Haphephobia

Chapter 29

The sun had long since set over the treetops. A cold, wet fog lingered in the air as the four of us made our way to our makeshift home.

Once I reached the top, it finally dawned on me completely how uncomfortable sleeping would be. There were precisely four piles of leaves, each about a foot apart. They were of substantial size, but despite that they still looked cold and uncomfortable, and in the end we were still sleeping on logs. I could already feel the back pain creeping up.

"Lighten up, Ben. It's only for a little while." Ava spoke up. The silence that followed signified the presence of what everyone was thinking but nobody said: we could be living here for a lot longer than a little while.

"Maybe I'll just... I dunno... Sleep as a dog. I'd probably be more comfortable. And Ava, you could... Sleep with me, 'f you want." I said, slightly awkward. I rubbed the back of my neck without really looking at her eyes.

"That sounds like a great idea." She said, immediately brightening my mood. I liked when she was near me. I couldn't exactly put my arm around her as a dog, but being near her... It was always enough. And I knew it always would be.

"Well, while you sissies make yourselves comfortable, Will and I are going to set some stuff up. I've got an LED lantern so we can stay up for a little while longer." Stevie announced, plunking down heavily on her leaf bed. She looked completely at home. I decided perhaps now was as good a time as any to ask what was up with that.

"How is it that you're always so prepared? I don't get it. And you just seem so... In your element." I said. Suddenly Stevie gave me a weird look.

"Why do you care?" She responded snidely. I was slightly taken aback until I thought about how I'd feel in her place. Maybe she had a hard life.

I sat down on my bed as well, and bright light suddenly illuminated the immediate area. Stevie placed her lantern in the center of the beds.

"Stevie, maybe you should just tell 'em." William spoke up. He was sitting just out of the light's reach, his back against on of our supporting trees. I could see his shoes, but his face was covered. It was... Well, to put it simply, slightly eerie looking.

"Tell them what? That crap happens and life sucks? Why don't you tell them then?" Stevie said, suddenly stopping in her aimless quest to rifle through the rucksack. To say the least, she just looked ticked. For some reason, Will laughed.

"Darling, I don't think that's really how you feel about it." He returned. Stevie sighed. Will stood up and joined her side, putting his arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple. She seemed to soften at this.

"No. Not really. I just don't see why we have to talk about me, when everyone here has experienced hard things and came out of it alright. Can't we focus on that second half?" She asked. It was odd how she phrased it. Like she was asking him permission to think something different.

"I don't know, maybe... We've sort of been at odds with each other lately, despite our best intentions. Maybe if we all just shared our thoughts at once, we would grow a little bit. Together, I mean. If we know where we're coming from we're less likely to have a hard time dealing with it." I added. William smiled and gestured at me, as if I'd illustrated his point.

"Kinda makes sense, I guess. I still don't see why we should have to, though. And I'm not starting." Stevie responded flatly. William shrugged, then looked pointedly at Ava, who seemed to have stopped paying attention over the course of the entire conversation.

"Stevie, how come I can't read your thoughts?" Ava said. Not even an apology, or a warning. I was slightly shocked: usually she was more conservative about bringing that up. I understood she was more animated about her adversity with Stevie, but this was weird. Like it really bothered her.