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The forest road crackled under the tires of Carol’s SUV as she pulled into the campsite parking area. With sticks and leaves over the tire-tracked dirt, the trees marked their territory. She parked and gathered her belongings, then hopped out to retrieve her backpack from the trunk. With the hatchback door open and one strap of the backpack in hand, she froze in awe. Daisy Johnson had already arrived.
Carol’s lungs didn’t know whether to hold her breath or sigh as Daisy walked toward her. Dark hair in a single Katniss-style braid, purple plaid flannel tied around her waist, gray tank top revealing her tan skin… Daisy caught her eye and smiled, with a little wave to greet her. Carol involuntarily whimpered. It was lesbian bait! How could she be expected to get through this weekend without kissing her crush who looked like this?
“Hey you!” Daisy shouted. “Yeah, you, the hot blonde! Wanna come on a hike?”
Carol laughed. “I just got here! Let me at least check in to my cabin first.”
“That’s easy,” Daisy shrugged. “You’re with me.”
With a smirk, Daisy grabbed the bags of groceries Carol had been assigned to bring. Without looking back, she started up the path to their group of cabins. They stopped at the main building to hand off the bags to their friend Mack, who was arranging the community-shared kitchen for the long weekend. Carol followed, ponytail swinging happily.
She snapped out of her cartoon-heart-eyes at the sight of their friends.
“Hey, it’s been awhile!” Carol greeted Mack with a hug.
“Glad you could make it!” He showed them the progress he had been making on organizing their provisions.
Jemma walked in with her clipboard, with Fitz trailing behind, but he wasn’t heart-eyed. More like mildly annoyed.
“Does everyone have their keys?” Jemma asked, glancing down at her clipboard and then back up at the kitchen. “Carol! Here you go.” She fished a lanyard with a key on it out of her pocket.
“Thank you, camp counselor.” Carol tried to hide a laugh.
Jemma sighed. “Very original. But if it were up to the rest of you, we’d have a dozen bags of Cheese-os and not a single can of bug spray. So I am here, and Clippy is here.” She held up the clipboard. “To make sure everyone has a good time. Safely.”
She raised her chin in pride. As much as they teased, Carol respected her work to put this trip together. “And for that, we’re very grateful.”
“Oh don’t encourage her.” Fitz sighed.
“Jealous of Clippy?” Daisy teased. She jumped out of the way as Fitz picked up a tea towel and flicked it in her direction.
Carol pulled Daisy toward the door before the playful fight could drive Jemma up a wall. “C’mon, show me our cabin!”
—
The neighborhood of cabins were each tiny wooden structures, just a bedroom and bathroom, with a table, microwave, and minifridge near the large window. Carol couldn’t resist pulling out her phone camera to capture the view .
“Just wait until you’re actually out there,” Daisy hinted.
Carol grabbed her water bottle and sunglasses. “I can unpack later.”
They headed out, after a brief pause to apply sunscreen and bug spray, and met up with others from their group and a few kids, including the precocious Monica, the 11-year-old daughter of Carol’s former roommate Maria.
Monica looked expectantly between Carol and Daisy. “Did you ask her yet?!”
Daisy laughed nervously, “No! Hush!”
“Ask me what?” Carol prodded verbally and with a finger to Daisy’s side.
“Nothing! I’ll tell you later, I swear.”
Carol let the subject drop but enjoyed the way Daisy was looking at her, like a good kind of surprise was coming.
The group hike was entertaining, especially with the children, but it wasn’t what Carol was in the mood for.
Carol walked by Daisy’s side as Daisy pointed out the sights: “Ooo! I saw that earlier and thought of you!” “Yes! That bird is still here. Look!” and finally, “C’mere, I want to show you this.”
Carol relaxed as they branched off from the group into the sanctuary of the forest, like a portal to another world, especially as they climbed higher and crossed a bridge over a babbling creek. They reached a platform where they could observe the life around them, not just plants but birds and other fauna. They took a selfie together with the scenery, but then put their phones away to soak in the beauty and quiet.
As a breeze cooled their skin, one of the rustled leaves got caught in Daisy’s braid. Carol removed it but couldn’t stop herself from also caressing Daisy’s cheek. Daisy leaned in and parted her lips slightly, and Carol could no longer resist. Before she knew it, Daisy was kissing her back.
“That’s what I was going to ask,” Daisy whispered as a confession.
“To kiss me?”
“And just in general, if you were as crazy about me in the way I am for you.” Daisy said it so casually, Carol realized Daisy knew the answer but needed to hear Carol say it.
“Obviously. And if you want me to be your girlfriend, I accept,” Carol said as if being offered a dream job. “I’m highly qualified and we already know we make a great team as friends.”
“You are the ideal candidate,” Daisy played along. “Kiss me again to seal the deal?”
She flirted in a joking way, but there was nothing humorous about their kiss, deep and sincere with met longing.
Carol pulled back after a while in realization. “Wait, you were so confident I’d say yes that you got us a single queen bed?”
“You noticed that, huh?” Daisy laughed. “Yeah, we were so not subtle that even Monica wanted to know why we weren’t ‘official’ yet.”
“Let’s go deliver the good news then.” Carol and Daisy walked back to the main trail to meet up with their friends, this time walking hand in hand.