~ 36: A Camping of Sweets and Sours - Part 1 ~

"You are late," was the first thing we heard her say as we opened the door to her room.

We stood with our heads bowed, sleepy and a little ashamed on reaching late. We had to retrieve a few more things because, along the way, Mel decided that we must have a grand celebration. And a video call it was from her to tell us what she had planned.

"Of what?" we had asked her.

"Of good health and friendship," she had declared in a bright voice.

We had snorted and then recomposed ourselves. The last thing we wanted was to get roasted by Mel. But it seemed that she had already caught on to what was running through our heads.

"It's funny for you?" she asked in a shrill tone. "Do you have any idea —"

"We sneezed a little too hard," I said to diffuse the situation. "We had to work lanes of shoes and clothes. The smell had become unbearable, and now, it remains around us. It's only best it comes out like a sneeze of whatever kind."

She pulled up one of her brows and then continued about her 'exciting' plan. She said that she wanted us to camp out until nighttime and then return home.

"But you just got discharged," I protested. "And your father wouldn't be willing to send his daughter off on any trip after such an incident."

"I got around that and begged him, alright? We are allowed to only stay there until ten and then we return home. So now you need to get these things in the list I sent while I rest my little tired limbs, okay? The bruises make it difficult for me to walk or move so I'm staying in until you arrive in the afternoon."

She sounded so much like a spoiled brat at that point that Aidan had to hold me back from either cursing or hanging up. She put up the smirky grin for a while before cutting off the line. The two of us sighed as we told the driver to turn around.

"Traffic jam," spoke Aidan and I in unison, after zoning out to remember the trap we had been caught in.

"Here you have bruises that can't make you move, and you want to camp out," I mumbled and huffed, the two of us setting the things down on the floor.

"Well, they are much better, thanks to the extra hours of cooling them with ice," she said and rounded us to check out the things we had brought. The gifts were still wrapped and kept in the boot of the new cab that we had ordered for the long journey. We had decided to show it to her when we were there.

Aidan handed her the bouquet I had picked and immediately sat down on the couch to sleep. I couldn't leave as the woman was pulling me over to arrange things the way she wanted. When she had finally left me, I sat down beside Aidan and rested my head on his shoulder joint for the next one hour that she used to prepare for the short-day journey.

By the time we were ready for travelling it was already past early afternoon. Aidan was in the passenger seat sleeping soundly, and I was drowsily listening to Mel's chatter until she fell asleep as well.

With the three of us together again, the adventure we had kept flashing back into my head, preventing me from dozing peacefully. The happy memories we had this morning had just vanished and made me feel empty. Like I was craving for something, but couldn't obtain it.

We reached the hilly area, situated far away and more inside the country, in the evening. The weather was chilly and beautiful, with small clouds swirling near us. The forecast said that the night would be clear and that we would see a clear sky at night. So we set down the mats and lied down, watching the sun go down behind the mountains and stain the sky with beautiful colours.

The little slant-roofed houses held my attention. It reminded me of my home so sweet, though poor, so happy and filled with love that I sighed. The other two noiselessly watched the moon and the stars appear as the sky darkened. I watched the people return to their homes after their hard day at work, mining the mountains or planting tea and coffee or plucking up fruits.

As the last rays of the sun faded, I felt a hand lace mine. It was picked up and kissed on deeply. I turned my head to see his emerald eyes look into mine as he smiled. They shone brighter than day in the little light that it received from the roaring city, that never stopped working for anyone in the world. I turned my face away to avoid the desire to look into his eyes forever.

"I wish I could dive into those beautiful blues of yours and catch your thoughts and feelings," he breathed softly in the shell of my ear. "I wish you could have been mine so that I could hold you here and not leave you in the talons of danger."

"You deserve a better woman than me," I spoke in a tight voice. "Perhaps the woman beside you on the other side is a better choice."

"I will make it happen. You're truly the one I want to see beside me, in every moment of peace and trouble. Only you have opened my eyes to the kindness and selflessness in this world. I would rather not be alive if I can't see you in my life."

"We're here as friends and there's nothing more one could wish for. Here we shall stay in that wonderful dream of the three of us together."

He got up and turned his upper trunk to face me. I saw Mel's eyes go wide in wonder as he said, "Melissa, witness my promise to your beloved friend."

He pulled me up and declared, "I promise to cherish you and love you forever. Will you be mine?"

Before I could speak a word, there was a guttural sound that came from the darkness of the trees behind us.