Those nightly rituals became a habit for us. Rumors started spreading around that we were fooling around in the woods, but my friends put those to rest immediately. But that was only after they questioned me.
"No, he's actually really cool. He'll be a good friend I think," I explained, getting my towel out for a shower at the end of a long day.
"No making out?" Ali asked.
I laughed, "No. But if there was I would be sure to let you know about it."
They laughed while I walked out to the communal shower area.
"Hey there Thermopolis," Joshua greeted.
"Bloom," I said, setting my shampoo on the ground.
"How goes it?" he asked, taking his towel off and facing the opposite way from me.

I unwrapped myself from my shower, "Just dandy. Did you hear that we are going at it every night in the woods?"
"That's pretty hot," he said with a laugh. "By the way, you were amazing last night," he joked.
"Not so bad yourself," I replied, glancing over my shoulder. I caught sight of his rear. He had a pretty cute butt.
He turned and looked at me. "Come on now. You want the full monty?" he asked laughing.
"Been there, done that," I replied, applying the shampoo to my hair. We had to take ultra quick showers because we had limited water supplies. He shut off his water and came over to me.
"No use in wasting water," he explained as he applied my shampoo to his head. We had our backs facing one another. He respected the fact that I was shy about my body.
"So, birthday boy, you coming to the woods tonight?"
He sighed, "You remembered?"
"Of course I did silly."
"No one else knows it's my birthday, okay? Don't tell anyone."
"I won't."
"Good"
"Good," I said, shutting off the water and wrapping my towel around my body. "See you later."
He had told me that he loved Oscar Wilde, and I happened to have a copy of some of his poems. Grandmere thought I could read the classics in my spare time. I met him in the tent and we linked arms as we walked with our flashlights into the woods. He had brought a blanket this time.
"Hey Mia!" Bebe called out to me as we were walking toward the woods.
"Yes?" I said turning back. "Hold on just a sec, okay?"
"Sure darling."

"What is it Bebe?"
"What are you doing out there?" she hissed. "It looks really bad."
"I'm reading a book and he's going to listen to me read these poems out loud. How does that look bad?"
She looked around at the scattered volunteers. "To everyone else it looks like...like you guys are fooling around out there."
I threw my arms up in exasperation. "So what? We both know we aren't so who really cares?"
"Your grandmother would."
"Bebe, do you have a thing for him or something?"
She looked at me funny. "No. Mia, you shouldn't be going out there with him. You barely know him."
"I barely know you," I replied. With that I turned my heel and rushed back over to him. The following excerpt is from Wilde's Requiescat, 1881
"Tread lightly, she is near," I started dramatically. He laughed and laid out on the blanket. "Under the snow, speak gently, she can hear the daisies grow...all her bright golden hair tarnished with rust, she was young and fair fallen to dust...Lily-like, white as snow, she hardly knew she was a woman so sweetly she grew..." I finished up the poem and got quiet.
"It's such a sad poem," I said softly.
"Tell me about it then.What do you really think about it?" he said.
"You are the European here. You tell me."
"Mia..."
"Okay, so the guy is looking at the woman he loves, or rather where she is buried. She is very young and beautiful, or was when she died. And she never knew how beautiful she was, or how beautiful he thought she was...she had just reached womanhood when she died. And he's left all alone in the world..."
"Man, I don't know what I'd do if something like that happened to me," he said suddenly. "Huh?" I asked, sounding like a moron.
"Like if I loved someone like that and then she died? I don't know if I could go on."
I shrugged. "I'm sure you'll find someone anyways. You are a great guy."
"What would you do?"
I bit my lip. I hadn't really thought about it. "I-I guess...I mean, I suppose I would try to move on without him. It'd be difficult though, if I truly loved him."

"Would you marry someone else?" he asked.

"Whoa, wait, we're talking I'm married to the guy?"

"Well, kind of married or at least that close to him to consider it..."

"Um...I dunno. I haven't thought about that. Hopefully I won't have to deal with it."

His eyes kind of had a glazed look. "I'm sure you'll have a life filled with love."
"And you would know this because..."
He grinned, "I have a sixth sense."
"I'm sure you do."
"Hey, let me read my favorite one to you..." he said grabbing the book from me. I held the flashlight up to the book so he could read it,

