A Lover's Awakening

Katie couldn't stop laughing. Looking up through tear-filled eyes, she could see the young blonde haired man sat next to her sobbing with laughter as well, one hand still holding onto the reins of the cart while he waved the other in an attempt to calm them both down. Between howls, he managed to stutter out "But the best part, the best part is that, to this day, no one ever found out it was us!"

The two collapsed back into fits of belly-aching laughter. Desperately trying to catch her breath, Katie managed to ask "Wait, wait, wait, if they never found out it was us, who got the blame?" Barely giving her time to finish, Adam responded with a resounding bellow.

"The dog! She still thinks it was the dog!" Katie couldn't help but whoop with laughter.

"What? How?"

"I have no idea!"

The two continued laughing, barely keeping themselves in the cart as they rocked about wildly, holding their sides and cackling with glee. Finally coming back to their senses, Katie wiped her eyes, still bent over slightly.

"Gods above, that's incredible. I was sure your mum would've told her it was us."

Adam shook his head, still chuckling. "No, no, she never knew either. Mrs Durridge had no idea we were even there! Honestly, the look on her face when she told me the story, I could barely stop myself smiling. She was still so angry, even after, what, ten years?"

Katie chuckled softly, finally regaining her composure. "Man, we were shitty kids." She grinned over at her best friend, who shot her a wink.

"What do you mean kids? We're still pretty bad now!" With a broad grin, Adam gave Katie a friendly punch to the arm, before turning his attention back to the road. "Terrible Two forever."

Katie grinned back, and let out a sigh, as she reclined lazily against the backrest of the wagon's box. She looked up at the blue sky above them and watched as the few soft clouds drifted slowly away towards the horizon. The warm, early summer sun beat down on them, and as she relaxed, she closed her eyes and focussed on soaking up the sun's rays.

They'd been travelling along the long dirt road from Hollydour to Windcliffe for almost three days now, and so far it had been a dream. Ever since the two had set themselves up as swords for hire, Katie had always been a bit nervous about getting into a fight they couldn't win, but so far, every job they'd taken had been a walk in the park. After all, in a country as old as Tremailia, there were surprisingly few monsters left to slay, even out here on the frontier.

While the two had seen their fair share of fights over the last few months, they'd always managed to come away reasonably unscathed, nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises. But, that said, it was nice to work a job as quiet as this. Even if she did feel like a glorified postwoman.

Peering over her shoulder, she checked the cargo in the back of the wagon. Several bags of grain sat along the wall, leaning against each other for support, while a small collection of barrels and boxes stopped them spilling out of the back and onto the road as they travelled. The only thing that looked even remotely interesting was the oaken chest pushed up against the box she and Adam were sat in, but she knew there was nothing inside it but some fine silks and a few bottles of wine.

"Everything still there?" Adam's voice was deep and smooth.

"Yep, even after aaall of those bandit attacks." Adam rolled his eyes at her.

"Very funny."

"Thank you." Settling back into her seat, Katie propped her feet up on the side of the box and stared out lazily at the countryside passing on either side of them.

She'd known Adam for as long as she could remember. The two of them had grown up together in a tiny village deep in the countryside, and from the moment they'd met they'd been inseparable. They went everywhere together, and as they'd gotten older, the friendship between them had only gotten stronger. Neither of them could quite remember who'd nicknamed them the Terrible Two, but Katie was still pretty sure it'd been Adam's mother.

The name turned out to be pretty accurate. With their parents working out in the fields all day, the pair had found plenty of opportunities to make a nuisance of themselves. When they weren't running around the village terrorising the townsfolk, they were sneaking into barns and terrorising the livestock instead. Katie couldn't count the number of times they'd been caught somewhere they shouldn't have been, and gotten dragged home to furious parents. Her buttocks stung just thinking about it.

From an early age, Katie knew she would never be happy with a normal job. She couldn't think of anything worse than being a farmer like her parents, and the idea of becoming an apprentice had sounded worse than death. It was Adam who'd suggested the two run away and become adventurers. She'd thought he was joking at first, but as he started describing all the adventures the two of them would go, she started to really get into it.

So they started to make their plans, and at the age antalya escort of eighteen, the two packed their bags, snuck out in the middle of the night, and never looked back.

