Page 56 of Jagged

"And besides." She motioned to my back. "You have a gun. I have a sandwich." She finally snickered when she lifted it in front of her. "So, there's that."

"I'm pretty sure you're packing more than just a sandwich in that extensively prepared vehicle of yours." I couldn't wipe the smile from my face while I watched her. It became easier to hold her gaze over time and she seemed to feel the same.

"I'm marginally prepared most times, but when I'm with someone I care about, I make sure they will have everything they need." She bent her knee up and rested her elbow on it as she ran her fingers through her hair. In the fire light, her smile turned radiant, and I noticed myself focusing on more than just her smile.

"Are you sure you like me? I mean…we don't know each other very well."

"If I like you this much without knowing you very well, I can't wait to find out how I feel when I know you better." Her teeth grazed her bottom lip and she smiled at me, tilting her head while resting it on her hand.

My insides puddled to a mess and words lost their pathway to my mouth. I couldn't speak, couldn't pull together a phrase to respond to that. A tingling sensation poured over me, and my tongue thickened in my mouth like I chewed on cotton. The heat in my face mirrored the fire in front of me, and all I could do was gulp.

"Something about you is different," she said, her voice soft. "Different to me."

"Yeah. I get that." I rested my elbows on my knees then tossed the paper wrapper from my sandwich into the fire. "You feel different to me, too. Like…we have spent every summer together at camp, then separated for the school year. Not that I ever went to camp, but being here with you like this feels like a reunion."

"Aptly stated." She propped her chin on her hand while watching me, this time for much longer. "I'm not usually as forward as I have been with you either. There's something that makes me feel more…I can't think of a word. Like I needed to reach you right away."

I listened to her as the swell of emotions brought pressure to my eyes in the way that threatened tears, but I would never let them fall. Not now. Not so soon. Her voice echoed in my head, as if recorded with my psyche pressing play over and over again. I couldn't really say anything to that, or use any words to reflect my connection to hers and so, instead, I extended my hand.

Clem's smile broadened and she accepted, squeezing my fingers, then lowering her leg when she turned to face me. She kept a hold of my hand, settling it in her lap. I adjusted my position to face her as well, our knees touching as if we prepared to start a two-person séance. She offered me her other hand and I took it. Gratitude for the fire beside us burned strong, as I knew it would hide most of the blush that heated my face. The urge to fuss with my hat struck hard, but I fought it, and instead, brushed my thumbs over her knuckles.

"I'd like to kiss you now," she said, her voice soft. "Would that be okay?"

"Yeah." I gulped, but nodded right away. "It would be."

We leaned forward at the same time and, as her lips closed in on mine, her hand cupped my cheek. My fingers wrapped around her wrist, and the explosion of heat in the space between us made it seem as if someone poured accelerant on the fire burning at our knees. My insides writhed with a liveliness that felt both foreign and familiar. The only comparative sensation belonged to my joy in completing an evocative piece of art, and the emotions that flooded me the moment after I applied my tag and took that first step back to take it all in.

I wanted to take her all in and close my eyes while basking in knowing we created this just the same. Tenderness honeyed our connection, and I couldn't fight the urge to run my fingers through her hair, so I did. Her smile interrupted our connection, and mine wasn't a beat behind.

"Hi," she whispered as she leaned her forehead against mine.

"Hey." I closed my eyes, and she stroked my cheeks in delicate caresses. The sensation sent a wave of goosebumps down my neck and arms. Most of me felt frozen in place, save for the spots she touched. For the briefest moment, my mind stilled, and the fragrance of her gentle perfume flooded my nose in between tangles of earth and fire. It carried a soft floral scent mingled with the tiniest bit of ruggedness in the end.

I would never forget that smell.

"You okay?" she asked quietly.

I nodded my answer. "You?"

"Yeah." She brushed her nose against mine before we parted.

Leaning away from her felt wrong in so many ways. It confused me and brought a grating sensation to my gut. As if she could read my thoughts or feelings, respectively, she asked.

"Interested in laying on this blanket with me and watching the stars?"

"Very." Words left me in their single form, and we shifted our positions to accommodate her suggestion. By habit, I lay on my back, one foot flat on the blanket with my knee bent as I folded an arm behind my head.

Clementine moved right in, resting her head on my shoulder while we both looked up. The heat of her body against mine radiated like a furnace, rivaling the blaze at our feet. A greenish-purple hue filled the Western corner of the sky above the trees, and she pointed at it.

"We can see the Northern Lights tonight. I was hoping so."

"Did you make this trip knowing that?" My fingers tangled in her hair, and a soft breath left me.

"Not particularly. I made this trip not knowing much of anything." She peeked up at me, a bout of shyness seemed to tangle her formerly brazen approach. "Now I know a little bit more."

"Do you?"

She nodded along with a smile before nibbling her bottom lip. "Mhmm."

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