Daring, Charming , Real

Ch. 34

It wasn't long after Tommy left with Alfie that another knock came on the bedroom door. The old wood creaked slightly as I pulled it open and looked into the dimly lit hallway. Jon stood with his jacket pulled tight and his hat still on his head. His gaze darted everywhere but to me as he started to speak.

"Come on. Thomas decided to give us the day off so we're gonna make it worth it." He murmured, "Not gonna let you sulk up here any longer."

"I'm not sulking, I've been writing. Maybe I'll let you look at it sometime. That is , if you can read." I teased and he rolled his eyes at me before turning to walk away.

I followed close behind and listened to him grumble about how I was just as much of an ass as his brothers. Finn met us in the foyer and asked to tag along but Jon declined. He gave an excuse about how we were speaking privately about something to do with the company. It peaked my interest but I also knew it wasn't true. When Jon lies his neck turns a bright blush red. Most people write it off as his anger issues but I know him better. His oldest brother, Arthur, stuttered through his fibs which i attribute to his priority with christ. Thomas was the silver tongued devil I had to watch. His lies came so sweetly you'd almost plead with him to say it. Each syllable dripping from his lips like hot nectar just waiting to be consumed. If anything it was his eyes that gave it away and it was only when he didn't want to lie. When he was conscious his words would hurt you is when the truth would seep from behind the blue lurking in each iris.

Finn was my favorite liar . That's because he couldn't go more than five minutes without telling on himself. He couldn't keep his mouth shut and although it worked to my benefit it also worked to my demise in many cases. Especially in times of Morse code and prepping bombs.

"Where are we going?" I finally asked after we had hopped in Jon's car and started out across the dirt road and heavy woodline. We were going the opposite way of the city.

"Its a surprise." He smiled but I wasn't convinced.

"A good one or a bad one?"

"A good one. I hope." He sucked air between his teeth before turning his full attention back to driving.

This time I didn't pry any further considering it really wouldn't do me good anyways. When Jon made up his mind about something there was no changing it. Infact I'm convinced that God himself adjusts his timeline according to what mood Jon Shelby is in when he awakes in the morning. My lips curled up at the thought of that.

The day was warm with a light breeze. Since it was still early morning, the sun light peaked through the branches of the scattered trees beside us and casted down into the tall grass. Flowers bloomed in different patches and as we continued forward the woods started to thicken. It wasn't long we were completely submerged into the forest and the gravel was turning to dirt. I wasn't really paying attention to how long we had been driving until we came to a halt in the middle of no where.

"Alright, here we are."

"Where is here?" I questioned as we both got out .

"This is where I come to think when the world becomes too loud." He didn't look over at me as he started down a small beaten path that looked as if it had only been walked by one person.

I assumed he was that person.

As we walked along the trail I could start to hear the small crackling of water in the distance . At first it sounded like a small creek bed, but as we drew near it began to roar too life. We were directly on a riverside and it was absolutely gorgeous. The water cascaded over large rocks that were marbled in different hues of green and brown. The light danced across the surface accenting every detail. Tall grass gathered at each side, it's roots nestled deep into the dirt and hedging the riverside. There was a dip in the walkway leading down by the water where the dirt turned to sand and small pebbles. Amongst that ground was a large log that Jon plopped down on as if he had just gotten home from work. He sighed deeply and patted the coarse wood beside him , beckoning for me to sit down.