Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Mari rests between Mark and me.
“So, what do you think?” I ask Mari, kissing her neck.
“About what?”
“Sex outside.”
She laughs. “It’s something I would do again.”
“Glad to hear it,” I say.
I can’t wait to get her outside again. I’ll take Mari anywhere she’ll have me. Mark, too. Being with them is when I’m happiest.
I’ve been happy a lot lately, and I don’t want it to end anytime soon.
17
Mark
It’s amazing what a difference daylight makes.
When I open my eyes, Mari is still cuddled between John and me on the hard, cool ground. She looks peaceful, none of the fear she wore last night evident on her face.
The forest doesn’t seem as overwhelming now that the sun is high in the sky. In fact, it’s kind of peaceful itself.
To let Mari and John sleep a bit longer, I try not to move around too much. I don’t want to disturb them. After our fun last night, it had taken a while for all of us to fall asleep.
My back hurts a bit from the hard ground. I’m getting too old to sleep on the forest floor without so much as a sleeping bag. At least I’m not cold. With Mari tucked into my side, my entire body is warm.
John stirs on the other side of Mari. She manages to stay asleep despite his movement. He sits up slowly and looks around.
“Forgot where we were for a second,” he admits. “Wasn’t expecting to wake up under a bunch of trees.”
“I get that,” I respond in a whisper. “I was disoriented when I first woke up, too.”
John nods and stretches his arms up above his head. I watch as his shirt rides up just a little bit, revealing a sliver of skin. I long to lean forward and touch or kiss it, but I restrain myself.
“We should get going.”
I glance at Mari. “I don’t want to wake her,” I say.
“I know, but we have to.”
John is right, of course. Together, we gently shake Mari’s shoulders until her eyes flutter open.
She sits up quickly. “Where am I?”
“We’re in the forest, remember?”
Mari grabs her head. I’m sure it’s spinning from getting up so fast.
“Right, yeah. What time is it?”
I check my phone. I may not have service, but at least the time still works.
“A little after nine.”
“Oh, wow! We slept late.”
“I think we all needed it,” John says.
I agree. Not only did we have a long night – what with getting lost in the woods and everything – but we had also woken up early every day this past week. It felt good to sleep in for a change, even if it was just for a couple of hours. I’m a morning person, but I do enjoy extra sleep every once in a while.
“So, what now?” Mari asks. “We’re still lost.”
The statement is true, but it doesn’t carry the same weight as it did last night.
A smile sneaks across Mari’s face.
“What?” I ask her.
“Nothing.”
“Come on, tell me. You’re smiling for a reason.”
Mari blushes. “I was just thinking about last night. It felt so...right to make love in the woods like we did. We truly became one with nature.”
“You’re not worried about being lost anymore?”
She shakes her head. “Not even a little bit. I feel...I don’t know, like we’re where we belong. Don’t get me wrong, I want to get back to the hotel, but I’m not scared.”
“The daylight probably helps.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
We all laugh. It’s easy to feel free when the light is shining overhead. I’d rather not sleep out here again, though. My back can’t handle a second night on the ground.
I stand up and stretch my body out. My back cracks when I bend over.
Mari chuckles. “You’re so old!”
“Hey! You joke now, but you’ll get there eventually.”
“Never! I may get older, but my body will always be nineteen.”
John kisses her cheek. “Yeah, you keep that optimistic point of view. It’s adorable.”
“I will. Plus, maybe by the time I’m your age, there will be some kind of technology to keep me young.”
“At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
We gather up our meager supplies and put them back in John’s backpack. We’re out of water, so we do need to get out of here.
I spin around to take in the scene. Maybe I’ll see something that we couldn’t in the dwindling sunlight last night.
I squint into the distance. Just beyond the tree line, I see the sun reflecting off of something.
“Guys, look at that. Is that the hotel?”
John and Mari join me and look at where I’m pointing. John starts laughing hysterically.
“Yes, it is,” he chuckles, wiping away tears from laughing so hard. “Can you believe it? We were so close this entire time.”
“How could we not see it?”
“It was dark. I think we’re only seeing it now because the sun is shining on the roof. There must be solar panels or something up there causing the reflection.”