Chapter 38: The Nature Retreat

Megan's POV

The moment we arrived at the retreat center, I could tell that I had made the right choice because it felt refreshing as I looked around the area. I was wearing a simple white dress while my best friend was wearing a mini skirt and a three-fourths sleeve blouse, and we were both wearing our favorite sandals that we bought together. I smiled from ear to ear as I felt the early morning wind brush against my skin.

"Wow! Alice, this place is lovely!" I exclaimed, and she was beaming at me.

"I told you, right?" she responded, and I nodded at her.

"Thank you for this gift, Al," I said, and we walked towards the reception. I could tell the staff were friendly, and I was sure I would be having a blast.

"You are welcome, Megan; this is nothing compared to all the things you have done for me, Meg," she said, and I was shaking my head.

"It was you, Alice; you gave me more than I could ask for. You gave up your life in Astikoz just to be with me," I responded.

"It was you who saved me, Megan. I know I would have become unhappy if I stayed there, and I don't know if I would ever be free from my heartache. It was the best move I have ever made in my life, Meg," she declared.

"And I could say if ever I need to go back to the past, I will still choose this path to be with you, Meg, and Axel. Megalopre is our new home, and we both fell in love with the place, even if we found it so hard to settle at first because we were both broken-hearted at that time, and the only difference was that you became a mother after nine months," she said, and I smiled at her.

"I know, and it was the most satisfying feeling that I have ever experienced, Alice, even if I was so young back then. And if ever I am given a chance to go back to that day, like you, I will still choose the same path again. I will never hesitate to make that kind of decision. We both felt the pain of leaving the place we loved so much and faced a journey unknown to us, and look at us now, Al, we made it," I said, feeling so proud of ourselves.

"Yeah, we need to have a toast for our friendship later, Meg," she said, and I raised my eyebrow.

"It is okay to have one glass of wine before going to sleep," she said, and I giggled.

One of the staff led us to our accommodation. It was a cute bungalow house made of bamboo, and I loved the house's interior. I realized they made the inside of the house out of concrete material, but when you look at it from the outside, it feels like you are looking at an ordinary house made of bamboo. I smiled when I realized it was a cute house for us. It had two bedrooms and an attractive living room with a balcony. It had a beautiful kitchen and dining room.

We put our things in the cabinet, and I laughed when I saw her junk food, and I was shaking my head as I put the yogurt and milk in the mini-fridge, then the bottled water and energy drinks since we would have trekking tomorrow after our morning meditation. I felt so excited about it, and our activity for today would be tree planting and gardening.

"Are you ready?" she asked, and I was shocked to find my best friend already in her shorts and T-shirt.

"Yes, I am," I said, and she was looking at me.

"Are you sure you will not wear your shorts, Megan? You can get dirt all over your white dress, and your attire is not appropriate for planting trees," she said, and I grunted since I'm not particularly eager to wear shorts because I prefer dresses since they are easy to wear.

"If we want to go planting trees, it's not about the attire, Alice; it's about how determined you are to plant," I said, and she laughed, but I didn't have a choice but to change my dress into shorts and a blouse.

We were having fun planting the seedlings, and I was thankful to Alice because we were planting on the slope of the hills, and if I had worn my dress, I would have found it hard to navigate the place. It was fun planting the trees, and I was having so much fun that I didn't notice the tree stump, and I stumbled. My scream died down when I felt strong hands hold my waist, and I felt like I was hallucinating as I smelled his familiar scent. I thought I was going crazy that even miles away from Majuscule, I could still smell Ashton.

I was so thankful to my savior, and when he finally helped me stand on my feet, it took a while before he let go of my waist. I could tell he made sure I was safe. When I turned around to say thank you to my hero, my wide smile faltered when I was face to face with Ashton, and I could feel my entire face turn crimson, and I couldn't stop the rapid beating of my heart as I looked at his handsome face. I could tell he was not happy to see me.

"You should always be careful, Meg," he said, and before I could even say thank you to him, he had already turned around and left me. I was left dumbfounded by what happened, and I couldn't deny I was so happy to see him.

"Are you alright, Meg?" I heard my best friend's voice, and when I looked up, I saw her looking at me with concern all over her face, and I was shaking my head.

"Why, what is wrong, Megan?" she asked again, and this time, I gave her a weak smile.

"I almost stumbled on the ground, and I am glad someone helped me, but I didn't expect it would be Ashton," I said, and her face lit up.

"Well, I think it is meant to be, Meg," she said, and I gave her a stern look before I went to the garden area to continue the activity while I felt Alice's presence beside me.

"I came here with you, Al, to have a peaceful weekend and to clear my head, but I didn't expect that I would see Ashton again, and I don't know what to do anymore because even before I could say my thanks to him, he left without saying goodbye. And I wonder if he was with his fiancée, and that is why he looked so worried when he found out it was me he rescued from falling," I declared.

"I am sure he came here alone or maybe with his family members or friends, but I am sure he's not with his fiancée," my best friend responded, and I glanced at her, and she was smiling from ear to ear.

"Did you sabotage our retreat?" I asked her, and her face fell.

"Of course not, Megan. I know you needed this retreat, but I am sorry. If I had known, I would have asked the in-charge if they had some celebrity who would be coming today. It never crossed my mind that Ashton could be here as well," she said, and I gave a weak smile to my best friend.

"I am sorry, Alice, I know it is wrong of me to accuse you of something like that, thinking you are my best friend," I responded.

"You don't need to worry about it, Megan, because I understand, and it will never be your fault. And to tell you honestly, I think this place is the best location where you can talk with your ex if you want to leave everything behind, including your heartaches and pain, so you can finally move on with your life," Alice stated.

"I am not telling you to do it, but I am telling you just in case you need my advice," she added, and I let out a soft sigh.

"I will think about it," I responded as I looked at her, and we smiled at each other, and we continued to walk towards the extensive vegetable gardens. As I watched the tomatoes, I couldn't stop myself from smiling. I was excited to join the others, and we listened to the instructions first before we harvested the tomatoes. It felt so relaxing as I felt the sweat on my forehead, and I realized I needed to do some gardening back home since lately, I could say I had left everything to the staff.

I was overwhelmed with happiness when I realized I had filled my basket with ripe tomatoes, and when I was about to bring the basket back to the kitchen, I realized it was too heavy for me to carry. The in-charge said everything around here is for the daily consumption of their guests, and they will also pack some of the vegetables as a token for their guests.

"Do you need some help, Miss?" I heard a familiar voice, and when I raised my head, I felt so happy to see him after a long time.

"I am no Miss, Sir," I said, and he chuckled.

"I missed you, Meg," Zachary said, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I realized how much I missed him, and I felt so guilty that I never called him back. I also tried my best to forget him, even if he had done nothing but good things for me.

"I missed you too, Zach. I am sorry if I ran away from you as well," I replied, and he smiled at me.

"It is understandable, Meg. I am Ashton's best friend, and you were so afraid I would tell him if ever you told me where you ran off to. I feel so happy to see you again after a long time. And I want to let you know I never told him that you were pregnant," he declared, and I couldn't stop myself from grinning at Zach as he carried the basket for me, and I realized Alice was right again—Ashton was here with his friend.