Evangeline

27

A knock on the door broke the awkward silence that filled the room. I couldn't tear my eyes away from my underwear in Seeley's grasp. He moved towards the door, shooting me a wink as he passed my bed and dropping the panties on to my lap. Shoving them into the bag resting by my feet, I tried to calm myself down as Seeley opened the door. I couldn't see past his body to see who it was, but after a few seconds of muttered conversation Seeley moved slightly, letting Olivia peek over his shoulder. She raised an eyebrow at my flustered state, which only made me turn more red.

Then she was gone, and Seeley had shut the door again. I watched quietly as he stalked to the bathroom, without acknowledging me, and brushed his teeth with the door open. I didn't understand, his demeanour had completely changed. Seeley finished in the bathroom and came back into the bedroom, sitting on the edge of his bed and sliding on his shoes. His change in behaviour confused me, but I said nothing and pulled on my shoes in silence.

Seeley held the door open and gestured for me to go first as we left the room. Tucking my phone and itinerary into a side pocket of my dungarees, I moved past him into the corridor quickly. I waited for him to shut the door, and then we made our way along the hallway and down the first set of stairs. I was walking slower than usual, anxious to start the day with a bunch of strangers. As we turned down the hallway on the second floor and headed towards the second set of stairs, Seeley broke the silence.

"Olivia said that they're short a person, so I'm partnered with you and Henderson. Is that okay?" It was quietly spoken, but I heard it. The smile that the sentence invoked could have split my face in half, I was so happy.

"Yes! Thank goodness." I blushed when he looked at me with a quirked eyebrow. "Sorry, but I'm so nervous - I don't know anyone here. I'm glad I'll be with someone I know." Seeley nodded in response and I was showered in relief. He pushed open the door at the bottom of the stairs, and then we were in the kitchen, surrounded by everyone else. Some people were clearing up from having breakfast, making me realise we didn't come down early for it. I didn't tend to eat breakfast so I wasn't too bothered.

"Thank you for finally joining us, you two." A sarcastic voice made a dig at me and Seeley as we moved to stand behind the kitchen island. My brow furrowed slightly, but I tried to shrug it off. I realised that the comment had come from the man with a beard who had been sitting next to Mr Jackson at the table last night.

Stealing a glance up at Seeley, I found that he was glaring openly at the man. His eyes moved to meet mine, sending heat down my neck. Blushing, I quickly looked away from him, embarrassed I had been caught, and turned my attention to Olivia who was trying to address everyone.

"So, morning everyone. You should all know your partners by now. We should all be leaving for activities in a few minutes, and you should all know what you're doing. One person from each group knows where to go for your different activities. Second activity starts at 10am, and then lunch is at 1pm." Olivia finished with a smile. Bird watching was up first for me, and then I think it was fishing after that.

"Morning, partner!" A loud voice shouted as people began to file out the front door and head off to their activities. I flinched slightly at the abrupt noise, which was a bit embarrassing. I hope nobody noticed that. Henderson appeared on the other side of Seeley, not acknowledging him and walking with a massive grin on his face. I stifled a grin at the considerable height difference between them.

"Good morning." I greeted, giving him a small smile. A gentle squeeze on my waist drew my attention away from Henderson as I turned to look up at Seeley. He was looking straight over my head, but his hand still lingered on my waist for a few seconds before dropping back to his side. We headed towards one of the wooden benches as other groups set off.

"So, bird watching, hey?" Henderson said, to which neither me or Seeley replied. It was awkward, so I sent him a small smile.

"What trail are we taking?" Seeley asked, his voice bored and his face stoic, as usual.

"Ah! Great question, big guy. We head up the Chestnut Trail and use the hut at the top. It should have all the equipment up there already."