"Well, looks like we're finally here guys!" Allison said in relief, as they came in site of the cabin that would be their home for the next week.
"Wow, it looks sweet!" Jaden said as he stared up at the large vacation home. "I can't believe we got this place!"
Jaden, Syrus, Allison, and Alexis had all gone to a cabin in the woods for a week of vacation. Midterms were finally over, and the four friends had decided that they deserved to celebrate. So, they'd gotten permission to stay in Allison's uncle's cabin, packed all of their stuff, and headed out for a week of relaxation. The only downside was that they had to hike about 5 miles into the woods to get to the cabin.
"Yeah, I'm glad we made it. I'm exhausted!" Syrus exclaimed as Allison pulled her keys out of her pocket and tried to find which one fit the front door.
After a few minutes, they were all inside looking around the cabin. Since Allison was the only one who had been there before, she led them through the living room and kitchen in a sort of grand tour. "Oh, I almost forgot!" she said after showing them the well-stocked fridge, "there are a few things outside, too."
She led them back out the front door and around to the back of the cabin. "Here's the canoe, if we ever decide we want to go canoeing. There's a lake just a few minutes from here in that direction," she said, pointing into the woods off to the right. "And there's a few life preservers in here," she said, tapping a locked wooden chest next to the cabin. "But we all know how to swim, right?" she looked at her friends, who nodded in affirmation. "So that shouldn't be a problem."
Jaden suddenly cut in. "Can you show us the bedrooms, Ally?" he asked with an over-exaggerated yawn. "All I wanna do right now is take a nap."
Allison laughed. "Sure, Jaden." A nap sounded pretty good right now to her, too, since they were all tired from the hike out to the middle of nowhere. She led them back into the house and down a hall off of the living room.
"Here's you guys' room," Allison said, gesturing to Jaden's and Syrus's room. "And here's ours," she said to Alexis, pointing to the room next to Jaden's and Syrus's. "Oh, and that's the bathroom across the hall. We'll have to share since it's the only one, but there's only four of us, so it shouldn't be too bad."
After that, all four friends went into their respective rooms. "Ooh, this is really pretty," Alexis said upon entering their room. Allison nodded in agreement. The room had green walls and was simply, but nicely, furnished. Two beds sat on either side of a tall dresser, which they could share without trouble. After setting down their suitcases on the floor, the two climbed into their beds and fell asleep, as did Jaden and Syrus in the room next door.
A few hours later, after everyone had woken up, Syrus and Jaden decided to take the canoe out to the lake so they could go fishing.
"Umm, do you guys even know how to fish?" Alexis asked them doubtfully, as they pulled fishing poles out of a storage closet.
"No, but how hard can it be?" Jaden replied, his usual grin on his face. After he and Syrus had gathered everything they needed, they headed out the door.
Alexis and Allison plopped down on the couch after the boys had left. The two chatted for a while and then watched some TV before Allison had an idea.
She stood up from the couch and stretched her arms above her head. "I'm gonna go ahead and take a shower while the guys are out, since we all have to share one bathroom."
"Okay," Alexis said, flipping through the TV channels, "see you in a bit."
Allison went into her room, grabbed her pajamas to change into after her shower, and then went into the bathroom. After undressing and waiting for the water to head up, she stepped under the showerhead to enjoy the warm water.
She sighed happily and closed her eyes. Allison had always loved showers, and this one was especially nice since she got to wash away all the dirt from their 5-mile hike.
And the best part of all, she thought to herself, is that I get to be completely alone without anyone interrupting me.
Unfortunately for her, she had forgotten to lock the bathroom door.
***Jaden's Point of View***
Jaden and Syrus stomped back up to the cabin, soaking wet and miserable.
"That's the last time we try to go fishing, Syrus." Jaden muttered to his friend. Syrus nodded emphatically in agreement. The memory of the canoe tipping over was still fresh in both of their minds.
When Alexis opened the door to find them both dripping wet, Syrus tried to explain what happened while Jaden went on into the house. He intended to have a shower and get out of these clothes as soon as possible.
