Page 64 of Fly with Me

Stella pulled out her phone.

“No selfie stick?” Olive asked playfully.

Stella rolled her eyes. The most openly sarcastic gesture Olive had ever seen her make. “Nope.”

They took several selfies with the light giving them that natural lens flare effect. It all looked perfect as Olive looked over Stella’s shoulder at the shots. Stella handed over the phone. Olive cropped the photos and then edited them, narrating each step of the process. When she finished, she offered the phone back to Stella.

“I just don’t know how you do that.” Frowning, Stella shook her head. “I can do the presets stuff, but somehow you just make the photos look more professional just by how you changed three things.”

“I took some photography classes, but honestly, I’m not really any good with that stuff. I don’t have the patience for it beyond the quick phone-app edits.” Olive looked away and pushed a hand in her pocket.

“You just have an eye for it, though.” Stella’s hand made the slightest of contact with Olive’s hand before pulling back. Olive followed the movements of Stella’s fingers, and then their eyes met.

The sounds of nature seemed to swell within the pause of their conversation. The breezes and birds filling the lingering silence between them.

“Do you… want to have snacks now?” Olive asked, rummaging in her backpack for her water bottle. Her mouth was too dry.

“Yes, please.” Stella’s voice was chipper, containing no evidence of the heat that stroke of her fingers had created in Olive.

Olive pulled out a thin picnic blanket and set out several colored Tupperwares containing trail mix and popcorn. Cut mixed veggies. Dark chocolate squares. Along with a yellow bag of Swedish Fish.

“This is a feast.” Stella beamed at her. “Can you be my new hiking partner always?”

Um. Yes.

“I’d like that.” Olive covered her gleeful reaction to Stella’s excitement by stuffing her mouth with trail mix.

They both settled themselves on the blanket and began munching. Stella confessed she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Nothing made Olive happier than feeding someone, so she smiled and pushed the trail mix and popcorn toward Stella. But when Stella started eating all the Swedish Fish, Olive tried to grab a few.

“Hey.”

“I have an addiction.” Stella held one in her teeth as she had in that photo from a few days ago. Her dimples on nearly explicit display.

“Wait. Leave that there.” Olive grabbed one of her own and picked up Stella’s phone and swiped to the camera. They both smiled goofily with the candy held in their mouths. “Post that one on Instagram.” Olive laughed.

“No way.” Stella giggled and reached for her phone to check out the photo. She swung her hair around. It had come loose from the bun and cascaded down her back for most of the hike. Now it thwacked Olive in the face.

“Ouch.” Olive poked Stella in the ribs.

Stella laughed harder. “Stop. I’m ticklish.”

“Oh, are you?” Olive smirked.

And somehow after a tangle of twisting limbs, they were both horizontal. They faced each other, their bodies close enough Olive could smell chocolate and cherry flavoring. They stayed there for several minutes, just breathing, a sudden quietness settling between them as their laughter stilled.

Olive could almost count Stella’s eyelashes from here.

“You get freckles after being out in the sun,” Stella said softly.

“Yeah, I do.” Olive wet her lips, her gaze drifting down to Stella’s mouth.

“I’m having fun today.” Stella’s voice was even quieter now.

“Me too.”

A soft pressure swept over Olive’s leg, gentle and unexpected. Stella’s leg? If Stella moved any closer, Olive would kiss her again. Her entire body seemed to ache to taste her, the memory of that kiss on the roller coaster making her lips tingle. So little space separated them. The increasing chill in the air made her warm breath even more welcoming as the sun dropped lower. Olive angled her head slightly.

The pressure on Olive’s leg changed. Olive looked down expecting to see Stella’s foot leaning against hers, but what was actually there was an enormous black snake.

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