The Bachelor

Chapter 8

Zach had wanted to tell Julianne that he was completely fine, but the attention she was giving him kept him from doing it. She looked at the gash on his palm and took care of it. She helped him bandage his allegedly twisted ankle. She even touched his face with her fingers to apply an antiseptic cream. That was why he wouldn’t dare tell her he was fine and that he could perfectly mend his own wounds.

Yes, yes, call him whatever, but he didn’t care. No one was around to scold him of his little lie. For all he knew and feared, tonight might just be the last time that he could have with her.

“How’s your shoulder?” she asked, eyeing him through her glasses.

“Its fine,” he said with a smile, “just a little sore, I guess.”

Julianne just nodded and started building a fire.

“Let me do that,” he said, reaching out.

“You’re injured,” she said.

“I’m fine. I think I can handle building a fire,” he squatted beside her and prepared the twigs.

 *****

Julianne got a weird feeling as she looked at his hunched back, his eyes focused on building a fire. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she looked at his injured ankle.

“Yes, I’m okay,” he said over his shoulder and she saw something in his eyes.

Being a writer, you would develop the ability of reading people such as detecting lies. And seeing Zach’s eyes, she knew he was lying about something. “You’re lying, aren’t you?”

“Okay, I’m sorry!” he said, hastily turning around to face her.

Julianne was stunned. She didn’t expect him to blurt out the truth that early. And then anger rose up. “You’re such a jerk!” she threw the first thing her hand was able to grab and it was a small twig.

“I’m sorry, Jules, I didn’t mean to drag it for so long.” He stood up and walked towards her. Julianne stared at his foot.

“You’re such a bastard, you know that? You made me worry over nothing?”

“You were worried?”

“Of course I was!” she screamed. “Don’t expect me to believe anything you say the next time, Zachary.”

She stood up and took her bag with her and started walking.

“Where are you going? Jules, come on. I was going to tell you but I was afraid you’d do exactly what you are doing now.”

“Oh, yeah? You should have been a better liar then! You think you can play with me?” she said exasperatedly.

He followed her deeper into the woods. “Jules, come on, you’re angry, I get it. And I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise. Let’s just go back and talk about this,” he said beside her.

“Don’t touch me!” she cried out when he touched her arm. “You know what I hate the most? Liars! And you’re the biggest one of them!”

She continued walking, stumbling on her feet with all the fallen twigs and uneven ground.

“I’m sorry, let’s just go back…” he said more gently. Then he turned around and said, “Where are we?”

“I don’t know and I don’t freaking care. Leave me alone.”

“Jules, I don’t think I know where we are,” he said, his tone serious. He was already circling on his feet, looking around the premises in confusion.