I throw the wood on the coals, trying to build up the heat again. It flares to life, and our clearing is relit by the amber glow. Bek nestles back into my shoulder, and I feel better here in the safety of the known. Time to make my move.

There was one moment, last year, when I thought maybe she was genuinely interested. She’s always loved to mess with me, joking around and stuff. My dad keeps telling me she’s flirting, which I hate. Parents always think every girl is in love with their kid. It’s embarrassing. He said it in front of Dan once, and Dan agreed, and they had this whole long conversation about it while I died inside, face bright red, wanting the roof to collapse on me and end the pain.

Any time I’ve tried to talk to Bek about it, though, it never goes far. She makes a joke, or laughs it off or something. I don’t want to push things too much, either, ’cause I don’t want to damage our friendship. There’s always the risk that if we step things up, or if I press too hard, our friendship won’t be the same after. I don’t want to lose what we have. On the other hand, I can’t stay like this, either. It’s too hard. “Beks?”

“Yeah?” she mumbles, half asleep.

“What are we?”

She sits up. “Pretty sure I’m human. Can’t speak for you, though.”

Frustration rises in me. I’m awful at this. I’ve tried this conversation three times and have never gotten past the first sentence. It’s time to push through. “I’m superhuman, obviously. But that’s not what I’m asking.”

“You want to define this, don’t you?” Her eyes widen, and I nod. “Why do we have to define this?”

“I love being your friend, honestly. I do. But everything’s changing, and I’m not going to see you every day, and I don’t want us to lose—”

“Whatever this is,” she finishes.

An owl flies overhead, heading to wherever it’s supposed to be. My fear of the forest is gone, replaced with my fear of this conversation. This could go so badly. I could be about to ruin everything. Of course, I might also be about to get everything I’ve wanted for the last four years. I take a deep breath. “I can’t imagine things without you, and if you go off and end up with someone else, that’s what’s going to happen. We can’t stay like this forever.”

“Like what?”

“It’s like you want me here, but you don’t want me too close. I never know where you stand. Some days I think you’re interested, but other days it’s like you hardly know I’m alive. I’m basically a permanent resident in the friend zone.”

“The friend zone? Seriously, Hudson, you’ve been watching too much TV.” She grabs another marshmallow, shoves it onto her stick, and holds it over the fire. Turning to face me, she smiles. “Besides, you’ve never been in this mysterious friend zone.”

“You literally just pretended to kiss me and then farted in my face.”

Bek thinks for a moment. “You have a point.” She sits up, close to me, throwing the stick into the fire. The marshmallow bubbles on the coals. “Let’s do it for real.”

“Fart?”

“Kiss. I’m serious.”

“Are you?”

Bek is so close I can feel her breath on my cheek. She nods, and I turn my head towards hers. My heart races, and she looks up at me, smiling. She’s so beautiful. Her lips part, our eyes close, and her lips meet mine. She tastes like strawberry marshmallows, and I feel her smile. My hand cups the side of her face, and moments later, she pulls away. My chest is light.

“Consider that your official ticket out of the friend zone,” she says.

“For real?”

“For real.”

There’s a loud clap behind me, and I jump. Bek screams. The clap continues. Dan is peeking out from the tent flap, applauding loudly. “Finally!” he calls.

I make a rude gesture at him, and he zips the tent back up.

Bek shakes her head, smiling, and turns her attention back to me. “I’m sorry I took so long.”

“I’m gonna be honest, that was easier than I thought.”

“Kissing me? Didn’t know it was such a chore.”

“I meant our conversation. Although, you could do with some practice,” I tease.

“Hey! Maybe later, once Dan’s asleep. Don’t want him creeping on us again and spoiling the mood.”

“I heard that!” Dan calls from inside the tent.

“Go to sleep, stalker!” I yell back. My voice echoes around us. Our camp is in the shadow of a huge cliff, although far enough back to avoid any falling rocks. At the moment, the cliff acts like a giant behemoth, blocking out the stars in that half of the sky. It helps shelter us from the wind, though, so it’s useful.

At the top of the cliff, a few stars disappear for a moment, then they’re back, as if something has passed in front of them. Probably trees moving in the wind or a fox looking out from the summit. I’m really spooking myself tonight. Must be the cold.

A memory crouches at the edge of my mind.

I shake it off and turn my attention back to Bek. She’s all that matters right now. She rests her head against mine, and we sit quietly till the flames burn low. The wind picks up, whipping sparks from the fire. Thunder ripples from somewhere far away, and stars wink out as clouds build overhead. I pour water on the fire so the wind won’t get it going again, and we crawl inside the tent to avoid the coming storm.