IN THE TIME WE HAVE, Chapter 2
The plan was to sleep at Elsie's flat and leave for western Maine in the morning, it being too late in the day to set out with reasonable daylight ahead.
"Out of the question," said Lara, leaning against the kitchenette's counter. "I won't kick you out of your own bed, Elsie. I can manage perfectly well on the couch."
"Who said anything about kicking me out?" countered the blonde, rummaging through a cupboard and pulling out a handful of oatmeal sachets. "We'll share, of course."
Lara blinked. "Share...?"
Elsie closed the cupboard and smiled. "Lara, we've slept in the same sleeping bag together, for heaven's sake."
"Point taken," said the brunette. "I just…don't want to encroach on your space – "
Elsie tossed the sachets on the kitchenette's side table and approached her friend; grasping Lara's hand, she planted a kiss in the Englishwoman's palm.
"Encroaching implies an undesired presence," said the blonde, slowly shaking her head. "Lara, you could never encroach on me."
Lara's shoulders sagged.
"I…don't know what to say…"
"You said it already," said Elsie, smiling. "At Christmas, remember?"
Lara looked down to her feet and clenched her jaw.
Elsie gently raised Lara's chin and gazed into her friend's beautiful brown eyes.
"It's okay," she said. "I know it's not easy for you."
"I meant it," said Lara sincerely. "I just wish I could've done more..."
"Well, now that you're here," said the blonde with a grin, "You can give me a hand with this stupid entertainment unit I got at IKEA. Maybe you can translate the instructions for me…you must know Old Norse, right?"
Lara smiled. "Not really, but I'm game."
With that Elsie grasped led her companion to battle the wooden Swedish devil lurking in the corner of her living room.
-oOo-
"Would you eat an orangutan?" queried Elsie as she snapped the car's canvas top into position.
"How is that even relevant?" asked Lara as she donned her pack. "You're comparing traditional Scottish cuisine to a…a primate!"
"But would you?"
"Of course not!" exclaimed the brunette, shuddering. "Bugger, that's just...disturbing."
"So there it is," countered the blonde as she locked the car. "Same as eating animal entrails."
"I think there are a few differences," maintained Lara, "between eating sheep parts and an orangutan!"
"Eating sheep entrails," corrected Elsie.
"Haggis is NOT entrails," argued Lara. "It's the heart, liver and lungs, mixed with various spices and – "
"And stuffed in the sheep's stomach," interrupted the blonde, sticking out her tongue. "Blech."
"They do cook it, you know," explained Lara. "It's not like they rip open the carcass with their bare hands and feast on the innards like barb- "
"May as well just eat an orang," said Elsie.
Lara scrunched her nose in aversion. "You do realize that's almost cannibalism, yes? They share most of our DNA."
"Haggis," said Elsie, sticking a finger in her mouth for emphasis. "Blech."
"Well, 'blech' to orangutan hors-d'oeuvres," countered the brunette.
"Double blech," said Elsie, feigning a dry heave.
"Can we change the subject, please," said Lara, half laughing. "Before we make ourselves sick…"
"Fine," said Elsie, pulling out a map from her backpack and spreading it out on the car's hood. "Here, have a look."
Lara joined her as she adjusted her pack's straps for snugness.
The American drew a line with her finger extending from the gravel road that roughly paralleled a small river heading west. "I've never been to this part of the State," she explained, "So this'll be new for me too. Total wilderness, Lara. Topography shows it to be exceptionally rugged, which probably explains why there's no development here. No hiking trails or logging roads, so we should pretty much have the place to ourselves."
Lara brushed her hair from her eyes and smiled. "Perfect."
Elsie folded the map and stuffed it in back her pack, noting as the brunette hooked a climbing axe onto her belt. She wondered if Lara brought the axe with her unconsciously, or if she truly couldn't bring herself to go anywhere without it. Either way, it was a dismaying thought.
The brunette seemed more at ease now, at least. Elsie had noticed the archaeologist casting furtive glances behind them as they drove up from Portland. Each time a car or truck would catch up to them on the highway the rearward glances would increase in frequency, her nervous fidgeting betraying the young Englishwoman's subconscious anxiety.
She so needs this…
A few last checks of their gear to ensure they hadn't left anything behind, and the two young women trudged off into the wilderness.
-oOo-
They set up their first camp at sunset on an elevated outcrop that gave them a rare unobstructed view of the hinterlands. True to Elsie's word, they hadn't encountered a single soul all day. The wilds were thick, rough and untamed, and Elsie found herself wondering how many humans had passed through these parts.
Despite the rugged terrain, the two had managed almost six miles, leaving them both exhilarated and exhausted. There was no real justification for such alacrity, but Lara seemed so energized and invigorated that Elsie was loath to distract her by slowing the pace.
And truth be told, she was amazed at the Englishwoman's stamina. Her curiosity prompted her to see how she could measure up physically to the archaeologist: she'd kept up without complaint, but she'd pushed herself almost to her limits doing it - she'd been intensely relieved when Lara had agreed to her choice of campsite.
The fire was crackling vigorously, glowing embers drifting up lazily into the dimming, pinkish-purple skies. The two young women sat next to each other near the campfire, drinking from their canteens to replenish fluids lost during the day's hike. They could afford to drink liberally; following the general course of the river meant fresh water was always within easy walking distance.
The blonde rummaged through her pack and produced a rectangular blue box with distinctive orange lettering that instantly caught Lara's attention.
