WHAT ᴬᴮᴼᵁᵀ LOVE. 1M | 1F open!

[kay optimistic]

xxxxxxGENEVIEVE LOUISE DAMMINGxxxxxx

" SOMEBODY TURN THE LIGHTS ON, SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG. "

" I'D BE LYING IF I TOLD YOU LOSING YOU WAS SOMETHING I COULD HANDLE. "

Genevieve's eyes lay shut, as she lay beneath the thin canopy of her tent - half full, as she awaits for Milo to arrive. Last night had been lonely without him next to her to keep her warm. It had been the first night she had slept without him since she moved back in with him from her parents' place. She was actually quite terrified of that night, dreading it. She thought it would bring back memories of when she slept alone at her parents - angry, terrified, and confused. Ultimately, though, it simply felt strange. She didn't have that anger within her anymore, it wasn't burning inside her like an uncontrollable fire. It was still there, no doubt, but now it merely sizzled at the floor of her heart as resentment - it wasn't pure anger. The confusion and terror still gripped her, specifically at times like this. Times when she had a moment alone - when Amelia wasn't tugging at the hem of her skirts, Milo wasn't there to distract her from her thoughts, and when she didn't have an assignment for work. It was times like this that sizzle tugged at her, reminding her that she wasn't ready to forgive yet. She wasn't ready for much of anything right now because she was terrified of what making a choice would do. If she chose to forgive, would it happen again? If she never let it go and forever let that flame return, would she ever be completely happy again?

Genevieve sat herself up, stretching and yawning, as she brought herself out of the restive state she had been in. She knew everyone else was still awake, she heard the rustlings and speech of her friends from outside of her tent. She had actually been awake for about two hours. She just couldn't bring herself to get up and join them. She rarely got time like this - calm quiet, peace. Her night had felt so strange without Jamie, after all that had happened, she felt off. She couldn't explain it, but she didn't want to get up and walk out of her tent to approach them. Like, maybe, just maybe, they could see it in her face - the sadness that resided in her, the fear she had at the realization that without him there she still could get up and go on without him. There was a time - around the time of the engagement - when she couldn't imagine a night without him keeping her warm, that he was the wheel that kept her moving forward. He kept her strong; he pushed her to be a good mother, a better writer, a kinder lover. When she slept at her parents she had the anger to distract her from his absence, it consumed her then and took her attention from really understand how she was feeling. She was focusing so much on keeping Amelia happy and being angry at him that she didn't realize how getting up in the morning was still easy, even when he wasn't there to wake her up with a kiss. It was a strange realization, and she wasn't sure if she was completely over analyzing seeing as it had just been one night - she would see him in an hour or two if he was sticking to the plan - and he would be back next to her tonight.

To be honest, though, they really had been doing better since they started therapy. Their passion was returning and they both learned the importance of talking their feelings out but, still, that unfamiliarity was still there. He would still hesitate to hug her sometimes; afraid she would pull away like she had so many times in the past year. And she would suddenly get angry over the stupidest things, even on their good days. She would be feeling so happy, and feel that connection they were known for - their unconditional, unfathomable, overpowering love - that she hadn't felt for a while. She would suddenly recognize that feeling and just be so. angry. that he had taken that away from them. Something that once was second nature to them now was just a passing sensation - a remembrance, a moment. That is really where her anger lay still and why she was afraid it would never fade. It wasn't that he had cheated; it was how it had changed them. They had something so beautiful, so pure, so fulfilling and now she felt like a shell - a fragile shell dropped from a roof that just increased speed towards its impending impact; its bone-shattering, life altering end.

Ginny rubbed her face with her hands, determining it was probably about time she get her Asian a** out of this tent. She rolled over to her small suitcase, shoved into the corner of the tent. She pulled out her bright yellow swimsuit, tugging it on after undressing from her baggy pajama shirt she had always slept in since her first night in college. It was a tattered up, NYU shirt that once was pristine and bright. Now, there were holes in the sleeves and numerous stains from late night studying with a bowl of spaghetti-o's. She should have thrown it long ago, but she can't bear to throw it out - so comfy, with so many memories stitched into its seams. She continued to rifle through her suitcase, finding her selected outfit. She tugged on the striped shorts and cropped top, plopping her delicate sunglasses onto her straight hair. She hopped up, brushed herself off, snatched up her small book, and finally left the confines of her tent. She zipped up he tent behind her and turned towards the main area of the site, seeing the others fumbling about in their own worlds. She did dearly love all of them; they had been with her through at all. And whether they agreed with her decisions in her relationship with Milo or not, they still loved the both of them dearly. They all had their faults, their strengths, and their weaknesses. But they all had each other, and that was what had kept them all moving. They all had been through so much, some more than others, but they all had made it through with the help of each other. She wouldn't give that up for the world.

