bring the hardest memories back to the forefront of her mind? She questioned herself internally as to why the hell she hadn’t deleted the songs long ago. But secretly she knew the answer.
She had never let go of him.
She gave up on the idea of music and turned the player off, choosing to lay there in silence with tears streaming from her eyes, trickling past her ears, and soaking into her hair. She wiped them away, but the more she wiped, the more they appeared. The relentless tears taunting her and adding to her heartache at seeing Jason, alive and well and only a few hundred yards away right at that very minute.
Chapter Four
Day Two Of Hell
Stevie awoke on the top of her bed covers. Thankfully, she had fallen asleep before giving in to the powerful urge to go to Jason’s cabin. She wondered if he had waited for her, telling herself that she didn’t care if he’d sat up all night.
She quickly showered and towel dried her hair before dressing in cargo pants and a T-shirt. Mountain biking was the delight she had to face today, and she had as much enthusiasm for that as she would for running naked down Wilmersden High Street.
From the direction of the main hut, the smell of bacon infiltrated her nostrils and made her tummy growl. As she walked, the sound of giggling and conversation floated through the air as the kids chatted excitedly about the day ahead whilst they ate their hearty Scottish breakfasts. They were being collected by coach and taken to a cycle hire place in the Rothiemurchus Forest. This was a first for her.
The most she had ever done on a bike was when she and Jason went for a ride by the river, stopping off at their favourite spot for a picnic. She had always loved their trips down by the river. There was a little meadow that led to their favourite spot. They would sit chatting and kissing for hours, relishing each other’s company. They never had much time for other friends. Every available minute was spent together, the fact that made Jason’s disappearance all the more painful. It was like she’d lost half of herself when he’d gone.
David tapped her shoulder and smiled widely. “Morning, Mrs. Norton. Sleep well?”
“Yes. I just crashed and didn’t move,” she told him truthfully.
“Yeah. Comfy beds, eh?”
“Very. Are you eating?” She backed away and gestured to the hot buffet.
He patted his belly with a smile. “Already had my fill. I reckon we’ll need the energy! I hope you’re feeling fit today.”
“Fit to bloody drop,” she muttered.
He frowned. “Sorry? I didn’t catch that.”
“I said, yes, I hope the temperature drops.”
“Ah, yeah, it’s a warm one. But drink plenty of water and you’ll be fine.”
He walked over to a group of kids who had finished eating and were chatting to Dorcas. He joined their conversation, which had the boys rolling their eyes and the girls simply choosing to walk away.
Smiling and shaking her head at the kids’ negative reactions, she grabbed a plate and spooned on some of the fluffy scrambled egg, realising she was starving after the emotional exhaustion of the bizarre events the day before. She placed two slices of wholemeal toast on her plate and made her way to an empty table. Looking around her, she checked for unwanted company and breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down.
“You decided not to come then.” She jumped as the heat of Jason’s breath at her ear made her shudder. Where the hell did he spring from? And for goodness sake, why can’t he just let me be?
She snapped her narrowed eyes up to his. “I fell asleep.”
“Whatever.” He snorted derisively. “It’s maybe just as well.” He sat down beside her, as the rest of the room seemed to clear. Great bloody timing again . He looked stunning. Long shorts and a tight black T-shirt. His dark hair scraped back off his face in that half ponytail thing again. The stubble along his jaw line made her fingers ache to touch it.
She bit her lip and
She had never let go of him.
She gave up on the idea of music and turned the player off, choosing to lay there in silence with tears streaming from her eyes, trickling past her ears, and soaking into her hair. She wiped them away, but the more she wiped, the more they appeared. The relentless tears taunting her and adding to her heartache at seeing Jason, alive and well and only a few hundred yards away right at that very minute.
Chapter Four
Day Two Of Hell
Stevie awoke on the top of her bed covers. Thankfully, she had fallen asleep before giving in to the powerful urge to go to Jason’s cabin. She wondered if he had waited for her, telling herself that she didn’t care if he’d sat up all night.
She quickly showered and towel dried her hair before dressing in cargo pants and a T-shirt. Mountain biking was the delight she had to face today, and she had as much enthusiasm for that as she would for running naked down Wilmersden High Street.
From the direction of the main hut, the smell of bacon infiltrated her nostrils and made her tummy growl. As she walked, the sound of giggling and conversation floated through the air as the kids chatted excitedly about the day ahead whilst they ate their hearty Scottish breakfasts. They were being collected by coach and taken to a cycle hire place in the Rothiemurchus Forest. This was a first for her.
The most she had ever done on a bike was when she and Jason went for a ride by the river, stopping off at their favourite spot for a picnic. She had always loved their trips down by the river. There was a little meadow that led to their favourite spot. They would sit chatting and kissing for hours, relishing each other’s company. They never had much time for other friends. Every available minute was spent together, the fact that made Jason’s disappearance all the more painful. It was like she’d lost half of herself when he’d gone.
David tapped her shoulder and smiled widely. “Morning, Mrs. Norton. Sleep well?”
“Yes. I just crashed and didn’t move,” she told him truthfully.
“Yeah. Comfy beds, eh?”
“Very. Are you eating?” She backed away and gestured to the hot buffet.
He patted his belly with a smile. “Already had my fill. I reckon we’ll need the energy! I hope you’re feeling fit today.”
“Fit to bloody drop,” she muttered.
He frowned. “Sorry? I didn’t catch that.”
“I said, yes, I hope the temperature drops.”
“Ah, yeah, it’s a warm one. But drink plenty of water and you’ll be fine.”
He walked over to a group of kids who had finished eating and were chatting to Dorcas. He joined their conversation, which had the boys rolling their eyes and the girls simply choosing to walk away.
Smiling and shaking her head at the kids’ negative reactions, she grabbed a plate and spooned on some of the fluffy scrambled egg, realising she was starving after the emotional exhaustion of the bizarre events the day before. She placed two slices of wholemeal toast on her plate and made her way to an empty table. Looking around her, she checked for unwanted company and breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down.
“You decided not to come then.” She jumped as the heat of Jason’s breath at her ear made her shudder. Where the hell did he spring from? And for goodness sake, why can’t he just let me be?
She snapped her narrowed eyes up to his. “I fell asleep.”
“Whatever.” He snorted derisively. “It’s maybe just as well.” He sat down beside her, as the rest of the room seemed to clear. Great bloody timing again . He looked stunning. Long shorts and a tight black T-shirt. His dark hair scraped back off his face in that half ponytail thing again. The stubble along his jaw line made her fingers ache to touch it.
She bit her lip and
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