Winter Camp

Chapter 16 - Olly

It was a cold morning, nothing unusual, but even the cold couldn't dampen my mood after last night. I knew how I felt about her, I knew she liked me, I just needed to figure out how to handle it. I guess I should at least act like a twenty-one year old and handle this as well as I could given the circumstances.

The day passed painfully slow. I knew I shouldn't wish the days to speed up when the girl I adored was leaving in a few days, but when I had to teach the cub scouts group how to ski I just wished the night would hurry up. I was laboured with kids all day, never even getting a glance at Liana to my disappointment.

"I've been looking for you for ages," I turned, my face lighting up as I saw Liana.

"This was risky," I said, looking around. "Did no one see you leave?"

"My group are playing tag, I reckon we have thirty minutes," She said, taking my hand.

"Well I need to use those thirty minutes to talk about something important," I said with a sigh. "I don't want to talk about it, but we have to."

Liana nodded in acceptance, and I think she knew what I was going to say.

We went into my cabin and Liana sat on the sofa, curling up with a cushion. "So," she said. "What's your proposition."

"I keep thinking of ways..." I sighed. "But I can't think of anything, to be honest. I mean, wherever I go, you'll be somewhere else..."

"Unless you come to Florida?" Liana suggested.

I laughed. "Been there done that, I don't go the same place twice..." I shrugged. "Sorry, I just don't... I never have."

"Fair enough," Liana bit her lip. "Well, how about somewhere else in the US? I can probably fly over to somewhere, if I save up for a while."

"Hell no Liana, I'd pay for your journey," I said quickly.

Liana rolled her eyes. "Whatever, what do you think?"

I collapsed down on the sofa. "I'm thinking I want to see you longer than for a couple of days. I want to see you in a situation where I'm not your ski instructor and you're not under my care and this doesn't feel so wrong and I'm not breaking about a hundred laws and..."

"Slow down!" Liana exclaimed huffily. "Just stop. We can sort this out okay?"

"Okay," I said with a shrug, waiting for her idea.

"Look, can't you just come to Florida for-"

"I'm not going back to Florida." I said firmly. "Look, I want this as much as you do but I just never go to the same place twice?"

"Why not?" Liana asked in exasperation. "You're making this more difficult than it needs to be.

"I know I am," I sighed. "But I just can't do it."

I know I sounded stubborn and difficult, and I could see and understand Liana's frustration, but she didn't realise how difficult it was for me to even cope with the idea of having to settle down somewhere. The idea of marrying and having kids and a steady job sounded like hell on earth to me, and was exactly the kind of life my parents had wanted me to have. Travelling was like my rebellion against them, and the idea of going somewhere new where no one knew your name every few months was my idea of perfection. New faces, new people to meet, new activities to learn and things to do, nothing was ever the same, and I loved it. But now I realised, I wanted something in my life to stay the same, I wanted someone in my life who I was prepared to make the effort to talk to and love and be with and that very thought scared the hell out of me.

"Right, I've got it," I said finally, desperate to break the silence. "I fly you over to Japan, I was thinking of going there a while ago-"

"Olly," she snapped. "I can't go to Japan!"

"Why not?" I asked. "We'll keep in touch until you're eighteen, it's only a few months, and then I'll fly you over and we can spend months together and..."

"Olly!" Liana cried desperately. "You don't understand! I can't just drop everything and leave when I turn eighteen, I've got things to do!"

"You said you might not go to college," I challenged.

"I'll have a job," Liana said defiantly. "I won't be travelling across the world to hang out with you for a few months. Sorry, Olly, it's just not happening."

We sat silent for a few minutes. "So now what?" I asked steadily.

"I don't know," she snapped, making me look away quickly, trying to avoid her gaze. I knew this could all be avoided in a matter of seconds, if only I said I'd come to Florida to see her... but why should I force myself back to somewhere I'd been? She'd have months before she'd start a new job fresh out of school, I just didn't understand.