She smiled and waved at those who notice her entrance into the real world and out of the small world she had created in her small, half full tent. She wasn't quite in the mood to talk and act all cheery just yet though. She pulled her shoulders up from there slump, tucking the chunky book under her arm, and turned in the direction of the river. She could hear the rushing of water from the site, there had found an extremely good site here. She walked herself to the rivers edge, taking in a deep breath of fresh air - she needed this, they all needed this. She took a seat on a rock at the edge of the river. She stuck her feet into the rushing water, the chill of it hitting her skin and rushing up her veins. She smiled at the feel of it, as her body heat altered to equalize itself. She pulled the book up to her face and leaned back against the rock, letting herself be taken over by the words. It was Charles Dickens, her favorite writer. Her goal was to read all of his books, every single last page, to Amelia as long as she would let Ginny do it. She loved reading to Amelia. It was such an amazing experience for Ginny, a girl with so much reverence for the written word - how with just a few letters smashed together, a story so wonderful and captivating could emerge to flip your life upside down. It was a certain type of magic specific to those who will listen.

Ginny pulled the book open to her current spot, lifting her eyes to read the wondrous black scribbles written on the fading paper. Ginny never bought books new. She believed that if you were going to read a story you couldn't just start fresh like that - the reading of the book is not just black ink on paper, it's an emotional, all encompassing practice. To read a book, the book must have its own story specific to its folded, torn, and spoiled pages. A book with no style, history, or character was not to be trusted in Ginny's eyes. She thought the whole "new book smell" thing was extremely overrated. It was the imprints of others’ lives on her books that she loved. If it been used, over read, and aged enough to have a life so long to wear it down, that was a good book - a love book, one that had played a role in someone else's life, someone Ginny may never know. To Ginny, an old, beat up book was one of the most underrated treasures of the world. She hummed as she read on, getting through a few chapters as the river runner through her toes and the breeze rubbed up against her skin.

After a decent amount of time Ginny finally pulled her eyes from the pages and sat herself up, pulling her toes from the water. Her toes crinkled like raisins, having been left in the water too long. She smiled at the simplicity of it, and how predictable the human body could be. If only the human heart could be as easily predictable. She finally pulled herself up from the rock and made her way back to the campsite, spotting Sam. She smiled at her closes friend, the one she held the most love for. Andrea was the one Ginny could completely, unequivocally rely on without a doubt. There was no hesitation there; they were soul-sisters (as Genevieve always jokingly called them). She waved as she came up to her, embracing her friend. "Andrea! Ah, such an amazing day for our hike. I haven't heard from Milo yet about where he's at, but I assume he'll be here soon" she said, her eyes dropping slightly at the mention of his name. If anyone truly knew Ginny's inner struggle with her relationship it was Sam. Sam was Ginny's rock, the one who kept her sane and kept her feet completely on the ground when even Milo couldn't bring her back. Ginny brought her eyes back up to her friends and forced a smile, "I'm ready to see the waterfall, got my swimsuit on and everything!" she said, pulling down a shoulder of her shirt to display the bright yellow strap. "You sleep well?" she asked perkily, though in her head she finished it, "because I didn't ..."

I xCAN'T xFORGIVE
OUTFIT | | MODEL | | CAMPSITE | | " WHERE IS HE ? "

[the steel stringbean]

S OX N O W XI ' MX H E A D I N GX D O W NX AX B A C KX R O A D,X T H EX O N EX T H A TX N OX O N EX R E A L L YX T A K E S
'C E P TX F O RX M EX N O WX T OX B EX N O W H E R E XW H E N XT H A TX E A R L Y XM O R N I N G XB R E A K S

Throwing itself across the natural wonders of Colorado, the morning sun cast its warm, bright glow on the seemingly serene campsite before it. Enhancing the quiet campsite, vertical rays of daybreak dissolved off into the close distance. Looking up towards the sky, Braden breathed a sigh of relief. Admittedly, the clear deep blue skies were a welcome change of pace from the grey smog that shrouded the city. Along with the crisp breeze of morning air passing by in the comforting twilight, made the morning seem all too surreal. The remote location provided a sense of undeniable comfort and security. Oftentimes, at home, Braden would feel far too disconnected just by the mere sight of a crowded subway or the daunting lines outside any given coffee shop. And while the crack of dawn, with the backdrop of architectural masterpieces, was inarguably gorgeous, morning in the city simply implied another new day to wake up at a painfully early hour to waste away by engaging in monotonous, meaningless activities (read: work) while clutching styrofoam cups of low quality coffee because their daily performance depended on their morning caffeine intake. Or at least that was the mindset of most individuals that populate the city. Fortunately, in Braden's profession, he wasn't necessarily required to complete assignments or tasks on anyone's schedule aside from his own (and occasionally, Terri's), which was an admittedly nice luxury to afford. So to him, daybreak meant another day to rise with a smile. Another day to experience life, or what most of his friends referred to as 'wasting time' (but Braden didn't see any of them to the New York Times bestsellers list, so ******** that). Two completely different, distinct sets of ideologies that exist on the same street but are rather unlikely to ever intersect.

As luck would have it, Braden happened to be romantically involved with the ******** ring leader of the prior ideology (to which he refers to her affectionally as the mayor of crazytown), complete with hyper-rationality and an unwavering work ethic. Braden liked to think that he provided some semblance of emotional grounding and a much-needed chill vibe to her life. . .even if Terri could've probably found that in conceivably any other guy. He definitely enjoys basking in the small victories of life. In the short-lived moments where Braden could make Terri forget about the enormous duress and tension in her that he felt like she really shined the most. The nights he enjoyed the most were when they could just spend some time together and hang out (and as of late, if he could get her to put her phone down for more than five minutes, he would be elated); when he got to be her world for the night.