Not even thinking about what he was doing, he opened the door to the bathroom and went in. He was so set on getting into the shower at the time that he didn't even hear the water running. But when he pulled back the curtain to turn the water on, he received quite a shock.
***Allison's Point of View***
All of a sudden, the shower curtain got yanked back out of nowhere, and there was Jaden standing outside with a shocked look on his face. Allison just stared at him wide-eyed for a moment, but when he just stood there staring at her without moving, she let out a scream.
Her scream must have brought Jaden back to reality, because he suddenly yelled, threw the shower curtain back in place, and bolted out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
Allison just stood there for a minute, trying to figure out what had happened while she waited for her heart rate to slow down. She didn't think that Jaden would ever do something like that on purpose, but at the same time she didn't understand how he hadn't heard the shower running or noticed her clothes sitting on the floor.
Whatever the reason, though, she knew that the two of them were now in a very awkward situation, and she really had no idea how to handle it. Should I say something to him about it, or wait for him to say something? Should I just pretend that it never happened at all? Argh, why'd he have to do that?
***Jaden's Point of View***
Jaden slammed the bathroom door behind himself and stood with his back to it, his heart going a mile a minute. Even though he was now away from Allison, his whole face was blushing red.
Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap, he thought to himself over and over. This hardly fit in with his plan to win Allison over. He hadn't meant to stand there gawking at her like that, but he'd been so surprised to see her there that he'd just sort of frozen.
She was beautiful, though... he thought to himself, but then quickly shook his head to clear away such thoughts. He was blushing even more now.
Not really knowing what else to do, he decided that he would have to apologize to Allison as soon as he got the chance. If he explained what had happened, there was a slight chance that she might still forgive him. He decided he would tell her when she got out of the shower, but as he was sitting in his room waiting, he only got more jittery.
I'd better go tell her now, he thought as he got up and crossed the hall to the bathroom. Don't want her to be thinking I'm some weird pervert or something.
***Allison's Point of View***
A few minutes after the incident with Jaden, Allison heard a tentative knock on the bathroom door.
"Yes?" she called out as she paused in rinsing the shampoo from her hair. "Who is it?"
"Uh, it's me Allison," came Jaden's voice from the other side of the bathroom door.
"Oh, hi Jaden," she began awkwardly. What else am I supposed to say?
"I, um, just wanted to apologize for... earlier, and let you know it was a total accident! Sy and I flipped the canoe over, and I just wanted to take a shower as soon as possible, so I wasn't thinking. I'm really, really sorry!"
Oh, she thought, so that's why he was so oblivious to everything. "It's okay, Jaden," she replied after a moment's pause. "I know you wouldn't do something like that on purpose."
She heard him sigh from the other side of the door in what she took to be relief. "Thanks for understanding, Ally" he said, using his nickname for her.
"No problem, Jaden," she said. A moment later, she heard his footsteps grow quiet and knew he had left.
The rest of the evening passed without much incident.
After a movie marathon complete with popcorn and soda, Jaden and Allison retired to their bedrooms, leaving Syrus and Alexis alone in the living room.
"Hey, Syrus," Alexis began after a moment in a quiet tone, "have you noticed Allison and Jaden acting sort of... strange, lately?"
Syrus nodded. "I sure have. Jaden's been acting weird since we tipped the canoe over. He acts especially weird around Allison."
"I noticed that, too." Alexis said with a nod. "Something must have happened between the two of them. We should try to figure out what it is."
"I agree. I'll try to get it out of Jay tomorrow."
"Yeah, I'll do the same with Allison."
The next day, after Allison and Alexis had woken up, Alexis confronted her friend about her strange behavior.
"Are you feeling alright, Allison?" Alexis asked suspiciously. "Because you were acting sort of strange last night."
Crap! She noticed! Allison shook her head quickly. "No, I'm feeling fine. Why do you ask?"
Alexis sighed. "Look Allison, I know something must have happened between you and Jaden. I mean, you two would hardly talk to each other! C'mon, spill it."
