Ronnie's Song Ch. 02

Thanks for the feedback from the first volume of 'Ronnie's Song'! Here's the second, hope you enjoy it.

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I woke as a pillow struck my face. Blinking in the morning light, I saw Sam's smug face as she turned on her heel and made her way into the bathroom.

Looking down at my own body, I envied hers. Her slim stomach, perfectly formed breasts and well toned legs. I paled in comparison. I wasn't fat - that I knew, but I didn't exactly have the best body proportions. No wonder Aaron never looked twice at me.

Remembering the mystery figure from last night, I smiled as Nate settled down beside me.

"It must have been him," I thought. "We got along really well, and he seemed to like me. I was attracted to him. And he was available - unlike Aaron."

As we fell into a comfortable talk about what we might be doing that day, I started wondering if I could ever see Nate in a different light. When he laughed at my jokes, I knew my answer - yes. His laugh sent warmth right through me.

We got ready for our first day of activities, and for the first time since I'd seen Aaron again - I wasn't thinking about him.

When we met Gemma in the main hall, we found out that our first activity would be canoeing. We made our way to the lake and strapped on life jackets. After a brief instruction and safety check from one of the life guards, we paired off - me with Nate, Aaron with Sam and Gemma with Rose.

At first it was awkward to maneuver the canor, however we took it in our stride, laughing and eventually we reached a pace both of us were comfortable with.

"So...tell me about you," Nate inquired.

Blushing, I looked away from him. "Me is boring," I said, not bothering to hide my discomfort.

"I don't think so..." Nate started, as though afraid he might be pushing his luck.

I looked up into his blue eyes.

Taking a long breath, I asked, "Well what do you want to know?" He wanted to know everything.

"How much time do we have?" I laughed. We stopped rowing for a while.

"Well, me and Michael live with our mum, Sarah and our sister, Orla. She's six. As you probably know from Michael, our dad died when I was fifteen. I'm eighteen now..." I trailed off. The look on his face told me everything - he hadn't known at all.

"I'm so sorry," he said, solemnly. "I've only know Michael a year...I didn't know..." He stopped, looking embarrassed.

I smiled. "It's okay. I'm kind of over it," I lied. "Plus, he died doing something he loved."

When he asked how, I told him everything. How he'd been racing his motorcycle in practice for a competition. How he hadn't seen the obstruction on the road ahead, and how the collision with another bike killed him instantly. I fought my tears.

Gradually, we returned to cheerier conversation, and it wasn't until an hour and a half had passed until we noticed that our oars were floating far from the canoe.

"Hah!" he laughed. "Looks like you're going to have to go rescue them!"

My eyes widened.

"Me? You're the gentleman!" I squealed. It was then he lunged for me. Grabbing me, and holding me in a fireman's lift, he looked cheekily into my eyes.

"Trust me?" he questioned.

I hesitated. "Theoretically?"

I was shaking with anticipation.

"Then hold your breath!" he shouted, and with that, he jumped right into the freezing lake, still clutching me in his arms.

Spluttering, we rose to the surface. Giving a shriek, I sent a wave of water at him, and watched as he ducked under the water to avoid it. He swam below me, grabbed my feet and propelled himself upwards, causing me to rest on his shoulder, as he raised me above water level. I was laughing as he lowered me slowly, and turned me to face him.

We were treading water, as he pulled me close to him. Up against his firm chest, my hands laying on his upper arms, I could hear his increased breathing and was sure he could hear mine. I looked longingly into his blue eyes, and saw the same look in them, as he reached a hand to brush a soaking red curl out of my green ones. The movement sent a shiver up my spine, and he sensed it.

He leaned closer to me, and I closed my eyes as he drew nearer.

I was thoroughly disappointed when he placed a soft kiss on my cheek, and let out the breath that I didn't know I was holding. I opened my eyes and saw his slight smile.

"I'll get the oars," he said, lifting me back into the canoe. I watched breathlessly as he located them, and began to swim back.

We rowed back in silence. Not an uncomfortable one - rather a confused one, like we were both attempting to figure out what we wanted.

When we reached land, I got out of the boat, and turned to see Nate staring at me intently.

"What's wrong?" I smiled, giving a tense chuckle. Shaking his head to indicate nothing was wrong, he moved to walk alongside me and snaked his hand into mine, linking our fingers loosely.

Smiling at each other, we silently agreed to a walk around the camp. Before long, we were laughing, joking and pushing each other playfully.

As we walked, I rested my head in the crook of his neck and was pleased when he didn't shove me off. Nate make me feel special. He made me feel wanted - needed even. I was hopelessly attracted to his rugged good looks.

But then, how come I got the feeling that something was missing? What more could I want?