“Are you an idiot?” 

“Woha, someone’s grouchy.”

I pinch my eyebrows and close my eyes, breathing sharply to stifle another snappish retort.

“Care to tell me why you’re waking me up with a phone call for the second time in a week?”

“It’s 9 man, how late are you going to sleep in?”

“I don’t have morning classes today-”

“Which is why I called you. Come on, we have to get our supplies before your afternoon classes.”

“...supplies?”

“Yup. For camping.” 

I blink, trying to recall what affiliation the word “camping” has with my sedentary lifestyle. 

“...camping?”

“Yup, didn’t you agree to it yesterday?”

“That was a short hike, right?”

“Yeah, about 8 or so miles. And then a night of camping. So since you’re newer to the experience I thought we’d head to the mall today and…”

...8 miles? 8 MILES??? AND camping?! What the hell did agree to???  I contemplate my momentary idiocy, lying dead on my blankets staring up at the ceiling as Rodrigo blathers on and on and...Seriously, why did I decide to do this?

“Acher, Joe, and some of the guys were…” Oh, that’s why. “And we were thinking…” I sigh. 

“Jason, Jace, you still there?”

“...”

“What? I didn’t hear you.”

“...I’m here.”

“Huh?”

“I’m on my way!” Click. I hang up the phone, roll over, bury my face deep in the blankets, and groan. 

 

Half an hour later I step out of an uber and eye the looming mall before me. 

“I’m serious, it works wonders!” I blink, turn back to my overenthusiastic driver sticking her head out of the car window. The woman, who looks to be in her mid thirties, spent the entire ride advertising some skin care product to me while raving about my skin.

“Your skin is so clear! I’m telling you, just use this and it’ll be perfect.”

Muttering a perfunctory response, I rush to pay and practically run through the sliding doors into the mall. He said he was outside the camping store, right? Where’s that? I turn my head to peer behind me at the doors. If I remember correctly there should be a mall outside the doors but I just passed it...eh, I’ll find it eventually. 

Eventually proves to be twenty minutes later when I nearly pass the store and only stop when Rodrigo catches sight of me and calls out.

“What took you so long!?”

“Ah, I was stuck in traffic.”

“For an hour??!”

“It wasn’t that long.”

“You-” Ah, a lecture. 

“You know I have afternoon class, right? Let’s get this done.” I quickly pat his shoulder and move into the store. I hear him groan behind me and I stifle a smile. He can be such a dad sometimes. 

Fifteen minutes later my smile is gone and the crinkle at my brow is deepening with every item Josh drops into our cart. 

“Do we really need all that? Can’t I use tennis shoes?”

“Of course, hiking boots are important, and trekking poles-”

“I’m not disabled.”

“-are a necessity no matter how well you can see. Then you can get this bear spray-”

“Bear spray? There are bears??”

“Well, I mean you never know and do you know the number of stories they have about bears catching hikers off guard…”

I glance down speechless at the assortment of items, slowly but surely piling up to form a small mountain in our cart and I once again feel regret crashing onto me. What small commitment? I swear, when I return to my apartment I’m going to thoroughly research camping and come up with a proper plan and itinerary. I bet I’ll end up returning half this stuff. Why, just why did I ever agree to this-

“Hey Rodrigo! Are you guys getting supplies too?” I glance up in the direction of the voice and instantly freeze. I feel my heart start to palpitate out of my control and as I face that familiar soft smile. He’s dressed casually in a jeans and plain white T-shirt but still seems to shine, I can’t keep my eyes from drifting to his softly bouncing dark curls, they’re to his shoulders by now. 

“Acher, Mir you guys getting stuff too?” Rodrigo responds from beside me.

“Yeah, this is Mir’s first camping trip so I’m getting him familiar with everything.” Acher gestures to his side and my eyes finally drift over to the guy at his side. He’s short, looking hardly above 1.62 meters. Like Acher, he has dark curls although his are darker, black rather than a deep brown and his skin is a hint paler than Acher’s. However, the most eye-catching aspect about him is undoubtedly his dimpled sunshine like smile, the polar opposite of my own frown. I feel my frown stretch a few inches further as my eyes fall on his fingers clutching Acher’s shoulder.

“HEY RODRIGO!!! What’s up? Who’s this?” I jerk backwards as the short guy, Mir, comes bounding towards us. For a tiny guy he sure has a lot of energy. Rodrigo catches him with a grin.

“Hey Mir! This is Jason, this trip will be his first time camping too.” He gestures towards me. 

“HEY JASON!” I stretch one hand in front of me, blocking him mid bound. He freezes. Seeing his stunned expression I grudgingly respond. 

“...hi.”

Instantly, his face lights up as if at the flick of a switch. 

“Hiiiiii! Awww are you shy?” He stretches out his claws again but another hand pulls him back by his collar. 

“Sorry about that, he’s a bit overexcited.”

Instantly my annoyance dissipates and I swallow hearing that similar, vaguely husky, soft tone. My eyes flicker up to meet warm brown ones.

“It...it’s nothing.”

“Hey, since we’re all getting supplies for the same trip, why don’t we grab it together?” Acher asks, looking from me to Rodrigo. 

“Let’s do it!”

“I’m not asking you, Mir.”

“Hey-” In the midst of their squabbling Rodrigo glances towards me hesitantly, he knows I’m not a fan of hanging out with random people.”

“We…”

“Sure.” I hear myself respond. 

“Great!” Acher smiles. Mir cheers. Rodrigo flashes me a surprised look. I shrug.