chapter 9

His chest was rising and falling as he breathed gently. He kept and arm behind his head while the other arm was draped loosely on his chest.

She could see why she had liked him, he was so incredibly handsome.

Suzanne reached out to brush away some of his blue locks from his shut eyes but she stopped herself in time.

She withdrew her hand.

No. She took a step back. No more of that. She told herself and turned.

As she was heading back to her own hammock she noticed Andrew's was empty. Her eyes widened in alarm.

Where's Andrew?!  She panicked and went around to look for him.

She checked the small kitchen and extra store but he wasn't there. The shelter just had three parts to it; the kitchen, a store room and a bedroom.

She stepped out of the shelter and immediately wrapped her hands around herself as the cool air greeted her.

The sky was lit by a big white moon and the stars twinkled and shone.

It's a lovely night. Suzanne thought as she gazed up, forgetting why she came out for a moment.

Oh that's right!  She looked around. I'm supposed to be looking for Andrew.

She walked towards where they had piled some very huge logs and she caught her breath.

Andrew was lying on the topmost log and he was facing the sky. He let his right leg dangle to the side of the log, his hands were both beneath his long brown curls. His hair was a bit messy, but it looked cool.

His green denim jacket that he now wore was unbuttened so that his black long sleeve that he wore underneath was seen.

His eyes were closed and his peach like lips were parted slightly.

Suzanne took in a sharp breath. If Ryan looked handsome, I have no words to describe Andrew right now.

She thought.

She then shook her head and stepped back.

Very well, since he's fine, I better go back. She told herself inwardly and turned to go but her left foot stepped on a twig and broke the calm silence of the night.

Andrew's blue eyes flew open.

"Who's there?"

His mildly deep voice almost killed Suzanne.

She froze, her back turned to him. She was hidden by the shadow of the shelter as it fell on her, however with sharp eyes she could easily be noticed if she moved at all so she decided to stay and hold her breath.

She hopes Andrew would just wave it off as a squirrel or any small rat.

Suzanne didn't know how to respond to his question as it now seemed silly to her that she was looking for him so she decided not to answer him at all.

When it was all quiet again she sighed inwardly.

Okay, this is stupid. She scowled at herself. I'm going to tell him I was the one and I was just making sure he was okay since he wasn't in his hammock.

She nodded to herself. Her plan sounded decent. Hiding from Andrew just didn't make sense.

She turned back and stuck to the walls of the shelter, then she peeped. Her face could now be clearly seen as the moonlight shone on it.

"Huh?" She looked at the log pile but he wasn't there anymore.

Suzanne stepped forward, walking towards the log pile cautiously. "Andrew...?" She called softly, in an unsure voice.

She shrugged and stepped back but she hit something...more like someone.

"Aaaahhh," Suzanne tried to scream but the person behind her kept a hand over her mouth, silencing her.

"Suzanne?" Andrew's breath tickled her ear.

"Mmh...mmh!!" Suzanne's voice was muffled, he quickly removed his hand from her mouth and she turned to face him.

He was so close to her and his eyebrow were scruched up in puzzlement.

He's so close...

Suzanne thought and stepped back and took another step back again.

Andrew also took a step towards her when she went back.

"Don't come closer!" She warned and took another step back but she slipped on a rock and almost fell with her head hitting the ground but Andrew caught her just in time.

His arms were wrapped around her as he pulled her up, in the process pulling her closer to himself.

Suzanne's face flushed red.

"Are you okay?" Andrew asked, leaning closer to examine her when he saw her face was turning red.

"No..no...un," Suzanne tried to back away but she tripped on the same rock again but as she was falling she yanked Andrew along with her as she had held his T-shirt to steady herself but she just unbalanced him and they both fell.

Andrew kept his hands by two sides of Suzanne in order to stop himself from squashing her on the ground.

"Klutz," he hissed as he frowned at her.

He tried to get up but that was also the time Suzanne tried to rise as well, and since she was under him her head hit his chin making them both fall to the grass again.

"Ow." Andrew rolled to her side and rubbed his chin while Suzanne winced as she rubbed her head.

"What's your problem?" Andrew asked, turning to face her.

Suzanne gulped when she saw that as he turned to face her, his face came close to hers as they laid on the grass.

Her face was beet red by now.

"Un...un...," she stammered, for some reason she couldn't make words come out. She licked her lips and tried again.

"How's the weather, huh?"

Immediately she said that she face palmed herself inwardly.

What was that?! Stupid!  She chided herself.

Andrew just rolled his eyes and stared up at the sky. He kept his hands beneath his head as some sort of support.