Her Voice by Wilder
"The wild bee reels from bough to bough. With his furry coat and his gauzy wing. Now in a lily-cup, and now setting a jacinth bell a-swing, in his wondering; sit closer love: it was here I trow I made that vow. Swore that two lives should be like one, as long as the sea gull loved the sea, as long as the sunflower sought the sun, it shall be, I said, for eternity, 'twixt you and me! Dear friend, those times are over and done, love's web is spun. Look upward where the poplar trees...."
"Did you have a nice birthday?" I asked as we left the woods.
"Would have been nice to have a pint, but I can deal with some Wilde. Thank you, I really appreciated this."
"Well, happy birthday Joshua."
He hugged me awkwardly, and then we went off to our own cots.
Weeks went by. We still did the flirting that was more like teasing, which I didn't mind. It kept my mind off of him. Where I wanted my mind to be.
Me and the girls had finished up early with a lesson with some of the local children so we brought them outside to teach them how to play baseball. I had been taking private Spanish lessons since sophomore year. Grandmere says that since I am going to rule Genovia one day, I must know most of the common languages. I took to Spanish pretty easily. (A/N: I did this with an online translator. All native speakers please forgive me. This is my only attempt with Spanish in this story)
 "No, corazón dulce, usted tiene que tomar la bola, y la lanza allá, a Paolo," I said in Spanish (No, no sweet heart, you have to take the ball and throw it there, to Paolo).
 The kid answered by throwing mud at me. I sighed, "Como esto," I said (Like this). I saw that Joshua was off to the side with some of his guy friends. They were all laughing but he simply smiled.
The little boy started speaking really quickly. "Desaceleración!"

I couldn't get the hard mud out of my hair. "I'm cutting it off," I announced, taking Sophie's scissors.
"No! Mia, you are going crazy. I hear the water here is nuts. The bacteria must have made you gone crazy! You can't cut your hair. It's too pretty."
I rolled my eyes. If they had only seen it four years ago. They would have suggested cutting off my entire head. "I'll go outside so you don't have to witness it."

"What are you doing?" Joshua asked me.
"Cutting the hair. Wish to say goodbye?" I asked waving some in his face.
"What are you doing that for?" he asked, sitting on a bucket next to me.
"Because it keeps getting all knotty and tangled, and this damn mud out. Hair grows back ya know."
"I know. But it's ...pretty."
Grandmere had always told me that eventually it would have to be cut, like when I become ruler. Tiara's were better with short hair. "It has to be done," I explained.
"Fine, but you want help?" he asked.
"Thanks. Don't make me look stupid."
"No one could," he complimented.
I tried not to blush.
I was unsuccessful.

"There.... beautiful," he said after he cut straight across.
We went into the 'bathroom' and looked into the mirror. "Oh God! I look...I look terrible!" I screamed, tears started forming in my cheeks.
He rubbed my back, "You look fine darling. Like you said, it'll grow back."
I bit my lip. "I can't be so damn vain," I decided. "I mean, people are starving out there and I am complaining about my stupid hair."
"That's the spirit!" he teased.
"Thanks. I'll be okay now."
"Good. Can you believe we only have another week and a half here?"
My mouth dropped in shock. "How is that possible? Has it already been two months?"
"Yup. I told you it'd go by quickly... Um, are you planning on coming back anytime?"
"I wish I could..." I said, staring at him. "But I have responsibilities back home..."
"Oh. Well, we all do, but you can ditch them can't you? I mean, your family can't get mad when you are doing humanitarian work, can they?"
He had no idea. "Well, I'm going to be doing school and training to take over the family business."
"Which is?"
"We do stuff with the royal family of Genovia."
"Swanky. I bet you'll be happy to be back there, wont' you?"
"No...I'd rather be here. Did I tell you Rachel spelled her name all by herself today?"

"No way! That's great news! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"I forgot," I said sheepishly. I thought back to the beginning of the summer when I thought I would never be able to utter a complete syllable to this guy. I laughed.
"What's so funny?" he asked, inching closer to me.
"I was just thinking about when we first met."
"Oh? Was I humorous? Witty?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
I shook my head, "No. I was just thinking how I never thought I'd be able to talk to you."
"Why not?" he asked, surprised.
"Because...you were too beautiful to talk to. There was this guy back in high school that I used to have this huuuuge crush on, his name was Josh actually."
"Must have been a good looking guy. Only the good ones are named Joshua," he said, ignoring that I called him beautiful.
"Well, you kind of reminded me of him a little bit. And..."

"And?"
"Well, in some ways you remind me of someone else, but I can't think of who," I lied. Duh, Michael!
"Oh? Well, maybe my beauty makes you forget?" he teased. But he gave me a smile that almost hinted at him knowing the truth.
I rolled my eyes, "You won't let me forget I said that, would you?"

"No way darling."
"What do you call the other girls?" I asked as we inched closer and closer.
"What other girls?" he asked, his breath becoming more and more rapid.
I giggled, "You told me that you get pet names for all the girls you are in charge of...I was wondering what everyone else's is."
He leaned in, closing the distance between us, but Bebe came in. "Hey there kids. Wow, Mia your hair looks sharp!"
We pulled apart hastily. Good timing Bebe. "Thanks. Joshua just cut it for me."
"And what, that was a payment or something?" she asked coldly.
My cheeks turned red. "I...uh...gotta go."
"Me too," Joshua said quickly.
We went separate ways. He went to the woods and I went to the tent. My heart was still beating. What the hell almost happened? How did we go from talking about when we first met to almost kissing?