It was finally Friday. Today I am going on a trip. I didn't want to leave but when I heard the trip was going to Mystic Hollow, I couldn't hold it back. I need to go there and find when Stiles was hiding.
I met Clara, Max and Cam at the bus stop. My sister and Ella will meet us later. We have to go to the next station and wait for other people. There are a total of fifty people on this trip.
“I can't wait to meet Josh.” Clara said, texting someone, probably Josh.
“Ava said that she will meet me at the next station.” Max said, looking at me.
I was looking at the other side of the window. All I could see was vehicles and trees. Finally after an hour we reached Thunderin. It was almost twelve and I saw Mia and Ella coming. Some other people were coming too.
The supervisor told us to wait at Thunderin station at twelve in the morning. We are going to Silverbrook city next by a bus. They said that it's a private bus. Then I saw a bus coming. The driver said, “Everyone sit. We are a bit late. The first bus left a few minutes earlier.”
“I think Ava is on another bus.” Max said, texting Ava.
“I think Josh is on that bus too.” Clara said, stepping in the bus.
We took our seats on the bus. It's a big bus for twenty-five people. I guess there are twenty-five on the other bus. Suddenly, a man gets up and says that he has planned this trip. There's still five hours for us to reach Silverbrook city.
Right now, he's giving a folded paper. He said that there are twenty-five rooms in the hotel. So two people are going to sleep in one room. The papers we got had a colour.
Same papers are distributed in another bus. There are a total of twenty-five colours and everyone got a colour. The people who are the same colour are going to share the room. It will help us to make new friendships.
“Mine is Blue.” Max said loudly, showing it to me.
“Mine is pink.” Clara said. “Mine is Brown.” Cam said.
“What's your colour? Mine is Green.” Mia asked me.
“Mine. It's Red.” I said to her, pointing out.
“Wait. Josh got pink too. It means we are sharing a room.” Clara said.
“Ava got Blue too. What a coincidence!” Max said.
“You got to stay with your lover but I got purple. I wonder who my partner is?” Ella said.
The time was passing. We were all playing some games on the phone. We were discussing what we were going to do there. I didn't realise when I was sleepy. Then I slept for a few hours.
Then I woke up. It was almost five and we were in SilverBrook city. We were moving towards the hotel. I was feeling fresh now. Then I saw the hotel. It was The Horizon. We were coming out of the bus.
We all moved towards the reception. Mr. Jones gave us the keys and said that your partner is already in the room. He told us that we could hang out in the city. I grabbed the key. My room number was 304 on the third floor. I walked towards my door and inserted the key and opened the door.
“What are you doing here? Are you stalking me?” Oliver exclaimed.
“Wait. Why are you here?” I asked him.
“Because this is my room.” he answered, showing me the key.
“Wait. You are my room partner.” I exclaimed.
“What a nightmare it is!” He explained.
“Are you saying I am a nightmare? You jerk.” I snapped.
“Who are you calling a jerk?” he asked loudly.
“Is there anyone here other than you?” I snapped back.
“When are you going to leave?” He asked.
“Why don't you leave first?” I asked him.
“Because I am staying in this room.” He said, raising an eyebrow.
“Then I am staying too. It's my room too.” I said.
[Clara] : Are you coming? We are going shopping.
[Max] : We will have dinner outside.
[Me] : I am in.
“Never mind. I am leaving for now. But I will come back.” I said.
I met others at the entrance of the Horizon. We went out to the nearest mall. We purchased some jackets and shoes. We hung out in the streets and enjoyed our evening. It was already seven. Then I returned back to my room.
“I am taking a shower.” I said to him, taking a towel.
“Be quick. I will be next.” He replied.
I went in and tapped on the shower. The hot water coming from the shower made my whole body wet. I quickly wrapped myself in the towel and walked outside. My hair was still wet. Oliver was sitting on the bed. He was watching something. It's my chance. I am not gonna waste my chance. He challenged me. I am going to prove to him that I am good at flirting and make him attracted to me.
Oliver sat there, legs stretched out, completely immersed in his damn case notes.
I smirked. Let’s see how focused he is now.
