get a change of underwear before storming out to the bathroom, where I could immediately hear the water hitting the ceramic floor.

He was only in the bathroom for five minutes before showing up in his room again to pick up the outfit I had left on his bed.

He changed at an impressive speed although he had a couple of problems when he got stuck with the sweatshirt... lucky he's not as rough as I am and didn't try to force his head in as I would have done.

"Already?" I asked when I saw him putting on his slippers while jumping on one leg.

"Help me with the books, the schedule is on the desk" he asked me.

"Run and eat your breakfast, I'll prepare your backpack" I urged him, pushing him a little towards the door while I approached his desk and tidied up a bit before taking what he needed for the day.

When I arrived downstairs Anthony's family was eating a quiet breakfast while he was practically gobbling up the food.

"Breathe it in" I warned as I approached the table, standing next to Tony's little sister, Jossie" How are you, little bean?"

"Good," ahe answered with a mouthful of cereal, taking a little tail from me.

"You don't answer with your mouth full, Jossie, your parents didn't bring you up like that," I said as I looked at Fatima and Antonio, Tony's parents.

Yes, Anthony and Antonio; they hadn't eaten much of the head with the name of their first child.

"If he hadn't given it to you, I would have done myself" his father warned "How about everything at College Matt?"

"Everything is fine, Antonio, normal."

"Don't let him lie to you Dad, Matt has a girlfriend."

"A girlfriend?" asked Fatima "Why didn't I know that?"

"Because I don't have a girlfriend, Fatima, not yet at least."

"Mum has taken her to the Triumph already, she's almost there," said Anthony as he approached the table and picked up two apples, throwing me one on the fly.

"Come on, we're late at last" I pushed him as he pushed her out of the house.

We got into the car quickly and I started it to get to the University as soon as possible.

"What did you do last night to fall asleep this morning?"

"Finishing the dynamics essay that I have to deliver tomorrow."

"That's what you get for leaving everything to the last minute."

"Well yes" he admitted.

I spotted the entrance to the University and drove there, parking the car where I usually do.

We had to speed up more than we usually do to get to our respective classes on time but at least we did; or I did.

Sarah waved to me as soon as I walked through the door of the classroom where the first class of the day was being held, before gesturing for me to sit with her as Mike was sitting next to Ryder.

"Have your sheets stuck to you or what?"

"Tony, and since we came together... you see."

"I thought that you had each one by his side.We come with Lewis until we can buy a car for me."

"No, we usually take turns bringing the car in one week and this week it's my turn, except on Monday when I had the car in the workshop for a wheel change."

"And Ryder?" I asked intrigued as I watched the teacher on duty enter the classroom.

"Ry has his car already bought off but I had to buy a new laptop before coming here because mine said enough and that significantly reduced my savings."

"If you don't want to come with your brother I have no problem picking you up."

"You don't need to do any more miles, don't bother."

"I swear it's no bother Sarah, and besides Camden is a small town, I don't think you live very far."

"I really don't want to be a bother Matt."

"And I repeat that you'll never be a bother to me Sarah" I said as I squeezed her hand affectionately "What's more, it's Wednesday and the day after tomorrow the boys, their brothers and I were planning to go to Camden Hills for a camping trip, why don't you come and tell your brothers?"

"Are you sure I won't be a nuisance ?" she asked, stopping looking forward and looking me in the eye.

Honey against green, I was already totally lost.

"Look into my eyes Sarah" I asked as I held her hands "You will never be a bother."

"Dunbar and Fisher, listen to the class, you'll talk later" asked the teacher.

I gave Sarah's hand, which was still in mine, a final squeeze before turning around, attentive to anything the teacher explained.

My mobile phone vibrated with a message.

Mike.

Camping in Camden Hills ?

Wasn't there another excuse to see her Matt ?

9:45 am.

Me

Please follow my lead.

9:45 am

Mike

For you, whatever it is, now I say it to T.

9:46 am

Me

Thank you

9:46 am

I took notes of everything the teacher said, paying much more attention to leaving well-drawn anatomical diagrams of the organ we were studying at the time.

