Page 65 of Witchy Woman

Extreme Camping

We pull up to the next location with bellies full of wings, soft pretzels, and other bar food. I chose not to drink because I’m driving, but Ash had a beer as well.

“What are we doing out here?” Ash asks.

I brought him to the lot leading to the little spot in the woods where we stood and watched the sunrise together. This place was his and his father’s, but now it feels a little bit like mine, too.

“This is a safe place for you. A safe place for us. I couldn’t imagine crafting the perfect date for you and not coming here to watch the sunrise.”

I jump out of the car before I can see his reaction. I hate that I still act like a spooked horse around him, ready to flee at the first sign of danger.

But at least I’m trying, right? I’m making more of an effort than I ever have, and that has to count for something.

Despite my best effort to skip past that moment of vulnerability by grabbing the heavy backpack from the back, Ash catches up to me quickly and envelopes me in a bear hug toowarm to resist. “You do realize it’s winter, right? I never really saw you as the extreme camping type. Watching the sunrise implies we’re spending the night, Goldilocks.”

I huff an annoyed breath. “I’m literally a Fire witch, Ash. Do you really expect me to let us freeze?”

He holds his hands up in surrender with a laugh. “Fair point, fair point. Lead the way.”

I shoot him one more glare and step into the forest. Even though I’ve only been here twice, I hold my head high and pointedly put one foot in front of the other, making my way in the direction I think his favorite spot is located.

He quietly redirects me three times before we enter the clearing.

A soft layer of snow covers the ground, but it’s not actively falling and the moon hangs full tonight. A cloudless sky opens before us.

I unpack the thick blanket and tarp from the backpack slung over my shoulder and lay them out. We may not get cold, but that doesn’t mean a little extra effort isn’t needed to keep us dry.

“I see you, Goldilocks,” Ash says as he gets a small fire going. “You’ve got walls around you the size of skyscrapers, but there’s a soft heart behind them.”

I don’t reply.

I don’t want to snap at him, to tell him he’s wrong or give him my usual safe response of fuck off.

Everyone else gives up on me pretty easily. I say about three to five mean-as-shit things and they back off. Write me off as a bitch and leave me alone.

Not Ash.

Ash has always seen my sarcastic mean-girl act as exactly what it is—bullshit. He poked and prodded at me, but he never pushed me too far. He letmecome tohim.

Just like now. He doesn’t need me to respond, nor does he expect me to. He just...accepts that I don’t know what to say and leaves it at that.

I lie back on the blanket, focusing on enhancing the heat of the fire. Ash and I are encased in a bubble of warmth in the middle of the cold winter evening.

“I really do appreciate this. My dad did his best for birthdays and holidays, but as a single parent he didn’t always have the most time. It’s been a while since I’ve had someone go to this much effort for me.”

I lace our fingers together as we look up at the starry sky.

“What do you want out of life, Laura?” Ash asks softly. “What’s your dream?”

I shiver, but it’s not from the cold. “No one has ever asked me that before.”

“I’m asking you now.”

“I like to sew. I like fashion, accessories specifically. I used to dream about escaping to Paris, but now I think I’d just be happy to make them. I don’t know how realistic that is, though.”

“If I know anything about you, it’s that you can do absolutely anything you set your mind to.”

“What do you want your life to look like in ten years?” I ask. I blush immediately. Talking about dreams and the future makes me want to know where his mind is at, too.