Honey | Gini

Eight

Gina's POV

Coming back to Ashlyn's cabin feels weird. It has a completely different atmosphere than when I left this morning. The last time I was in here, I was nervous to have to talk to Nini for a whole day, and now I'm nervous about not being able to talk to her constantly anymore. Outside, Big Red struggles to set up a projector screen that Ashlyn found in the basement. It has some black marks on it, but it's still usable. Ricky is sort of helping him, but he seems preoccupied by the others around him, watching as Rico and EJ carry out lawn chairs to the yard. Ashlyn asked me to help get the food out, and Nini offered to help me, which would've been fantastic this morning, but right now, it's causing me to drop the bags of marshmallows right after I pick them up.

"Oh, sorry," I say.

I'm thankful that marshmallows are soft, because the bags land on Nini's feet, and I instantly kneel down to collect them again. Nini does the same, but it proves less effective with her help, for when we both reach for the same bag, our hands touch, and my heart screams, banging on my rib cage to be let out. After a second of motionless panic, I manage to pull my hand away and pick up the bags of marshmallows. 

She rises after me, saying, "You good?"

"Yeah, great," I reply. 

Now flustered, I reach for a bag of chips to add to my pile of food, hoping that keeping my body moving will make it calm down. Nini picks up the metal sticks for roasting marshmallows, but her sight stops on something else.

"Should I bring the honey out to put on our s'mores later?"

"That sounds like it would actually be good," I respond, "so yes."

She grins and grabs the jar then follows me to bring all our stuff outside. The rest of setup is quick, and soon our whole group is sitting around a campfire, choosing either the benches that face the screen, or their own lawn chairs. I'm on a bench with Nini, doing my best to pay attention to the presentation of photos beginning before me, but my eyes keep drifting back to her. Every once in a while, her gaze catches mine, which makes me snap forward again. 

"I'm so excited to see these photos," Ashlyn says. "Let's start with the first people who sent their images to me, Ricky and Big Red."

You can tell they're best friends by the elaborate poses they do in every picture. One of them depicts the two boys stacked one on top of the other on their hands and knees, like a pyramid missing a lot of people. On Ricky's head is a red bird that they somehow got to land here. I guess even the birds like his curly hair. Their photos make the rest of the group's images look average at best, although Steph and Natalie did something cute with putting Natalie's hamster in a plastic toy boat on the sand, making it look like the hamster is the captain. That earns them some cheers. Even though they're nothing special, me and Nini's photos make the two of us smile. In the end, there isn't even a debate about who the winners are. Ricky and Big Red stand up to take their bows. 

With the presentation over, the crackling of the fire takes over the air. EJ and I help Ashlyn get the hot dogs out for everyone to cook, and Ashlyn makes a plant-based one for herself. At the end of dinner, the marshmallows come out. I bring two of those, along with two pieces of chocolate and four graham crackers, back to where Nini sits. She grins as I pass her a marshmallow, and the two of us begin roasting them over the fire. It's not long before hers catches a flame, and she lets out a tiny scream as she pulls it out. 

"I got it," I say. 

I lean forward and blow the flame out, leaving just a sizzled black patch on the marshmallow.