Donna and Eric sat awkwardly on a damp log as they stared into the campfire, watching the smoke billow up into the starry night sky. It had been awhile since either of them had spoken, the silence was only filled by the crackling of the fire, crickets chirping and the mumbling of their friends as the stood huddled around their tents.
"Doesn't it feel so weird?" Donna asked finally breaking the silence between them.
"Oh god, it's so weird!" Eric exclaimed, relieved Donna was talking about the awkward tension they both were feeling.
"Right, I mean just because we are graduating doesn't mean everything is going to change." Donna replied, before the silence returned. "That's probably not true, is it?"
"So what if things change? At least we will be together" Eric tried to reassure her by gently patting her shoulder.
"Ugh, can we just talk about something else?" Donna shuddered despite the warm weather. Tonight was supposed to be about having fun and making memories not sitting around moping.
"Well, if you would like I'd be happy to be a distraction" Eric suggestively wiggled his eyebrows at his girlfriend.
Donna laughed at Eric's joke as she looked into his green eyes. He was gazing at her attentively; it suddenly occurred to her just how much she loved him and just how uncertain their future was. As terrifying as that thought was, all Donna could think about was just how lucky she was to be with a guy who care about her so much. "You know what? Let's just go skinny dipping!" Donna excitedly blurted out.
Eric's eyes almost bulged out of his head as his jaw dropped open. He glanced over at their friends across the campsite convinced that they must have heard her daring suggestion or noticed how red his face just got, but they just continued chatting amongst themselves nonchalantly. "Are you serious?!" Eric exclaimed in a forced whisper, now scanning Donna's face for any sign of sarcasm.
"Yeah, I am. There is a lake only a few minutes from here. I'm sure none of the gang will notice if we sneak off for a few minutes." Donna explained enticingly.
"Alright fine, I'll let you get naked if it makes you so happy" Eric sarcastically deadpanned as he stood up "Come on let's go!"
"Hold on" Donna said coyly as she playfully hit her boyfriend in the shoulder pulling him back onto the log they were sitting on "we can't leave at the same time that's so obvious and I don't want these guys butting in on our private time. I'll sneak off and you wait a few minutes before coming after me."
"You want me to head into the woods alone…in the dark" Eric gulped nervously.
Donna laughed as she leaned over and whispered into his ear "Trust me, it'll be worth it!" She quickly stood up and headed off into the woods quietly without their friends noticing. Eric looked ahead pointedly and began the agonizing process of waiting as he felt his blood pressure and heartbeat begin to surge.