Jack kept apologising for not realising the trail was so muddy, but I wasn’t mad at him. Not for that. For wanting this bullshit for a birthday celebration? Sure. For having a hot best friend that I was so obsessed with growing up that I jumped at the chance to be his fake girlfriend, resulting in being on this cursed trip to begin with? Sure, I could find a way to make that his fault. But he was carrying all the food and booze for the weekend in his backpack, so I couldn’t really complain.
But once we got to the camping spot, a sheltered area at the edge of a disused reservoir, I started to get it. The ground was dry here, so once I got my sandals on, it was actually really nice. Phil and I set up our tents close together because that felt like an obviously couply thing to do, and the tent was much easier to set up than I’d remembered. Then we sat in our camp chairs and watched everyone else together. Phil was clearly having a great time; I could see his smile, even behind his beard.
“You gonna keep that?” I asked, lifting my hand to touch it, but deciding that was too intimate and bailing at the last second.
He brought his own hands to his face and rubbed the beard self-consciously.
“What, you don’t like it?” He looked genuinely distressed by the thought.
“I didn’t say that.” It was the closest I could get to “actually it makes you somehow even hotter than you’ve always been” without shrivelling up in shame.
“I knew it,” he said, stretching his legs out and looping his fingers together behind his head. “The beard does it for you.”
“I also didn’t saythat.” I’d very intentionally chosennotto say that, thank you very much.
Once everyone had set up camp and Jack had managed to get a small campfire going, we all dragged our chairs around it and got out our dice and character sheets. Fatima handed me the extra set of hers I’d used last time.
“We’ll have to get you your own set,” Phil said as he settled in next to me.
“I don’t want to buy any until I know I’m sticking with it.”
“Well, you’re locked in for at least three months,” he said quietly, leaning in close so the others wouldn’t hear.
“That wasn’t one of our rules.”
“Is now.”
“Fuck’s sake,” I said sarcastically. “Pub quizzes, camping trips, D&D campaigns… what other activities have I unwittingly committed to?”
* * *
The next morning,I woke up nice and late to the screeches of Chloe and Morgan jumping into the reservoir. I’d never been here before, but I could tell from their shrieks that it must be frigid. Still, growing up with an older brother had taught me that I’d end up in that water one way or another, so I changed into my swimming costume and a pair of shorts before leaving my tent. After a side quest to take care of the usual morning business, I was greeted by Phil with a camp mug of coffee.
“What was that about no L-bombs?” I asked, taking it happily. “Because I might be about to drop one if you keep handing me coffee.”
“Noted,” he said, clinking his tin mug against mine. Then he leaned in close to my ear and lowered his voice so it rumbled all through me, despite the fact that everyone else was down by the water. “Can I greet you good morning?”
“Uh, sure?” I didn’t know what that meant beyond just saying “good morning”, but he’d just caffeinated me, so I supposed I could go along with it, especially since Jack was sat over by his tent not-so-subtly watching us.
I felt his hand run along my back and wrap around to my opposite hip, pulling me towards him as he brought his lips to my temple.
“Good morning,” he said with a smile. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Surprisingly so,” I said as calmly as possible, clearing my throat, grateful again that Phil and I hadn’t had to share a tent if even an innocent “good morning” gesture had me this flustered. “You?”
He nodded. “Yeah, fine.” He lifted his mug towards the water, where Grey was attempting to drag Fatima off the small dock. She was putting up a good fight, but now Jack was headed over too, presumably to help Grey, so she wouldn’t last long. Phil didn’t move his arm though.
“You gonna go for a swim?”
“Not if I can help it,” I said with a grimace. “You hear how high-pitched they’ve gone? That water’s twelve degrees at most.”
“You’d better stay clear of Jack then,” Phil said, just as Jack helped Grey hoist Fatima overhead and chuck her in.
* * *
I managedto stay dry most of the day somehow, even when Phil tried to entice me in, but as the temperature rose throughout the afternoon, the reservoir looked more and more tempting. Jack, Grey, Morgan, and Phil went for a hike, and I stayed behind with Fatima and Chloe, who were helping me think through what other characters I could play whilst we sunbathed on the dock.
“Honestly, a wizard would be helpful,” Chloe said. “Especially as we get to higher levels, they’re really powerful.”