What a ******** p***y, right?

Braden would readily agree that his behavior could be considered unusual for a person who was more apt to screw around than study, seldom did much more than party, and had a tendency to sleep around. Although he would like to attribute his somewhat 'reformed' behavior, to simply growing up and maturing, it wouldn't necessarily be the entire truth, considering that most people reduce him to an overgrown eight year old. As lame as it sounds, he was addicted to being in love. He got off on that s**t. It's better than anything he's ever snorted, smoked, or injected. Surprisingly. He considered himself lucky since his relationship had fallen into his lap without needing to look for emotional stability or any of that other introspective bullshit romantically unsatisfied adults look for. It was definitely peculiar, but a welcome change in his life. Much like the change of scenery from New York to Colorado. Braden was suddenly rejuvenated with energy. He had woken up early with no complaints - even though he would never be classified as a morning person - and almost felt like writing his next novel. Almost being the key word. No such luck yet, though.

Abruptly snapped out of his daze, Braden turned his head towards the sight of two attractive women rock climbing nearby. Or rather attempting to climb. From the looks of it, they couldn't tell the difference between a figure-eight with a follow through and a bowline. A pained expression took over Braden's facial features as he watched them struggle for a little bit before a bout of paranoia took over in that he felt the need to make sure they were following the proper climbing conventions for safety purposes. "Hey, babe," he started, putting his hand on the small of Terri's back, "I'm gonna head over there and help them out. Just to make sure they don't accidentally kill themselves while climbing." He said while gesturing in the direction of the climbers. "I've heard death is bad for your health," he commented nonchalantly with a playful smile. "Feel free to come with me if you want to learn about tying knots and belaying," Braden commented, fully expecting her to stay, given the not-so-exciting description, but to his surprise she decided to accompany him. Though her reaction was somewhat strange (normally she would mumble something unintelligible in his direction about being too busy), he thought nothing of it. "Awesome, let's go," he said while a foolish grin made itself apparent on his face.

"Hey," he started off slowly while walking towards the pair and was greeted with pleasant, attentive smiles, "I couldn't help but notice you two were having some issues with belaying. Could I possibly be of assistance?" He inquired, genuinely concerned for their safety, not wanting them to think he was some sleazy douche trying to pick them up or be demeaning simply due to their gender. "Yes, please. A refresher would be fantastic," the more attractive of the two women started off, "The anchors should be fine since we got someone else to put it up." Any sense of anxiety he had in approaching them was alleviated. "Sweet," he said while grabbing the rope. Within minutes he taught the pair how to tie a figure eight follow through and then how to use the ATC to belay the other individual. "Lookin' good," he said while high fiving the more attractive climber, whose name he learned to be Sarah, that had just ascended the route. "Ow," he muttered under his breath as looked down at his arm and then back up at Terri with a confused expression. . .did she just pinch him? Perhaps that was her non-verbal, passive aggressive method of asking commanding him that they should leave. "It was nice meeting you two, but we should probably head out." Before him and Terri could head back to the campsite, Sarah decided to speak up, "Do you think we could get your number? Just in case we have more questions?" Seemed reasonable enough. Climbing was some dangerous s**t. Braden didn't think much of it. "Yeah, for sure," he said while receiving her phone and entering his contact information. "There you go. I'm not sure if I'll have reception, but don't hesitate to ask about anything or if you wanna go climb later on," he said with a smile and a curt nod. "Thanks. We'll definitely hit you up to climb. . .or whatever else you're into," she trailed off, looking down at the screen to read his name, "Braden Laubach."

At the sound of his name, her quieter friend immediately perked up. "Wait, like, the author?" Braden could feel heat rise up to his cheeks as a red tint spread across his face. He never really got used to people associating him with his book, oddly enough. Exchanging a quick glance with Terri, "Yep, that would be me." Her jaw was slightly agape as she stared in awe. "Would you mind if I took a picture with you? It would mean so much to me and my husband," she started off, her voice shaky with excitement, "we actually met at a book club for your book. And then after the midnight premiere of the movie, he proposed to me." Braden's eyes widened in excitement and a broad grin came across his face. Needless to say, he was beyond stoked to hear something like this. "No way! That's so dope! That's probably the coolest story I've ever heard! I would love to take a picture with you," he responded back with the same level of genuine excitement.

