The next morning they woke up later than usual and for the first time Mercedes didn't leap out of the sleeping bag the moment she opened her eyes. She lay for about twenty seconds looking deep in thought and then got up. He knew what her problem was. Sleeping together at night was something she could justify as a necessity, but to lie awake with him would be another matter. Her rules of appropriate behavior and decorum were strict and much as he hated them he understood that they were a part on who she was.
Despite leaving the sleeping bag she didn't seem to be in a hurry to actually leave the tent. Tucking the cover back over him she sat cross legged and shot him a beaming smile.
He rubbed his eyes. "Happy this morning?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Yesterday was pretty amazing. Started scary but ended as one of the best nights of my life."
He grinned back at her. "Me too!"
Actually that was a lie. His loner antisocial status meant that actually was the best night of his life. But he couldn't admit so sad a fact out loud.
"So I was thinking, as we're fully stocked, maybe we could take one more day off to chill before moving on? This is a pretty cool location and it's best to do all our mending and stuff before we set off!"
That was true. And it also was a pretty spectacular area that they'd stopped in. There were amazing views and unexplored undergrowth. Sam definitely didn't mind spending another day. Mentally he tried to calculate if her desire to stay was associated with her 'female' time but he didn't think so. On this occasion he took her request at face value, especially as he had an idea of his own. "Sure. It gives me the chance to spend time working on my technique with the new fishing net!"
He watched Mercedes eyes move to his bag in the front 'porch' of the tent but she said nothing, simply smiling that little smile she did when she was humoring him. "Sure. Maybe we can have a fish supper tonight."
"You don't believe I can catch anything!"
"I didn't say that!" No she didn't, but her eyes had twinkled and her lips had fought a smile.
"Oh yeah?" He pulled himself up into an upright position with the bag still around him and shot her what he hoped was his most serious stare. "I have two words for you Mercedes Jones… Challenge Accepted!"
She raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Well Sam, I have three words for you… Bring It On!"
With more laughter and the challenge set she crawled out of the tent.
Watching her ass as she crawled out of the tent before him was always one of the highlights of Sam's day.
Sam spent the morning unsuccessfully trying to catch a fish in his new net. He was quickly filled with frustration at his lack of success, feeling that in some way it was a slight on his masculinity, but Mercedes was nothing but encouraging when they took a break for lunch.
As he headed back to the river she waved him off with her customary, "Promise me you'll be careful."
"Always."
At first it had annoyed him that she always said that. It wasn't his fault that he'd got badly hurt twice. But the more she said it the more he realized it was her way of wishing him well, and if she forgot to say it when they parted it was almost as if something was missing. It was their thing now, and one day he was going to try and be fast enough to say it to her first.
"Maybe I'll catch something if you come with me."
She scoffed. "I doubt it! I'll only be a distraction."
True. But a pleasant one! "So why don't you wish me luck?"
"You don't need it Sam! You're fine!" Laughing, she took the net from his hand, "Now this on the other hand, might need a little more magic." Raising the net to her lips she kissed it then told it to bring her back something delicious.
Sam smiled at her playful actions but in truth he could honestly say he'd never been jealous of a fishing net until that moment!
Somehow the magic worked because moments before giving up he finally caught a very decently sized fish and killed it with a swift blow to the head. He hurried back and showed it to Mercedes who was excited beyond words. Deep down he'd worried that the fish wouldn't be suitable for eating but one look from her confirmed that even though she couldn't remember the name of it, the fish was definitely edible. Then she belly laughed at the now what do we do with it expression on his face and the afternoon had then turned into his first ever lesson in cleaning and gutting a fish. But the reward was more than worth it as Mercedes laid it out to cook on the new plate she'd bought for the stove.
Sam wasn't the only one to have supplied food. She showed him a large pile of freshly washed leaves which she assured him were edible greens that were a cross between spinach and kale. As someone who hadn't eaten a lot of vegetables growing up (and thankfully Zeben had never forced him), the travelling diet had still taken it's toll and the taste of lettuce from the burger had actually made him crave salad and green vegetables for the first time in his life. Mercedes had complained about the lack of vegetables more often but it was only now that he was starting to understand.
Then he suddenly remembered something he'd got for Mercedes and had the most idea in the world. Rushing back to his bag he returned with something behind his back. "Mercedes, I completely forgot I got something else yesterday for your birthday as well as the chocolate."
Her eyes lit up. "More? Sam you shouldn't have."
Yes he did! He wanted to give her the world not buy her treats with her own money!