Allison hesitated for a moment. "Okay, here's what happened..."
After telling Alexis everything that had gone on, Alexis nodded in contemplation for a minute. "But it was a complete accident!" Allison reassured her. "He wouldn't have done something like that on purpose."
"I know he wouldn't, Allison." Alexis replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'm not worried about that, I'm just trying to figure out how to get things back to normal between you two. I mean, having him stand there staring at you while you're in the shower is pretty awkward."
"I know," Allison said, nodding. "But I don't really know what to do to make things less awkward. Hopefully things'll just get better between us as time goes on."
Alexis nodded. "You're probably right."
In the room next door, Syrus had managed to get the story out of Jaden, too.
"Are you sure it was an accident?" Syrus asked doubtfully. He knew about his friend's crush on Allison, so it did seem a little suspicious.
Jaden blushed a deep tomato red. "Of course it was, Syrus! Just because I like her doesn't mean I'd go and do something perverted like that!" Jaden said indignantly.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Syrus said, trying to pacify his friend. "But, what are you gonna do now? I mean, you two barely spoke to one another at all last night."
Jaden sighed and sat down on his bed, putting his head in his hands. "I dunno, Sy. I just want things to go back to normal."
Syrus thought for a moment, then suddenly got an idea. "Are you sure you want things back the way they were before?"
"Of course, Sy," Jaden said, confused. "I don't want things to stay awkward between me and Allison."
"That's not what I mean, Jaden. I mean that if you want to get together with Allison, now would be a good time to make a move." At Jaden's confused look, Syrus elaborated. "I mean, come on, Jay! We're on vacation, away from the stress of school, and Alexis and I could make sure we won't interrupt you. And besides, you've liked Allison for months! It's about time you let her know."
Jaden sighed. "Maybe you're right, Syrus. But how would I go about something like that?"
"I don't know, Jaden. But we'll be here for a week, so you've got time to make a plan if you want to."
"But what if she says no, Syrus?" Jaden asked, still not sold on this plan. "What if she doesn't like me back?"
"Well, you don't have to ask her if you don't want to, Jaden. But you'll never know if you don't."
The rest of the week seemed to fly by, but things still stayed awkward between Jaden and Allison. Now more than ever, Jaden knew he would have to do something to try to fix things between them. When the last full day of their trip came around, he decided it was time to put his plan into action.
"Hey, Allison," Jaden asked her after dinner, "You wanna go for a walk?"
Allison was somewhat surprised by his sudden request, since they had hardly spoken recently, but acquiesced nonetheless. "Sure, Jaden," she said. Addressing Syrus and Alexis, she asked, "Do either of you want to come with us?" Both of them declined; they knew about Jaden's plan, of course.
"Okay, then," Allison said, a little nervous now that she knew she and Jaden would be going alone. "We'll see you guys later."
After Jaden grabbed a flashlight, the two of them went out the door and into the woods, walking in a random direction. The moon was hidden behind clouds that night, so the flashlight was the only source of light they had.
They walked on in silence for a few minutes, before Jaden got up the nerve to speak. "So, Allison," he began awkwardly, "I'm really glad we got to stay at your uncle's place this week. It's really nice."
She nodded. "Yeah, we used to come stay here sometimes when I was little. I've always really liked it."
Not knowing what else to say, Jaden just nodded in response. The two were again silent for a few minutes, before Jaden reached out and grabbed Allison's hand, stopping her in her tracks.
"What is it, Jaden?" she asked, trying to get a look at his face in the dark.
For a moment, he was silent as he tried to think of a good way to say what he needed to tell her, but he eventually gave up with an exasperated sigh. "Look Allison, I'm really sorry for walking in on you earlier this week. I know I embarassed you, and it embarrassed me, too, but I don't want things to be awkward between us anymore."
She nodded in agreement, but was blushing slightly since he had brought up their previous incident. "Me too, Jaden. I'm sorry if I've been... making things more awkward than they should have been. I just want us to go back to being friends." She said with a small smile.