Without hesitation, I moved between his legs, settling onto his lap like I belonged there. His body tensed instantly. I could feel it—the sharp inhale, the stiffness in his shoulders.
His eyes snapped up to mine, wide for just a second before narrowing into suspicion. "What the hell are you doing?"
I tilted my head, water droplets slipping from my hair onto his skin. Slowly, I leaned in, watching the way his jaw clenched.
"Did you fall for my trick?" I murmured, my lips dangerously close to his ear.
His breath hitched. Just a little. Just enough.
His fingers twitched against the sheets, like he was debating whether to push me off or—
I chuckled. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"
Oliver scoffed, his voice rougher than usual. "Tch." His hands moved—fast.
Before I could react, he kicked my leg out from under me.
"Shit—!"
I lost balance, the towel slipping slightly as I fell forward—
Right into him.
I barely had time to curse before I landed right on top of him, my chest pressing against his.
Oliver let out a sharp breath, his back hitting the mattress beneath me. His hands gripped my waist, probably out of instinct, holding me in place.
For a second, neither of us moved.
Water dripped from my hair onto his face, trailing down his cheek like a slow caress. His fingers twitched against my skin, his grip tightening for just a moment before he caught himself.
His lips parted slightly, his breath warm against mine.
I swallowed.
The towel around my waist had shifted slightly, and I could feel every inch of heat radiating from him, the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath me.
Oliver’s brows furrowed, his jaw clenched like he was trying to will himself not to react.
I smirked, tilting my head. “What’s wrong?” My voice came out softer than I expected.
He exhaled through his nose, eyes dark with something unreadable. "Get off, Liam."
But he still hadn’t let go.
I traced a finger down his arm, feeling the way his muscles tensed beneath my touch. “Are you sure?”
His breath hitched. Just a little. But I caught it.
Then, with a frustrated groan, he shoved at my shoulder—not too hard, just enough to roll me off him.
I landed beside him, still grinning as I propped myself up on one elbow. “You’re fun to mess with.”
Oliver turned his head to glare at me, but there was something else in his gaze now. Something hesitant. Something lingering.
Neither of us spoke for a moment.
Then he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Next time, put some damn clothes on first."
I laughed, letting my head fall back against the bed.
Maybe next time.
“So. There's gonna be next time. So you fall for my trick.” I said, with a smile.
“I didn't say that. Stop thinking that.” he said.
“But you just said that indirectly.” I said. “Let me go and shower.” He said, moving towards the shower.
By the time he came back from the shower, I was trying to figure out where the tree Stiles took the photo with. I know it's in the Mystic Hollow. But where exactly? The forest is too deep. Will I be able to find it?
[Clara] : Are you coming for dinner? It's already eight.
[Me] : Of course. Wait a minute.
We walked on the streets and went to a restaurant. It was a big famous restaurant. I saw the name “The Golden Ember.” We walked in and took a seat on the tables near the window.
“I always wanted to come here.” Ella said, taking a photo.
“Finally, my dream came true.” Ava said, posting her picture.
We ordered our dinner and ate it quickly. By the time we finished dinner, it was already nine. It was getting late. We paid for the dinner and returned back to our rooms. Then I was working and dealing with Oliver. As always we had an argument again.
I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Oliver, for once in your life, just listen to me!"
He scoffed, crossing his arms. "Oh, here we go again. Liam the Control Freak, always thinking he knows best."
I gritted my teeth. "Because I do! If you actually thought things through instead of messing around, we wouldn’t have this problem!"
Oliver let out a sharp laugh. "Oh, please. You're just mad that you can’t control me like you do everything else."
That hit a nerve. "Control you? You act like a damn child, Oliver! Someone has to be responsible because you sure as hell aren’t!"
His eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer, his jaw tight. "You don’t get to talk to me like that."
"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?" I shot back.
And then, just as he turned to grab something, his arm hit the water bottle on the table. The cap wasn’t on properly. A second later, water spilled across the entire bed.
Silence.
I stared at the spreading wet patch. My hands curled into fists. "You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me."
Oliver blinked at the mess, then looked at me. "Well, shit."
