Chapter 6
Ana woke up sore the next day. Her eyes opened and when she went to stretch, the tenderness was more pronounced. She winced and sat up. The night before crashed over her and she couldn’t help but smile. It was everything she had wanted it to be and more. Her needs were not satiated though. Being with Mike had only whet her appetite and she was already planning how to make it happen again.
With her mind resolved and her throat dry, she went out of her tent to get some water. Everyone was already up and Ana felt like she had a hangover.
“Good morning dear. Do you want some breakfast?”
“Yes please. I am starving.”
She snuck a glance in the direction of Mike’s tent, but did not see him about.
When she looked again, she realized that all of the men were gone.
“Where is everyone at?”
“Oh, I guess the men were going to go on a hunt or something. There is a place to bow hunt not far from here.”
“Oh.” Ana was deflated. She was hoping that she would get to see Mike again and maybe somehow, find a way to get more of what she wanted.
“So what are we supposed to do, wait and knit?”
Her mother shook her head. “You were always so hardheaded Ana. You girls can do whatever you want to. We are just going to relax is all. This is a vacation. It is what you are supposed to do.”
Ana nodded, though she was not too thrilled with the arrangement. It always seemed that the women were always segregated when the group got bigger. She ate breakfast and talked to Marie a bit. She was dying to tell her what had happened, but she was afraid to. Ana kind of wanted to keep it just between the two of them. Have it be their little secret. She always figured that the fewer people that knew, the better in the long run.
“So what do you want to do Ana?”
Ana shrugged. She wanted to soak in a hot bath until her insides didn’t feel so raw, but that didn’t seem to be an option. The next best thing was to take a swim and let the cool water soothe her.
“Let’s go swimming and get some sun.”
Marie looked down at her white tone and laughed. She burnt more than tanned, so maybe that part of it was off the table.
“Okay let’s just go swimming for a while then.”
The two girls changed into their swimsuits and met their mother and new sister-in-law at the lake. It was a beautiful day and Ana switched from the water to the hot towel several times. Her mind kept going to the night before and what she had previously done with Mike. Her eyes searched for him, but it was almost evening before they got back. There was a weird tense vibe that came back with the men and her father just went into the tent. He didn’t even look at her and her brother was acting strange too.
Her guilt kicked in, along with a small dose of paranoia. There was no way that they knew, she kept telling herself. She was afraid to make eye contact with Mike, afraid of what she would see.
The dinner that night was quiet and very few people talked. Everyone went to bed early and Ana did not even get to talk to Mike that whole day. She ached to talk to him, touch him like she had before. Another night she was meant to stay up and she half-expected him to come to her through the night. She waited and waited, but he never came. Ana finally went to sleep frustrated and confused. She didn’t understand why he didn’t want her again. Ana couldn’t understand why he didn’t want it again as much as she did.
Mike was still trying to replay what had happened that day. What had started out as a hike with the guys had quickly turned into a bunch of questions that he did not have answers for. Jerry had heard the moaning from the night before and before Mike knew what he was doing, he was confessing his sins to Jerry. There had been a scuffle between the friends that had ended when the other two had jumped in to break them up. Both would have a few bruises the next day, but Jerry was still upset. He felt betrayed and Mike didn’t blame him. Glenn was pissed that he didn’t offer to let him join, but Mike mainly ignored him. He sat up in the tent and opened his tent flap. He had made a promise to Jerry that he would no longer pursue her, but that left him a loophole if she decided to go to him. Mike hoped that she would come to his tent, but as the hours passed by, he finally fell asleep and was not visited. He got a few hours of sleep and woke up grumpy.
Mike went down to the lake and rinsed off in the water before going back to camp. He started some water to boil on the fire and made coffee. The tents had to be packed for the last group hike and he started to de-assemble his while he waited for everyone to wake up. Ana was the first one out of her tent and she went to him. She stopped several inches from him.
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere Ana. I am just getting the tent up because we have another hike today. We were supposed to go yesterday, but other things came up.” Mike looked away.
“Why was everyone acting so weird when you came back?” Ana knew why, but she had to hear her worst fears said out loud. “Does dad know?”
Mike shook his head and motioned with his head towards the staggering father in question. He caught the dirty look he was given and he went back to the poles in his hand, ignoring Ana.