Monthly Bonus Content #3— Just the two of us… (Ava's Summer Scenario)

When Ava suggested a vacation, I was surprised.

When she suggested one together, I was shocked.

When she suggested camping, I was floored.

“You do get that we’re going to be in the wilderness? For two nights?” I comment, working on straightening the poles of my tent and digging them into the soft earth. “Just nature and our own imaginations to keep us amused.”

The sun winks at us through the lush canopy above, highlighting our chosen spot in the woods. The scent of wildflowers brushes the air, the rush of wind through the bushes adding a melody to the serene space, the late summer warmth wonderfully perfect.

Ava glances at me from where she’s fighting with her own canvas accommodation. “Such a thing is no problem for me. The fact we have something to sleep in is already a luxury I would not have had in my youth on these types of excursions.”

I purse my lips, wondering whether to take the dangling thread of conversation she’s left like bait.

Eventually, I bite. My curiosity surrounding this brooding vampire is too much for me to ignore.

“What was camping like in your youth all those many centuries ago?” I tease with a half-smile, glancing at her over my shoulder.

Her brow flicks up in response. “A lot more…rustic. We did not have these comforts.” She holds up a pillow before throwing it into her half-made tent. I try not to let my sudden dash of pride show as I pat at my already constructed tent.

As she continues to struggle, I relent and move closer to help as she tangles with the guy ropes. I slide my fingers over hers, ignoring the way the touch makes my heart stammer…as well as the way her gaze intensifies upon me.

“You preferred sleeping on the ground. Only a fallen log for your head?” I eek out to break the sizzling tension.

She laughs, the sound even more delicious against my skin than the warmed summer breeze. “No. It was a necessity of the time, not something I enjoyed. When given the choice, I prefer comforts.” Her closeness makes my throat dry as she leans into me to help push the tent peg into the ground. “The comfort of welcome company too.”

It happens then. I try not to, but the temptation is like a siren’s call—impossible to resist.

I meet her gaze.

If all the declarations of feelings were written into a look, it would be this one look. Her green eyes simmer with intention, but a veil of icy emerald shields it, not letting me fall into her fully.

The forest hushes. Waiting. Watching. As desperate for this moment as my whole body.

But I promised myself that I wouldn’t do this again. There is something between us, even Ava has admitted that now, but that doesn’t mean she’s willing to act on it.

And my heart still aches from all the hope she has left unfulfilled.

…So I pull away.

With as much of a laugh as I can manage, I break the anticipation that billows up about us like the edges of a tornado ready to whip our emotions into a spin yet again.

“If it’s company you want, we should have invited the others too.” I clear my throat as my words come out strangled. “It might have been fun watching Nat cope in the middle of the forest with only pillows as luxuries.”

Ava eyes me for a long moment more before acquiescing to my silent plea. She smiles, dimples in her cheeks that melt my heart even further. “I can’t imagine Felix would manage for long either. It’s far too quiet. He’d be desperate for amusement within seconds.”

I laugh easier this time. “Then perhaps it’s good it’s just us.”

“Yes. I think it is.”

I try to ignore the way my body has shuffled closer to her once again.

Her gaze lights on mine. “Thank you for coming, Agent.”

I need you close.

I smile. “Thank you for asking.”

Then let me.

A thick silence hushes around us, the breeze falling silent, the sun sparkling with fervour.

And we stand there, together, unmoving. Wishing. Wanting.

But as always, at a distance.