After taking the picture, she took it upon herself to ask a few questions about the book. "So, I just have a couple questions - if you have time to answer them." Braden nodded slowly, hoping they wouldn't be too brutal. There was a reason why he had been bumming it, as of late, after his book signing tour. "I'm sure people ask you this all the time, but was there ever, y'know, a girl that you met at the airport and spent the night talking with?" Braden chuckled and exchanged a knowing glance with Terri before responding cooly with his well-rehearsed answer, "I think everything I write has a little bit of me and my past experiences in it." Very vague. Doesn't give anything away. Not very helpful. Exactly how he liked it. Screw the convention of giving everyone answers to everything, that's some stifling bullshit. If readers had questions, he figured they could fill in the blanks with their own ideas. "Are there any plans for a sequel?" With that question an all too familiar sense of anxiety rushed in and dampened the light mood while his heart felt like it sank to the ground. He absolutely loathed that question because it was the cause of all of his relationship problems with Terri. Almost instantaneously he adverted his gaze to the ground like a dog that was about to get physically abused. His smile briefly faltered before regaining composure. Get a ******** grip. Braden casually shrugged, "I haven't started on a sequel yet, but nothing's off the table!" Another vague answer. It was nearly impossible to get anything concrete out of him. "Well, if there is no sequel. Do you think the two ever meet again?" Now that was a question he could answer. . .kinda. "Well, it honestly depends on what type of person you are. I guess, if you're an optimist, then sure. They do meet again. If you're a pessimist, then you'll realize the chances of them meeting again are highly unlikely, so they probably see each other again," he answered while intertwining his fingers with Terri's. "If that's it, I'll catch you guys later. Feel free to text me about climbing s**t." As they turned around to walk away, the woman asked about one more thing, "Wait, so what do you think happens? Do you think they'll see each other again?" With that Braden chuckled - he kind of loved keeping people in the dark, it was weird as ******** but oddly fulfilling - and cast a glance Terri's way before answering, "I sure as hell hope they do."

After walking out of earshot, Braden exclaimed, "How ******** weird was that? That was crazy! We did that, we basically built their relationship! We're like. . .******** superheroes!" In his mind at least, Terri was already some sort of superhero since she was already saving people, so maybe now he could be her dorky (but lovable) sidekick? With the broad grin still apparent on his face. He was far too happy than he should be for realizing that he did have fans (or a fan). "I know it's silly and super illogical, but I always forget that other people have read my book." It was never meant to be anything more than a personal account of the most low-key, productive adventure of his life. "I can't get over how cool that was."

ooc; not proofread and kinda shitty but shitty post > no post?

[Smile C I E L]

xxxx

______________________________________________________


Of all the places he could be right now, in the wilderness was not where Gavin would’ve chosen. If he felt he had full control over his circumstances, he never would’ve agreed to this. Where most of his friends at least appeared to view this as a relaxing reprieve from the chaos of the city, he saw the opposite. The hustling and bustling of constant choices, the constant lights of man’s own creation; shelter and stability, that separated one from being entirely at nature’s mercy. That knowledge of being three steps away from bread, eggs and tea—now that was comforting. Sending oneself back two centuries seemed not only pointless, but dangerous. There was such a variety of threats outside of his door that, in his own small way, he saw the reasoning behind agoraphobia.

Still, in spite of how vehemently against the very purpose of camping Gavin happened to be, he’d come. He’d essentially had to beg on bended knee to get the time off of work for this. His supervisor never would’ve granted this much time to him, either, were it not for the one factor in his life which Gavin was so determined to ignore that even his narration wouldn’t state it directly. Here he was, in the woods, protecting himself from the outdoors by living inside a hut of metal sticks and a material suspiciously similar to that of a painting tarp.

It truly was a testament to his devotion that he’d do something so stupid to himself and only complain about it sixty percent of the time, or so he would’ve claimed himself. It was a much more dependable indication of how Gavin actually was that, barely fifteen minutes after he’d woken up, he’d marched around their campgrounds with his mobile phone in hand and kept wandering until he’d found a patch with cell reception.

At that exact moment, Gavin was standing on top of a rock. He supposed the view of endless green and the faint rush of water trickling downstream nearby was supposed to be impressive. The slightest breeze sent the trees into a frenzy, and the hills certainly seemed to be rolling. The splendor of a world untouched by Starbucks barely drifted in the same vicinity as his mind, though. He was much too distracted by the smartphone pressed up against his ear and the information streaming through it. He turned his head slightly, as if he could get the message to change by altering his position, and his eyes squinted with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

”The results were what…? For Ms. Calahan? The one with the protrusion you kept insisting needed a second hat? Her? Really?” Gavin asked back. He paused just long enough for his colleague on the other line took right back off on their panicked tangent. Gavin cleared his throat and waited for an opportunity to jump in. ”No. No. Check the next column, there may’ve been an error with the data entry--” he couldn’t even finish his sentence before the voice on the other line started arguing right back. Gavin’s hand crept up with the intention to pinch the bridge of his nose. His hand hovered a few inches above the spot, not quite managing it. ”Or with the test, then?”

Even when he was out of the office, Gavin couldn’t stop working. That was one of the many things aside from becoming a hypochondriac that was a side-effect of being a doctor. People didn’t get to take vacations from being sick. Even when he wasn’t officially at work, his colleagues still were, and when they were handling his cases, he couldn’t stop, either.

”Lacey, look. At the wall, I suppose, since we’re on the phone and my face isn’t much of an option for looking. If you think the results were interfered with, you’ll have to tell one of the attending doctors, not just me. If you were to proceed without it, we’d be open to liabilities later if something went wrong. Wright isn’t going to side with you, but Monaghan’ll respect it, at the very least. Three days of endless paperwork and death glares or someone else’s life being at risk. Think of it from that perspective… no, I’ve never heard of anyone dying from paper cuts. I suppose it’s possible theoretically, but I’m pretty sure it’d take a level of intention that’d either involve torture or a really odd suicide. You’re safe if you want to be safe,” he tried to encourage her as much as possible. For about three seconds of silence on the other line, Gavin had almost thought the plan had worked. By the fourth second, that pause proved a fluke, because Lacey started right over again.

