Save each other // Joel Miller

Secrets

"Okay, what about the one with two dudes, a duck, and a door?" Tommy leaned expectantly towards Joel, whose face was twisted in agitation. He shook his head and let out an angry huff of air.

"One man walks into a bar, the other shouts duck. The first man does and the bartender quacks." The joke fell flat as Sophie hopped off her horse and made her way to a patch of overgrown plants. Tommy clicked his tongue a few times.

"You have to work on that punch line." He gave Joel a toothy grin. He ignored him, hopping off his horse and taking the reins of both his and Sophie's animals. He walked them slowly to her side.

"See anything?" He asked softly, knowing she was in full concentration mode. He had seen her like this plenty of times. Nose in a book or trying to learn guitar. If he spoke to loud or quickly, it always freaked her out.

"Hmm.. ah!" She called out in excitement. she picked up a few long stemmed plants with little white and yellow buds growing along it. He popped open a brown cylinder container made of leather and gently slid them in there, smiling brightly at Joel when she was done.

"Chokecherry! I can make it into a cough medicine." Her bright, dancing eyes didn't linger on him long before moving back down to the ground, scouring for more. She plucked a few more flowers and decided to move to a different spot. Tommy watched her from atop his beast and Joel stayed back, giving her some space to explore and work. He knew if he ended up stepping on any of the plants, he'd get a tongue lashing.

"You think we can drag her back soon?" Tommy mumbled to Joel, not taking his eyes off of Sophie.

"We've been out here 2 hours already. Don't look like she's slowin' down anytime soon." He answered, also only keeping his eyes on her. They were both worried about the girl but her passion really did ring true and who were they to put a time limit on that? At least that was their reasoning.

"Well I'm not gonna be the bad guy." Tommy nudged Joel's shoulder with a boot and Joel shook him off, scoffing at the action. He rolled his eyes followed by his shoulders as he tossed the reins to Tommy. He walked behind Sophie and put a light hand on her lower back. She jumped at his touch and turned to face him.

"Sorry, I know I'm taking a lot longer than I said I would.." her thoughts seemed to trial off with a twist of concern on her face. Her eyes went distant and it squeezed at Joel's heart. He knew she was struggling with the transition to her new life and now that she has a driven goal, it was like taking a child's security blanket from them.

"It's alright, take your time. We have nothin' else going on. We will keep watch." Joel grabbed the back of her arm and rubbed comforting circles with his thumb. He couldn't heal her with words but he can sure as hell stand in a field for a few hours if it made her feel somewhat complete again.

"Speak for yourself, brother! A man's gotta eat!" Tommy called out from a few yards away. Joel sent him a withering glare and Sophie chuckled. He turned back to her and pressed a kiss on her forehead before letting her go and waking back to his horse.

"I think you could skip a meal or two, for your own sake." Joel said flatly. Tommy slapped a hand over his heart and gave Joel a mockingly hurt look.

"That is so rude! You know I stress eat." He slammed his arms in a crossed position and Joel had to laugh. He knew Tommy was joking but the fake temper tantrum was too much.

"Check my pack, Tommy!" Sophie called out. He reached over and ruffled through her bag before pulling out a clear baggy full of dehydrated fruits. She turned around briefly to acknowledge that he had pulled the right thing out before busying her hands again.

"Apples and cranberries from spring harvest. That should tide you over for a while." She called back to him without a look. She was shifting through the long grass and plucking something every once in a while. Tommy smiled at the package, ready to open and dive in, but Joel snatched the bag out of his hand before he had a chance.