My legs ached from the extensive hike that Jerome and I made up to the deepest corner of the woods, nowhere basically. Now don't get me wrong, I love the outdoors. When it comes to walking nonstop in the blazing sun for hours, that could be a little taxing. Sweat dripped from my forehead and soaked my clothes, so I felt pretty disgusting at the moment. Jerome however, just kept strolling through as if it were a leisurely walk around the park on a cool, relaxing evening. I never really got how he could just naturally get along so well with the conditions outside, no matter what they were. I shouldn't be complaining though, seeing that I was the one to propose we go camping.
"Hey biggums, how far are we from where we're supposed to set up. My legs are turning to jelly!" I exclaimed, wiping my face with the end of my moist shirt. It didn't really help much, but it was something.
"Hang in there buddy, we've only a little more to go!" He unwrapped the crinkled map and pointed out where we are, and where we'll set up camp. It looked pretty close, so my guess was only about five more minutes of walking tops. He took a good look at the surrounding areas on the map and then refolded it, putting it into his shorts pocket.
After what seemed like hours more of walking, he checked the map again and suddenly a beautiful smile spread across his face. It was one of those smiles where white teeth are exposed and it's just genuine and perfect in every single way. Of course, his smile wasn't my concern now. Unpacking was my concern at the moment! I shrugged the heavy backpack that looked more round than anything off my shoulders and laid it on the ground. I stretched and yawned before looking back at my buddy and asking if we should start setting up the tent we packed.
A few hours later the sun was setting in a gorgeous collage of colors: pink, purple, and orange. It was breathtaking and beautiful. The campfire was crackling and our smores were burning; it was a perfect end to a perfect day. We didn't talk much though, just enjoyed the serenity and the comfortable silence. There wasn't much noise, other than an occasional bird singing or a rustling bush. The temperature even managed to go down a few degrees, so I was comfortable sitting in my fabric easy set up chair next to Jerome and the heat of the campfire.
The sun was finally fully setting, the colorful show slowly but surely fading out. It grew dark and crickets chirped; the only source of light was coming from the warm glow of the dying campfire. It actually started to get a little chilly, so I pulled my sweatshirt on that said "Power Moves Only." I really liked this sweatshirt, so much that it was my favorite in fact. I packed it today especially because I know my buddy would get a good laugh at it.
As soon as I slipped it over my head Jerome eyed it and said, "Well it's a good thing I brought mine too!" I laughed as he got the same exact sweatshirt out of his bag and pulled in on.
"Ah, good times buddy, good times. Hey, I was thinking maybe we should pack up for the night? It'll be pretty dark soon if we stay out here much longer," Jerome suggested. Yeah, I was up for that.
I yawned as we crawled into our small tent. Someone whose claustrophobic probably wouldn't have a very good time here. I spread out while my biggums curled up into a tight ball, innocently almost curling up right next to me. Not too close though. I turned my head toward the end of the tent and away from Jerome's face. Really, I didn't want to make it awkward in such a closed up area. Only a few minutes after we got settled in the tent, it went completely dark outside, except for the brightly shining full moon that showed through the brown fabric.
I was about to close my eyes but a soft sound caught my attention, almost like a whimper. I was tempted to check Jerome, but I figured that it was the wind outside or an animal. I heard another and the shifting of blankets being thrown around, so I knew my buddy was uncomfortable. I turned my head and looked over at Jerome in an even more tight ball and covered in blankets, even up to his head. That must be hard to breathe in. I kneeled over and gently tapped the quivering sheets, then peeling them off of him slowly.
"Hey dood, that can't be comfortable. What's bothering you?" He finally looked up at me and sat up ever so carefully, and still shaking.
He sniffled and whispered back to me, "N-Nothing."
"You know I can't take that as an answer, Jerome," I whispered back.
He looked as if he were going to cry, so I grabbed my flashlight and turned it on, turning it toward his face. He blinked a few times and raised his hand to cover his eyes. "But... M-Mitch!" He blushed and tried to refrain from crying. He was torn, I could tell by the way his face scrunched up in conflicted emotions. He looked guilty, but hurt. His face was bright red with embarrassment and his eyes were watering.
"I'm sorry, don't cry! Don't cry, Jerome!" I didn't know what to do, so the only thing that I could to was comfort him. I hugged him tightly and soothingly rocked back and forth until he looked calm enough to talk.
"You wanna talk about it?" I asked, as calmly as I could. My finger wiped the one tear that dared trail down his perfect face.
"I-I'm afraid of the dark, I'm sorry," He replied as quietly as possible. I started rubbing circles into his back and massaged down his spin, soothing him and distracting him from his fear.
"It started when I was really little. It got progressively worse and it's so bad Mitch. I- I can't handle it when it get's pitch black anymore. I thought maybe I could stop being so scared if you were around. I-I'm really sorry."
"What are you apologizing for?! That's completely fine. I'll turn on both the flashlights for the night, okay?" I questioned, and got a head nod in return.
"But it's still dark outside!"
"Then I'll protect you. Come here," I patted the space next to me as I laid down again. He hesitantly curled around my body and buried his face in my shoulder, still shaking. "Hey Biggums, look at me." He looked up as I turned my head to kiss him, briefly but a reassuring gesture.
"Biggums?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."