Picture Perfect

Chapter Thirty-Four - Elliot

Hi all!

This is our penultimate chapter (one final chapter after this, and then the epilogue). Gosh, I'll miss writing this book! It's such a delightfully warm story.

Love, Cam

♡

Chapter Thirty-Four

Elliot

"Alright," I said, double-checking the backpack. "One more time."

Everyone groaned loudly.

"One more time," I insisted sternly. "Do you want to be in the middle of a hike and realise we've forgotten water bottles?" When I got a few rolled eyes but no protests, I nodded to myself. "See?"

"Is he this overbearing when you go on dog walks?" Tyler asked Joshua under his breath, although I was stood two metres away and could easily hear him.

"I think he's done a few extra checks out of stress," Joshua replied, wrestling his dog into the boot of the car, where there was a cute little mini-heaven for a dog set up. The dog did not want to go into the boot of the car, clearly wishing he could just get his owner to teleport us immediately to the nature trail.

"Stress?" Tyler asked.

Joshua grinned. "Saskie's leg."

"Ah," Tyler replied. He had mostly conquered his fear that Saskie's leg, now fully healed, was going to snap at any moment, but I was still panicking. It probably didn't help that everything Saskie did was somehow leg-related, like she was trying to test its strength.

"Water," I called out.

"Check," everyone dutifully replied.

"Sun-cream."

"Check."

"Insect repellent."

"It's the middle of England, the most dangerous insects we have to worry about are wasps," Rowan interjected.

"Insect repellent," I repeated, ignoring her.

"...Check."

"Snacks."

"Check," Saskie said, very seriously patting her pockets to make sure her snacks were still there. I didn't remember giving her pocket snacks. I eyed Sorcha, who was looking pointedly at the sky, as though she was checking out the weather.

"Jackets in case of rain," I said.

"Despite the fact it's going to be twenty-five degrees and sunny, check," Siobhan replied.

"Umbrellas," I spoke loudly.

"Check."

"First aid kit," I said.

Tyler held it up, about to pack it into the car. "Check!"

"Flare gun."

They all looked at me, and I cracked a smile. "Kidding. Let's get going."

We piled into the two cars; Joshua driving Adam, Rowan, and Saskie, who insisted on being in the car where the dog was. I was secretly relieved; Tyler was getting much better at being in the car again, especially driving, but it did help when Saskie wasn't in his sight.

"Let's do this," he said, hopping into the driver's seat with me next to me, and Sorcha and Siobhan in the back. Tyler fiddled with his phone, trying to connect it to the car's WiFi, before abandoning it and plugging it in with the aux cable.