Lazaretto (Camren)

E L E V E N

"All things truly wicked start from innocence." –Ernest Hemingway

CAMILA

Two days later I found myself back at the warehouse. Things with Lauren were starting to get back to normal, and Austin hadn't spoken to me since the fight with the green eyed beauty. He must have been a little intimidated, thinking I might kick him in the face if he came too close. I had to be honest though, I kind of liked the space. I needed to clear my head a bit.

While I was loading my gun in the booth at the shooting range, I felt a presence beside me. I turned my head to see none other than Austin standing with a smile on his face and his hands behind his back looking like a little boy begging his mother for a cookie before dinner.

"Hey," I said, setting my now loaded gun on the wooden counter.

"Hi," he returned, stepping forward. "I want to take you somewhere."

"I can't, I'm busy. Derek said I had to finish shooting practice before I could do anything else. Maybe later though." I picked up the headphones from around my neck and put them over my ears and just as I was about to grab the gun, Austin reached over and placed his hand over top of it. He carefully slid back one of the headphones so I could hear him speak.

"What if I can hit the target without looking? Will you come with me then?" he asked, a grin reaching from ear to ear. I tried to avert my gaze to anywhere but his deep ocean eyes, but they had me entranced. I couldn't say no.

"You can't do it," I challenged with a smirk on my face. I took the headphones off completely to let them hang around my neck before crossing my arms over my chest and backing away from the booth to give him some room. He saw my invitation and stepped over to where I was standing. He picked up the gun and aimed it at the target that was thirty yards away, and I made sure to stare straight at him so he couldn't sneak a glance. He soon pulled the trigger and continued to look at me long after the bullet left the barrel.

"There's no way you hit the target." I shook my head.

"If I did, you have to go with me." He smiled as he put the gun down.

We made sure no one else at the range was firing their weapons before walking to the target. To my disbelief and his belief, he actually hit it. And not just on the outer border, but fairly close to the center.

"Lucky shot," I scoffed.

"There's no such thing as luck, just golden opportunities." He looked at the target and lightly touched the spot where the bullet entered, and for some reason I felt like he wasn't just talking about the bullet.

"Well, it looks like I have to go with you. Where are you whisking me away to now, Romeo?"

"You'll see," he said, lightly grabbing my arm and leading me to the woods behind the range. "And don't worry, we'll be back before dinner. I know how you get when you're hungry."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I playfully pushed his shoulder. He laughed and obviously wasn't affected by my shove.

"I'm just saying! You get a little angry when you don't eat for a while."

"Doesn't everyone?"

He shrugged his shoulders with a smile, and we continued walking until we reached the edge of the forest. The sun was clouded slightly but it was still bright; the air thick and cold, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. He started walking through trees and bushes on a path that he must have created himself. A couple of times he had to help me over rocks and overgrown roots. The conversation between us fell silent, but it wasn't awkward. Sometimes I think that's how you know you're comfortable with someone.