Avery's POV
"Oh, sweet freedom!" Callum said falling to the ground as soon as we arrived at Elliot's cabin.
It was a large log building that resembled more of a mansion than anything. It was up on a hill and consisted of two stories. There was a porch swing and a hammock lost in the trees of the front yard. The place looked really expensive and nice but homey at the same time.
"Get up off the floor ya dweeb," Keegan told him crawling out of the back of Bentley's SUV with a couple of suitcases in hand and Eva trailing alongside him.
"It's the ground but go off you unintellectual fool." Callum spits before looking up at Keegan and seeing his not so happy face. Callum quickly stood to his feet and ran towards the fence, hopping it when he arrived. Keegan followed and I looked away knowing it was out of my hands now.
If one of them died I wouldn't be to blame and that was all that mattered.
Elliot completely ignores them and gets to talking. "So there's six rooms. We all have to share except one of us. I was thinking we could all just bunk with who we room with at home and then have Eva and Sawyer together and Mona be alone. If that's okay?" He asked looking around at all of us. No one complained so we just went along with it.
Dawson's also over next to me and looks to my eyes deviously before running off. "Race you!" He yells already feet ahead of me.
That little fucker.
I chase after him right away. And although I tried to sound angry when I yelled at him, my smile peeled through and gave away my true emotions.
My feet pound against the dirt, then concrete of the steep driveway and soon the hardwood floors inside the cabin. I didn't even bother thinking about it either of us ended up tracking dirt inside making a mess we'd both have to clean later, but something about Dawson made me not have to worry about the little things that we'd have to focus on later. It was always the now with him.
I let out an all too loud and hyena-like laugh when he manages to stumble into a coffee table and shake his foot as he runs.
And although injured, he's still faster than me because I'm one unhealthy and out of shape bitch.
He roughly pulls open the glass door to the back patio, peeking back at me to see how far I was before darting off quicker than before.
Damn, did he have some good ass cardiovascular fitness.
He jumps down the steps of the deck and keeps running through the neatly contained forest. For a second I contemplate giving up, mainly because I couldn't breathe right now and my entire body felt like it would soon fall apart limb by limb. But something in me had to win. I would beat him at whatever this was and I'd be fucking proud afterward. So I keep running.
I see Keegan still chasing Callum around the hot tub and the pool. Well, I see Callum quickly avoiding him and teasing him the entire time. And I really wish I could stick around longer to watch. Maybe I'd get lucky and someone would record it.
Soon they're no longer in sight and it's just a bunch of trees and other landscape shit surrounding us both.
I keep running after Dawson until a clearing with a large lake pops up and he somehow disappears.
Slowing my footsteps to a halter and letting myself catch my breath was relieving as I'm just not noticing how fucking awful running is.
I bend over a bit so my hands were rested against my knees which apparently was a bad idea because there's soon the feeling of warm hands wrapped around my waist.
"I will murder you!" I shout as I thrash around in his grasp, already knowing my cold cold fate.
"Sure you will."
And before I get the chance to even respond to Dawson ask his sarcasm I'm tossed in the lake with a shrill shriek on my behalf.
I let myself slowly fall to the bottom of the water before floating back up and gasping for air as dramatically as I could since I didn't have time to get a proper breath in before I was tossed in.
"I literally hate you."
Dawson doesn't respond but just smiles and takes his shirt off and jumps in with me.
***
"Why're you wet?" Sawyer asked me as she rushed up to grab a towel from the bathroom next to her.
"Oh Sawyer, if you didn't already notice Dawson really has a thing for making Avery-" Mona started but stopped when the clearing of his throat was heard from the bottom of the staircase.
"I got you clothes." He pulled his lips into his mouth in an attempt not to laugh or show any facial expression at all but you could still see the smile in his eyes.
Dawson lifted the clothes to showcase them to me and I see a pair of shorts and one of his t-shirts. "Sorry, couldn't find any of your tops so I got one of mine. Put it in the dryer, by the way, to make it warm and stuff."
I hear Mona aww behind me and flip her off behind my back but smile at Dawson. "Well, thank you." I smile and he tosses the clothes at me which I surprisingly catch.
Sawyer finally comes back out with a towel and I thank her too.
"So," Dawson asked, "where's everyone else at?"
"Elliot went with Victor and Bentley to get some groceries and things and Callum and Axel are...I don't know where. Probably unpacking. Keegan and Eva went on a walk or to explore." Sawyer told him taking her seat on the chair at the island table in the kitchen once again.
"Okay cool." He said to sawyer before turning on his heels to look at me. "I'm gonna go unpack our room, wanna come with me?"
"Sure," I tell him walking off still drying my wet hair. All thanks to this lovely human right here.
***
It was almost an hour later and we were still unpacking. Well, I was still unpacking. Dawson had just tossed some t-shirts and whatever else he brought along in the closet, mentioning something about 'screw wrinkles, that's what dryers are for'.
And here I was. Still attempting to organize my shit. Which only made me realize I may have overpacked just the slightest bit.
"Why do you even need these?" Dawson asked me picking up my pair of as I liked to call them, hooker heels.
I shrug. "Gotta be prepared for every occasion."
"I didn't know you becoming a prostitute was an occasion we'd be dealing with on this trip."
I roll my eyes and toss the hanger in my hand at him. "Shut up, I know you like them."
I can see him blush a bit out of the corner of my eye and hear him mutter a quiet "Maybe." as he continues to inspect my shoes and any other of my various clothing pieces surrounding him in curiosity.
"So." He asks me after a couple of minutes of silence as we both did our own thing. "I've been meaning to ask...but um what's the whole plan with Callum?"
I stop folding the pairs of jeans and shorts I had and set them down to look at him. "I mean...I don't know. I guess we never really discussed much about what the future would hold with this whole fake dating thing. It was more of a spur of the moment solution ya know?"
He nods and just looks back down to the ground for a minute.
"Why?" I finally ask him.
"Oh, I don't know. Curious I guess." Dawson shrugged nonchalantly like it was no big deal.
"Mhmm." I hum with a raised eyebrow in his direction. "Just curiosity? Nothing else?" I ask him getting back to folding to make my self seem busy and not totally and utterly absorbed into this single conversation, although I kinda was. He didn't need to know that though.
"Maybe there's other reasons, maybe there's not."
I roll my eyes playfully at him. "I thought I'm supposed to be the vague and less emotional one between the two of us."
He laughs and nods a bit. "You are."
Before I get the chance to tease him or ask any more questions the familiar voice of Bentley shouting that he's home and had food is heard.
"Well, guess that's our cue," Dawson says before swiftly walking out.
Oh, this whole him being vague to me thing was not fun. So not fun.
***
I honestly didn't think I'd finish this chapter is time cause life's been crazy lately but I did so YAY.
Also, I've discovered I really like asking questions in these authors notes thing so, this one is: Which character would you wanna see more of in the future? Even if it's still like a super main character that already shows up often that still counts ya know?
OH ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: who knew coming up with chapter titles was so hard??? Like I always do them last minute and they're typically something I'm just like eh I need something so this will due.