Reconnected and Back in Love

By Stefania Gil

Davina Olson and Emerick Eldridge meet at a summer camp in Yellowstone where the days passed between laughter, kisses, caresses and the most intimate moment they could experience at that stage of their lives. But all good things end soon and their situation would be no exception. They promised not to maintain contact and to leave the relationship that would mark them both forever in the hands of fate.

To their surprise and as adults, fate reconnects them allowing them to let flow those feelings that they left frozen in time. Davina is a renowned photographer who travels the country in her caravan; while Emerick is the head of the gastronomy section of a major women's magazine.
They both want to continue the best romance story of their lives, but Davina refuses to give up her freedom to be with Emerick and is unable to ask him to drop everything to follow her.
What will happen between them? Will they succeed in closing once and for all the distance that seems to insist on keeping them away?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stefania Gil
• Release date: Nov 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781071575437

Book preview

Neither absence nor time are nothing when you love.

Alfred de Musset

Prologue

Davina! I finally found you! Blake found his sister cut off from the group in which they had arrived to Yellowstone and that were already receiving instructions from the camp guides. Why didn't you wait for me when you got off the bus?

I saw you talking to a girl and I didn't want to see how you use your seductive arts.

It will offend me if you are thinking that I'm doing with them what that idiot Bobby did with you.

She shrugged her shoulders dismissively.

It doesn't matter, Blake. You are a boy and that's what boys do.

Seriously? Do you think that I could do that to a girl?

She watched him with a clear don't-tell-me-no expression.

And he couldn't keep pretending. He could never do it in front of his sister.

Okay, I admit I did it before, however I couldn't do it again, Davina. Not after seeing everything you suffered.

She smiled at him tenderly.

That, I do believe.

He hugged her and she corresponded the hug.

I just met a girl with whom I had a crush on, he commented to his sister with illusion in his eyes. Davina felt curious to see what the girl was like because she had never noticed that expression in Blake's eyes before.

She has a brother. The four of us could go on a date.

It's my turn to ask: Seriously?

Why not? You can't stay your whole life thinking on how Bobby hurt your feelings. Besides, I already gave him what he deserved and you have to go out with other boys, without doing anything stupid, he clarified seriously. I think Alex's brother is a newbie regarding girls. I know a newbie when I see one.

Davina laughed. They were heading to their cabin.

How can you know? She asked with clear amusement.

It shows D, it shows.

If you say so.

I'm sure, you'll be more than safe with him.

***

Are you Davina?

And, you are...?

Emerick, he held out his hand politely, Alex's brother. She and your brother said they would be around here. But I don't see them. Do you happen to know where they might be?

Hiding, kissing somewhere else.

Emerick frowned, and Davina understood that he didn't find her comment funny.

I'm not saying it to bother you, Emerick. It's just that they like each other and that's what guys our age do when they like each other.

Yeah, I guess. Davina analyzed him. Suddenly it seemed to her that Blake had a point. That boy did not seem like the rest of people she knew from school.

Which cabin are you in? She asked.

98 And you?

115

What are you doing here so alone?

I don't want any boys to come near me.

He widened his eyes surprised.

Okay. Off I go, then.

He turned around and after taking a few steps, the girl called out for him again.

Emerick? May I call you Em? It is a lot more comfortable.

He turned around to see her face.

Yeah, I suppose.

I'm sorry, I didn't want to be rude with you. It's that I'm not at a good place. And the truth is that I don't feel like being approached by silly guys who are just looking for kisses and putting their hands on certain places of my body.

Okay, Emerick held up both hands. I promise that I will always have my hands in sight and my mouth away from yours.

The girl gave a hearty, energetic laugh that dazzled Emerick.

He detailed her and saw a couple of dimples appear on her cheeks when she smiled. She had a sweet face and yes, teasing lips.

He shook off the thoughts that suddenly assaulted him. He told her that he would stay away, and he would.

She had a camera around her neck.

Do you like photography?

I love it.

Emerick sat next to her on the log that was the farthest from the fire.

They have a darkroom here; did you know that?

She looked at him with joy.

