Depths of a River

Chapter 26- Spending Time at the River

We drove down a hill until the road became gravel. He parked under a big tree. We got out, and I followed him through the bushes to the river. He threw two towels on the sand that were in the trunk of his car. We sat down and looked at each other without saying anything.

"Is everything okay?" I asked him eventually then shifted my gaze towards my legs in front of me.

"Is everything okay with you and Cleone? I know it's not my place but I am a bit worried." He said to me with a serious expression.

"Why would you think anything is wrong?" I asked not looking at him, hoping to avoid the conversation.

"I realized that something was wrong in your life for the way you acted at certain times. After talking to Cleone this morning, I saw she had the same reaction as you. What made you this way?" He asked.

I stared at the river, speechless at that moment. The river flow strongly. Nothing could stop it. Just like life, doesn't matter what happens to you, life goes on and doesn't care about what you might be feeling.

I knew exactly what he was talking about. I decided to tell him the whole story before we get too far in the relationship. It would only be fair to him. I took a deep breath then told him everything how it happened the night my parents died. I felt tears escaping my eyes as I told the story out loud. It felt like it wasn't true until I talked about it again. I felt the way that I felt right after it happened. He hugged me tight against his chest for a while after I finished the story. I have supressed the memory for so long.

"I went to different psychologists after that, but nobody can ever make it better or talk the feelings away. It won't help because it can't be fixed." I said.

"Adelynn, you have to understand. Psychologists can't fix the problem or make it go away, but they can help you get through it and be there for you." He said really concerned.

"I understand. I think a piece of me wants them to fix everything and make it go away that's why I feel that they don't help." I admit to him.

There was a trace of a smile on his face. We had sat next to the river in the sun for quite some time before I suggested we went to the little coffee shop around the corner to drink something.

We got up, and Rodrique lightly slapped my backside a few times to get the sand off. I burst out laughing which broke the tension between us. He looked at me confused.

"You don't have to do everything for me. I will give you a baby if you want to baby someone." I turned red as I realize what I had just said.

"Then let's get to it." He said while laughing at me.

He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder and carried me all the way to his car.

"I didn't baby you. I just don't want any sand in my car." He said jokingly.

We got in the car and drove to the coffee shop.

We ordered two caramel milkshakes. They were much smaller than the ones Rodrique made us and had less flavour.

After we were finished, Rodrique paid and we went back to his hotel. I loved spending time with him. I felt more secure after telling him my story. He understood pain on a whole other level and didn't judge any reactions that follow after someone had a rough time.

We sat on the couch in front of the television. He took off his shirt, and I could see that got sunburned while we were at the river this morning. I pulled down my top's strap to see if the sun did any damage to me. There was a bright white line where the strap was compared to the rest of my skin.

"Ouch, we have it bad." Rodrique said while looking at my shoulder.

"I'll get something to sooth the burn." He said and disappeared into his bedroom.

He came back with a bottle of lotion in the one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. He sat down next to me on the couch. He pulled down the straps of my top all the way down to my waist. He took the hairband from my arm and tied my hair in a bun on my head.

"I'm impressed." I said. He didn't say anything, just carried on.

He gently rubbed the lotion on my neck and upper back area then moved his hands over to my chest. The lotion felt so cool on my skin even though it hurt when he touched the burned areas. I turned around to face him. I took the lotion from his hand and rubbed his shoulders as well. We sat there half naked rubbing lotion on each other's burned bodies and I felt like there was no better place I wanted to be.

We spent the rest of the day on the couch watching movies until it was dark outside. He took me home and left. I told him that I would fetch Cleone from campus. I changed into a sundress and waited an hour before I drove to go and fetch Cleone. I had arranged with her before we dropped her off that I would be at the gate at that time. I waited for almost fifteen minutes while calling her cell phone. It went to voicemail. It was getting dark and the clouds grew thicker. I decided to go inside and find her before it started raining. I got to her room, but there was nobody there.

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