But Jaden shook his head at her suggestion. "No, I don't want us to go back to being friends."
Allison's smile fell. "What do you mean, Jaden?" She tried to pull her hand out of his grip, but he was stronger than her and kept her hand in his.
"What I mean, Allison, is that I want us to be more than friends." She paused in her attempt to take her hand out of his and looked him in the eyes with a slightly surprised expression.
He sighed. "Ally, I've really liked you for a long time now. This week, when I felt like I was gonna lose you as a friend, I realized more than ever how much I want to be with you. So, what I want to ask is this: Allison, will you be my girlfriend?"
Jaden was blushing bright red by the end of his confession, and Allison could see it even through the darkness. She just stood there in silence for a moment, still shocked by Jaden's question. She'd been crushing on him for a while now, but had never expected him to return her feelings.
Unfortunately, Jaden took her silence as rejection. "I guess that's a 'no' then," he said as his gaze fell to the ground and he dropped her hand. Not wanting Allison to see him so broken up by her rejection, he turned and ran off into the woods.
"Jaden, wait!" she called out. But he kept moving away from her. That dumbass, she thought, frustrated by his actions. He hadn't even given her a chance to respond! He'd also taken the flashlight and left her standing alone in the middle of a dark forest where she couldn't see three feet in front of her face.
Not knowing what else to do, she tried to follow him at a slower pace. She continued to call his name, but he didn't answer, though she could still hear his footsteps. When she tried to walk faster to catch up with him, she tripped over a root and fell.
"Ow!" she cried out when she landed on the ground, twisting her left ankle in an unnatural direction. She prodded her ankle with her fingers and moved it around a little, but she knew already that she wouldn't be able to stand on it without help.
"Jaden?" she called into the dark night, suddenly afraid. She had no way to get back to the cabin without him. "If you're still out there, I need your help!" She tried to listen, but could no longer hear his footsteps. "Please, Jaden!" she called again.
A moment later, she was relieved to hear footsteps growing louder as someone came towards her.
"Allison?" a voice called. It was Jaden.
"I'm over here!" she responded, trying to get her ankle into a more comfortable position.
A moment later, a beam of light fell onto her, causing her to squint. Jaden's wounded pride had disappeared when he realized his friend was hurt. "What happened, Allison? Damn it, this is all my fault! I never should have left you out here alone." he said as he crouched down beside her, a concerned look on his face.
"I tripped over a root and twisted my ankle." she explained with a slight wince as she tried to move her ankle again. "I don't think I can walk on it on my own."
Jaden nodded understandingly. "Here, I'll help you." He moved to help her stand up, but she stopped him.
"Wait, Jaden. There's something I need to tell you first, but you ran off earlier before I could say it." She paused for a moment and met his eyes with hers. "I really like you, too. I have for a while now. The only reason I didn't answer earlier was because I was surprised." She paused again and gave him a small smile. "But if you'll still have me, I'd love to be your girlfriend."
A huge smile spread over Jaden's face. "Really?" he asked with childish glee.
She laughed at his tone and put her arms around his neck, grinning back at him. "Really."
After she had convinced him that she returned his feelings, he leaned forward and gently placed his lips on hers, putting one arm around her waist and the other on the ground to support himself. She smiled into the kiss as warmth spread out from his lips into her body, tightening her arms around his neck to pull him closer to her.
They stayed like that for quite some time before breaking apart for air. When they had pulled back, they were both smiling at the other, breathing heavily. Jaden wrapped both of his arms securely around Allison's waist, pulling her against him in a hug. She happily laid her head against his warm chest.
"Alright, Ally," Jaden said after a moment. He pulled back enough for her to see him smiling at her. "I've gotta get you back home safe." He picked her up in his arms bridal style, being careful not to hurt her ankle, and gave her the flashlight to operate since his hands were full. She put her other arm securely around his neck and smiled up at him. "Okay, let's go."
And the pair of them happily went back to the cabin.