He liked those expressive almond-shaped eyes.

Yes, I found out yesterday and it was fantastic because I convinced the guides to let me take care of the room.

That's awesome. This morning Alex and I, accompanied by another group, walked along a path with some impressive views. I could show you tomorrow that we'll have free time.

I'd love to. She looked him square in the eye.

I promise to stay away, he teased once more. Although he wasn't quite sure that he could stay that far away because that girl attracted him.

I think we'll become good friends, Em.

I think so too, he said, smiling.

***

They arranged to meet the next day, after they had finished the assigned cleaning and ordering tasks in the camp.

Davina had to find a way to get rid of that responsibility that she hated so much because it ruined her manicure and besides, it reduces her time for taking photos of the nature around her. At the moment, she had no other choice; she would wait another week and tell her brother that she would give him her money in exchange for him taking over her chores while she used the time to sneak out and take photos.

She reached the path at the time agreed between her and Emerick, the boy was waiting for her there with a backpack.

She only carried the camera and wondered if she should have been more cautious, she didn't even have a bottle of water.

Good morning. She looked at him doubtfully. Should I go back for a bottle of water and food? She pointed to his backpack and added, I didn't know we'd go that far.

Good morning. Emerick smiled at her and Davina felt a chill run through her body. It is not necessary; I carry enough things for both of us. The place is not far away and I am sure you will want to stay for a while and he made a face of discontent according to my mother, I suffer from black hole syndrome in my belly because I am always hungry.

She laughed out loud.

Tell your mother that she hasn't met my brother. It's like a fucking bear when it's in the run-up to hibernate.

By the way, do you know where they were going? They are very elusive.

It's Blake Olson, Davina thought, smiling wryly.

No idea. I assure you that my brother will not hurt your sister. They started walking off. After my episode with Bobby, he promised to be different with girls. So you can stop worrying.

And who is Bobby? He asked cautiously and noticed how the girl tensed completely. The boy realized that this Bobby was not a pleasant person in Davina's life. This part of the forest is beautiful, isn't it? He changed the conversation drastically.

Davina glanced at him and relaxed.

Yes, she answered, raising the camera and taking a photo of the boy.

I'm not the best model.

Looks fine to me.

Thank you. He saw her encouraged. The girl liked him and that injected him with a load of unknown emotions.

Emerick was not the classic boy who falls in love with all the pretty girls in school and leaves those who think they could never get the attention of a boy like him sighing. No. He was rather one of the shy ones; one of those whose nerves betrayed him when they were in front of a girl he liked, and that did not work in his favor in the few dates he had had until that day.

Whenever his group of friends went hunting he would make up any excuse to stay far away from them and not reveal that he was completely inexperienced when it came to girls. That he didn't even know how to talk to them when he had to conquer them, much less take them to bed. He achieved little in his last encounter with the opposite sex at the party that his friend Oliver organized at his house one weekend when his parents were away.

A girl threw herself into his arms, kissed him and he had no choice but to go along with her; although the inside of her mouth was the complete opposite of what he had imagined before about how a kiss should feel. Dry, rough and with a sour taste of nicotine and alcohol. Something that instantly turned his guts and that he had to endure to pretend in front of his friends so they would leave him alone for a damn moment.

When he thought that everything was over, the girl dragged him to one of the rooms of the house and locked the door once they were inside.

She began to undress as she struggled to keep her balance.

As soon as her dress fell to the floor and her chest was exposed, Emerick thought there was something wrong with him because he was not even attracted to that vision, much less feeling excited as his friends commented to feel when they had an occasion like the one he had at hand at the time.

She straddled him and started kissing him again. This time no one was seeing them and Emerick managed to shake off her before losing control of the nausea that she caused him and throwing up on her. He excused himself by saying that he needed to go to the bathroom and, luckily for him, when he left the bathroom, the girl was snoring like the crudest of truckers.

There was no need to explain anything when going out because to his friends, it seemed clear that Em enjoyed a good fuck with the girl. That reassured him and he prayed that the next day, no one would mention it to her so that he would not have to cross her path again.

