The descent is pure relief—the climb was subtle, but now that we’re on our way down again, my pack feels lighter and less cumbersome.
“So, what’s the sleeping plan for tonight?” I ask.
Thorn and I walk side by side, the first time since this morning we’ve been close enough to talk.
“This one’s for you,” he says, tilting his head backward toward the tent strapped to his pack.
Theextratent strapped to his pack, I now realize.
“Did that just magically fall out of the sky when I wasn’t looking?” I ask incredulously. “Did I miss an REI somewhere back there?”
Thorn laughs. “It’s Emma’s. She’s going to share with Brittany.”
“She doesn’t mind?” I ask. “You’re sure?” At five foot eleven, Emma’s the tallest of their trio—she’s Japanese Hawaiian and played beach volleyball before switching over to tennis.
He shrugs. “Said they’ve been up chatting until two in the morning anyway, and that it might actually be easier this way so they can just crash where they are.”
“Well…okay, then. That’s nice.” I cut a glance at him. “Thanks for carrying it for me.”
“If this one rips apart in the middle of the night, you’re on your own,” he says.
Ithinkhe’s joking—but my cheeks flood with heat.
It could have happened to anyone, I remind myself. If they wanted the tents to hold up under high winds, they should’ve made them out of, like, thick canvas or something.
Unlike our first two campsites, the landscape isn’t conducive to all of us staking our tents in a circle—there are a lot of rocks around here, and a lot of trees, so most of the clearings are only spacious enough to handle two tents,maybethree. Brittany, Emma, and Parker call dibs on the clearing closest to the kayaks; Trey, Hunter, and Silas take the clearing that’s big enough to fit three tents; Matteo sets up next to Joshua and Zoe without even asking Thorn for his preference.
Which leaves Thorn with me on the far end, in the smallest clearing.
My heartbeat picks up.
What if I have another dream? What if I have another dream with himright there, separated by only a little bit of nylon fabric? It’s such a tight space that our tents will probably be touching. Will he feel it if I shift in my sleeping bag? Will he hear me if I talk—or worse—in my sleep?
“Looks like it’s you and me,” he says now, his deep voice pulling me out of my head.
I look up from my pack, where I’ve been digging around for my disposable camera and my phone. So far, I’ve only found the camera.
“Yeah,” I say, standing so he’s not towering over me. “Looks like it.”
I can’t quite tell how he feels—is he okay with this arrangement? Or does he wish Matteo hadn’t made the choice for him when he staked his claim near Joshua and Zoe? He seems weighed down, and not just by the extra tent he’s been carrying.
“Everything okay?” I ask, feeling him out. “I promise not to wake you up in the morning. I’llwhisperif I record a vlog!”
He glances up at me, the corner of his mouth lifting just a little. “No, yeah. I’m good. Just a lot on my mind today.”
Goodseems like a stretch.
He turns to look out at the lake. “Don’t tell the others,” he says quietly, “but we scored the best clearing. This is my favorite view byfar.”
“I can’t imagine any view here being bad,” I say.
His fingers land lightly on my shoulder, the slightest tug urging me to shift over so I can see past the gigantic tree at the edge of our clearing. “See how the mountains frame the lake?”
I move closer, so close the dark hair on his arms tickles my skin. It’s the barest hint of contact, but it feels electric.
Once the tree isn’t blocking my view anymore, I see exactly what he means. “It’s amazing,” I say, taking it all in.
Even as I say it, I’m not sure whether I’m talking about the mountains and the light sparkling on the water and the wildflowers and themajestyof it all, pure and breathtaking…or him.