The morning classes passed like a sigh, as did the afternoon and the following day's classes.

I was at home, preparing one of the two large bags of food that I had to take with me for that night's camping trip.

The tent and bags were already in the back of my Jeep, as was my bag with a complete change of clothes for tomorrow.

My mobile phone vibrated just as I zipped up the last bag of food.

It was a message from Sarah.

Sarah

Sweetbrier Road 178,

See you in a bit Matt.

6:53 pm

Sweetbrier Road was only ten minutes away from my house so it was not difficult for me to get there shortly after Sarah sent me the address.

Sarah's house was not far from mine, maybe a little bigger but not much more.

I got out after leaving my car parked on the pavement in front of the house and walked the small path across the front yard lawn to the door of the house.

I hadn't had time to ring the bell when the door opened, and behind it was a woman about 30 centimetres shorter than me, with candy-coloured, curly hair.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Excuse me Mrs. Fisher, I'm Matt Dunbar, your daughter Sarah's partner and your son Ryder. I had arranged to meet your children this afternoon to go camping" I said as seriously as I could.

Mrs. Fisher may have looked like a lovely woman, but she was still imposing.

"Come in son, Sarah is finishing up what she needs, the kids are ready" said Mrs. Fisher "And call me Martha, I have the impression that we are going to see a lot of each other."

"Okay Martha."

I sat down on the sofa to talk to Sarah's mother and her brothers, who were curious and asked a variety of questions... from whether I was a natural blonde or what we young people in a town like this did.

"I'm ready now" it was heard behind my back.

Sarah was at the foot of the stairs, and at her feet, the typical camp bag in which the mat on which the sleeping bag is placed protruded.

"Nice talking to you Martha."

"Same to you Matt, I hope to do it again."

"I was pleased," I answered as I walked to Sarah and took her bag to the car where the boys were already putting their things in the boot. Martha came with us to say goodbye to her children.

"It was very annoying, wasn't it?" asked Sarah once I started the car.

"Not at all, I liked talking to your mother. Ryder looks a lot like her, I see."

"He's a nail in the coffin, you shake his hand and hold him up to the shoulder" she replied amusingly.

"Hey!" he complained.

"The truth hurts little brother" said Lewis.

I turned on the radio, enjoying all the songs that were playing until we reached Camden Hills, where I quickly caught a glimpse of Tony's truck, on which the boys were already waiting for us, with Jossie and Laura, his sisters, who were talking amusingly despite the age difference.

I parked next to Tony's car, getting out after a few seconds.

"You're slow when you want to be, my friend", said Mike to all of us, greeting us with a hug.

"Shall we go?" pressed Tony once we got all the stuff out of the cars.

We followed Tony, who had positioned himself as a guide, into the forest.

"Aren't we going to the camping area?" Sarah asked me when we passed by the camping area of the park.

"No, there's a clearing a little further up that's beautiful" said Mike's sister, Laura.

"You'll love it."

"I have no doubt," she replied.

The truth is that I found the clearing in one of my escapes from reality. It was about 500 meters away from the area the park had for camping. It was surrounded by trees and was high enough so that the lighting of the city did not end with the beautiful starlight and as a bonus, about ten metres away from the lake, there was a small stream with enough water to wash up.

"It's beautiful," exclaimed Sarah when we reached the clearing.

"I told you," I replied, paying for by myself as I started to pitch my tent.

The tent was set up in five rooms, four of which served as bedrooms and one in between the other four as a living room.

"Do you need help?" Sarah asked me.

"No, that's it, but thank you very much," I replied as I nailed the last peg to the tent.

"They've gone to get logs for the fire," explained Sarah, sitting next to me on the log that had been placed there before. She caressed her arms to each other, looking for a little more warmth.

"Are you cold? "

"A little bit, actually."

"Come, I can help you" I said as I watched her come closer to me, surrounding her with my arms and clinging to my chest so that she would find more warmth "Better?"

"Mmm much better thanks."

"Do you want us to get a hotel room? We'll leave you alone," said Tony after dropping the logs he was holding at our feet before the others followed.

"Idiot," I answered by throwing a small stone that I knew wouldn't hurt him.

