Broken

I had no idea why I wanted him to let me in, but I was willing to believe that I had met him for a reason.

Obviously, this could’ve been the fact that he saved me, coupled with the dream that made me think this way, but knowing that didn’t dampen my resolve.

I wanted to get to know Johnathan and I wanted to figure out why he was up here, all alone.

While he was intensely guarded, I had no doubt in his sanity.

I didn’t think he was dangerous, because there was nothing that he had done that even hinted he wasn’t in control of himself. So, that ruled out that he was hiding from the law, but what else would make a man take up such a solitary life?

It wasn’t the fact that it was off the grid and in the mountains that made me so curious. There were plenty of people who enjoyed their privacy and would love to have such a place to get away.

What intrigued me, was that this wasn’t a getaway for Johnathan. This was a permanent residence and he didn’t share it with another living soul.

It must be such a lonely existence and to want that, something awful must have happened to him.

I wanted to know what that was, because for some reason, I believed that whatever happened, I could help him.

However, when I opened my eyes, my thoughts seemed silly, and overthought, as a far more jovial Johnathan greeted me.

“Good morning!” Johnathan exclaimed, placing a plate of eggs and bacon on the table next to her.

“Oh…Thank you!” I exclaimed, feeling my stomach rumble at the sight of the food.

“You’re welcome. You’re going to need your strength today, because I want you to try to walk around.”

I grinned, taking the plate onto my lap, “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

Instead of getting defensive, as I feared he might, he grinned, knowing that I was teasing him.

“Well, as much as I would like to sleep in my own bed at some point soon, no. I’m giving you a little tough love because I don’t want your muscles to get complacent. Trust me, you don’t want that either. If you’re ever going to make it down that mountain, you are going to have to start somewhere. Besides, I’m sure you don’t want to stay here a second more than you have to.”

“Actually, it’s not too bad,” I mused, hoping I didn’t sound as desperate as I felt I came across. I was only trying to be friendly, but it came out sounding kind of seductive, which wasn’t my intent. Immediately, I felt my cheeks redden with embarrassment. “I mean, I told you, I find it relaxing…The cabin and all that.”

Johnathan nodded, “Yeah, I get that. I feel the same way myself. I love it up here…Usually, there’s hardly anyone else around. It’s great.” Staring at me for a long moment, I was sure he was going to ask me a question, but it took him a while, I supposed, to figure out how he wanted to ask the question. “So, what is it that makes you want to be relaxed in a cabin, with no way to contact the outside world?”

“I could ask you the same thing? I’m not exactly here by choice.”

“So, you’re making the best out of a bad situation?” He asked, though not with any hint of being insulted. He genuinely seemed interested in my thought process.

“I guess. I mean, considering what happened…But I came up to the mountains in the first place to get away. I thought hiking would be the answer, but this is much better.” I grinned.

“Well, I can’t really take that as a compliment. I mean, the cabin is the better of two genuinely shitty options.”

I chuckled, “The mountain wasn’t supposed to be a shitty option. However, I still think this is nicer.”

“Wow. Maybe you hit your head a little harder than I thought,” he joked.

“No, seriously, Johnathan. I’ve always been a simple girl. I don’t need a lot and lately, there has been a lot to deal with.”

“What do you mean? What do you do, when you’re not…attempting to return to nature?”

“I am in college. I’m studying to be a paralegal,” I answered. “I go to NC state.”

“Damn,” Johnathan answered, “I guess you’re right. You do have an excuse to want to get away.”

“It’s not that I want to get away from anything. I can’t wait to get on with my life. I love helping people and I can’t wait to start doing what I’m going to school for…Schools not that bad. It’s just…a lot.” I simpered, “I needed a break from it all, just to recharge my batteries. While I really didn’t have anyone, who wanted to go with me, I wasn’t exactly begging anyone to come with me either. I was happy to go alone, because I thought it would help me relax.”

“What kind of high maintenance friends do you have?” He teased.