Trundling along the road, her best friend next to her and the clear blue skies above, Katie didn't regret it for a moment. She'd felt a bit bad at first, but as time went on she'd fallen far too in love with the nomadic life to ever think of going home. Nothing made her as happy as the open road ahead of her.

Well, except Adam, but that was different.

No-one had ever understood her like Adam. He'd been with her through thick and thin, and even if he was a complete and total idiot, she knew that if she ever needed him, he'd come running. Just thinking about it brought a smile to her face.

Not to mention the way he made her laugh like nothing else. Looking over at him, Katie watched as he stared ahead, driving the horses onward at a slow canter. He was such a dork, but she loved him anyway.

Katie's brows furrowed. That was a weird thought. Obviously, she'd meant it platonically, the idea that she would ever be in love with Adam was absurd, but it made her feel strange all the same. She realised she didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

Shaking the thought from her head, her eyes went back to the road, but not before Adam caught her looking at him.

"You got something to say?" His voice startled Katie, knocking her back into reality.

"What? Oh, no, sorry, just zoned out there for a minute."

Adam chuckled; a deep, comforting noise. "Whatever. Keep your secrets."

Katie chuckled too, and turned away before Adam could see her blushing. It was just embarrassment, she told herself. That was all.

----------

A few hours later, as the sun started to set and the cool evening air set in, the pair decided to stop and make camp for the night. Slowing the horses, Adam pulled off the road at the side of a small copse of trees, bringing the wagon to a stop and hopping off to stretch his legs.

Katie jumped down with him, reaching up into the air with both arms as she yawned.

"Man, I'm exhausted." Her best friend chuckled, unhitching the horses from their harnesses.

"What do you mean you're exhausted? You haven't done anything all day! I was the one driving."

"Oh yeah, because that's sooooo strenuous, isn't it?" Katie gave him a playful nudge as she walked past him, and made her way to the back of the wagon. Pulling down two bedrolls, she circled back round to the front of the cart, looking around in the grass for a good place to set them down.

Over her shoulder, she watched Adam lead the horses over to the treeline, tethering them to a sturdy trunk to make sure they didn't disappear in the night. Smiling she lay out the bedrolls, on either side of a scruffy patch of dirt that looked about the right size for a fire. Standing back up, she turned towards her friend, on his way back to her.

"Who's turn is it to fetch firewood?"

Adam chuckled. "Yours. I'll finish setting everything up here."

Katie groaned. She hated collecting firewood. "Come on, can't you do it again, just this once? I've already done most of the setting-up, what's even left for you to do?"

Flicking her across the back of the head, Adam made his way to the cart. "Oh, I don't know, prepare food?"

"Like that's gonna take long."

"The faster you go, the faster you'll be back and we can eat." She had to admit, he was right there. Not ready to give up, Katie tried a new tactic.

"Can't you come help me? It'll go faster if we work together."

"Like you helped me yesterday?" Adam quickly retorted "You'll be fine, it's not going to take hours."

Katie groaned in mock outrage. "Fine, asshole. See you in a minute." Turning on her heel, she made her way towards the tree-line.

"Have fun!"

Over her shoulder, Katie stuck out her tongue at Adam, who just laughed and went back to unpacking.

Stepping past the first few trunks, Katie couldn't help but smile to herself as she made her way into the forest. She really couldn't fault Adam for sticking to his guns; she did have a habit of making him do all the work. Weaving between the trees, she searched the floor for suitable branches to make a fire with. Snapping a few of the larger ones in half, she bundled them under her arm and made her way deeper into the woods.

With the good weather they were having, a lot of the fallen branches were dry through, which made it pretty easy for Katie to find goods ones for burning. It didn't take long for her to gather together a reasonable collection, and as she hefted them up under her arm, she turned back towards the campsite on the edge of the road.

As she made her way back though, she heard the trickling of water. Turning to her left, she could just about make out the shape of a stream through the trees, weaving its way through the forest. Suddenly, a wicked thought crossed her mind. If Adam didn't want to come help her, fine, but she was akseki escort going to make him pay for it.

