It was finally the day Chelsy left for the Halo mountains. It was seven in the morning and Chelsy was fast asleep. Suddenly, she was ripped from her blissful dream world by the incessant blaring of her alarm.
Dazed, she sat up and stretched with a little smile at the corner of her mouth. She was really feeling excited about her trip.
She took a quick shower, and stumbled into the kitchen for a quick breakfast. She made herself a light breakfast consisting of cinnamon toast with mint tea so as not to upset her stomach during her camping trip. Chelsy was more of a tea person than a coffee person.
As she was eating, her phone started ringing. The caller ID indicated that it was Leonel calling. With a mouth full of food, she answered with the corner of her mouth. ''Hey Lenny. What's up?''
Leonel, at the other end of the line, answered with a yawn, ''Hey Chels, I am good. Are you set to go already?''
Chelsy gave an affirmative response, ''Yes Lenny. And I really wish you and I were going on this trip together. Anyway, I know dad will be there with me in spirit.''
Leonel gave a deep sigh and said, ''I know Chels. Just take care of yourself and be careful. I just got back from work this morning and decided to call you before you leave.''
Chelsy thanked him for calling, and they said goodbye after talking for a few minutes. She had already packed all her camping stuff and everything she needed for the trip. She took one more glance at her checklist to see if she had everything packed.
''Oh my gosh, I didn't get the wine I had promised to take along with me.'' She muttered to herself. Chelsy knew she was not good at consuming alcohol. Her alcohol tolerance was so low, but she wanted to step out of her comfort zone by taking along with her a bottle of wine.
Her father used to say wine connects man, nature and time in a way that nothing else does. And with a musical instrument, in every note, in every rhythm and every melody, the power of music echoes, and one's journey becomes a powerful composition of emotions and experiences.
So, bringing along wine and his guitar for their camping trips were always the top two things on his list. She really wanted to experience that combination of wine and music in the middle of nature.
Since the city center was not far from the house, she dashed out and rushed down to the grocery shop in the city center to get some wine. It didn't take long for her to get there and come back.
It was already ten o'clock in the morning. The taxi she had called arrived shortly after ten. She put on her boots, and picked up her sturdy rucksack and headed to the Halo mountains.
It took Chelsy about four hours to get to the Halo mountains. Chelsy got there at about two in the afternoon. Even though it had been five years she had been there last, there was not much of a change.
Every pathway looked the same and everything looked the same.
It had rained earlier in the morning and the paths were a little slippery. But Chelsy's boots were sturdy enough to hold the ground.
As she was hiking to the lee side of the mountain, she could feel the fresh air hitting her face and it felt so refreshing. As she walked through the woods, the trees stood tall as if they were about to greet her. The green grass with droplets of rain on it, looked like a person with a bad hair day.
Chelsy finally got to the lee side and found a perfect spot to set up her tent. There were two other tents about seven hundred feet from hers.
''Wow, so there are other campers here at this time of the year. I thought campers came here only during the summer period. I didn't know there would be campers here at the end of spring. At least I do have some neighbors with me here.'' Chelsy muttered to herself with a little chuckle.
She took a deep breath, and her hair, which was in a ponytail, was tied up in a bun. She put down her rucksack and set up her tent near the bank of a little spring. It had the most beautiful and serene atmosphere when compared to the noise and pollution back in Wolverton.
Chelsy truly felt at peace there. Since she left her phone and all electronic gadgets at home, she was determined to put all her focus on herself and enjoy the serenity of nature.
It was the next day, which was day two of her camping trip. Chelsy woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the burbling sound of the stream running over rocks and broken branches. It was such an amazing sound to wake up to. It was already sunny and the wet ground from the rain the day before had dried up.
As she stepped out of her tent, she saw a lovely couple and family camping there as well. Chelsy saw how loving and caring the man was towards his woman. ''Be careful honey, I won't want you slipping or getting hurt in any way.'' The man told his wife.
The lady just smiled back at him and said in a lovely voice. ''Honey, at least I have got you. I know that if I slip, you will catch me.'' They both smiled at each other and walked away.
Chelsy, who had been watching them from a distance, didn't realize there was a smile on her face. She really enjoyed seeing people in love. Her face suddenly became sullen as she thought of the days she and Ken started dating, and the promises he had made the day he took her virginity.
Flashback to over ten months ago. It had been two months since Ken and Chelsy were in a relationship. She was so excited, being the girlfriend of an amazing man like Ken Roberts.
