4: Stars in a Lake

They say if you fix your course upon a star, you'll be able to navigate through any storm. The millions of stars in the sky tonight couldn't help me navigate through the storm I'm in right now. 

After getting helplessly wasted with Jaden, we both thought it was a fabulous idea to take a stroll through the cottage area. Two shots, three spirits and five beers later, I find myself lost in the woods with Jaden, who was confident he could find us a way out. 

"Relax, kid. I know the way out of here", he boastfully proposes, trying his best not to slur his words. 

"Jaaaden, we're lost", I whine and throw my head back. I lose my balance and trip, planting my face into Jaden's back. 

"Ouch- Jaaaden your back is so hard", my words slur as I whine like a child.

So much for trying to prove I'm not a kid anymore. 

"Stop whining like a brat and get yourself together", he mutters.

"Hooow have we both had the same amount to drink but-"

"Can't handle it? Give up now and that blanket's all mine", he chuckles smugly.

"S-stop asking for my precious blanket! You know my dad got me that and it-it means sooo much to me. You're a p-prick for even asking! Since when did you become such a prick! You used to be so-"

Suddenly, Jaden turns around quickly and places his hand firmly against my mouth. He slowly leans in and whispers, "If you don't shut up right now, I'm gonna to leave you stranded in these woods for the rest of the night"

My eyes bulge in fear. The sole terror in my expression is enough for him to remove his hand and keep walking. I slouch in defeat and follow him silently. 

Half an hour goes by of us trudging tirelessly through the woods, trying to find a way out. The air was continuing to get colder and no exit was in sight. I looked to the stars for guidance but with the level of alcohol in my blood, they just seemed to smush together and look blurry. 

"Jaden, it-it's getting cold... and dark", I say trying to conceal my fear of the dark, which was only worsened by the vertigo.

"Still afraid of the dark?", he chuckles.

S**t, I forget he used to know me so well. 

I sigh in defeat. "Yea... let's j-just find a way out"

Suddenly Jaden stops in front of me and takes off his hoodie, revealing a navy blue vintage t-shirt and a silver chain around his neck. 

"Only letting you wear this so you'll shut up", he sighs and hands me his hoodie. I notice traces of a tattoo peek from beneath the sleeve of his shirt. Since when did he start getting tattoos?

I try to bite back a smile as I take it from him. A mixture of his cologne and fresh body-wash fills my senses as I put on the warm, grey hoodie. Somehow, after all these years, his scent remained the same. Under all the layers, I wondered what else stayed the same.

Suddenly, I see Jaden walk towards a large body of water. A lake? 

"Hey- where are y-you going?" I ask, exhausted by all the walking. The throbbing pain in my head wasn't helping either. Why'd I even agree to this stupid bet?

Without a response, he pulls his shirt over his shoulders to reveal several tattoos plastered on his muscular back. Jesus, had he spent the entirety of the last five years in the gym? I didn't know he could be so toned. I squint, trying to make out the black stains across his back. What looked like a pair of wings stretched from his spine, accompanied by a dragon on his left and a circular symbol on his lower right. I wondered what the symbol meant, but before I knew it, he was heading straight towards the lake. 

"Are you s-seriously going to go in that lake?" I slur tiredly. 

Slipping out of his sweatpants, he shrugs. "Why not? Might as well," he replies before entering the lake

"Oh my gooood...It's like -1000 degrees out!" I emphasise. 

"I run warm", he says before submerging his body into the water. Water drips down his bare chest as he springs up for air. The moon's light shone brightly against his skin, highlighting his every feature. His chest was defined by a set of broad shoulders that lead to a slim, toned waist. For someone who spent all day in their room, he seemed to be damn well in shape. 

As if it were sculpted by a God, each curve and edge of his muscular build made my heart roar. I hated how irresistibly attractive I found him, and with all this alcohol in my system, it became harder to resist that feeling. I tried to bite back the pounding in my chest as I walked towards the glistening water. 

I hear him shudder as his body adjusts to the temperature. 

"Just gonna stand there and stare all night?" he says smugly and splashes water at me. 

"Hypothermia was n-not part of the b-bet" I slur, trying to shift my gaze away from his torso. 

"Don't tell me you're scared of a little water", he teases before ducking into the water. 

I roll my eyes and try to ignore the butterflies in my stomach. I see Jaden's bag near the shore of the lake and look for the bottle of tequila inside it. As I shuffle through the contents of his bag, I come across a bottle of pills, which read fluoxetine 40mg. I think that's Prozac? I dug deeper to find more bottles of medication. Was he supposed to be drinking on so much medication? I felt my curiosity urge me to figure out what they were, but I had already invaded his privacy enough. Plus, I'm pretty sure that's illegal. 

After a few minutes of rummaging, I find the bottle of 1800 Silver. I force down a few gulps before deciding to head into the lake myself. I tie my hair into a loose bun and hesitantly slip out of my sweatshirt and jeans, revealing a lace set of black underwear. The cold water bites at my feet as I walk into the lake. I see Jaden standing with his back towards me, staring at the array of stars in the sky. 

"See? Not afraid.", I shiver as I approach him.

He says nothing when he turns to look at me. His gaze follows down my body before reaching my lips. 

"Interesting", he smirks before turning back at the night sky.

"Interesting what?" I ask, confused. 

"Just didn't take you for a lace type of girl"

"Oh.", My face flushes bright red as I draw my arms to my chest. "Well, I didn't take you for a tattoo type of guy", I mutter defensively. 

"No? Always thought I radiated the tattoo-type energy", he chuckles, running his hand through his dark, wet hair. 

"You didn't really... but I guess things change", I say quietly as I look down and run my fingers through the dark blue water. The lake was glistening with stars.

"You haven't changed", he turns to me and for the first time tonight, I sensed vulnerability lurking behind the paleness of his gaze. 

"Really?", I stare up at him and try to read what was hiding beneath the surface. Even after all this time, I could still feel a connection between us. No matter how much he's changed, our connection felt deeper than the waters of this lake. I only wondered if he could still feel it too. 

"Yea... I thought you'd be a lot more mature now- but still a kid.", he grins deviously and splashes the cold water at me. 

"Hey!" I duck and splash water back at him. I guess the f**k not.

 We start ducking and splashing water at eachother, until I tire out. In fear of him coming at me with another water attack, I swim deeper into the lake to rest. I sigh in relief when I look around and see Jaden nowhere in sight. 

Staring up at the sky, I notice how dark the night is. But I suppose the night needed to be this dark. Otherwise, I'd never be able to witness the brightness of the moon and the millions of stars out. The stars in the sky sunk into the water, making me feel like just another star in the lake. I shiver as cold water drips down my skin. 

"Are you cold?" Jaden peaks up from behind. I immediately jolt in fear and turn around. 

"Only a little", I say, nervously biting my lip. I feel the butterflies in my stomach flutter around when I notice how close he is to me. 

His gaze doesn't leave my eyes as he moves closer to me. I feel his hands near my thighs, inching closer. 

"Me too", he says with a smirk. His face looks down at mine, with a cunning gaze. 

"W-what happened to running warm?", I quietly respond, feeling the butterflies in my stomach go crazy.

But the smell of his fresh cologne and breath against my skin intoxicates me. I look up at him and try to back away but the force of the water pushes our bodies closer. The way he's looking at me right now makes me afraid of what he'll do next.