“Tease,” he muttered, unaware of how the forest carried sound.
I had been so fixated on an interloper disrupting my time with nature that I didn’t take a moment to realize this was one bear I wouldn’t mind having in my camp. Glancing over myshoulder, I chuckled as Nick got excited, picking up a rock. Yes, he could use some time in the wilderness. Me? I hadn’t figured out what I needed. In the meantime, a friend wouldn’t hurt.
New Group Text
Unknown: Are you dead yet?
Unknown: If he dies, do we still get to go camping?
Unknown: You’re joking… right?
Unknown: Guys, it’s not dangerous. Right?
NAKED UNDER STARS
Nick rolled over.
His butt pressed against my hip while I lay on my back, staring up at the stars. For a city boy, he had done pretty good up to this point. Once we had the fire going, we settled into a comfortable silence. Men and an open flame, it had a mesmerizing effect that sent us into deep contemplation. I thought about all the times I asked Pops, “When am I ever going to need to know this?” I had been a brat. I was a brat. Wherever he perched, I hoped he saw me trying.
When I spread out the sleeping bag, Nick realized he had made a tactical error. It wouldn’t be the first time I slept propped up against a log with my feet toward the fire. It had served me well at the parlor, taking naps in the chair between clients. I had taken pity on him and spread it out, offering him half. I didn’t realize he?—
He rolled over. Again.
“I give up.”
He ended on his back. I stifled a chuckle. Pops would have been the first to tell the tale of our first camping trip, with me, too scared to go pee in the woods.
“Slide this way.” I patted the top of the sleeping bag.
Nick shimmed until both of our heads poked out from under the tarp. Het let out a soft, “Wow.” No matter how bright the stars were in the city, they’d never compare. With light pollution leaking from every streetlamp and drive-by, they measured in the hundreds. Here, with nothing but a dwindling fire, there must have been millions.
“First time?”
“Uh huh.”
“Pops always said it made him feel small in a way that connected him to the universe.”
I couldn’t name all the constellations, and I only knew the North Star when I used the compass. The sky had been his thing, maybe the entire reason he insisted we hike through the woods for the perfect campsite. I didn’t understand him back then. Now I wondered how many people lay on their backs at this moment, staring at the same sky. Small. Connected.
“I get it,” Nick whispered. After a minute, his head turned in my direction. “I got dumped.”
“By Lacie?”
He returned to the stars. If not for the crackle of the fire, I’d have thought time stood still. I’ll admit, I was curious about what he meant, but not enough to push the situation. That was the Firefly way: interrogate until every morsel of gossip had been syphoned from a person before they traded it like currency. If Nick wanted to share, he would.
“I saw Firefly’s bonfire mentioned on the news. It’s adorable. Small town. Big fire. Hot chocolate. That’d be the perfect first vacation with my boyfriend.” I sensed the looming disaster. “We drive a mere six hours. He’s kind of quiet, but I assumed he was taking in the scenery or work had gotten under his skin. I hadn’t even dropped my bag on the bed when he said those dreaded words.”
“I think we should break up.”
“Yup.”
In my younger days, I dated plenty. There were plenty of breakups where I heard those exact words. I’m sure there were a few where I muttered something similar. It sounded harmless, as if they were letting us down gently. Instead, it always came with a whoosh of ‘how can I save this?’ It never ended well.
“Asshole move on his part. Six-hour drive for that? I’d have punched him in the throat.”
“A random bartender loaned me a key to his room?—”
“Harlot.”
