Of the Earth

6

They made easy conversation all through dinner, laughing wildly and lounging back, enjoying each other's company.

Harry wasn't sure why but somehow today Louis looked even more beautiful than yesterday, which was saying something. Neither of them had taken a proper shower in many days but Louis managed to look absolutely stunning, so attractive Harry was nearly drooling over himself.

He tried to reel the feelings of attraction back in because he knew it wasn't a good idea to be lusting after his new backpacking partner who was still technically a stranger, even though it didn't feel like that at all. It was just so difficult to not be attracted to Louis when he was so good looking and his personality was just as perfect. He was the kindest, most genuine person Harry had even met and he just couldn't help but be a little starry-eyed every time he looked over at him.

The temperature had steadily been dropping since what they assumed was three o'clock in the afternoon, although neither of them knew because they didn't have a watch. Louis claimed he could tell time from the positioning of the sun in the sky and the length of the shadows on the ground but Harry called bullshit and didn't believe him.

It was getting colder and they had both already caved in, putting on pants and long-sleeved shirts. As the day progressed and the temperature dropped, they put on more and more layers, slipping on pairs of wool socks and rain jackets, wishing they had more clothes when they found they were still cold.

The sun wasn't even down yet and Louis was already shivering, all throughout their quinoa dinner which was by far the best quinoa either of them had ever had in their lifetime. They had stirred in cheddar cheese, lemon juice, sliced onion, and hot sauce, and the bag cooked an abundance so they essentially had an endless amount of servings shared between them.

By the end of it, after they both licked their bowls cleaned, Harry had leaned back and patted his stomach in satisfaction while Louis' teeth chattered from the cold. Thus, they decided to build a fire.

Right now, Louis was meticulously arranging a mess of branches and twigs to make said fire. Harry had scavenged the wood from a stand of pine trees in the distance, since the campsite was surrounded only by fields of grass. Harry had forced Louis to stay behind because he didn't want him hobbling around on his bad ankle when it wasn't necessary. Louis pouted about it but he was happy now, contentedly building an expert fire.

Harry enjoyed watching him because not only did he have the excuse to stare at the adorable concentration in his face, but he also learned quite a bit from it. Louis had a method of creating campfires and it was a lot more planned out than Harry's own method was. It once again reminded him that Louis was a lot more experienced than him, and he had a lot more wisdom from the extra time on trail.

When Louis was satisfied with the placement of each branch, he pulled out his lighter and bent down low to cup his hands around a certain place. He gently blew air on it until the small twig caught fire, slowly spreading to the other wood.

Harry clapped in celebration and praised Louis on his fire-making skills. Harry had never seen someone create one so efficiently and actually get it to light right away, even in wind like this. Louis said the key was to start low, close to the center where the little flame would be protected.

They huddled close to the tiny fire as they waited for the rest of the logs to catch, hoping it would bring them some much-needed warmth. Clifford was the only one who seemed unbothered by the drop in temperature, as he wandered the campsite and happily explored everything his nose could reach.

Harry looked over at Louis and saw him with his knees pulled to his chest, arms wrapped around himself as he stared pensively into the fire. Harry hadn't yet managed to forget about their conversation earlier, the softness with which Louis said "pass," that made Harry not even question why the reason he was here, in Dolly Sods Wilderness, was such a touchy subject.