It was a necklace with the cross charm he broke the other night, I'd taken it to the local jeweller and gotten it fixed and put it on a brand new chain. His eyes lit up when he saw it.
"This is the best gift I've ever gotten," River said softly, and I reached around him to put it around his neck.
"And you say this with the keys to my new car in your hand?" His dad asked sarcastically and I laughed,
"It's the thought that counts." I retorted playfully.
"Thank you," River acknowledged, "For the thought, for thinking of me, always."
Chapter 32
A Betrayal Of The Heart
Flashback3yearsago,River, Jace, Keomi, Merilla, Geneviève & Fabian, ages 16
THE SUMMER had only just begun, and it was the middle of the school holiday. The six friends were at a camping retreat somewhere in the mountains, it was a rather luxurious one at that, their private school had invested a lot into bringing their 11th-grade class there for the week.
Merilla and Keomi were camp counsellors that year and in charge of organizing all the events, they’d gotten a little bossy but understandably so because it was a difficult task.
Fabian was helping his current crush Elle catch up on her holiday assignments that’d piled up, and it was quite the struggle because it was no secret that the girl wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. But he liked her well enough, she was pretty, with big brown eyes and curly bowed pigtails she was the object of all his fascination. He hoped that by the end of their camping trip, he’d finally get the courage to ask her to be his girlfriend, he’d planned it out many times in his mind. Keomi watched idly from her place beside Merilla, chewing at the tip of her pen anxiously.
“Hey, you two!” Merilla called out to River and Geneviève who were seated by the fireplace having their morning coffee and having an in-depth conversation about how bored they were. “Aren’t you going to help?”
“Need I remind you all that I was practically dragged here against my will?” Geneviève groaned.
“And you’ll Thank us later, trust me you wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on all this,” Keomi assured her.
“On mosquitoes, hiking and cheap coffee?” River scorned. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“You’re such a city boy Kennedy, what’s wrong can’t handle the outdoors for a few days?” Merilla teased.
“No, actually I cannot,” River stated, blankly staring at the awful-tasting coffee in his mug.
“Then why did you come?” Geneviève wondered.
Just then River felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up and smiled, Jace’s skin was golden and tanned from the midday sun, his hair Sandy and wet. He had just returned from the lake, a towel thrown over his shoulder.
That’s why.River thought to himself.He is why.
“Oh come on leave him alone will you, you brought a hair straightener with you!” Jace argued and Merilla’s cheeks flushed in frustration.
“Hey! In my defence, you have no idea how hard curly hair is to manage Monet.” Merilla scolded and Jace threw his hands up in defeat.
“Sure. Anyways, what activities are you guys signed up for today?” Jace asked curiously, his hand gently stroking River’s shoulder.
“I’m going sailing with Gene in a few hours,” Keomi answered and Geneviève blocked her ears in disapproval.
“I can’t hear you, I'm taking a nap!” Gene yelped in response.
“I’m teaching chess to a few of the others,” Merilla told him.
“Since when do you know how to play chess?” Jace wondered.
“Jace, darling you’re always so caught up in your own little world.” Merilla laughed with a deep sigh. “I’ve always known.”
“You just never noticed.” River looked up and told him, he never quite noticed it but whenever he spoke to Jace his voice was always a little softer, a little gentler.
“And here I was thinking I noticed everything.” Jace sighed leaning against the wall seeming rather wistful.