After all, without his help, it would take her hours to collect enough firewood. Why, she could be out here all night. She imagined him, sat back at the camp, twiddling his thumbs waiting for her, and nearly burst out laughing. A mischievous grin spreading across her face, the young woman turned around and started making her way through the trees to the stream.

As she got closer, she realised it was quite a bit larger than she'd first thought, more a river than a stream, and as she emerged onto the banks, she saw that as the water cascaded down over some rocks, it collected into a small pool before running off downhill. Her plan had been to follow it down further into the forest, but as she looked at it now, she had a better idea.

Slipping off her tall riding boots, Katie tentatively dipped her toes into the pool. The water was still a little cold, but warmer than she'd expected, and as she checked over her shoulder to make sure no-one was round, she hiked up her leather trousers and took a step in deeper. Standing in the shallows, she paused for a moment, enjoying the feeling of the water gently lapping against her ankles, her eyes closed and face pointed up towards the setting sun. It was still reasonably light, and as she opened her eyes to look around at the trees surrounding her, she wondered how far away the camp was.

Standing in the water, she thought back to how long it had been since she'd last had a bath. The supple leather armour she wore over her tunic was comfortable enough, but after three days wearing it non-stop, the idea of slipping under the water and relaxing sounded incredibly appealing.

Checking back over her shoulder in the direction she'd come, Katie made sure she was out of sight from the camp, before making up her mind. After all, if she was killing time, she might as well make the most of it, and if Adam commented on her wet hair she'd just tell him she tripped and fell into a stream. Which, to be fair, wasn't far from the truth.

Reaching around to her sides and undoing the buckles and straps of her armour, Katie shuffled off the leather plates and dropped them in a pile on the riverbank. Despite their lightweight material, she immediately felt lighter without them on, and shrugged her shoulders in relief. Next came her tunic, then her trousers, and finally the cotton underwear she had on underneath. She felt a bit colder now without her clothes, and as she stood naked in the air Katie could feel her nipples hardening.

Stepping back into the water, the young warrior let herself sink down under the surface, sliding gracefully down until everything but her head was submerged. Laying back, she let out a long contented sigh as she relaxed, letting the gentle ebb and flow of the water carry away her stresses. The water in the stream moved lazily, the ripples on the surface barely visible as the wind blew faintly through the trees, and as she looked around her, Katie thought that, altogether, the place looked pretty peaceful.

Sinking back down, she waved her arms back and forth, enjoying the way her limbs moved through the slow water. Reaching up, she cupped some and poured it down across her midsection, enjoying the smooth feeling as it rolled off her stomach and back into the stream. This was the life.

Closing her eyes and laying back, Katie let her mind wander over the last few days of travel. Gods she was bored. If she hadn't had Adam with her, she would have gone completely mad by now, all alone on the open road with no-one but the horses to talk to. She smiled softly as she thought about Adam, the broad-chested farm boy who'd been by her side for so many years now.

She thought about the way he smiled at her when she cracked a joke, and the way he chuckled with laughter whenever she told him something stupid. She hoped they never lost touch with each other. Not that she thought they ever would. She couldn't imagine life without him.

As she lay in the water, Katie started to feel the same weird emotion she'd felt earlier that day. What was wrong with her lately? Every time she thought about Adam, her chest started to flutter. She wasn't really... developing feelings for him, was she? No, she couldn't be!

Shaking her head again, Katie tried to clear her thoughts, but try as she might she couldn't. After all, they'd been together so long, and they had so much in common, they'd be perfect for each other. But at the same time, it felt almost wrong to imagine them together. After all, she'd known him since they were kids. Why was she starting to feel this way now?

Katie felt conflicted. This was so stupid. Adam and she were best friends, nothing more! Besides, even if she was developing feelings for him, there was absolutely no way they were mutual. Was there?

Suddenly, a loud gasp jolted Katie back to the real. As her eyes shot open, she looked over to the bank of the river, where a figure was standing, eyes wide. Looking aksu escort down at her, Adam looked like a deer caught in a trap. For a split second, Katie didn't know what to do, before suddenly yelling out as well. Reaching across with her arm, she tried to cover up her naked breasts while Adam, coming back to his senses as well, turned away as quickly as he could, shielding his eyes with his hand.

