Serendipitous Reunion

02

"Why did we even decide on camping? This is just torture." Vanessa grumbled, as she swatted away another mosquito.

"We said we would all try new things together. It can't always be comfort and internet connection, my love." Mimmi replied, a giggle slipping from her lips as she watched Vanessa squirm on the log under her.

The friends were celebrating quite a few accomplishments within their group. Mimmi was recently offered a job to work as an investigative journalist at a well-known publication company, Enlighten. Ama had just passed her exam to become a paralegal. Vanessa had hit 200k followers on instagram, which was a milestone for her as an amateur influencer. Charlotte had sold her first home as a relatively new realtor. Ato had recently secured an entry-level job in accounting. Jax and Dennis were celebrated about a year prior when they got promoted to police detective and acquired a software engineering position, respectively, but there was nothing wrong with celebrating again.

To bask in these wins, they decided to get together and have a little fun. They all had brunch earlier in the day but that wasn't enough, and they didn't want to be 'basic'. Vanessa randomly suggested a night in the woods, and it wasn't difficult to get the rest on board; they did challenge themselves to be more adventurous this year.

So here they are, congregated at a campsite near Mimmi's apartment, right in front of a murky lake. Although the lake looked less than appealing to the eye, the campground itself was decent. The ground they chose was smoother compared to other sites, where there were sticks and stones scattered everywhere. The area also didn't reek of animal droppings, but that didn't protect them from seeing all the little critters roam about. They were shaded with large trees but warmed up with the fire the guys set up with pieces of wood in the huge pit at the center of them.

"Besides, wasn't this your idea? You're the one who said we shouldn't celebrate with a typical dinner at a restaurant." Charlotte spoke matter-of-factly.

"Yes, and now I'm thinking the dinner would have sufficed." Vanessa complained, hugging herself and rubbing her arms up and down. "After this, I'm not coming back here again."

"Oh come on, it's not so bad." Dennis dismissed, throwing more sticks into the fire that was slowly going out. "How many people can say they've gone camping? We can cross this off our bucket lists."

Their laughter ceased by the sound of a twig snapping. Vanessa flinched in fear, making everyone wince in response. She grabbed onto the arm of the person right next to her, which happened to be Jax, and snuggled into his side, whipping her head around in search of the sound's source.

"Wo nso gyae saa. We can't take you anywhere." Ama snapped in jest, lightly shoving the girl next to her. Ama, Vanessa, and Jax were seated on one log, while Dennis, Charlotte, and Mimmi were on another one on the other side of the fire. Ato sat on a log stool closer to the fire as he continued to keep it aflame.

"It's just a squirrel. Don't worry, Vee. I got you." Jax assured, wrapping an arm around her and rubbing her arm soothingly. He felt blood rush to his cheeks as he held her, and he was thankful that he was dark enough for it to be hidden.

The friends briefly stared at the two of them, taking in the sight. Lately, Jax had been showing signs of being sweet on Vanessa. He was just really nice to her. Not that he wasn't nice to the other girls in the group, but he was extra nice to Vanessa. He would pull out seats for her, bring her food when she was caught up with work, hug her for longer, and even his tone was gentler with her. The group didn't bring it up because it could just be them reading too much into things, especially since he never showed these signs before.