"I love you too, Sam." The prospect of exploring again, and the way that Sam said those words made me smile. I'm happy. There's still that fear in my gut, but I'm happy.
The terror is receding. I could have killed her, or hurt her. As it is, she'll probably have a stiff neck for awhile. What was she thinking!? God, it wasn't like I hadn't daydreamed about her doing that, but … none of those day dreams ever involved being startled awake and… it's scary just how easily I could have done it.
It's been impossible to explain what it's like to kill a person. She never had to. I'm grateful she never had to. But it's the one thing that we can't relate on. It's Reyes who understands. We have our disagreements, but she helped me come to terms with what I'd done. I'm not through it, not by any stretch of the imagination. But it helped.
I start to slide out from the tangle of blankets in my tent, but Sam catches my hand and pulls me back on top of her. I slide my hands along her arms, and then pin her wrists above her head. She trusts me. God, I'd be freaking out if our positions were reversed, but there's just trust in her eyes, and the way she's squirming… dark thoughts flee to the recesses of my mind as I kiss her. I like this. I like being in control, I like knowing I can make her respond to me. I love knowing that she loves it. Maybe we can have that good morning wake-up call after all.
It's nearly noon by the time we crawl out of the tent. Sam keeps laughing, for no particular reason, and laughter spills from my mouth too. I hold her for a time, kissing her and enjoying the closeness, before I set to the task ahead. Since we wasted so much time this morning, it's granola bars for breakfast. I'm storing artifacts from the cave last night to make room in my pack while Sam replaces the batteries to her camera and hooks the old ones to a solar charger. She's secured the memory cards as well. It'll be a fresh start.
We hike in silence at first, but it's not too long before I realize she has her camera on and is recording the trip. I glance at her, my lips finding an easy smile.
"What's that there? Is that the mythical Croft? It appears as though she's just been through the mating ritual of her species. You can tell from the state of her hair and the blush on her cheeks that she enjoyed herself very, very much."
I stop walking, embarrassment burning at my face. "Sam!"
"You can identify a Croft," Sam continues, ignoring my distress. "By the practical way in which she wears her hair. A Croft is often attired in khakis or cargo pants, and wears hiking boots everywhere. Crofts are rarely fashion conscious and rely upon their mates to survive an urban environment. However, when lost in the woods, or among dusty old tombs, you can find no better companion than a Croft."
"I'm going to dunk your camera in a lake," I threaten, but she just rolls her eyes at me. "So you're my mate, then?"
"Oh, yes. Nishimuras easily fall under the sway of a Croft's seductive gaze."
Okay, she wants to play like this, I can play along. And if it backfires, we can just pretend we were playing around. "Crofts are like certain species of birds. They bond for life, with just one mate, and don't take well to the mate straying."
I see Sam swallow from behind the camera's viewfinder, but she maintains her smile and her composure. "Oh sweetie. Don't you know that a Nishimura only flutters from nest to nest until she finds herself a Croft?"
The laughter bubbles up out of me before I could stop it. I can hear her joining me and it takes a few minutes before we're able to start walking again. I've got a huge smile on my face as I feel her hand find mine, and our fingers thread together.
My smile only gets bigger when we pass a weathered statue. I'm where I belong, with who I belong.