"Oh my god, Katie I'm so sorry, I had no idea you were...!"

"Adam, what are you doing here? I was just..."

The two babbled over each other, each trying desperately to explain themselves. Katie kept trying to cover herself up, feeling her cheeks burning bright red with embarrassment. As she rolled herself over, sitting with her knees up to her chest, she prayed that the water would shield the worst of her nudity. As the two calmed down a bit, and stopped yelling over each other, Adam took a deep breath and mumbled out: "I, uh... I'll let you get dressed. I'll, um, I'll be back at the camp!"

Sprinting off back into the trees, Kaite watched as the young man made a beeline for the campsite. She sat in the water, still curled up and red-faced until she'd calmed down enough to move. She was absolutely mortified. How could she have been so stupid? Of course he'd come looking for her, he wasn't stupid, he knew she shouldn't have been gone for that long! What on earth possessed her to strip off and get in the water?

Cheeks still burning with shame, she looked around the forest just to make sure Adam was definitely gone, before standing up and hurriedly putting on her armour again. Picking up her bundle of sticks, she took a deep breath and made her way back through the trees to the camp.

As she emerged from the treeline, she saw Adam, sat on the floor staring pointedly forwards. As he saw her coming, he turned back to her, and gave her a sort of half-wave.

"Hey. Sorry for..."

Katie cut him off. "It's alright, it's my fault. I should've told you I was taking a bath."

Walking forward, she dropped the pile of sticks onto the ground, and knelt down next to them, still not making eye contact with her friend. Fishing out her tinderbox from her pocket, she started setting the fire. Adam hung back, still too awkward to say anything. Eventually, he broke the silence.

"You'd been gone for a while was all, so I went looking for you, just to make sure everything was alright." He gave Katie a half smile, before looking away again. She smiled back, feeling her pink cheeks growing even pinker.

"It's fine, really. It's my fault." Watching the sparks beginning to catch, Katie shuffled back from the fire, which slowly flickered to life, illuminating the two friends slightly better than the setting sun. Sitting next to each other, the two stayed silent, looking pointedly in different directions. Above them, the darkening sky shone a deep orange, the colours of the sunset lighting up the heavens in a beautiful display. Breaking the silence for a moment, Katie spoke.

"I mean, it's not like you haven't seen it all before anyway. We used to go swimming together all the time when we were kids." Giving out a halfhearted chuckle, Adam nodded.

"True, true, but... I think we've both changed a bit since then." Katie felt her breath catch in her throat, and swallowed heavily. Gods this was the worst. What had she been thinking? She chuckled as well, trying in vain to lift the tension.

"Fair point." The two returned to silence.

"I mean, you looked very nice." Katie heard Adam's crack as he spoke. She felt a sudden flare of emotion inside her, a mix of surprise, happiness, and embarrassment. She didn't really know how to respond.

"Uh, thanks."

The two sat quietly together for a few more minutes before Adam spoke again.

"I, uh, I might try and get some rest. We've still got a long way to go tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah me too." Katie quickly joined in. "Do you want to take that side of the fire, or..." She didn't really know what she was saying, just trying to fill the air.

"This sides fine." Shuffling off his own armour, Adam crawled into bed, pulling his fur blanket over himself as he lay down on his bedroll. Katie did the same, making sure to keep her tunic tight around herself to avoid any more slips of modesty. Crawling under her furs, she pulled them up to her neck, and whispered out across the camp

"Night Adam."

"Night Katie." His reply was hoarse. Katie shut her eyes tight, doing her best to get to sleep without thinking about what had just happened. Unfortunately, her mind was still on fire, a cocktail of emotions mixing inside her. Did Adam really think she looked good? Was he just saying that to make her feel better? She tossed and turned, trying to relax, but to no avail.

Hours passed, and Katie still couldn't get to sleep. As the last few embers of the fire died away, and she was left with nothing but moonlight, she looked across the camp at her sleeping friend. His body was covered up by the furs, but she knew that underneath he was lithe and muscular. For the first time, she started to think about him as a man, instead of the boy she'd known. His rugged face was undoubtedly handsome, his thick jaw dusted with light stubble, with deep blue eyes that twinkled as he laughed. Katie thought she might be able to get lost in those eyes.