I turned around as he buckled over, hands on his thighs, gaze fixed on the ground, and looking pained.
“Your laces look fine to me.”
“Trust me, they’re about to come undone. It’s too dangerous to go on with…shoelaces like this,” he wheezed.
I laughed and pulled my water bottle out of my backpack and took a swig.
“How did you get to be such a gazelle?”
He stood tall once again, grabbing the water bottle from my hand and taking a long drink.
“Did you not bring water?”
He scoffed. “I don’t need water.”
I yanked it out of his hands after I let him have one more sip. He looked like he needed it. “Great, I’ll just have this back, then.”
I waited while he put on a good show of adjusting his perfectly laced double knots before we trudged up the last quarter mile of the mountain.
We arrived at the top without much fanfare. Stopping to catch our breath, we soaked in the clean smell of pine and aspen trees. Since there was an easier trail even closer to my house, I had never hiked this particular side of the mountain before.
Logan checked the coordinates on his phone. “Looks like we need to move toward the river a hundred feet or so.”
We arrived at a muddy section of dirt that looked like it was an overflow from the stream. Deep footprints and animal tracks in the mud were filled with pockets of water, leaving the whole area one big mud bath.
Things began clicking into place in my head at about the same time Logan pulled down an envelope nailed to a tree that read,Logan and Tessa.
“This seems ominous,” Logan said, ripping it open and looking at the contents. He snorted in laughter before shaking his head, thrusting the letter into my hands.
Hey,lovebirds.
For your first date, I thought something special was in order. A getting-to-know-you game!
It’s pretty simple, really. You begin by standing ten feet apart in the mud pit. In this envelope are two lists of questions. One for Tessa, and one for Logan. You get the question wrong, you get mud thrown on you—and vice versa. ALSO, Logan, you have to stand there and take it like a man. If you dodge the throw, Tessa gets to mud-wash you.
If both of you answer less than five correct, it’s a mud fight.
Make sure you hold hands coming back down the mountain.
Can’t wait to hear all about your first date!
Love,
Jake
“A mud fight with a girl?”
In ten seconds flat, Logan had kicked off his shoes, peeled off his socks, and rolled up his joggers to mid-calf.
When he stepped into the murky water, mud squelching under his feet, there was a sweet boyishness about him. Unguarded. It was familiar to me, a lifetime of seeing him under my watchful gaze growing up. Something pinched at my heart before I swatted it away, regaining focus. It really was too bad I was going to murder him at this game. Not to be creepy, but I knew everything about Logan. I stripped myself of my shoes and t-shirt, revealing a coral tank top underneath.
“That’s enough stripping out of you.” Logan was standing ramrod straight across the mud pit, watching me warily as I adjusted my tank top.
“And we’ve got to talk about those shorts,” he continued. “I vote any shorts worn by either of us this summer have to be knee length.”
I bristled at his ordering me around. “I will wear whatever I want.”
“I’m just saying, it might be a good idea to dress down for our dates. Just to help keep us both safe.”
