I woke up the next morning with the sunlight streaming in through the slightly open window. Hitting me directly in my eyes. Percy's arm flopped over my stomach making it hard to move. I grab his wrist and flick his arm back over his chest, getting up to go to the bathroom. The cold floor caused me to move quickly into the bathroom. The windows have patches covered in old newspaper. I pick up the toilet to be greeted by green mould covering the inside and instantly turn around. The shower curtain is drawn shut. I pull it open and a scream escapes me. I shiver as I rush out of the bathroom, jumping onto the bed, where Percy is seated upright with wide eyes.

"What's wrong?" He asks with a panicked voice

.

"Ther- There's a spider in the shower!" He looks at me with a bored expression on his face, he wipes his eyes as he walks into the bathroom. "Come on it can't be," He stays silent for a second. "Oh my God, it's huge!" He runs out of the bathroom and back towards the bed, running a hand through his hair. "We should just burn this room down and safe them the trouble of having to deal with the spider." He exclaims his chest rising and falling in panic. I let out a laugh. "That feels a little over dramatic." I retort. He raises his brows in shock. "Was I the one who ran out of the bathroom screaming about a spider?" I raise a brow, "I mean was I the first?" He corrects himself. I scoff in response. "No, but you did suggest burning the place down just to kill it."

He shakes his head. "Like you wouldn't." I would, but in this case, we are technically invading its home. "I would... Just not right now."

He nods slowly, "Let's just drink a coffee and then we can leave." I say moving from the bed towards the kitchen and grabbing two cups from the cupboard and washing them as I turn on the kettle. I place the 2 cups in front of the coffee pot and wait for the click of the kettle. Pouring in the water, the aroma of the coffee intoxicates me. I hear Percy's footsteps behind me and seconds later he stands next to me taking the cup of black coffee from the counter.

"Are you ready for another few hours of driving?" He asks taking a sip of his coffee. I pull the cup towards my face sipping on the bitter drink. "Yes! Do you want me to drive?" I ask, he shakes his head in response. "No, I'll drive."

I take the last sip of my coffee and quickly wash the cup before placing it back into the cupboard. I turn to Percy, who's standing at the bedside table grabbing his phone. "I guess showering is out of the question," I say giggling. He laughs at my question. "Let's see if we can't find something on the way down to Seashell Beach." He replies. I walk over grab the key to the room and my things and move towards the front door to unlock it. "Why don't you start the car and I'd go return the key quickly?" I say. "Sure. See you at the car." He says walking out of the room.

I walk out and lock the door. I am quickly making my way down the stairs and into the office. The stink of cigarettes is still heavy in the air. I step towards the counter and hand the woman from last night the small key with the leather tag attached to it.

I run out of the small building and towards Percy's truck, it's covered in little droplets of water. I didn't even hear any rain last night. Climbing in and throwing my phone into the centre console. "Let's go!" He half screams as he drives out of the parking lot and back onto the highway.

The road is still wet and the skies are full of clouds. I keep my eyes on the small batches of trees we pass now and then.

"Hey, I have an idea?" Percy blurts out.

I turn to look at him. "Percy, having ideas have never been your strong suit, but what would be your great idea?" I say sarcastically.

"I heard about this huge bonfire being held in the middle of the woods, maybe we should go?" He suggests. "When?" I ask. "I think tomorrow, but we could make it there before then, and then we can stay for a few days."

"Sounds great, but we have one problem," I reply.

"And what is this non-existent problem?" He gives me a smug smile.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that we have no camping gear and we have no idea how to get there," I say smiling. His face falls.

Yeah, that's what I thought." I chuckle. "Hey- I point toward the big Target sign plastered onto the well. "We can check there for some camping supplies."

We walk into the almost empty store, making our way down the aisle till we find the one with all the camping supplies. A few people were standing at the end of the aisle roughly around our age.

We walk over to the chairs which are all lined up in different colours. "Let's just get the basics for the bonfire," I explain to Percy. He gives a quick nod.

"Excuse me, are you guys going to the bonfire night tomorrow?" A boy asks as he walks toward us. Percy walks over to him. "That's the plan." He replies. The boy lifts a brow. "We don't exactly know where it is." I chime in. The boy reaches his hand out. "I'm Matthew and I will now be your tour guide." He says in a perky voice. Percy lets out a laugh. "I'm Percy and this is Natalie," Percy replies pointing over to me as he shakes Matthew's hand with the other.