"Shit? That’s all you have to say?" My voice rose, and I could feel my frustration boiling over. "You’re impossible! You never take anything seriously, and now we have to deal with this!"
"Oh, come on, Liam, it's just water!"
"ON THE BED, OLIVER! Where the hell are we supposed to sleep now?”
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my temper in check. "Oliver, for once in your damn life, be careful!"
He rolled his eyes. "Oh, relax. It’s not like I did it on purpose."
I pointed at the soaked bed. "Yeah? And now one of the beds is completely unusable! Where the hell are you gonna sleep now?"
He glanced at the mess, then shrugged. "I’ll just take yours."
I stared at him. "The hell you will."
Oliver smirked, crossing his arms. "What, are you scared to share? Afraid I’ll kick you in my sleep?"
"You are not getting in my bed," I snapped. "You made this mess, you figured it out."
He scoffed. "What do you want me to do? Sleep on the floor?"
"YES!"
His smirk dropped. "Oh, come on, Liam. It’s just water!"
"That is not the point!" I ran a frustrated hand through my hair. "You never take responsibility for anything! You make a mess and expect everyone else to deal with it!"
Oliver groaned. "Jesus, you’re acting like I burned the place down."
I clenched my jaw. "You’re impossible."
He threw his hands in the air. "Fine! I’ll sleep on the damn floor if it means you’ll stop nagging!"
"Good!"
"Good!"
We stood there, both fuming.
Then Oliver grabbed his pillow and threw it onto the floor with a dramatic sigh. "Happy now, Your Highness?"
I didn’t answer. I just climbed into my bed and turned away from him.
A few seconds later, I heard him mutter, "Bet your bed isn’t even that comfortable anyway."
I threw my own pillow at him. "Shut up, Oliver.”
I was just starting to relax when I heard a sudden yelp from the floor.
"Liam!" Oliver's voice was panicked.
I sighed. "What now?"
He scrambled up, pointing at the floor like he’d seen a ghost. "There’s a freaking cockroach!"
I blinked. "…So?"
"So?!" His eyes were wide. "That thing has wings, Liam! WINGS!"
I smirked. "Oh, so this is what finally scares you?"
"Shut up!" He quickly grabbed his pillow and climbed onto my bed, scooting toward the edge.
I frowned. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I'm not sleeping on the floor with that thing crawling around!" He gestured wildly at the roach, which had already disappeared.
I pushed against his shoulder. "Get off my bed."
"Nope." He grabbed the blanket and pulled it over himself. "Scoot over, I’m taking the right side."
I groaned, shoving him again. "Like hell you are. This is my bed, Oliver."
"Yeah? And your floor has a monster on it."
I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Fine. We’ll settle this the fair way."
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Fair?"
I held up my hand. "Rock, paper, scissors."
He snorted. "That’s so childish."
"Exactly. So just lose quickly and get off my bed."
He smirked. "Nah. Let’s play cards instead."
I frowned. "I don’t know how to play."
Oliver grinned. "Then I’ll teach you."
He pulled out a deck and started explaining the rules. It was simple enough, and we played a round.
I won.
Oliver blinked at the cards, then narrowed his eyes. "You’re cheating."
I raised an eyebrow. "How the hell do you cheat at cards?"
"I don’t know, but you are!"
"Maybe you just suck."
He huffed. "Let’s go again."
We played another round. I won.
Another. I won.
Another. I won again.
Oliver groaned, throwing his cards down. "You’ve gotta be kidding me!"
I smirked. "Guess I’m just better."
"You have never played before, Liam!" He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "This is rigged!"
I laughed. "Maybe you should’ve picked rock, paper, scissors."
He glared at me. "One more time."
We played. I won. Again.
Oliver let out a dramatic groan and flopped onto the bed. "I hate you."
"Mm-hmm," I said, stretching out. "Now move over, you're taking too much space."
"Shut up," he muttered, but he shifted a little.
A few moments passed in silence, then Oliver sighed. "Bet your bed’s not even that comfortable."
I rolled my eyes. "Go to sleep, Oliver."
He huffed but didn’t argue. A few minutes later, his breathing evened out, and I finally let myself relax.
I was definitely using that cockroach trick against him in the future.
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