The moment Rowen had awoken that morning, he had known right away that something was wrong. When he found the small, sleeping form beside him in bed, he had only been able to stare. Kevin had been naked aside from his shirt, rucked up around his chest in an obscenely awful way, and the dark marks on his neck and chest was more than enough to tell the story of their night together.

"Oh, my God... What did I do...?" Rowen had asked aloud, panicking at the realization of what he had indeed done. Rowen had fucked up, and for the first time ever, it wasn't just his own conscience that had to face the consequences.

He was supposed to have been on his way home, miles from Rowen, safe from Rowen. What a mess he had created for himself, and he hadn't even been lucid for most of it.

Now alone in the cabin, Rowen paced his living room, stressing over what he should do. Rowen knew without needing to be told that he had screwed up royally. Kevin wouldn't even look him in the eyes when he'd left. The shame Rowen had felt at Kevin's retreat from his touch had been the worst thing he had ever experienced. The concept of another's pain was foreign to Rowen, and he hated it, hated what it felt like to worry for someone else. But he didn't hate it for himself, he hated it for Kevin. He didn't want Kevin to hurt. He could still see that look on his face when Rowen had tried to stop him from leaving.

Shoving away the guilt, Rowen decided he had to do something. He couldn't just sit here and act like nothing happened. He needed to talk to him; he needed to set things right. Rowen stood up and grabbed his jacket as he left the cabin. Kevin only had one place to go: Rick's cabin. Rowen practically ran through the trees. He didn't bother knocking. He opened the door and stormed inside in with a panic. "Is Kevin here?" he asked.

Rick looked up from a book he was writing in. "He just left a little while ago. He didn't go home?" he asked.

"No, and I didn't see him on the way here. Where did he say he was going?" Rowen asked. "I need to talk to him."

Rick looked hesitant. "Well... He didn't really seem in the talking mood," he admitted.

"That doesn't matter," Rowen said in a rush. "I-... I need to apologize."

"I'm sure he'll be home soon," Rick assured. "He doesn't have anywhere else to go, so just wait for him. He needs a little time."

Though waiting seemed like the worst option, Rowen knew Rick was right. Rowen wasn't thinking straight. Rick probably had a better head for this sort of situation on a good day, so Rowen decided had better just do what he says. "Okay... But I don't want to wait too long," he said.

"I'm sure he'll be home by tonight. Just let him be for a while to sort himself out," Rick urged.

Rowen nodded, running a trembling hand through his hair. "Can I wait here for now? He probably won't go back to my place anyway."

"Of course," Rick said, standing to go into the kitchen. He patted Rowen's shoulder as he passed. "I'm sure he's fine and will be back soon. In the meantime, I'll go get us some lemonade."

*******

I held as still as I could, arms dangling loosely above my head. "Oh, God..." I breathed as I hung upside down. My right ankle was wedged in between a couple of rocks while the rest of my body hung perilously above a drop of about forty feet.

Trying to move as little as possible, I moved my eyes to look up at my foot. It was shaking from the effort of holding the entirety of my weight from plummeting to the ground below. With one hand, I tried to reach up and grab onto the cliff, but it was too far away. I let my head fall back and my arms hung down past my head again. "Please... Someone, please help!" I screamed, hoping for anyone to hear me. "Please!"

There was only the sound of wind as the sun continued to set. No one was going to come here. I probably wouldn't ever be found in a place like this. A gust of wind blew past me violently and I clenched my teeth, fearing the end. As my body swayed, I felt my ankle start to slip and I reached up again, desperate to save myself. "Come on..." I whispered as I tried with all my might to grab the ledge. It was only a few inches away.

The stone cut into my skin and I felt rock meet bone with a vicious scrape of pain. "Please," I begged under my breath. "Please, please, please..."

I clenched my teeth and kept reaching for the cliff. I was so close. I could almost reach it. Almost... Almost... Just a centimeter more and I would touch it. If only I could just reach a bit farther-

Suddenly, the rocks around my ankle broke and my body, once suspended in the air, dropped like dead weight. Without the limitations on my leg, I threw my hand up and grab onto the rock, digging my fingers into dirt and stone to grip onto the side of the cliff-face. Reaching up with my other arm, I dug my feet into whatever footholds I could find and hoisted myself up. in a matter of seconds, I had pulled myself up onto a stone ledge. I crawled to the stone wall at the back of the ledge and rested my forehead against it in relief. "Oh, thank God..." I mumbled.

When I finally began to come down from my adrenaline high, I sat back on my heels and looked down at my ankle. It was already turning blue and the skin was scraped raw from the rocks. The cut on my arm from falling throbbed painfully and I pressed it to my chest to stop the bleeding. Looking up, I could see the hole that I had fallen through, but my heart sank at the sight of it. Even if my ankle wasn't all messed up, it was too high to reach, and I had nothing I could use to climb up to it.

As the last of the sun dipped behind the trees, taking its warmth with it, I shivered. With every second that passed, the wind was getting colder, and with every gust of frost, my thin clothes did less and less to shield me from the blistering chill. 

Rowen must know something was wrong by now. He was probably getting worried, if he cared enough to be. 

My nose began to run and I sniffled, wiping at my nose with the back of my hand. I looked out over the cliff and my eyes blurred with hot tears. How would anyone find me here, I wondered. Unfortunately, I knew the answer to that without even needing to ask.

They wouldn't. 

*******

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