Darkness submerged me and suddenly I was in water – blisteringly cold, dark, and still. 

I blinked rapidly through the thick blur of the water, and then suddenly before me floating, I saw hair. Bundles of dark brown hair sank below me, and then I saw her – Mia. Her hands were seized at her throat as she struggled for breath, her mouth was open, gasping for air that would never come. She was drowning.

My eyes widened, and I kicked and thrashed in the water, wanting to swim to her but I was held back by an unmovable force. I couldn't move. I attempted to scream her name foolishly through the water, but a helpless trail of bubbles escaped past my lips. My eyes burned as I kicked and shook in a futile attempt to try and get to her.

Slowly, as she continued to sink, her hand around her throat weakened before stopping completely. Then her eyes frosted over and became soulless and unmoving.

Numbed by the image, I was submerged once more in blankness, and suddenly my eyes snapped open, my chest heaving up and down frantically.

The moment I took in the lightly lit walls of the cabin around me, I let out a choky breath of relief.

It was a dream. I was just dreaming. Mia was alive. She was alive.

I sat up sharply, still feeling my heart thumping, the anxious knot in my stomach still continuing to twist from the memories of the dream. Seeing beams of light gleam in from the window, I realized it was morning, and I slowly remembered I was still on the camping trip. A camping trip where I'd successfully saved Mia the day before and had not watched her drown. Wait, Mia?

Instantly, my eyes flew over to Mia's bed and my heart dropped through my chest when I found her bed empty. The bed was made, with all the covers neatly folded back and no sign of Mia.

I ripped off my covers and rushed over to her bed. I scanned the covers over frantically, starting to question my reality. Did I make the events of yesterday up? Was she sick? Had she gone to the bathroom and fallen unconscious. Was she-

My questioning stopped sharply when I noticed a folded piece of paper lying neatly on her pillow with the words 'Ethan,' written on it.

I snatched it up quickly and unfolded it before letting my eyes dart over the contents. It read.

'Relax, Ethan. I've just gone to breakfast early with May. I didn't want to wake you.'

P.S. You sleep like the dead. I dropped my phone like five times when I was getting changed and you didn't even twitch. Also, you snuggle with your pillow in your sleep.

My lips lifted higher, in both relief and amusement. As well, as mild humiliation when I got to the pillow part. I had a habit of clutching onto anything I could get my hands on when I slept, hence why I'd stupidly grabbed a hold of her inappropriately that one time we'd shared a bed. Turns out, boobs can feel a lot like pillows. Technically, hers felt a lot better than pillows...but that wasn't the point.

Suddenly I paused. Wait a minute – when I was getting changed. So, did that mean she changed in front of me when I was sleeping....

I stiffened frustratedly, suddenly not too fond of the fact that I was such a deep sleeper. Not fond at all.

Scanning the note up and down one last time with a smile, I quickly moved and pocketed it into my jacket pocket hanging on my bedpost.

What? I kept all Mia's notes, sue me.

Quickly going to the bathroom, I freshened up and got changed before heading to the dining hall with Lucas, Chloe, and April.

"Ooo, ooo, oo, I've got another idea. I've got a good one," Lucas rushed out with a smile as we took another step forward in the line for breakfast.

I let out another heavy sigh, mentally prepping myself for whatever weird idea was about to pop out of his mouth. On the walk to breakfast, Lucas had spent far too long discussing ways I could convince Mia to share a bed with me tonight. He very well near slapped me when he heard I hadn't been fully honest with her last night about my feelings, and went to bed alone.

"Okay, let's hear it then, expert," I mumbled sarcastically before picking up a bowl of cereal and milk and plonking it on my tray.

"Well, picture this. You're drinking some water near her bed, then you 'accidentally' spill it all over her pillows and bedsheets. Then before she complains, you quickly offer she shares your bed with you instead."

"Wow, very ethical," I said flatly with a short laugh. "Also, it wouldn't work, she'd just force me to sleep on her wet bed alone, and steal mine."

Lucas paused in thought before turning to me with a sassily lifted brow. "Well, I don't know maybe you could just ask her to sleep with you, like a normal human being? And be honest about how you feel. Just a thought."

"No," was all I said simply before I moved another step forward in the line. All the times I'd tried to tell her how I'd felt had just ended disastrously especially the last time when she went running and crying out of my house. Well, okay fine that one was due to bad communication, but it had still traumatized me from ever attempting to tell her ever again.