"We're meeting a few more friends down there, but you guys can just follow us there?" Matthew says, lifting his hat and running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair before pulling it back onto his head. I smile as I nod. "That sounds like a great idea. We just need to grab some supplies." Matthew gives a toothy grin as he turns and moves back to his group of friends.

We grab a small tent, a flashlight and a few snacks as we head for the checkout station. Matthew waves as he shouts at us. "We'll wait for you outside." Percy just shows him a thumbs up as we put all the items into bags.

Walking out of the store I feel the heat of the sun on my face. Finally. I thought. "The sun is out at last," Percy says sounding dramatic. I giggle. I look through the parking lot filled with cars till I sot Matthew. "There they are, let's just drive over to them," I say as we move toward Percy's truck. Throwing the supplies into the back of the car.

We move past the cars and stop a few inches from the green Volkswagen van. "Lead the way," Percy shouts out the half-open window. The rest of Matthews' friends get into the van. We wait for them to get in front of us and a few seconds later we are back on the road.

We take a route off of the map, the ground soggy with the rain from the past week. The trees stretch far into the sky, creating a silhouette over the hills.

"This seems like a bad idea, Percy," I say, a little worried.

"We'll be fine Nat, this is all part of the Adventure." He gives me a reassuring smile as we make our way through the last bit of trees. The bonfire was stacked tall and tents littered the ground around it. Every few meters a new bonfire was being built. The ground isn't as soggy here, and the fresh smell of pine and smoke fills the air. There is a light wind moving through the trees making the tops move. A few mosquitos fly by and I swat at them in response.

We watch as Matthew stop at one side and decide to stop right next to them. Climbing out we take the supplies we just bought and follow them to the open bonfire with almost no tents around it.

"You guys can set up camp next to us, we just have a few more people coming later on. Just promise me not to do too much smooching in front of everybody." Matthew tells us as he leads the way.

I laugh at his remark making him turn around, arching a brow at me. I motion between Percy and me. "We're not together." Matthew nods in acknowledgement.

"Well since you're single I should set you up with Grayson."

"Um... Grayson?" I question.

"He's a friend of mine. He's also late as per usual." He scoffs.

As if on cue a Range Rover makes its way through the trees towards us. Stopping in the space next to Percy's truck. I hear the door slam and the sound of boots follow. A guy appears between the cars. Matthew lifts his hand above his head, waving at Grayson. "Grayson we were just talking about you."

I don't know what I was expecting, but my, oh my I was not expecting that!

His leather boots stomp against the muddy ground and instantly catch my eye as I travel up his tall build. His black jeans and a grey shirt hugged his frame, showing every muscle as he stood there. Sunglasses are still on his face, making his cheekbones more prominent.

"Come here, I got someone I'd like you to meet," Matthew calls out to Grayson, making him move instantly. "Grayson this is..." Matthew looks at me curiously. "I'm sorry I forgot to ask your names."

I watch as Percy turns, his phone in his hand as he walks past a group of teens. I turn back toward Grayson. "I'm Natalie, and that guy who just left is my best friend, Percy."

Grayson takes off his glasses revealing his hazel eyes, they look like liquid gold from the sunlight falling between the trees. His dark brown hair was a mess like he could have gotten out of bed and had come as is. It oddly suits him.

"Well, I'm Grayson as you've heard." He chuckles. I smile at him and his laugh; it's almost calming.

"So Natalie, does your friend leave you alone a lot?" He questions. I turn around looking around frantically as I try to find Percy, but with no luck, I turn back around until I lock eyes with Grayson again. "I um... I can't say that he does. This never happens." I blurt out, chewing on my bottom lip.

"Don't worry about it, you can sit with us till he comes back. "I give him a small smile as I walk with him over to the big logs, and take a seat next to him around the bonfire.

***

A few hours later Percy took a seat next to me. "Did you have fun?"

His hair is dishevelled, and he looks at me, giving me a weak smile. I knew something was off, but I also know Percy. If something bothers him then he'll work through it alone. It doesn't stop me from worrying about him though.

