“I’m really happy we’re here together,” I admitted. “It’s… it’s something I never even let myself dream about, you know? Sharing this with you.” I nodded to all that was around us— the trees above us, the expanse of loose rock leading to the pass in front of us, and the peaks beyond.
He leaned his head on my shoulder and let out a breath. “Yeah. I know. It’s kind of surreal.”
There wasn’t anything else that needed to be said in that moment. We just let the sounds of the storm surround us and the feel of each other’s bodies sustain us.
It was everything I’d ever wanted.
And yet I knew it could never last.
Chapter 26
Bennett
I must have dozed off on Xander’s shoulder to the sounds of the low grumble of thunder and the steady patter of the rain on the plastic tarp above us, because I awoke to the feel of Xander’s rough palm stroking my cheek.
“Bennett, wake up. We need to get going,” he said in a soft voice. “The rain stopped.”
I opened my eyes and saw rays of sunlight breaking through the clouds over the mountains. Rain drops still fell intermittently on the tarp Xander held around us, and I noticed the ground around us hadn’t gotten too wet.
“How long was I out?” I asked, lifting my head from his shoulder and stretching. “What time is it?”
“You were only asleep for about twenty minutes. It’s three o’clock. We only have about four hours of hiking ahead of us before we get to where Jake and Jimmy are.”
We stood up and shook off the tarps before folding them up and strapping them to the outside of our packs. We’d sent as many of our non-essential supplies back with Aiden and the group as we could, since we’d need to divvy up Jake’s stuff for the hike out. We were left with essentials like food, a first aid kit, sleeping bags, bad weather gear, and one tent. We’d left behind extra clothes, my tent, and most of the climbing gear Xander had been carrying.
Packing lighter meant we were able to move faster. As we escaped the drippy canopy of the trees, we worked to ascend the pass as quickly as we could, but it was slow going. The rain had softened the earth enough that it was difficult to get traction, so, it took even longer when we began our descent down the other side. Before we made it back down into the tree line on the far side of what Xander had called Doser Pass, he stopped me to point out a few landmarks.
“See that kind of rounded lump in front of the jagged peak behind it?” Xander asked, pointing with an outstretched arm.
“Yeah?”
“Jake and Jimmy are in a protected area on the close side of that lump. That’s Lower Bower.”
I glanced at my watch. Darkness would be falling within a couple of hours. “Can we still make it to them today?”
“No, probably not. Hiking after nightfall is dangerous.”
“We can’t leave them for another night, Xander.” Fear curled in my belly for Jimmy.
Xander’s face softened and he brought a hand up to grip the back of my neck. “They’re safe, Benny. Jake will know the weather probably slowed us down and once we make camp, we can radio him and Gary to let them know what’s going on. Jake had enough provisions for at least a few days and he’s great with kids— Jimmy is probably having the time of his life. When we radio Jake, I’ll make sure you get a chance to talk to Jimmy, okay?”
I nodded. “I trust you,” I said softly. “If you say they’re safe, then I know they are.”
My answer seemed to satisfy him.
“Let’s go for another hour and then we’ll make camp and radio Jake and Gary. Then we can make my specialty pasta dish and snuggle together in our tent for the rest of the night. Okay?”
The thought of enjoying a hot meal after confirming that Jimmy was safe was enough to get my legs moving again. And I spent the next hour of our trek daydreaming about getting my hands on Xander again once we were alone in the tent.
“Usually you’re the chatty one,” Xander said from behind me at one point. We were passing across the far side of a plateau area full of scattered boulders, and I was struck by how different it looked from anyplace I’d ever been. I caught myself wishing Lucky and the other boys had been there to see it.
“Sorry. I was just thinking about what you said about sharing a tent tonight,” I admitted, smiling to myself.
“Oh yeah? Did you have some thoughts about that, or were you trying to figure out how to get out of it? I promise I don’t fart as much as Bear.”