Gavin switched his cell phone to press against his other ear. He swayed slightly against the rock to be as comfortable as possible when the side of his face was sweating from the contact. ”I’m sorry. I’ve got to go. Venture forth into the land of no reception. My wife’s the reigning monarch there right now. I’d best not…” he tried to explain, only to get overtaken again. It was such a recurring pattern that the frustration only made him smile. ”If the suicide talk returns, can I suggest you not mention it around the patients, or Wright? Especially Wright. Great. Go. Call me back in a few hours. Seventy five to odds that I can’t answer, but I’ll try as much as the mobile towers do. Bye.”

Before there was an opportunity for Lacey’s nervous rambling to set Gavin off on the same again, Gavin hung up. He wiped the screen of his phone against the left leg of his shorts, glimpsed at the battery and put it in his pocket for now. He rolled his shoulders, both to stretch and to adjust the straps of his backpack without bothering to touch them, bent over as far as he could and carefully climbed down from the rock. He’d barely been three feet off of the ground. It was close enough that he could’ve easily hopped it, yet Gavin had crouched down enough that his butt was touching the top of the rock, then stretched a leg down to support himself.

When he thought that he wasn’t cut out for exploring the outdoors, there was a reason behind it other than the heavy layer of sunscreen he’d already had to apply today. He really didn’t have the confidence to know what he was doing, nor did he feel comfortable when he saw the great open space ahead, and no one around him. Only the calls of work and nature were compelling enough to make him step away on his own. Maybe it was cowardice, or perhaps practicality. Gavin wanted to believe it was both. It was mostly cowardice, but it was informed cowardice, shaped by the better part of a decade of studying and treating people who had done far less reckless things in the name of fun.

It was a mercy of circumstance, then, that Gavin had barely walked what he thought the equivalent of a block would have been before he’d heard a familiar voice. Gavin followed the tone and footsteps around one of the many clusters of trees to spot the source’s backs. Even in the middle of what Gavin considered nowhere, he knew that voice all too well.

”There’re other people out here? How did you see them and I didn’t? Is it a sixth sense situation, or am I just blind to life that isn’t making chlorophyll right now?” Gavin asked to Braden and Terri’s backs in place of a hello. It barely took him two seconds of spotting a reaction to immediately backpedal, both in taking a step away and in retracting his words with a ”Nevermind. I don’t need an answer. Waste of words.”

Based on what he’d heard, Gavin correctly assumed that Braden and Terri had gone off to do something on their own. If he hadn’t completely lost his sense of direction, it also seemed like they were heading back to the campsite, which let Gavin believe he wasn’t being invasive by sticking around and asking something he could genuinely have used the answer to. ”Terri. Any plans for what we’re doing in the moderately impressive outdoors today? I had to step away before I got to hear, or see, or, any kind of perception that could’ve told me a ruddy thing.”



___________________________________________________________________________________

xxx

[ where ? || outdoors, away from site ] [ who ? || braden and terri ] [ feeling ? || anxious as always ] [ outfit ]

[WonderSqueaks]

The smell of cooking poultry - chicken? or maybe turkey? Go into the kitchen to find out what's going on and what's cooking; hungry and mouth watering at even the thought of having some nice, juicy bird meat. Eerie noises of clanking and crashing coming from the kitchen. Hesitate by the edge of the wall that is hiding whatever is in the kitchen making such a racket. Take a peek around the corner and see one of those aliens from the movie Aliens vs. Predators in a frilly pink apron standing behind the counter, facing in the other direction. It's making those clicking noises and clinking a wooden spoon in a pot on the stove. The kitchen timer on the stove starts to go off and it presses its spiked finger rather comically against the off button before going back to the pot. It puts on a pair of blue oven mitts before opening the oven door and pulls out the dish that was inside. It turns around, revealing a Xenomorph's head with an apple in its mouth laying on the platter, garnished with greens.

Tweet, tweet, tweet-ally tweet. Birds chirping, pecking, and flapping around. The noises of nature filled every ounce, angle, and every single inch of the depths of the woodsy area that surrounded them. If you listened closely, you could hear a couple of chipmunks mating. Every where you looked - trees, trees, and more trees. The smells was refreshing, the sounds were invigorating, and the sights were something to behold; things of powerful beauty... too bad they weren't the main focus at the moment, had someone not been sleeping the day away. With drool trickling out of the corner of her mouth and down the side of her face, messy hair that was starting to tangle into a bird's nest, and her limbs in painful positions that would lead to the feeling of dead weight when she finally decided to wake up, Terri was still asleep in her tent. The others were probably already getting up and eating breakfast, stretching their limbs and aching backs after having to sleep on the hard ground in their small a** tents. How do two people even fit comfortably in one of those things? Let alone sleep in it. The reason for her delayed awakening: she was having trouble sleeping at night, despite being exhausted. The noises from outside their tent were too distracting and the bugs that accompanied the nature and outdoors package were starting to become unbearable. Imagine staring at the dark 'ceiling' of a tent for hours on end until you finally managed to pass out and you've got the gist of what last night was like for Terri. But it was to be expected; she hadn't been sleeping all too well lately, and frankly, camping isn't exactly a cake walk, especially if you rarely ever do it.

