Love Letters to the Lost: A Camp Cretaceous Story

Chapter 6: An Interlude

The two of you sit in comfortable silence on the train. There are very few passengers at this hour, and you let your eyelids drift shut  as you lean against Ben's shoulder, the wool of his coat still damp from the rain earlier.

Ben reaches into his satchel for what must be the fifth time tonight, pulling out a box of carob juice. "I know it's not your favorite, but it's good for you."

You shake your head, smiling as you pierce the container with a straw and take a sip, slightly surprised that it does taste sweeter than you remember. "I am endlessly amazed at your magic bag."

Ben chuckles, sipping on his own juice. "It's nice, right? Kenji gave it to me."

"That rat!" You almost choke on the sweet liquid,. "Kenji's been in contact with you?"

Ben's eyes are wide with surprise, unsure about your reaction. "Um... kinda. Sometimes."

"Since when?" There's a distinct interrogation tone to your voice, but you ignore it.

"After I left on my trip, Darius sent me a package. There was something from everyone but you." Ben isn't looking at you anymore, focusing instead on picking at the ribbing in the cardboard juice box. "At first, I was a little hurt and wondered why. Like maybe you'd forgotten about me, but not long after I got your first letter."

The cogs in your mind started turning, trying to trace back when that would've been. "When was this exactly, Ben?"

"About two months ago."

That would be not long after Kenji started grilling the gang about Ben's whereabouts. He must've tracked him down.

"Every time I arrived in a new place there would be a letter from you within days. I had no idea how you knew where I would be—but when I was lonely and feeling disconnected, there they were. Your letters became a kind of lifeline for me."

Ben looked up at you briefly, but then went back to nervously examining the lettering on the juice box.

"Like I told you, I didn't know where you were—I was worried sick. We all were."

"I'm sorry, I know that was wrong. I just needed some space. Home was just... suffocating, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." And you do. You know that pain all too well. You press your fingers into the spot between your eyebrows, easing some of the tension that his words conjure up.

Ben slides his arm over your shoulder and it feels nice. Even better than a hug.

"When I read your letters, I saw that you were going through the same roller coaster I was. Maybe even worse."

You nod, and this time it's you who can't meet his eyes.

"But, Yaz, if you didn't send me those letters--how did I get them?"

You jump a bit, turning to face him. "Our sneaky conniving 'friends' must've come up with something. I'm sure of it! Hand me your bag."

He takes his arm away from your shoulder and you feel suddenly cold as he lifts off the satchel strap from around his torso and gives it to you. Your hand grazes against the soft, supple leather, feeling along the edges of every seem. Nothing. Lifting the outer cover, your hand inspects the inside with the same meticulousness, until finally you find one abnormality near the back pocket: the tiniest of bumps.

"I don't suppose you have a pocketknife and a flashlight on you."

He grins, "You already know the answer to that," handing her the Swiss army knife from his pocket while pulling out the light from his phone."

You make it a point not to let anyone on the train see the knife, since that would certainly invite trouble, instead, using it to snip the small threads along the inner pocket of the bag.

"Aha!"

You pull out the small square item and show it to Ben. He squints to see it. "A tracking device! Those dirty sneaks!"

But even as he says it the both of you laugh. "Brooklyn must've helped. She's the only one who would know how to do this."

Ben's arm lifts again, this time to put it back around your shoulder. "They really care about us, don't they?"

You smile, snuggling into his coat. "Of course. We're family."

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//

Of course Peter promised; and then he flew away. He took her kiss with him. The kiss that had been for no one else, Peter took quite easily. Funny. But she seemed satisfied.

//

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Author's note: A big thank you to those of you who have stayed to read until the end!

This is the end of part 1 from Yaz's point of view. The reason I haven't officially marked the story as "completed," is that I'm considering continuing the story from Ben's perspective.

Would you be interested in that? Let me know <3