The brunette's eyes were disbelieving. "Are...are those...?"
"Jaffa Cakes, yeah," confirmed Elsie with an impish smile as she opened the carton.
Lara looked at her as though she were a unicycle-riding ostrich playing a ukulele. "But how did - "
"I cheated," answered the blonde as she slid a cake out of the box and handed it to the brunette. "I e-mailed Sam and asked her what you liked, food-wise. She said you're not too fussy, but she did mention one definite penchant for these 'Jaffa Cake' thingies. They weren't easy to find this side of the Pond, I might tell you!"
The brunette's expression was unfathomable.
"Oh please tell me she didn't pull a fast one on me," asked Elsie, suddenly concerned Sam might have taken the opportunity to pull some prank - Lara had described her as decidedly mischievous after all.
"No," said Lara slowly, "No, she was quite truthful...I have to admit I'm a bit gobsmacked, actually..."
"That's good, right?" asked the blonde hopefully.
Lara smiled. "It is," she said softly. "Thank you for this, Elsie. It's...really sweet of you."
Relieved, the blonde shook a cake from the box and took an exploratory bite, savouring the chocolaty-orange taste. "Not bad," she said, nodding, her mouth still half full. "Not bad at all…I can see why you would have an affinity for these things."
"Welcome to addiction," said Lara with a wry smile as she took a bite of her own treat.
"I'm kinda surprised you'd be hooked on something like this, actually," said Elsie as she took a second bite. "These don't exactly seem your style."
Lara paused mid-chew and blinked. "What do you mean?"
Elsie indicated the brunette with a wave of her hand. "Well, just look at you," she said, smiling. "You've got the most insanely perfect bod humanly imaginable - "
Lara fumbled her cake and dropped it in the dirt.
"Whoops," said Elsie. "Anyway, I didn't figure you to have much of a sweet tooth…though I guess you do work it off, don't you? That might explain why you're as strong as a freaking Amazon, too…"
Elsie handed Lara another of the confections, noting that the brunette's cheeks had become flushed.
"Hey," she said, touching the brunette's arm. "You okay? You're not self-conscious, I hope?"
Lara gaze was directed at the cake in her hand. "I'm not that special, Elsie," she said, shaking her head. "You put me on such a pedestal…"
It was the blonde's turn to be shocked. "You're kidding, right?" she said disbelievingly. "Listen to me very carefully: you're a freaking knockout, Lara. Like, in a totally different league. And while I'm at it, you're fucking brilliant too. And a bookworm on top of all that. And you're probably stronger than most dudes. Mary Sues would be jealous of you for Christ's sake."
Lara's body language screamed awkwardness.
"Seriously," continued the blonde. "Do you have any faults at all? Cause I haven't seen any."
"Quite a number, actually," said Lara softly.
Elsie silently cursed herself. Shit…why'd I have to go there…
"I can give you a list, if you like," said Lara, finally looking Elsie straight in the eye.
"All I know," said Elsie, thinking fast to retrieve the situation, "Is that sitting right here is the most amazing person I've ever known. And she happens to be my friend."
Lara's mouth closed, her gaze shifting back to her cake. The door to self-criticism had slammed firmly shut.
Elsie shifted over till she sat side by side with the brunette and slipped an arm around the archaeologist's waist. "And as a bonus," she whispered while nuzzling Lara's ear, "She has this adorable dorky smile that just melts the heart…"
That did it. Lara's gaze remained fixed on her cake but she was biting her lip in a poor attempt at suppressing a grin.
"I think I'm liking your list better than mine," admitted the brunette.
"Atta girl," said Elsie encouragingly as she slowly traced a finger along the shell of Lara's ear. "That's more like it…I'm sure we can think of loads of stuff to add to it, too..."
"No, please, that's quite enough," breathed the Englishwoman.
"Not by a long shot," stated Elsie. "C'mon, gimme something."
Lara turned to her. "You can't be serious."
"I can be on occasion," countered the blonde. She chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. "Pretty ears, too..."
"You can't expect me to - "
"Come on, it'll do you good," insisted the blonde. "Think of yourself in a positive light for once. Plus I'll keep badgering you till you do."
Lara sighed. "Well..."
"Out with it," demanded Elsie, running her fingers playfully through Lara's ponytail.
"Just remember, this isn't me saying this," said the archaeologist shyly, "But...you did remark on my voice once last year..."
"Now THAT definitely goes on the list," agreed Elsie enthusiastically. "I swear I'd totally orgasm having you read bedtime stories to me..."
"Elsie!" exclaimed Lara, eyes wide with equal parts shock and amusement.
"I totally would," said the blonde, grinning. She snuggled closer. "Come on, what else can we add?"
Lara's shocked expression was unchanged. "I think you've stoked my ego quite enough for one night!"
"Oh, come on," pleaded the blonde.
"You wouldn't want me to get conceited now, would you?" countered the archaeologist. "Because I'd have to add that to my list."
Elsie pouted. "Party-pooper."
Lara wrapped the blonde in a hug. "But for what it's worth," she said softly, "I do appreciate what you're trying to do...truly..."
"Well, I'm nowhere done with that list," said Elsie as she gently stroked Lara's hair. "So just be ready, Lara Croft, 'cause I'm just gonna keep driving it into that thick skull of yours just how amazing you are."
"You are entirely too good to me," whispered Lara, squeezing harder.
"Nah," replied the blonde. "So, what are you gonna read to me tonight?"
"Oh, God..."