"Work your magic Matt," said Mike.

I reluctantly separated from Sarah and squatted in front of a couple of logs that Tony had strategically placed. Knife against the flint and instant spark that fell against the dry leaf litter that ignited instantly.

"Voila, fire," I said as I sat back down with Sarah who had huddled against her twin until the fire was big enough that it was not necessary.

Damn fire and damn Ryder.

Dinner that night was hosted by Mike, who prepared us some delicious hot dogs and the odd burger.

"You eat a lot, more than my brothers," said Sarah funny when we finished dinner."I need a walk to get all this stuff down."

"Wait, I'll come with you" I announced standing up quickly, after wiping my hands with a cloth that I threw to Tony afterwards.

"You guide," said Sarah.

We walked quietly until we ended up in a small waterfall in the river that became a stream below. The moon was the only light that illuminated us that April night.

An old log lay in front of the caste, hard enough to serve as a seat.

"Come" I called her to sit beside me "How are you doing so far? Are you adapting well to the change?"

"It's complicated, I'm not going to lie to you. You leave behind a whole life, friends, acquaintances and even family to come to a totally new place and start from scratch, it's very hard but you've made it much easier for me especially you Matt, thank you" she said, cutting himself off with a chill at the last word.

"You're cold again. Come" I asked as I watched her sit closer "No, here" I said pointing at the gap between my legs, wide enough for her to sit comfortably and me surrounding her to keep her warm.

"I don't want to disturb you."

"You never bother Sarah, now sit down" she did what I asked, sitting between my legs, immediately surrounding her with my arms earning me a sigh as an affirmation "Better eh."

"Yes" she said in a whisper.

"I'm glad."

The moonlight impacted on her blonde hair, giving it a glow that only such pure light could give, completely enraptured me.

"You are so incredibly beautiful Sarah" I whispered in her ear making her look at me over her shoulder.

My eyes automatically went to her lips, those thin, slightly pinkish lips that made them look so incredibly appealing.

"Matt" said Sarah in the same tone.

"Stop me if you don't want to," I asked.

My hand moved to her cheek, framing her as my thumb gently caressed her lower lip. I looked into her eyes before I even got close, I saw no reticence in them so I did.

I slowly approached her until there was very little space between our mouths, I looked at her waiting until the last moment to throw myself. It was she who did it.

At last I knew what her lips tasted like, at last I became completely devoted to her.

She turned, standing in front of me, making it much easier for me to embrace her.

My hands found their place on her hips, hers on my neck.

It took a second for the air to fill our lungs before our mouths came together again in the way we both seemed to want.

"I like you so much Sarah you have no idea" I let go in a whisper.

"Matt to me.."

A crackle behind his back made us both stop and turn quickly to the source of the snap.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I'm going to look at it."

"No," she asked, interlocking his hand with mines. "Let's go, Matt."

We returned through the forest in silence, in a pleasant and warm silence thanks to our hands that had never been separated.

"Wait" I stopped her before crossing the last line of trees.

"Is something wrong?"

"I just want to do it one last time" I said before caressing her cheek with my free hand" They are too annoying."

The initiative that time was mine, I kissed her and I will never regret it.

"I love it" I whispered over her lips before kissing her again "Shall we go?"

"Let's go," she answered.

The fire was still burning when we arrived at the makeshift camp, but no sign of the girls except a slight snore coming from the tent.

"Those are your brothers," I said when I saw that the boys had occupied one of the rooms, the other was occupied by the girls and the other by the Fisher, from where the snoring came out.

"Yes."

"If you want you can... if you don't mind of course."

"Not at all."

I turned around to give her some privacy while she was putting on her pyjamas and I got into my sleeping bag just like she did in hers.

A continuous chattering of her teeth didn't let me fall asleep.

"Come here" I said, opening the zip of my sleeping bag and letting her in.

"You're like a heater," she said, hugging my side.

"Sleep gorgeous."

I closed my eyes, happy about everything that had happened that day. I had her by my side, hugging her.

We had kissed and I was already declaring myself addicted to her lips.

What could be better than that? Nothing.