Tevin was carrying my heavy-ass backpack for me. He set it down on the ground. “What’s in here?”
“Let me see.” I looked upward while I tried to recite the list of everything tucked inside. “The essential list is: a map, a compass, a flashlight, eye protection, extra food, extra clothes, a first aid kit, a pocket knife, waterproof matches, a fire starter, water bottles, a whistle, insect repellent, and sunscreen.”
Tevin chuckled. “Are you serious? We’re only out here for a few hours. I rented us a yurt.”
“What the hell is a yurt?”
“Aw, something that the school principal with a thirst for knowledge doesn’t know already! I’m shocked,” he joked.
“You should have told me so I could look it up.”
Tevin didn’t understand how upset I was that I didn’t know what a yurt was. I didn’t like it one bit.
“So what is a yurt? Is it a tent, or some other kind of pop-up shelter?” I paused. “We’re not going to sleep near bears, are we?”
Tevin took my hand, lifted it, and kissed it. “I’m the only bear you have to worry about. A yurt is a round cabin.”
I finally exhaled. “Whew! I’m so relieved!”
“Well, yes, you can relax. Actually, the yurt has a stainless-steel kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a stone fireplace, a living room, and an outdoor deck and grill.”
“That sounds lovely.”
“Not as lovely as you.”
He was still holding my hand and pulled me closer to him so that he could kiss me. Boy, did he plant one on. It wasn’t even cold outside, but I was trembling.
He broke the kiss and stared right into my eyes. “I love you, Jemistry.”
My mouth fell open. I wasn’t prepared for that . . . not at all.
“I love you and you don’t have to respond. I don’t want you to tell me until you mean it.” He let me go and picked the backpack up. “I’m a confident man and I can see it in your eyes. You’re falling for me . . . hard.”
He started walking down the hill. “We need to get back before dark.” He paused and looked back at me. I was planted in place. “You coming, or you need me to leave this survival backpack for you so the flashlight and matches can help you fight off bears?”
I snapped out of it. I had been joking about the bears but we were in the middle of the wilderness. “Oh my goodness! They do have bears out here, you know.”
“Yeah, I know, and I’m prepared.” Tevin pulled a handgun out of his jacket pocket. “This is how I fight off bears and anyone or anything else.”
I giggled. “That definitely works.”
I started walking so we could head back down toward his car, about three miles away. “You weren’t kidding about spending time in isolation, but I’m having fun.”
When I caught up to him, he took my hand. “That’s a good thing.”
* * *
We got settled into the yurt, which was nicer inside than just about any hotel room or suite that I had stayed in . . . ever. The rental community was in Gordonsville, Virginia, and they had it all: cabins, lodge rooms, a manor house, campsites, RV sites, chalets, and yurts. They had all kinds of activities as well: basketball, billiards, a gym, horse-drawn carriages, miniature golf, and a lake to go fishing.
Tevin had found a small, local grocery store where we purchased everything necessary to grill hamburgers and hot dogs, as well as some food for breakfast the next morning. He turned out to be a great cook. He had asked me to come over to his house for dinner on numerous occasions, but I had avoided it. I didn’t want to put myself in a situation where I would be tempted to sleep with him. All of that was about to change. I was prepared to go all in with him to see what could actually become of it. But it would be a challenge and I wanted him to know that. I could no longer convince myself that a “friends with benefits” situation would work with him. We had spent way too much quality time together and I cared about him too much to disconnect from my emotions.
“These burgers are banging.” I took another bite of mine as Tevin cut off the grill. “Where did you learn to cook like this?”
“My mother taught me how to cook. By ten, I was cooking dinner three times a week.” He sat down across from me at the picnic table on the deck. “You probably thought that I was lying when I said that I could burn.”
“No, I took it more literally, like you were burning food and jacking it up.” We both laughed. “You haven’t told me much about your parents. Are they still living?”
“Yes, they both are. Again, sorry to hear about the loss of yours.”