Eva's Expedition

Chapter 23: A Quick Dip

"Stop eating all of the granola bars!"

Logan quickly stuffed the rest of his granola bar in his mouth before I could snatch it away from him.

He chuckled with puffy cheeks as I glared at him playfully.

"It's not my fault lunch is so far away," Logan whined.

I rolled my eyes and situated my heavy backpack on my back, "You'll survive."

"Hey Eva," he said in a serious, hushed tone.

"Yeah?" I paused and looked at him.

"Still walking funny?"

"Honestly!" I cried and shoved him, "You're impossible."

I turned and kept walking up the trail.

"Aw cmon Eva, its funny," Logan laughed behind me.

My cheeks were pink with embarrassment. It wasn't my fault I had been stiff and sore earlier this morning.

Logan had taken it as an enormous ego booster after I reassured him that he hadn't hurt me. Now he was having too much fun with it.

"Okay, okay," he sobered up, "I'm sorry. I'm done."

I smiled in relief, "Finally. Thank you."

He bumped me with his bag, "So, how much farther until we get to the river?"

I looked at the map in my hands, "Hmm about another hour or so."

After we'd gotten ourselves together this morning, Logan and I had changed, geared up and left the clearing on foot to hike to the river on the map. It was quite a ways away and seemed like fun.

We'd dumped on bug spray, ate a quick breakfast and left. Our objective was to get to the river, camp by it for a night and then get back to the truck tomorrow.

"Ugh," Logan grumbled as he swatted some bugs away from his face.

I rolled my eyes and tucked a fly away strand of my ponytail behind my ear, "Thought you were a southern nature boy or something."

"I am, but getting eaten alive by a swarm of- the fuck are these?!" He growled, still swatting at some biting flies.

I pulled out my bug spray and coated him in it, "Big baby."

"Am not!"

We kept walking for a while longer. I know I've said it for every destination, but this place was absolutely beautiful.

We'd obviously found a scenic trail. Brilliantly tall, leafy trees swayed gently above our heads.

Birds sang loudly and I would be annoyed, had I not grown up in an enormous city that had more annoying things than birds.

I was enjoying the day, even though it was sweltering and muggy. It didn't bug me as much as I figured it would.

"Hear that?" Logan stopped for a minute and grabbed my arm.

I looked around quickly, "What? Hear what??"

"That is..." he trailed off and looked at me with a grin, "Water! Race you!"

My mouth gaped as Logan sped off into the trees, "Wha- hey!"

I followed him and tried to keep my boots from hitting things on the trail, my heavy bag thumping my back as I tried to catch up with Logan.

I grinned as the trees thinned and Logan was the first to run out of the woods.

The river was just in front of him and he quickly dumped his bag. I got out of the tree line just as he stripped off his shirt, his pants, and to my embarrassment, his underwear too.