"It's cool," he replied her nonetheless.

She grinned and looked up as well.

"Andrew, can I ask you something?" She glanced at him briefly before returning her gaze to the sky.

"You can ask, but that's no assurance I'll answer," he replied curtly.

Suzanne frowned slightly.

"Why are you so annoying?" she huffed.

"That is your question?" He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"No it's not!" She then sighed. "What now Andrew?"

He glanced at her.

"Meaning?"

"I really liked Ryan, a lot. And...," she took in a deep breath. "And now that ...well, all this incidents happened I'm telling myself I ought not to like him anymore but I have to admit, sometimes it's kinda hard to act like I don't like him."

When Andrew was quiet she looked at him.

She saw he was already staring at her, with a slight bored look.

"Tell me the reason why you like Ryan." He said.

"The reason," Suzanne mumbled. "It's kinda much," she grinned nervously at him.

"I'm listening," Andrew told her.

"Okay," she looked up at the sky again. "The reason I like Ryan is because...I like him because....he's cute, yeah. He's cute."

"And?" Andrew raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her.

A cold sweat dropped from her forehead. "I'm still listing okay? Um...," she rubbed her palms together. "I like him because he's ....nice?"

"Really? Ryan, nice?" Andrew scoffed as he looked at the sky.

"No! That's not what I meant. I mean, I like him because...he's um, gifted?" Suzanne said unsurely.

"Gifted." Andrew repeated in a deadpanned voice. "In what?"

"Un...lots of things," Suzanne said as scratched her hair slightly.

"Like?"

Andrew's questions were just backing her into a corner.

"What am I, a suspect? You don't need to interogate me like this," Suzanne muttered.

"You're not sure," Andrew looked at her in disbelief. "You made a fool of yourself for a guy you weren't sure why you liked him."

"No!" Suzanne protested.

"I'll you the real reason why you liked Ryan," Andrew went on, ignoring her protest, "You just liked the idea of liking him, you never did like him. It's kinda annoying really, you saw him as a sort of prize you were competing with those other girls to win. A cute hotty that's filthy rich and is popular. Sure, you'd want to keep him for yourself."

He looked away, slightly ticked. "Annoying." He muttered under his breath.

Suzanne took in a sharp breath.

He's...he's right.

She thought, her heart pounding.

No! He's not!

She battled within herself.

"Don't go saying stuffs you know nothing about!" She yelled at him as she sat up. "I liked Ryan because he's unique and he's always himself, he doesn't care what anyone says about him!"

"More like he doesn't care at all," Andrew muttered, still not facing her.

"I don't expect you to understand! Afterall you've never liked anyone before so you don't know how it feels! I wish I never even brought it up! You jerk!" Suzanne fumed angrily at him and stood up, about to walk back into the shelter but he swiftly grabbed her wrist and grabbed her to himself.

He had also stood up as well.

She didn't know when small angry tears ecaped her eyelids.

His blue gaze on her was hard and impenetrable. His grip on her wrist tightened.

Suzanne's lips parted slightly in a small gasp.

The cold Andrew was back.

His hold on her wrist wasn't tight enough to hurt her but tight enough to hold her in place.

His eyes glistened in the moonlight. They had gone cold and scary but she still couldn't guess what he was thinking as his expression gave nothing away.

"Just because there's freedom of speech doesn't mean you can use your words freely on me," Andrew started in a deep tone.

Suzanne gulped and struggled in his hold but it was of no use.

"Andrew...let me go," She said in low tone.

"I've warned you before Suzanne don't act like you know everything about me, because you don't. I'm not some silly girl that has a crush for some unknown reason. You wanna know how you'll know you really like someone?"

His tone was deadly and Suzanne winced when he called her a silly girl.

"You'll feel complete and incomplete at once." He pulled her closer to himself.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from his gleaming dark blue ones that looked like a thousands oceans were raging in there.

"You'll understand that their soul's a work of chaos and art, and when people ask you what you see in them you'll reply 'all what you don't.' You'll know you like someone when you understand the words not said more than the ones they say. You'll know what their silence is screaming at you and it doesn't matter whatever anyone says about the person you like because it's crap to be ignored."

His grip on her relaxed.

"And you Suzanne know nothing  about liking someone."

A very tiny brief of emotion flashed through his eyes.

Hurt?

Suzanne scruched her brows in puzzlement.

Andrew closed his eyes tightly.

Now I'm sounding like Big brother.

He pushed her away and started walking away.

"So in your own words Suzanne," he paused in walking, still backing her but he didn't look back.

 "Don't go saying stuffs you know nothing about."