36|No Going Back

~Kai~

I meant what I said, but I packed a tent just in case things went my way. I didn’t want to seem too eager, but a guy could hope, right?

Four solar lamps hang on the oak tree, casting pale yellow light on my task. I’ve assembled hundreds of tents in my lifetime, but this one is proving to be a testament to my abilities. My hands fumbled with the rods. I feared I might have ripped the material at some point, but I nonetheless secured the tent.

Benny sat crossed legs on the picnic blanket, hugging a pillow. The fire still burned. The orange glow illuminates the storm of emotions in her eyes.

Pausing at the edge of the blanket, I offered her a hand.

She stared at it, bit her lip, and a moment of hesitation crossed her face. She held all the reins tonight. It would suck if she changed her mind and chose to go home. I’d nurse the worst kind of blue balls in the history of mankind, but I’d do as she asked. She blinked it away and placed her hands in mine.

She had already cleared out th