As we stepped out of line, I followed behind Chloe and April as they headed off in the distance toward the tables in the distance.

.As I got closer to the table, Mia's gaze lifted and locked on mine, and made my stomach squeeze. Then she graced me with her soft smile. One that after all that happened yesterday and the dream, I had made me want to drag her back to our room and kiss her from head to toe, again and again and again.

Control, Ethan, Control. She's your friend. Repeat, she's your friend.

Mia soon broke eye contact much to my disappointment, the closer I got to the table.

Lucas quickly rounded the table, to where May sat. "Hey, girlfriend," he happily chirped before kissing the top of her head and taking a seat beside her.

I came to an abrupt stop as I reached the table suddenly identifying a massive problem. There was no seat free next to Mia. I eyed the free seats wondering if it would be socially acceptable to just lift Mia off her seat and force her to sit on my lap.

Realizing my plan to publicly manhandle her into my lap probably wouldn't work out too well for me, I forced myself to think of another plan.

Everyone at the table, including Mia was starting to shoot me odd looks, clearly wondering if I'd lost my mind. The short answer was yes, yes, I had.

Finally, deciding what needed to be done, I walked over to Chloe and put my tray down beside hers before moving behind Mia and standing behind her chair.

She twisted around to face me in confusion, her ponytail whipping around her neck as she did.

"Why the hell are you standing behind me?" She asked with a confused smile.

I didn't say anything in response and just grabbed the back of her chair, and started pulling her backward.

Yes, yes, I know, I'd lost my mind.

Mia's eyes widened, and letting out a gasp she grabbed a hold of her chair so she wouldn't topple off it. She thankfully, didn't make a move to stop me, clearly too stunned to move.

I continued to pull the chair across the floor before finally stopping once she was sitting in the space beside my lunch tray.

Better.

Then with a sigh, I quickly grabbed a hold of the cereal that she'd been eating before and plonked it down in front of her at her new place at the table.

Then finally without a word, I pulled out my chair and sat proudly in the place beside her.

Then trying to act casual, and not like a mad caveman who'd just dragged the woman they liked halfway across the cafeteria, I started tucking into my cereal.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me at the table, no doubt wondering if I was mentally okay.

"What?" I finally asked as I attempted to look up at everyone with innocent eyes. I wasn't innocent and I knew it.

Mia arched a brow, the corner of her lip lifting a little. "I think we're all confused about why you decided to drag me across the canteen," she chuckled.

I paused before answering before deciding to just be honest. "Oh, right, I wanted to sit next to you," I answered with an honest shrug before going back to eating my food.

"Okay, then...," she said slowly, still clearly not getting it. Her eyes were lit with confusion, and it made me embarrassed at my actions. There was no real way of explaining why I was so frantic to have her so close after everything that had happened last night without scaring her. If she knew half the things I thought about her, she'd run.

"I just want you near me, okay," I rushed out, the fear in me from last night spilling over me. My words came out rougher than I expected them to, and Mia jumped a little in surprise. Then looking me over, her eyes softened.

I cleared my throat softly and locked eyes with her. "Look, I just...I had a bad dream about what happened last night, and let's just say it had a different outcome. It would just make me feel a lot better to have you near me okay," I explained softly.

Mia gave me a warm smile then placed her hand over mine on the table, and intertwined our fingers.

The corners of my mouth lifted into a smile. Then looking down at our hands, then back up at her eyes, I felt something dangerously close to hope tug at my chest.

------------------

Mia let out another sigh and kicked aggressively at a pebble and sent it flying forward. "I can't believe we have to go on this stupid bloody hike, I'm already exhausted."

A while ago, the teachers had split us up into groups for our activities for the day and by some beautiful miracle, I was put in the same group as Mia. It was like fate. Or, perhaps more realistically because our surnames were right next to each other in the alphabet but whatever I was still calling it fate.

I looked down at her in amusement, finding it hilarious that we were only a measly few minutes into the hike and she was acting like we'd been walking for ten days. The rest of the group walked mostly ahead of us, and I'd hung back with her to walk at Mia's snail-like pace.

"Maybe, if you hadn't eaten all three of those muffins this morning, you might not be feeling as sluggish," I commented back slyly knowing it would piss her off. I couldn't help it. After weeks of not talking to her, I needed my dosage of that sass of hers that I'd missed so much.

Mia shot me a dirty look. "Are you trying to fat shame me now?" she scoffed. "Sorry, we weren't all blessed with the body of a Greek god, Ethan."

