Till The Stars Go Blue (Camren)

Chapter 14

DAY SIX

Lo stepped out just as the medium-sized black bear ambled past the tent. The bear whuffed and raised up on its hind legs. That's when Lo let fly with the first blast of gunfire. She put it right to the left of the bear since they wanted to keep it moving out and off to the right. Just about that time, Camila stepped clear of the tent and she fired Lo's Magnum.

The bear grunted and whirled. Unfortunately, it went left instead of right. Now Lo was faced with a bear that was, more or less, trapped. She put a slug into the tree beside it, again trying to wheel it back the other direction. It frantically scrabbled at the base of a tree, shredding bark in all directions before abandoning that idea.

Lo was about to let fly with another blast of buckshot when the bear finally got its wits and found sense enough to bolt for open territory. Lo didn't know that a bear could look so terrified. She imagined that it might have said the same about her. It all but flew across the open meadow and disappeared.

Shakily, she lowered the shotgun and pulled a shuddering breath.

Camila?

Fuck. She turned around and immediately started looking for Camila. She saw her on the ground just about two feet where she'd last seen her.

Now it was Lo's turn to fly. Her eyes were open but she wasn't moving

"Hey," Lo said gently.

To her massive relief, Camila took a deep breath and then looked at her.

"Are you hurt?" Lo asked, her eyes frantic.

Camila shook her head.

"Are you scared?"

Again, Camila shook her head.

"What are you doing then?" Lo asked, laughing nervously because it was either that or cry which wasn't much of an option for Lo.

Camila turned her head and pointed at Lo's Magnum which was nosed into the dirt about three feet away.

Lo put her hand over her mouth and turned away so Camila wouldn't see her laughing. She was still smiling when she turned back around.

"Recoil knocked you on your ass, didn't it?"

Camila nodded.

"Winded?"

Again, she nodded.

"I'm sorry." Lo said, biting her lip. "Really, I'm sorry. Come on, let's get you up." Lo helped Camila sit up and when she swatted her hands away, Lo let her scramble to her feet on her own. Lo brushed the dirt and dust off of her and then retrieved her gun. Aside from dirt in the barrel, it didn't seem worse for the wear.

"Where is it?" Camila asked, peering anxiously over Lo's shoulder.

"Gone," Lo said. "It didn't know what hit it."

"You didn't shoot it?" Camila asked.

"No," Lo said shaking her head.

The vile odor of bear was everywhere, musk, scat and who knows what else.

"Eww." Camila. said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Well I guess that answers that whole question about whether a bear goes in the woods, doesn't it?" Lo said with a nervous laugh. Her knees were still weak and wanted more than anything to sit down.

Camila was much better. Her nerves had leveled out and she was standing with one hand on her hip, surveying the damage. It was mostly just things scattered out and torn open. All things considered, it was negligible.

Lo started to giggle and couldn't stop. It wasn't that it was all that funny either. It wasn't until Camila wrapped her arms around her that she could finally stop.

They spent their last little bit of time until dawn sitting in front of the fire. Lo cleaned her Magnum while Camila slept with her head in her lap. The loaded shotgun was never beyond her easy reach.

XXXXXXX

Lo stood with her arms folded across her chest watching Camila pick through a mountain of just stuff.

"I don't know," Camila fretted, wringing her hands.

"Just take what you have to have and what you can't bear to part with and leave the rest. I'll come back for it. We just can't take it all right now."

"I don't know what I can bear – ha ha – to part with. What are you taking?" she asked.

Lo looked up like she was deep in thought, ticking off items on her fingers. After a few minutes she looked back at Camila.

"You," she said.

Camila stared at her wide eyed, then clutched her heart and fell over in the floor. Lo buffed her nails on her t-shirt and then rolled her eyes.

"When you've finished swooning, let me know. I'll be outside doing something useful,"

Camila waited until Lo walked away before she pulled her quilt over herself.

"Camila, get up!" Lo yelled from outside. Camila groaned underneath the blanket.

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Riding tandem on a horse might have been fine for short distances, but beyond that, it was nowhere near as romantic as it was cracked up to be.

Camila was hot, uncomfortable and bordering on cranky. She sighed and leaned back into Lo. Lo kissed her head.

"I know. This isn't very comfortable." Lo commiserated.

"It's fine," Camila lied with a soft smile.

"Well, listen to you Miss Team Player. I think it sucks. It's too hot. My butt hurts and you..." Lo said with a laugh, nuzzling Camila's neck.. "...are the only comfortable thing about it."

Camila giggled and brought her hand back to touch Lo's cheek.

"I can't believe this is almost over," Camila said.

Lo pursed her lips, wondering where this was going.

"How do we do this?" Camila asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Lo asked, puzzled.

"I mean, when we get back. I mean, obviously we would be closer now having spent so much time together but well, we're... much closer." Camila said, pointedly.

"Are you asking if it's okay that we act like we're... I don't know, together?" Lo said, still not sure where Camila was going with all this .

"I mean, I don't want to make things difficult for you. You do work here, after all." Camila explained.

"Oh, I think I see." Lo said, nodding. "Yes, I do meet clients at the Lodge and they do know me, professionally, but I don't work for them. Anything that may be between us is not going to be a problem for me, professionally."

At least she didn't think it would.

"Hmm" Camila answered.

"Is that what you were asking?" Lo implored.

"Somewhat," Camila said.

"Once we get back, my business obligations to your people have been fulfilled. You have your little report card and beyond that, any relationship we may have is nobody's business but our own."

"So I can still be affectionate with you?" she said finally getting to the heart of her concerns.

"You better be," Lo said right up against her ear. Camila beamed.