Groggily, the zombie within the human burrito sack stretched out its limbs before opening a pair of puffy, blue eyes. She yawned heavily in attempt to release the powerful grip sleep had held on her. Terri looked to her side to see her man bear had up and left her, probably to go eat food. Food. The word woke up the feeling in her stomach as it gargled and groaned at her with a feeling that made her think it was trying to eat itself due to the lack of food. Hopefully she could stand eating something today, because she was absolutely starving. Terri had started unzipping the sleeping bag and freed her legs from her burrito shell before turning to a small bag in the corner near the tent 'door.' In a quick motion, she salvaged her mighty hair brush and began taming the beast that was her hair. It was a battle between trying not to rip hair out her scalp and unraveling the knots and tangles. When she finally managed to comb out the mess, she pulled the bag closer while tossing the brush back in and took out a compact to touch up her face a bit with some makeup (ie. covering up the red, puffy mosquito bite on her cheek). Back in the corner the bag went now that she was done with its contents. Now, to put on some pants and join the outside world, for our dear girl's choice in pajamas was just an old t-shirt she stole from her dear beloved Brady's closet and never gave back. Terri shimmied on a pair of pink shorts and tugged on her shoes before unzipping the tent and poking her head out to look around.

Scanning... scanning... scanning... No Braden in sight. At least, not in the direction she was facing. Terri looked around briefly for the familiar face, not giving much notice or care for the others that happened to be within eye sight. If he had wandered off, it was probably going to be a while before she'd see him around camp. With that in mind, she snatched her sketch pad and pen from inside her suitcase and climbed out of the tent, stretching her arms above her head and giving out a soft squeak. Time to go into the wilderness and find a nice, cozy spot to sit down and begin drawing. I was one of the things she had put on her to do list. To take inspiration from her surroundings and take advantage of what this place had to offer -- whether it be the scenery or collecting bits of the forest to take home as memento's. Twigs and leaves crunched under her feet as she traveled a few feet away from the tent to go sit on one of the drier boulders that sat near the river's edge. It was peaceful and serene. The water swirling and splashing; on a journey of its own. If you stared long enough, you could see little fish swimming in some of the calmer parts of the river.

Terri tapped the pen against her lip tepidly, casting her gaze across the river to the other side where trees grew thick and blended together the farther she looked. Her thumb pressed against the edge of the sketch pad to flip it open to a clean page. Smoothing over the pages with her open palm, she started to stencil out the head of an owl, having drawn inspiration from the birds she could vaguely see flying around between the trees and chirping loudly. She sat on her rock like this for a while, carefully inking out the texture and details of its head. But only for a while. She was interrupted by the sight of someone joining her at the riverbed a few feet away from the corner of her eye. A brief glance in that direction was all it took for Terri to feel the need to relocate. She gripped her drawing pad tightly before heaving herself up off the boulder and venturing back towards the camp to go sit down on one of the log benches that marked their campsite on their arrival. Terri took a second to look over what she had done so far; the left side of her owl's head was coming out rather nicely. Continuing where she left off, she began to tune out the rest of the world. It was when a pair of manly arms draped over her shoulders that she snapped out of her daze. A meek smile found its way across her lips as she leaned back and pressed her head against Braden's chest and shoulder, slightly squishing their cheeks together. The drawing pad grew second of her attention as she closed it and looked at Braden only to be pulled off by the hand to go adventuring.

The two shuffled off down a dirt trail hand-in-hand. Not a word was said for the time that it took them to come upon a small cliff a ways off, visible through a clearing in the trees. Terri's attention turned to the flowers growing off to the sides of the path they were walking down as she began to crouch down and selectively pluck them off. She stuck a few into her drawing pad, the rest she fiddled with while Braden carried on with whatever it was he was doing. However, it only took a few minutes before he brought it to Terri's attention that there were other people and that it was them he was focused on, not her. The bitter taste of the tinge of jealousy and possessiveness she had quickly developed would only grow stronger. She stalked behind the tall male as he valiantly strode over to the two women who were dumb enough to pull such a dangerous stunt, pretending that her full attention was on the flowers she held in her hand as she braided them together. But no, she was half focused on what was being said and half focused on wanting to leave, questioning how long it would take for him to coach them about rock climbing and what it was they were doing wrong and how "not to get killed," as he had put it so cheekily. Stealthily and swiftly, she flung her small, pale hand up towards one of Brady's arms and gave him a good pinch, signalling for the lesson to done and over with now that he had fixed their fancy rope. Thankfully, she had gotten her message across, but as they were starting to leave, Sarah decided to open her mouth. It was an unexpected surprise, her asking for his phone number. Was she not there? Was this dumb b***h blind or something? The nerve of her. Terri had half a mind to grab hold of his arm all sweet like; spell it out to little miss flirtatious that he was taken and his girlfriend was standing right next to them. Or, well, technically behind.