One day, she was at home doing some research on her computer. Her phone started ringing. When she picked it up, it was Ken at the other end of the line. ''Hello love. Where are you?'' Ken asked.
She smiled and said shyly. ''Hello Ken. I am at home.'' Ken asked in a cheeky voice. ''When will you stop calling me Ken? Why don't you call me something sweet? A name that only you get to call me.''
Chelsy almost choked on her spit. She blushed so much that her whole face was red. She stuttered and said. ''But what name would you want me to call you?''
He gave a long hum as if he was thinking. ''Emmm. Why don't you call me baby, love or honey?''
Chelsy gave a little giggle and said. ''Okay baby. Is that better?''
Ken had a smile on his face and replied, ''that is perfect, baby. By the way, the reason I called is, tomorrow is Saturday, and I would love to invite you over to my place. Is that okay with you?''
Chelsy, who was quite excited to spend some time alone with Ken, said, ''Okay. I will come over tomorrow.''
It was the next day, and Chelsy went over to Ken's house. His personal Chef, George, had made so many varieties of food. ''Hey my love. Welcome to my home. I hope you like it here.''
He walked over and kissed her softly on the cheeks. Chelsy's mouth was agape with surprise when she saw Ken's beautiful home. ''Baby, your home is really amazing.''
Ken gave a little chuckle and asked her to sit down. They had lunch together and it tasted amazing. After they had finished eating, Chelsy walked over to the aquarium that was stationed in the living room.
While admiring the different species and colorful fishes, she spoke with her eyes shimmering with excitement. ''Ken, your home is truly beautiful.''
Ken walked towards her and hugged her from behind. He whispered into her ears. ''It will one day be our home, baby.''
Chelsy could not help but smile sheepishly. She placed her hands on his hands that were wrapped round her waist. She leaned her head backwards, closed her eyes and said in the most pure and sincere voice. ''I love you so much Kenneth Roberts. I can't imagine life without you.''
He gave a little chuckle and said, ''I know baby.'' He bent down his head and nibbled on the nape of her neck. His hands slowly moved from her waist, upwards towards her twin peaches. Chelsy could feel a chilling sensation running down her spine. It felt so weird but good. She closed her eyes and moaned softly. ''Ken. Wait.''
Ken slowly withdrew his hands and turned her around to face him. He looked at her straight in the eyes and asked, ''Love, are you okay? Is there a problem?''
Chelsy was too shy to even look into his face. With her face facing the ground, she shook her head and muttered slowly, ''No. It's just that I have never…"
She could not complete her sentence. Her face was as red as a tomato. Ken used his index finger to lift Chelsy's chin. ''Love, look at me. Are you still a virgin?''
Chelsy's face became even redder. She felt as though the earth should open up and just swallow her up. She nodded without uttering a single word.
The corners of Ken's mouth curved up in a smile, and he carried her in a bridal style into his bedroom. He started kissing Chelsy slowly and softly, as if he was trying to mark every corner of her body with his signature kisses.
Chelsy felt as if the room was on fire, but she wasn't being consumed by its flames. Oh my gosh, why does this feel so weird, yet so good? Chelsy thought to herself.
Ken lifted his head and looked into her eyes. ''Baby, I want you, all of you. I promise you that I will be your first and your last. I will always be there to protect and care for you, okay? So tell me, do you want us to do this?''
Chelsy was already too aroused to say no. Her entire body had the tingling sensations she had never felt before. She nodded without uttering a single word.
Ken gave a sly smile and said. ''Chelsy. I want you to tell me that you want me.''
Chelsy, who couldn't wait anymore, said in a low and trembling voice. ''Ken, I want you. I want you so badly.''
Ken crashed his lips on hers, and the kisses became more intense. He made sure he had a taste of every part of her body. They became one with each other as they drowned in the ocean of their passion. The whole atmosphere in that room, had the fragrance of love making.
Chelsy snapped out of her reverie. There was a bitter lump in her throat. She gave a painful laughter and said to herself, ''Chelsy, you were indeed stupid to have loved someone like Ken Roberts, who didn't love you back. How could you not have seen all the signs?''
As she spoke, tears were rolling down her eyes. She cleaned the tears running down her cheeks and said to herself, ''Chelsy, this is not the reason why you are here. It's okay to cry, and it is okay not to be okay. You will bury all these bad memories behind this mountain and move on.''
After pep talking herself out, she put on her boots and walked into the surrounding bushes to look for dry sticks to make a fire.