A Gallagher Girls & The Listen Series Promptober

Sleepy Cold Mornings (Pt. 1)

Haven't read Gallagher Girls? Please do not continue if you wish to avoid spoilers.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out. Comments, feedback and any interaction are appreciated and loved!

Cammie POV / Timeline: Day after last prompt-Bonfire 

This prompt was requested by anon on tumblr for Macey and Cammie, author's choice for platonic and romantic and well, I chose to write one for both! See Pt. 2 for Romantic pairing. 

Oct. 5th | Sleepy Cold Mornings (Pt. 1):

Waking up in a tent will never be something I grow tired of. No matter the previous day's events, the future plans to unfold during the day, or the weather, it's always the same process. Predictable, simple, peaceful.

It's slow and quiet. The soft sounds of the world waking up as you do, the rustling of leaves and tall grass in the wind, then brushing against the canvas of the tent lightly, a whisper. The birds call out to one another, greeting the new day, almost sleepy themselves, pausing between the soft, trilling twitters. It's always warm and safe in your sleeping bag, pulling you in deeper.

On this particular morning, the cold chill in the air nipped at my nose and I pulled my hands out of the warm cocoon of my blankets to pull my winter hat further down on my head. Your body always moves slower as you wake in a tent, stiff from sleeping on the ground and the deep sleep you always fall into. I slowly rubbed the crusted sleep from my eyes and blinked, the soft gray light of the early morning illuminating the sleeping bodies next to me.

I smiled seeing only Liz's squeezed shut eyes peeking out of her sleeping bag, every piece of her covered in some sort of fuzzy pink fabric. I rolled to find Bex wrapped in one of my stolen blankets along with her own tangled around her. Macey's bag was empty and I sat up, immediately regretting the decision as the chill in the air shot through my body, landing in my fingers and toes like icy puddles and I shivered.

My numb fingers fumbled to pull on another sweatshirt and a thicker pair of socks, grabbed a blanket and climbed out of the tent as quietly as I could.

The warmth and sun from the previous day vanished, the chill of autumn fully falling on our campground overnight. The gray sky turning the once bright and bold colors to duller hues now. I rubbed my eyes and yawned, shivering and wrapping the blanket around me tighter, searching for Macey.

I finally found her, sitting on a log on the shore of the lake. The lake was covered in a fog, the otherside no longer visible. It was almost ominous, the dismal tint of everything from the overcast sky, Macey sitting alone staring at it. But as the wind blew through her hair and she closed her eyes, a small smile on her face, everything felt a little softer, slower, sleepy, peaceful.

She looked so small, sitting there alone, reminding me of a time that felt like forever ago, on a dock, running away to be chased. I wondered if she was still running, her attitude from the previous day and our phone call swirling in my brain.

I sat next to her, wrapping the blanket around both of our shoulders. She had a steaming mug of coffee between her two hands and I eyed it enviously. She smirked, pulling a thermos from her feet and an empty mug.

"Knew you'd have company?" I asked as she handed it to me and I let the warmth of the metal warm my hands, the numb and dull feeling in my fingers slowly fading.

She smirked again and stole a very famous move from Zach, pointing to herself and whispering, "Spy."

There aren't many people who I've found to appreciate the silence or the unspoken words said between two people who really get each other, but Macey McHenry will always be one of those people. She understands that sometimes, you want, maybe even prefer, the silence in a way others can't. She understands that sometimes the world is just a little too loud, too many thoughts and things to get done creating a pressure and a buzz in your brain, the world spinning day after day a little too fast sometimes.

So, we sat in silence, sipping our coffee, eventually our heads leaning against each other. The wind picked up a little, the birds sang their songs a little louder and more frequently, and the fog started to break up. We sat, enjoying the stillness of the cold, sleepy morning together. Enjoying the rare moment of the world turning a little slower as we woke up with it.