Terri spent the next few minutes staring the woman down, giving her a slight death glare. What the hell was she getting at? "Whatever else you're into." The cloud of a jealous rage was swelling up inside her. She was slightly pissed off at Braden for agreeing to give her his phone number, especially with her right there to see him do it. Sadly, she wasn't about to pick a fight with him over it given the circumstances. She just wanted to be alone with him right now, but instead she had to deal with him giving his attention away to some random slut and a coincidentally found fan girl. A proposal, huh? If things worked out fine and they managed to continue with their lives happily, would Braden ever propose to her? She racked her brain about it, beating herself up over why he wouldn't and why he shouldn't. She wasn't any good for him, was she? Cheating aside, they spent half the time fighting and tip toeing around egg shells. Her for not wanting to upset him, much like he had gotten over the mention of writing another book, and he for what she could only guess for similar reasons. Perhaps so he didn't have to deal with her getting upset with him and staying that way. Nag, nag, nag, nag, nag. He needed to work on something, even if it's not a sequel. Even if it wasn't another book. He needed to make use of himself and not sit around on his butt doing nothing, taking advantage of what he had. Not that he did that. Terri just wanted to keep him some what in reality.

Finally, they were done chatting up their storm, the frenzy of questions having stopped just as Braden took hold of her hand and quickly hauled a** off in the opposite direction. His extreme giddiness over their love story was slightly irritating, but she was glad that 1.) leaving and 2.) he wasn't extremely bummed out about being reminded of the sequel he had no intentions of writing, at least not any time soon. "We're like. . .******** superheroes!" "Maybe I'll make us some capes and face masks when we get home." She said while tossing her now finished daisy chain onto his head. A facetious remark mostly, but she wouldn't put it past herself to actually do so. At least, not for him. She could imagine him wearing it like there wasn't anything wrong with it. "I know it's silly and super illogical, but I always forget that other people have read my book." It made her think about how she had carried one of his first copies with her everywhere she went, occasionally reading it from start to finish, but mostly just to stare at a few passages that meant a lot to her. He had no idea. The only way he would know is if he had dug through her purse and had taken off the book cover she had placed on it. Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of a familiar voice, one that wasn't too enthusiastic and made her feel slightly uncomfortable. She knew far too well that Gavin wasn't the sort of person who would make the notion or decision to leave civilization to go camping. "Any plans for what we’re doing in the moderately impressive outdoors today?" "No, not really. The others might want to go visit the famous 'Falls' or something along those lines." She told him plainly.

There was a list of things they could do there; they could hike or fish or go canoeing/kayaking or bird watch or go swimming. They could light a fire in the pit later when it gets dark and tell ghost stories, roast marshmallows, throw in one of those fire crystals that makes the fire different colors that she'd brought with. She even brought a few campfire pie irons for grilling sandwiches. It was all intriguing to her and she couldn't wait to do all of the things she had in mind, but Gavin's question was the "now" part, and she didn't know exactly what they were planning on doing, especially if it involved the others. They would just have to figure it out, for all she could do was stare at him and not give him an actual answer.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
< outfit link

[the steel stringbean]

S OX N O W XI ' MX H E A D I N GX D O W NX AX B A C KX R O A D,X T H EX O N EX T H A TX N OX O N EX R E A L L YX T A K E S
'C E P TX F O RX M EX N O WX T OX B EX N O W H E R E XW H E N XT H A TX E A R L Y XM O R N I N G XB R E A K S

"So down," Braden responded with a grin to Terri's seemingly frivolous comment regarding superhero costumes. Braden had been far too busy thinking of a fairly descriptive yet catchy superhero name to take notice of Terri's obvious irritation. Hell, he wasn't even sure what superpower he would have. Perhaps he should take the batman/iron man route by relying on natural athletic ability and intelligence (read: money)? s**t, he hadn't even begun to think of what his super suit would look like. Or the color scheme. Definitely something with blue - that s**t brought out his eyes. At least, that's what Terri told him a couple of times.

Although he didn't take note of the annoyance on Terri's face, he could distinctly register the who the irritated voice belonged to. Even though it couldn't be more apparent that he wasn't necessarily enjoying himself, hearing his Gavin's voice made Braden's face instantly light up. He was well-accustomed to Gavin's incessant bitching and moaning rambling (they used to be roommates, after all). To this day, it still never failed to amuse him. Truthfully, it was one of Brady's favorite things about Gavin. Good old Sergeant Stiffypants. "You seem thrilled to be here," he teased, wondering how exactly Lia had convinced Gavin to venture off from the city and go camping. While he would like to believe Gavin decided to grace them with his presence because of his tight-knit bromance with Braden (forever and ever, bromen), even he wasn't narcissistic enough to think that. Whatever. He was just happy that they were both here. Gavin because he could always keep Brady's ADD self entertained and Lia because it was ******** Colorado and marijuanna was legal for recreational purposes. If she thought for a second that Braden wouldn't pester politely convince her to come out of stoner retirement with him (it had unfortunately been quite some time since his last sesh), then she really didn't know him at all. Of course, they would keep it clandestine because Braden was addicted to the secrecy of getting high as much as the altered mental state (it was ******** up to the point that sometimes he convinced himself that he wasn't incredibly faded after dabbing). Lia was one of the few people Braden enjoyed lighting up with because he felt as though most individuals didn't appreciate the experience past 'whoa holy s**t I feel ******** up, this is so chill, man.' Nor did those individuals respect stoner etiquette. ******** those people.

