Road Trip

III

 Day 32

 Scattering the contents of our tent and bags, I couldn't find the lighter even if my life depended on it. Jensen was out by the edge of the creek collecting water but there was no way we'd be able to drink it if I couldn't find the lighter to start a fire to boil the water. 

 After what I would say was half an hour, I reorganized everything and placed it all back in our makeshift tent. Jensen turned up back at camp with more than just the few water bottles of creek water. Lizards. He came back with lizards. 

 "Found dinner." He'd stated. I simply couldn't believe he was able to catch the lizards, even more so, kill them. 

 "I would tell you that would be fantastic but, we don't have the lighter anymore. It's missing." I hung my head slightly. He chuckled at me a little and pulled the baby blue lighter out of his pocket. I felt stupid for not realizing the possibility of Jensen carrying the little lighter around all day. 

 Soon after my slight stupid moment, we got a tiny flame flickering in the wind.  The water was the first thing to go on. We both knew that no matter how starving we felt, we needed to hydrate before anything. Neither of us waited for the water to cool before carefully sipping from the bottles. 

 Lizards followed quickly behind. Just over ten minutes of roasting the lizards before they were edible enough for us to consume. A little charred here and there but they can't be that bad, right?

 I was hesitant to even bite into the crisp lizard whereas Jensen was already half finished. He glances up at me and studies me, studying the lizard. Flicking off a piece of what looked like burnt skin, I looked up at him just as he's about to speak. My palm raised, "Don't tell me it tastes like chicken." 

 He gives me a look as if to say 'Duh, I'm no stupid'. "No, Kait, it's a lizard. It tastes like lizard." I gag a little at the thought of eating the tiny creature. Inevitably, I take the bite. 

_

 Shivering, all I could think about was that the flare was really beginning to sound tempting. All we had to do was shoot the glowing red light to the sky and we'd be done within a matter of hours. We had three more days and all I wanted to do was throw in the towel and call it quits. 

 It had to be past midnight. I knew I was exhausted but sleep didn't seem to be coming any time soon. I'd been tossing and turning for what felt like a million years while sleep alluded me. I let out another huff of frustration and turned to a peacefully sleeping Jensen. I smiled to myself before turning, laying on my back, staring up at the roof of our sort-of tent.  

 "What's on your mind?" His groggy voice rumbled deep. As much as I loved Jensen, I didn't want to be the downer of the trip. I went into this knowing that it would be a gruelling test of my abilities but I didn't expect it to feel like I was going to be like I was fighting for my life again sometimes. 

 I sighed. "Nothing. Just thinking a bit." I knew he didn't and wouldn't buy whatever bullshit I would've come up with so I didn't try convincing him any more than that. I heard him suck in a breath before he rolled over onto his back and slid out of his sleeping bag. "Well I can't sleep over the sound of your teeth chattering so scoot your ass over," he joked, trying to keep things light. I giggled to myself before sliding forward in my own sleeping bag. 

 I watched as Jensen unzipped his sleeping bag completely and threw it over mine. I tried to tell him to take it back and that he'll freeze to death or something like that but he told me to shut up and slipped in beside me in mine; his heat instantly flowing through my layers of clothes. 

 His arms wrapped around me, surrounding me in his warmth. My fuzzy sock covered feet tangled with his as I burrowed my face in his chest. No, we're not together but we were a something. 

 There wasn't a label for what we were but there was something there.