As the sun sets the bonfire burns brighter than before, and people start sitting around the fire. Grayson takes a seat on the opposite side, holding a guitar on his lap. "Any requests?" He looks around, but he gets no reply and just randomly starts. The chords to "I don't know you yet" by Alexander 23 flow through the air.

Every few minutes I try to sneak a glance at Grayson, just to catch him already watching me.

Matthew walks over to us. "Alright everyone, sorry for the wait. I couldn't find the speaker. Who's ready to party?" He shouts, putting down a Bluetooth speaker and starts playing all the music we've been partying to since we were 15. Everyone starts getting up and dancing. I stand up pulling Percy up to start with me.

Swinging my hips around, eyes closed and just listening to the music I feel a tap on my shoulder and instantly open my eyes to turn to the person. Grayson stands next to me with a sheepish smile on his face. "Do you maybe want to dance with me?" I feel a blush form on my cheeks as I shyly nod. He gently takes my hand, pulling me closer to him as we sway with the music. He is so close I can smell his cologne. It is intoxicating. His breath fans my face and the smell of mint hits me. The warm cinnamon fills my senses with a hint of warmth.

We've been dancing for a while and Percy suddenly makes his way over. His eyes are heavy and a yawn escapes him as he stretches his arms out to the side. "I think I'm going to bed." He says, his arms still outstretched suddenly falling to his sides. "I'll join you in a minute," I reply. He walks away heading for our tent. A few more people start moving towards their tents and Matthew even comes closer to turn the volume down.

"I should probably go to bed," I say to Grayson as I turn to go to my tent. As I make my way over he suddenly comes up next to me. "This might sound crazy since you don't know me, but I want to show you something. If you're up for it I mean. Otherwise don't worry about it." I raise a brow at him. "You're not going to kill me and drop my body in the lake, are you?" He looks shocked at my words but gives a light laugh. "No, I promise I won't." I know this could be a very bad idea, but I didn't start this road trip to stay in my shell. "Sure. I'll come with you." I say softly.

He leads the way as I follow, guiding us through the forest to the lake.

I stop in my tracks looking up at the sky, the stars are bright and light the whole sky. It looks so peaceful. When I look down, Grayson is already sitting on the ground in front of the lake. I take a seat next to him and look up at the sky again. "It's beautiful."

"You come here often?" I ask.

"We started going here every year with our parents. Now we just come here to get away from everything." He admits. I look at him with a bit of concern. "What are you trying to get away from? If you don't mind me asking." He lets out a sigh. I don't know anymore. The stress, the drama of life. Just anything that keeps me negative at this point." I understand where he's coming from. Giving him a nod, "I get it. Things get a little too much sometimes." He shows me a smile and I take the opportunity to lighten the mood.

"And how many girls have seen this place?" I giggle

He turns his head to me "Not one."

My eyes widened at his answer "Seriously? I don't believe that."

"Why not?"

"Cause you're you know..."

"What?" a smile starts growing on his face.

"You're pretty attractive, you sing and play the guitar, and you just seem like a nice person." I blurt out.

"You think I'm hot?" He shows me a cheeky grin.

"Out of everything I just said that's what sticks," I say sarcastically. I let out a laugh as I lay down, watching the stars, he does the same. He reaches for my hand as he looks at me. Closing in the little space left. "I haven't ever kissed anyone!" I half scream at him in panic.

He stops and pulls back "I'm sorry I just don't want to rush my first kiss you know. It's special and I don't want it ruined."

I know he's going to laugh at me but please can he wait till I leave? He stays silent. "It's one of the little things in this messy world that I would like to control when and how it happens and I don't want it to mean nothing. I'm sorry." I blurt out, trying to explain myself.

I stand up, apologise again and start leaving. "Natalie, wait." I turn to look at him. "I understand, can we just watch the stars again I haven't had someone to talk to like this in forever." I look at him in disbelief.

"Please." His voice makes me forget everything I was thinking before and I instantly walk back. I slowly take a seat again. Resting my head on his chest as we look up at the stars. He tells me about each one. Rubbing my hair.

I've never felt like this before. He makes me feel calm, almost at home. This all feels like a dream.

I felt my eyes struggling to stay open and soon after I felt a soft kiss on the top of my head.

"Goodnight, Natalie."