I turned to face her sharply, a smile so wide it hurt, starting to take over my face. "Did you seriously just say you think I look like a Greek god?" I rushed out in a laugh, hardly able to believe what she said. Compliments from Mia were hard to get, so to say I was revelling it in would be the understatement of the century.

Mia paused abruptly, then slowly squeezed her eyes closed for two seconds, and seemed to have an internal moment of deep regret.

"Also, I never said the muffins made you fat," I added. "Trust me, I have absolutely no complaints about your body," I admitted honestly, using my words as an excuse to flirtatiously rake my eyes up and down her body. I dragged my eyes sharply away, knowing my mind was heading in a dangerous direction. I was far too aware I still had another night sharing a room with her, so I needed my thoughts to behave.

Mia's jaw dropped and through a laugh, she gave me a sharp slap on the shoulder as we walked. "You're honestly the most perverted person I've met," she chuckled.

"Only for you," I winked.

A harsh blush broke out on Mia's cheeks, one that shamefully made me smile. She only held my gaze for a handful of seconds before blinking rapidly and looking away.

We walked in peaceful silence for a couple of seconds before Mia suddenly tripped on a tree root and jutted forward. She let out a squeal before landing harshly on the ground on her side.

I immediately dropped myself on the ground beside her on my knees and put a hand on her back. "Mia, shit, are you alright?" I asked frantically, very aware she'd just landed on her already injured side.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just a clumsy idiot," she laughed as she quickly climbed up to her feet.

I frowned and quickly got up and blocked her way before she could start walking again. "No, we're stopping for a rest," I stated firmly.

Mia's brows furrowed. "But we'll lose the group," she explained as she gestured ahead of us.

"I don't give a shit if we lose the group. We're having a rest," I snapped with finality in my tone. I refused to let her injure herself again. I let my pride get in the way of her safety yesterday, by not yelling at her to get off the rocks sooner and I wouldn't let myself make the same mistake again.

Mia crossed her arms and stepped closer to me. "And I'm just supposed to do everything you say, am I?" she said, her brow lifting in a challenge.

A frustrated breath escaped my lips, partially from her proximity and some from my frantic need for her to listen to me. "Mia, can you just stop being difficult. I'm just trying to help you!"

"Maybe you should help me a little less. You've been crazy protective ever since you pulled me out the fucking lake. I'm not a China doll, Ethan, I'm not going to break," she snapped in frustration.

I let out a harsh chuckle and stepped closer to her.

"Mia, I had to drag your limp, unconscious body out of the lake last night. It was the most traumatizing shit I've ever done in my life. I thought you were dead!" I yelled, my voice cracking on the last word.

The fiery energy that was blazing in those brown eyes of hers, softened some. "But it's over now, Ethan, you saved me. I'm fine. Why can't you let it go like everyone else?" she stammered in confusion.

I swallowed harshly, against my throat. "Because...because....," I stuttered, my eyes darting around as I helplessly struggle to think of the right lie. I'd been lying to her for six straight years about why I always cared too much, about why I couldn't seem to leave her alone, but suddenly, my excuses came up empty. I felt myself start to panic.

"Just spit it out, Ethan," Mia snapped in frustration.

Her words startled me, and something in me snapped.

"BECAUSE... I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU MIA, OKAY!" I yelled out at the top of my lungs.

The moment I saw Mia's eyes grow wide, and her expression rapidly change did I realize what I'd done.

My heart pounded so hard it hurt, a panic constricting my chest like nothing I'd ever experienced before as I stared back at her.

What the fuck had I done? She wasn't going to talk to me anymore. She was going to run. She was going to -"

"What did you just say?" she asked slowly, those bright eyes of hers never leaving me once.

I backed away, my blood running cold. "Shit, I can't believe I just said that," I muttered, as I ran a hand through my hair.

This was fine. I could fix this. I could just say I loved her like a friend. Like a-

My thoughts faded into nothing, realizing that I didn't want that. I didn't want to lie. In fact, I couldn't be any more sick of lying. It was exhausting and depressing, and I'd fucking had enough. I was done.

Locking eyes with her, I stared at her with a confidence I didn't feel before a harsh chuckle rolled off my lips.

"You know what, fuck it! I'm fed up with hiding my feelings for you, Mia. I meant exactly what I said, and I'm not the tiniest bit sorry. I love you, Mia, and I always will. That's just something you're just going to have to accept."

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Hope you enjoyed xx