Jake was already up and getting ready by the time his alarm clock went off. He was packing a bag. Filling it with snacks, water, emergency gear, a blanket, his phone and two thermoses of coco. He wanted everything to be perfect.

"Jake what are you doing?" Everest asked walking in his room and turning off the beeping alarm clock.

"Whoops sorry Everest." Jake apologized. He headed for the kitchen with Everest right behind him. He poured some dog food into her bowl and set it on the floor. She happily munched on the kibble.

"I just want this day to go perfectly. I really like her and I want to get to know her better." Jake said pouring a bowl of cereal for himself. She muttered something incomprehensible with her mouth full of food.

"Huh?" Jake said confused. She swallowed and repeated,

"It will be. Just don't freak out. Besides she's not going to be here for another forty-five minutes." Jake tried to stay calm but he found himself checking the clock every few minutes. He got even more anxious when it was nearly time for Ash to show up. There was a knock at the door a few minutes before seven-thirty. He rushed to answer it. Ash stood there with a smile on her face.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

"Yea. Let me just grab my bag." Jake replied. He dashed to his bedroom, snagged his bag then dashed right back to Ash. She gave a little laugh at his eagerness.

"Hey Everest do you think you can watch things while I'm gone?" Jake asked putting a hand on the doorknob getting ready to close it.

"Yea no problem!" Everest assured him.

"Thanks for letting me barrow him Everest." Ash said as Jake closed the door.

Jake led her deep into the woods making small talk. He found out that she enjoyed watching movies on cold nights, star gazing, hanging out with friends, walking along the beach at night, and Jake's personal favorite snowboarding.

"No way really?" Jake laughed.

"It's true! I'll even show you the picture of me receiving the half pipe gold medal." Ash bumped his arm playfully with hers. Never so badly did he want to wrap his arms around her. Ash suddenly stopped and went to a tree. She kneeled on the ground and slid her bag off her back. She pulled out a small black box and placed it on the tree's trunk.

"What are you doing?" Jake asked walking up behind her.

"Setting up a motion sensing camera. This is a prime wildlife passing point. And if I can get a photo of a cool creature passing by the camera will take a picture and then I can track it down for even better shots." Ash explained putting her bag back on. When she stood up and turned around they were a few inches from each other's face. Jake stared deeply into her hazel eyes, spotting tiny flakes of green in them. Ash stood there looking back at him, unsure how to respond. He leaned in slowly.