Kissing Frogs - A Tropical Fairytale

Confessions

Happy Valentine's Day Lovelies! Remember to take a minute today and give love to the most important person in the world: yourself.

I tumble off Mariposa in what feels like slow motion, landing with a hard thump on my back.

I lay there staring up at the gloomy sky, treetops going around in circles.

A blurry face appears above me, accompanied by another whiff of sulfur.

"Jess! Are you okay?" Travis jumps off Destiny and quickly tethers her to a nearby tree. I haven't regained complete sensation of my body but there isn't much pain. I wonder if that's a good or bad sign.

He kneels down beside me and helps me sit up. I wheeze and cough as air whooshes back into my lungs.

Mariposa stands up a ways, rearing off to the side, reins tangled on one of the branches. Her wide eyes are accusing, as if everything is my fault.

"Jerk," I rasp. It hurts to breathe.

"Me or the horse?"

"Both."

We're drenched, hair plastered against our faces.

"Can you stand up?" he says.

"Not sure." He helps me up slowly and I lean against his shoulder, clutching at my ribs. Shockingly, nothing seems to be broken, but everything aches.

"Where are we?" I wince at the soreness in my body.

"Not sure. As soon as your dumb horse bolted I didn't take my eyes off her. I didn't want to lose you."

"So we're stuck out here in the middle of a thunderstorm with no idea where we are or how to get home?" My chest feels tight.

Travis looks up and opens his mouth. "At least there's no shortage of water," he says. He shrugs off his backpack and pulls out a bottle of water and a few granola bars. "Rations." He looks at me, green eyes twinkling. "If things get really bad, we can always eat the horses."

Destiny nickers loudly.

I give him a dirty look. "This isn't funny."

"Relax, we'll be fine." He pats my shoulder, reassuring. "Do you feel like getting back on the horse?"

"Absolutely not." I eye Mariposa, who's giving me the same suspicious look.

"They should be able to lead us back." He walks over to her and makes soothing noises.

The rain seems to be subsiding but the sky is still dark and the wind gusts strongly through the thin trees.

"Do you think we should just wait the storm out?" I say. "Isn't the first rule when you're lost to stay where you are?"

"That's if people are looking for you," he says. "Nobody knows we're missing."

"What about Rodrigo?"

"Rodrigo probably thinks we're making out under a tree somewhere."

"In this weather?" I ask.

Travis leads Mariposa back toward me and puts her reins in my hands. He pushes wet hair off his face. "What? You don't think it's romantic?" He leans over and wipes a smear of something off my cheek. I look down at his hand. It's blood.

I feel short of breath and attribute it to the aftereffects of my less-than-elegant dismount. It's not because Travis is standing mere inches from me. Not because his face is bending slowly down toward mine in expectation. I rise slightly on my toes, lips pursed in anticipation.