Camp

I set up our tent near the beach. He told me he'll be back shortly. I can see him from afar, rafting on his small boat, fishing under the moon. We haven't had dinner. I just hope that he catches at least a kilogram fish; that, will surely keep my stomach full throughout the whole night. The things that I would do, to get my hands on a rainbow trout. Just the taste of it is so delicious; to season it with salt and pepper, cook it with butter, and finally, mix it with avocado to give it an extra flavour. Oh my, I'm practically drooling only from the thought of it.

The sea was calm, and it's soothing to watch. All I can hear are the waves splashing on the shores, light wind breezing through my ears and rustling the tree leaves. Most of the stars here can be seen clearly. I'm relieved that this area isn't so polluted with lights yet. Sadly, most of the areas in my hometown are polluted with it. I couldn't even see a single star. The temperature here is relatively cold. Luckily I made a campfire to keep me cozy. I'm happy to be here. This is what I call a good night indeed.

I got bored waiting, so I stood up and decided to take a stroll along the long sandy beach. I carried along my blanket and wrapped myself in it. As I stroll the beach barefooted, I reminisce about how we met, how we ended up being together in the first place. The more I think about it, the more I cherish what we are and what we have right now. 

If dad was still here, he would hug me dearly and whisper in my ear, "I'm proud of you sweetie. That's my girl." He would certainly add, "I told you so" while smirking in triumph, because he was the one who taught me how to build a campfire and how to craft things if I ever decided to camp outside, especially in the forest. During that time I let him know, "I don't need to learn these things, dad. I hate camping." I was so wrong, and I appreciate what he did, even when I was reluctant to listen to him; he would always have faith in me. I miss him greatly. 

As I thought about my dad, I began to tear up. I wiped away my tears with my blanket. Apparently, the blanket that I brought along was too lengthy.  I didn't know it would drag along the sand as I stroll. I was in agony when I tried to wipe my tears because the sand got into my eyes.

I immediately rush to the water. I ran as fast as I could before the pain gets worse. Unfortunately, I accidentally stumbled on my own blanket and fell into the water. A simple rinse turned into a midnight dip in the freezing sea. Now my clothes and my blanket are all drenched, so much for warmth.

I began to shiver as I got out of the water. I wanted to get back to my camp right away, but the breeze got stronger and it's pushing towards me. Now I'm freezing and it's difficult for me to walk any faster. I'm scared that I'll get a cold or something even worse. This is absolutely without any doubt, not a good night, as I thought.

Gladly, I managed to arrive back at the camp site safely. He was already there, preparing to cook the fish he caught. When he was about to put fish in the buttered cooking pan, he turned his head and looked at me. He was so confused. He chuckled for a split second and then asked, "you okay?"

The moment after he asked me that, I had recollection of our first date. He called me the night before our date, wanted to know if I was available in the morning. I was excited and nervous at the same time, I even closed my mouth with my hand to stop myself from shrieking. I didn't say anything back, I just nodded up and down instead. Stupid of me to think that he's actually physically right there in front of me asking me out. 

After a while, he said, "Hello? You still there?" thinking he lost reception. 

"Oh! Sorry! Sorry!" I apologized. "Yes, I'm available." 

"Great!" he cheered. 

The next morning, my mom drove me to the diner he requested. He was already inside, waiting for me. I was really nervous. Before I entered the diner, I took a deep breath. I didn't manage to read the label 'pull' on the door, so I tried to push it in, and I banged my head against the door. I accidentally attracted everyone's attention inside. He peeked out from his table to see who it was, he saw me and just waved happily. I was so embarrassed, I quickly pulled the door and ran to his table. I sat down and greeted him. 

"You okay? You seem tense." He asked. 

Ever since that wonderful and kind-awkward breakfast with him, we were officially together.

"Hey, what happened?" He asked me while I was enjoying our flashback, staring at nowhere, smiling like a psycho. 

"Oh, this? It's a long story. I assure you, it's nothing interesting." I mumbled. 

"Oh come on. I left you alone for half an hour. I came back and you were gone, then a few minutes later you're standing there soaking wet with your clothes on." He stated. "Well, you're right. It may not be that interesting after all." He went on in a sarcastic tone. 

"I got bored waiting for you, plus I was hungry, so I decided to go for a swim and catch a fish on my own. You were really taking your time." I teased. 

"Sorry, I didn't want you to catch me texting another girl that I'm seeing." He replied. 

"Ha Ha. Nice try. There's no reception here." I pointed out. 

"Well, not when I'm out there in the sea." He recalled. 

"What?!" I yelled. 

"Sorry babe, I just like having another one, you know? Just in case if we ever break up because of me cheating on you with a fake girl that I made up." He joked. He started laughing, so I slapped him. 

"Ouch!" He wailed. 

I pulled his shirt and kissed him. He was heartened. "Please. Don't ever do that again." I murmured. 

"I won't, and I'm sorry for scaring you like that." He comforted me, and kissed me again. 

I ran my hands over his soft brown hair. He took off my shirt as we kept kissing. As he was about to undo my bra, I smelled something like burnt popcorns. It totally ruined the moment when he smelled it too. We tried to find what that smell was coming from. Evidently, it was the butter that was left in the cooking pan. He immediately put the pan away. I laughed so hard. 

"What a great scent for making love." I addressed. 

"Yeah. They should make this into a scented candles. Popcorn lovers will definitely buy them." He continued. I laughed even harder.