Bobby is an asshole from whom my brother learned that girls get really hurt when you play with their feelings.

Davina pulled him out of his memories.

He nodded. This Bobby had well deserved whatever Blake did to defend Davina.

He frowned and felt as if an anvil fell to the bottom of his stomach.

Why did it feel like that?

Davina picked up the camera and snapped a couple more photos of the environment around them.

She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that.

Did he like Davina?

He tripped over the root of a tree and nearly hit the ground.

Davina couldn't help laughing out loud, and he followed her until tears came to his eyes.

She stared at him while he couldn't stop laughing.

Her legs turned to jelly and her nerves attacked her. That laughter seemed pure melody to her ears. She stopped laughing. She immersed herself in the vision before her because she didn't want to miss a single detail.

A few seconds later, she wondered why the hell she still hadn't taken a picture of the boy laughing like that.

It was too late when she made the decision and focused the camera.

Emerick began to calm down and wipe the tears from his eyes.

He saw her rapt before him.

Did something happen?

She shook her head and Emerick couldn't help but get closer to her.

He raised his hand because he suddenly felt the need to caress her face while she kept her gaze fixed on his.

Nerves were messing with Emerick's coordination and he thought that it would be best not to do anything stupid.

Shall we continue? We are nearly there.

He turned and continued on his way, leaving Davina behind him, watching him walk away and how curiosity grew inside her to know why he did not take the moment to caress or kiss her.

What was she thinking if she didn't want any of this to happen herself?

She shook her head to shake off the strange thoughts that seemed to have no intention of vanishing.

A few minutes later, the forest gave way to a place that she did not know how to describe because of how perfect it was. Davina thought it must be like being in heaven with the world at your feet.

***

A week later, this place became their favorite place. Davina felt so comfortable being there; on the edge of the mountain, with a magnificent view of the place where the waves of the mountains and the river running between them reminded her that life was wonderful and nature was life.

Joy

At her young age, she didn't need anyone to tell her how lucky she was to be able to have the opportunity to appreciate those moments that nature gave her and even more fortunate to be able to immortalize them with her camera. She requested more photographic rolls from the guides because her own were finished in the blink of an eye and she had the entire camp ecstatic with his photos.

She spent more time inside the darkroom — or on impromptu and unauthorized excursions — than in the camp itself. She managed to find a way to pay Blake in exchange for him doing her domestic duties as well; and Emerick also offered to help her from time to time.

Emerick.

That boy made her feel so different that everything she lived with him seemed unreal to her.

He was funny, loving and very shy.

She remembered his brother's words when he told her that he was sure Em was inexperienced with girls. Davina was able to confirm it.

The day before had been the day off for the week and they decided to go on a picnic at their favorite spot.

They were within the limits allowed by the camp guides, so they could stay there as long as they wanted.

They were entertained, like so many other days, talking about many things. And that was something that attracted her very much about Emerick, the ability he had to listen to her and share her tastes.

He didn't mind talking to her for hours; and most importantly, he did it without asking for a kiss or something else in return.

They talked about musical tastes, art, reading. Things that were important to both of them. Davina's love of photography and how much Emerick liked getting lost in the news.

Occasionally, they talked about their families.

Emerick touched the subject little after explaining that his parents were in the process of divorce and that, surely, when they returned home, many things would change. Davina understood his little desire to talk about it. She appreciated in his eyes how much the separation hurt. Especially when he told her that what affected him the most was the suffering of his sister because of the way his father had disappointed them all, especially her who was the apple of his eye.

I'm the middle child, he smiled. You know, I have the attention and love of both parents, without being the favorite of either of them.

Davina smiled.

Nah! That’s silly! My parents would love us all equally. Surely yours do the same.

Sure, though, they can't have two favorite children. Who is your mother's favorite?

She was thoughtful.

Well, I hadn't thought about it before. The truth is that my mother laughs like a fool when my brother kisses her or looks into her eyes.

And how is it with you?

She lifted her shoulders.

The same, but not with that glint that forms in her eyes.

Emerick nodded.

And your father?

She