Sierra Nevada (XXX)

2

Sunset

He made me laugh until I was relaxed enough to actually talk to him. I have to admit, I was more than a little star-struck at first. But a few minutes into the conversation, as he was laughing at himself for something silly he had said, I remembered the most unique thing about him, he was human.

Then the golden light from the setting sun reflected off the water and caught my attention and I forgot that he was even there. I also forgot how to breathe as the beauty before my eyes took my breath away.

The saffron hues blended into the gold and orange and purely red. It was as if the horizon above the mountains was on fire, and then reflected on the surface of the lake. I was crying for the beauty of it all and so much more. I decided I didn't want to ever forget the moment so I pulled my phone out and attempted to take several pictures. All the while Avi stood silently beside me. I deleted several of my photos, dissatisfied with the colors. The light was fading fast and with it the color of the setting sun.

"Let me try, please." I about jumped clean out of my skin. I had honestly forgotten that he was there. He smiled softly and took my phone. He looked at it and went to hand it back.

"How do I unlock it?" He had hit the button on the side to reach my actual lock Screen. He smirked and looked at me out of the side of his eyes when one of my favorite pictures of him splashed across my screen. I shrugged and unlocked my phone for him. He fiddled with settings and clicked off a few photos. He handed me back my phone and pulled his own from his pocket, took some more and inspected them, then asked me for my phone number. I gave it to him without thought while I looked at the pictures he had taken on my phone. They were perfect. I looked at him in complete awe. His smile was still stunning. It reached me on the most basic level. The sanguine light from the setting sun turned his green eyes brown. He smiled Softly, "I've been doing that for a while. He looked back at my campsite. "You chose a lovely space to camp in. What was the song you were playing? Was that one of Ed Sheeran's?" He asked as he reached for my guitar. He handed it to me and grabbed his own taking it out of its case. I nodded. I still hadn't found my voice.

"Do you want to play?" He looked at me with an expression I'd never expected to see on his face, then again, I never expected to be sitting around a campfire with one of my favorite vocalists in the middle of nowhere either.

He was beautifully patient with me. He tuned his guitar and waited for me to tune mine.

"Thank you for taking the pictures of the sunset for me. You'll have to show me how you did that. You captured the colors perfectly."

"Thank you," he said as he looked at my tent expectantly for the third time in twenty minutes.

"There is no one in there it's just me out here."

He looked at me like his eyes were going to pop out of his head and he whispered, "You're alone out here?" As quietly as he could. I looked at him as if he'd just said something so dumb I couldn't understand because I couldn't.

"Should I not be?"

"It can be so dangerous out here alone."

"You're alone." I quietly countered

"True." He conceited. "But the wildlife and people, what if?" He held his guitar tight to his chest as he looked at me over the firelight. I got angry. I didn't mean to but it was an argument I had already had one too many times with people that knew and loved me. But I didn't need to directly challenge him.

"True there is a greater threat to women alone in the wilds if chanced upon by some violent person, but the bad things that can happen to women can happen to men as well, unless," I paused watched his face and raised a brow, "you are implying something else entirely?" Luckily he caught my meaning.

"No, no, no. I'm not going there. That's wrong. Just concerned. It's the old fashioned in me. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I quipped and strummed my guitar. It was best to speak to him in a language he understood. We played on into the night trading off melodies and harmonies easily. I have to admit I got a little lost when he started to play folk music but I picked up on his chord changes and progressions well enough. We played, and sang and laughed until the fire was almost out.

"Oh shit!" I exclaimed looking at the dying fire. He jumped up, handed me his guitar, then put more wood on the fire and got the flames going again.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Oh man. Look at the moon." I turned to see a beautiful sliver of silver moon sitting very high in the sky. My fingers hurt from playing and my voice felt strained. He handed me a bottle of water. I tried to refuse it, water was life out there and I didn't want to take his.

"I can get more. Take some." His expression ended my need to argue.

"It's very late. I need to sleep."

"So do I."

"Do you have a tent?"

"I do, but I'll just sleep by your fire if that's alright?" The firelight played off his face and in his hair. I was not going to tell him no.

"Do you want me to keep your guitar and pack in my tent?"

"Please?" Just like that, it was settled. He gathered what he needed to sleep and gave me the rest to stow in my tent overnight. I grabbed my collapsible fire cover and set it over the pit. He nodded approvingly. I took his gear and stowed it safely in my tent. I crawled back out to say goodnight. I found myself wrapped in a tight hug with warm hands on my back.

"If you get too cold, just wake me first." He nodded and smiled. I found it difficult to sleep knowing that he was just a few feet away with only my tent between us. My dreams that night had me blushing hotly the next morning.