Moderately impressive? What the ******** was Gavin smoking? Simply walking around provided such clarity to his morning. In fact, Braden felt as if it would be possible for him to have a full blown epiphany by the time they got back to the campsite. An out and out right justification for the way he was going about his business, living his day to day life. But when that epiphany hadn't happened by the time they were a little over half-way back, he allowed his thoughts to drift back to the conversation in front of him. Sure, a hike to the falls ostensibly seemed like a fantastic idea. But Braden wasn't entirely certain if he was ready for that level of commitment for the day. With 75 percent of the couples having well-known issues, he didn't want any negative vibes to harsh his mellow. And, realistically, he knew he would ******** up somewhere - since it was in his general nature to ******** s**t up - and piss off his girlfriend. But he figured if Terri started nagging him, he could always hang back and listen to Gavin b***h about Lia dragging him out here. It provided him with a certain level of solace to know that someone else was feeling as shitty as he was.

"Bro," Braden interjected abruptly. "Later on, we should play some music or something. I brought my guitar, been practicing some Stevie Ray Vaughn and a little Mayer." Since Braden had quite a bit of time on hands, he had started fiddling with his guitar. Transitioning from lame power chords and easy barre chords to eloquent blues licks and folk-style fingerpicking, it was safe to say that Braden had improved significantly since his days of jamming with Gavin, primarily due to the shift in his intentions. Whereas in college, his sole intent was to charm, date, and ******** as many women as he could (Only 8s and above, though). Now, however, he played more so for the sheer desire to create music and have fun. Of course, that didn't stop him from playing a little Jack Johnson to get Terri to sleep in with him or skip a day of work. "Who knows, maybe we'll write something that will revitalize the entire music industry." He commented playfully, pipe dreams at best.

"If we get big, I'll handle the administrative s**t with record contracts and whatnot. I know a good lawyer." Giving Terri's hand a light squeeze, he shot her a small smile. When he wasn't completely turned off and annoyed by her reckless ambition and inability to be content with where she was at, he found her lawyer s**t incredibly sexy. Even while watching her prepare for cases (and ignoring him), whatever the hell it was that she did in the courtroom was undeniably hot. It got him hot, anyway. Additionally, on a slightly more twisted level, he simply liked the idea that this pristine, upholder of peace and innocence could do some of the dirtiest s**t to him in bed. "She's one of the best, but just dirty enough." He mused, making a slightly awkward comment as if he were talking about the weather. Although, after several years of dating, he had grown comfortable in her presence, there were still certain simple, mundane things that caught him off guard. Things that he really shouldn't give a s**t about. Unfortunately, all it took was a laugh, a flip of her hair, or a brush of their skin to turn him into a lovesick, enamored imbecile. Sometimes he broods on this tendency abstractly, on whether or not this proclivity was exceptionally bad and/or dangerous, but he always ultimately cycles back to the same answer: though potentially dangerous, he trusted that Terri wouldn't ever intentionally hurt him.

Even after all this time, it was intoxicating simply just being in Terri's presence, which could explain Brady's irrational insecurities when it came to her seeing as though he never had issues of that regard before her. He was always afraid she would wise up and grow tired of his antics to find someone that might actually deserve her. Sure, there was a lot of love between the two of them (or so he hoped, sometimes he wondered whether or not she even liked him), but Braden had read enough novels and written enough songs about heartache to know that love wasn't enough. Honestly, it genuinely astounded him how a great girl like Terri could put up with all of his s**t, and he often felt bad about it, but it didn't stop him from making the same mistakes over again. On some incredibly foolish, little-kid level, Braden was sort of hoping the change of scenery would prompt him to start writing again. If not for financial security, for relationship security. However, he figured he couldn't (or rather wouldn't) force himself into doing anything he wasn't a hundred percent down to complete.

Fortunately, he didn't have to be alone with his brooding thoughts as the campsite, along with Ginny and Lia, came into vision. Slowing his pace down to allow Gavin to get a couple strides ahead. "To be honest, I'd rather stay here and be alone with you," he confessed in low tones to his girlfriend while dropping his hand from hers and sliding it around her waist to pull her into his side. "I'm sure the view of the waterfall is great, but. . ." Momentarily craning his neck to brush his lips against hers softly and then pulled back only the slightest bit, his face still close enough to kiss her again, "I kind of like the view from here." With a low chuckle, he kissed her again, trying not to betray the truth in that statement. "I miss hanging out with you. And I'd love to show you just how I much I missed you," he murmured against her lips. They rarely spent time together, what with work and being adult getting in the way. Finally, pulling away far enough so he wouldn't be tempted to kiss her again. As if it worked like that. "Later tonight, though. Let's go be social." With a well placed grin, they walked a few feet over to their friends. "Ladies," He greeted Lia and Ginny with a curt nod. "You both look lovely today. As per usual." He commented politely before his childish need for stimulation took over.

"I'm bored, let's do something fun."