Toasted Marshmallows (A Sweetly Novella)

10 | Skipping Stones

10 | Skipping Stones

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Birds chirping their morning songs.

An arm draped over me, tightening around my waist and pulling me closer to a wall of warmth against my back.

Steady, soft puffs of air tickling my neck.

A quiet hum of contentment in my ear.

Then the distinctive sound of a camera.

"Revenge is sweeter than Skittles," a familiar voice uttered with glee.

"They're waking up," a deeper voice warned. Then a pause. "What are you doing?"

"Taking a video. It's so much better than a pic. Amateurs."

I opened my eyes, blinking the restful sleep away. My groggy mind cleared enough to notice that I was face-to-phone, and my best friend was behind the lens. Her bright red hair and evil grin peeked out at me.

"I call this documentary 'Homo Sapiens Spooning in the Wild.'"

Wesley coughed from where he stood next to her, "That doesn't sound like a documentary, Reyna."

There was a dazed mumble about spoons and cereal behind me and then I felt something biting my hair.

The realization was like having a shot of espresso injected directly into my bloodstream. I tried to sit up, but a strong arm yanked me back down with a grumbled protest. I gaped when a nose burrowed against the skin between my neck and shoulder with a long inhale.

"Aww, he doesn't want to let go of his snuggly ferret," Reyna cooed as they watched the scene unfold.

"Ian!" I snapped just as I felt the lightest brush of his lips.

He woke up with a start and cried, "Is it a bear?! I didn't eat your porridge, I swear!"

"Shut up, Goldilocks," I groaned, finally able to shove his heavy arm off of me.

Ian sat up, squinting at Reyna and Wesley. Then after a yawn, he blinked and looked at me, "Are they real?"

"Unfortunately," I muttered, getting to my feet. "How did you guys find us?"

Reyna laughed at my question, so Wesley filled us in on the joke.

"We're on a hike. You guys are only about twenty minutes from the campsite."

"You're kidding, right?"

He shook his head with the ghost of a smirk. Wesley found it just as amusing as his girlfriend did, but he had the decency to be more discreet than her.

Once Reyna stopped cackling, she wiped her tears and asked how we got lost in the woods.

I told them about the flat tire and our adventure with the bear last night while Ian rolled up the sleeping bag. I obviously wasn't going to bring up the kiss, but it was obvious to Reyna that some details were left out. She didn't draw attention to it, but she did give me a 'we'll talk later' look.

With everything packed up, they led us to the campsite.

The tents were all set up in the surrounding area and I couldn't wait to sleep inside one of them, safe from bugs, bears, and big idiots. There was a fire pit in the center with extra wood and a few folding chairs placed around it. Two large coolers and sealed bags of nonperishable food were in the corner by a picnic table.

That was where my little sister and dad were sitting, but the mothers of our group must have been off on their own somewhere.

"Well, it's nice to see you aren't sick with worry over me," I announced my presence to my family.