8

"Good morning love birds!" Yelled Julio annoyingly, once again shattering any leftover romance that might have lingered only moments ago.

"Just ignore him! His maturity is something I will question constantly." Said Vincent while he cursed to himself and wondered why Julio always had to be the center of attention and often at the expense of others.

They stepped out of the tent and found themselves looking awkward and dazed, eager for some much-needed caffeine to jolt them awake. Julio was busy over by the fire, while Mariana gathered a few cups, pouring instant coffee in them and like a zombie, slowly dragged her feet across and towards the crackling fire, where the kettle whistled for someone's attention.

"I think we forgot to get sugar but we did bring honey, did we not?" Asked Mariana towards Julio, who also seemed to be daydreaming while setting up four separate plates and clearly did not hear what she had said.

"Yes, we did!" Responded Vincent sarcastically while giving Camila a flirtatious wink.

"Aww! You're too sweet!" Said Camila, smitten almost to a melting point.

"As you know, Camila and I need to be at the hotel you picked us up from by noon. We will be catching the bus to the city from there, so we need to hurry up!" Mentioned Mariana sounding a bit stressed.

"It's barely quarter after ten doll face. After we eat, we drive back to town." Replied Julio as he cracked a dozen eggs into a bowl and scrambled them with a fork.

"I told you I don't like being called like that! Did I not!?" Mariana shouted as if no one else was around.

"What's wrong with what I said? You are a model and you look like a doll, so…lighten up a bit!" Said Julio, half way into a shrug, clearly as a test of how much further he could push her in return.

"Lighten up? ...about being objectified? I may model on the side but it does not make me a doll. Dolls are not even alive. Is that what you want? …A giant Barbie doll? Or perhaps you want one of those Stepford girlfriends?"

"Ok stop! I didn't mean it like that. I actually meant it in the same way as when you call me 'babe'. In my eyes, you are a hot model! Perhaps 'doll face' was a poor choice of words. Also, dolls don't get angry and you get incredibly sexy when you're angry." Said Julio trying his best to simmer the tension and return to normal.

"You know, sometimes you can be really sweet and then you turn into an asshole!" Said Mariana while she took care of the scrambled eggs; handing him the frying pan as soon as they were ready, insinuating that he goes ahead and serve them.

Vincent pretended like he was busy with something else but deep down he knew that although his friend was quite smooth most of the time, it was only a façade. His overconfidence brought out the worst in him, encouraged by the low self-esteem in the women he often dated and who in turn would enable him to disrespect them.

The awkwardness lingered but only for a while. Once breakfast was served there was no more room for complaints. Julio had a change of heart and immediately apologized, realizing that Mariana's feelings were truly hurt.

"Mm…these eggs are so good! What did you add to them?" Interrupted Camila, shoving a spoonful of scrambled eggs into some bread and then into her mouth.

"Rosemary! We camped next to a massive rosemary tree. And if you look closely, there is lavender growing all over that area over there." Julio's finger pointed east towards several purple flowers in mid bloom.

"Actually, this whole region is known for its apples and berries. During summer months you can come with a basket and pick all the fruit you can carry. Camila and I used to come here with our grandparents when we were little. We used to run around and chase butterflies all day long." Mariana smiled and bobbed her head as she recalled childhood memories that seemed millions of miles away.

Once everyone finished eating and quickly cleaned up after themselves it was time to load all the camping gear while the rest helped with whatever else. Vincent put out the fire, dumping leftover water over the smoldering embers, making sure it was completely extinguished before they drove away.

"So, when do you plan on being back in Buenos Aires? Maybe we can meet up somewhere there once our photo shoots end." Offered Camila, hoping Vincent would say yes.

"It's nearly a twelve-hour drive, which we could do today but we might stay and camp for one more night." Said Vincent but unsure if his assumption was indeed correct.

"We should definitely be able to make arrangements for another rendezvous." Offered Julio as he tried switching gears and at the same time, plant a kiss on Mariana's left cheek.

"Well, if you want to see any more of these, you better try!" Said Mariana suggestively, a flirtatious smile on her face as she pulled down enough of her top for Julio to see.

As the truck finally reached the town, Julio spotted a group of people loading their bags inside the cargo hold of a bus while the driver wrote on a white board all of the destinations where he would stop along the way.

"That's our bus right there!" Exclaimed Camila excited to depart but sad at the same time.

"See, just in time!" Added Julio with a smug, relieved he didn't actually miss their bus.

Both friends got off the truck to unload two bags, followed by one last make out session before they each said their goodbyes.

"I hate this part!" Said Vincent to her as he drowned in her eyes and fell in love all over again, already missing her even though she hadn't yet left.

"I know! It's the worst!" She replied, pulling him closer, caressing him with a kiss and whispering into his ear. "I think…I'm falling for you!"