"It's not much. Don't laugh but I got you a cake."
It wasn't a real birthday cake, just a lemon muffin from the same diner he'd bought the burgers from. Being forgotten in the bottom of the bag it was a little crushed but Mercedes still reacted as if he'd bought her the moon, rewarding him with even more of those little peppery face kisses he loved so much. "Shall we save it for after dinner?"
He was so distracted by the kisses that he'd nearly forgotten what his idea was. "Tonight is special so I propose we have a party!"
"A party?"
He grinned. "Yep. We have amazing food, then after that we'll have cake and wine and maybe some of the candy, and then…" he held up the music player, "…then we have music! Because no late birthday party is a party without music and dancing!"
She stared at him as if he'd grown another head in front of her eyes. "Dancing?"
Sam grinned mischievously. "You'll see."
It was one of the best meals he'd ever eaten. A huge plate of wilted greens and mushrooms with the fish that she'd sprinkled with a little of the new seasoning which made it mind-blowingly delicious.
Once the meal was finished they sat in front of the fire and shared the remaining wine and muffin.
"And now for the fun part!" Sam pulled out the music player and turned up the volume to maximum. It still wasn't particularly loud but it was enough to be heard. Scrolling though he picked a tune with an electronic sound and a fast beat and immediately got his groove on.
Mercedes stared up at him from where she was sat with an expression that was equal amounts, confusion, amusement and disbelief. "Sam, what on earth are you doing?"
"I'm dancing!" He held his hand out to her, "Come join me!"
This time she gave in to the laughter that had been playing at her lips. "That's not dancing Sam. You look like you're having an upright brain seizure!"
Sam couldn't dance and would be the first to admit it, but there was one set of dance moves he was comfortable with. "It's called the Robot!"
"I know what a robot is! What you're doing is-"
"Is FUN! Come on Mercedes! This is your party! Join in the fun!" He reached for both her hands and she allowed him to pull her up. She stood for a few moments, staring at him with utter mortification until she remembered that there was nobody around to witness this and hesitatingly made small movements in imitation of him.
"You've got to make it bigger Mercedes, like this!" He jerked his arms left and right, nearly hitting her a couple of times. He shook his hips, bobbed his head and waved his backside in a rhythm which didn't quite match the music that was playing. It was hilarious but he still took himself seriously.
She giggled but continued making jerky movements of her own. "Are you sure we're doing this right. This feels sort of wrong…"
He shook his head as he bobbed to the beat. "There is no wrong. Even people like me who can't dance can still do the Robot."
"You can't dance?"
"Never had anyone to teach me or any reason to learn."
For the briefest moment it looked as if she'd shot him a look of pity but it quickly morphed into a wicked smile. "I'll teach you. My parents loved to dance and after mom died he taught me to dance so that we could dance and remember her together. Do you want me to teach you something?"
Sam's mind immediately went to slow dancing with her, their bodies melding into one as he dipped his head to steal a sweet sweet kiss… Suddenly his mouth went dry and all he could do was nod.
"Cool." She grabbed the music player and scrolled through until she found some classical instrumental music.
Sam was gutted. Instead of having her pulled in close, he had one hand on her shoulder and the other on the small of her back, with the constant count of '123, 123, 123' ringing in his ears. How men managed to do this with their heads held up instead of looking down at their feet and counting silently in their heads as opposed to aloud was going to remain one of life's mysteries. So was the fact that he somehow hadn't broken any of her toes while continually stepping on her feet.
Yet all that frustration disappeared into oblivion when she beamed up at him and said that dancing with him had made her feel like a princess.
They didn't keep the music player on for too long, knowing that the increased volume would drain the battery faster but the night still ended on a high. The thing that would have made it perfect was if he'd gone for a kiss. But Sam was a coward, leaving it too long and then missing his opportunity. It was too much of a risk. If she rejected him, how would they be able to continue the journey together? Just because he was developing feelings for the girl didn't mean should jeopardize what they already had.
So yet again, he kept his feelings bottled up.
The change in food and update in supplies uplifted them significantly and the next couple of days they remained with their spirits high. The weather continued to warm up and the adventure was suddenly far more enjoyable. Things between the two of them were calmer too. The danger of their brief foray into the Transit Zone and the subsequent 'celebrations' had given them a heightened appreciation of each other. Anxious not to lose what they had, Sam resolved to stay silent.
They walked with renewed vigor, following the river they had found.
Life was simple, but good.
Or was it actually just the calm before the storm…