Hiking Trip (1/1)

Hiking will be fun, he said. Away from all the press, he said. Bonding with nature, he said. He forgot to mention MIA from civilization. “Are you sure we’re going the right way?” she whined, half-tempted to drag her boots like a wet noodle across the dirt path. “Babe, I got this.” he assured, eyes focused on the map in front of him. It was a large, puzzle-pieced thing with barely-there margins and super fine print. The lines of the path looked like veins on a body scan, interweaving and blending together like no tomorrow. “We’ve been at it for hours.” she reasoned, brows furrowing once she realized what he was staring at. “Vernon! The map is upside-down!” Caught, he quickly crumpled up the map in his hands until it turned into a clump of useless paper. Whipping around, he quickly grabbed her hands, smiling sweetly. “Have I ever told you how beautiful you look in the sunlight?” “Hansol.” she seethed. “Fine.” he groaned, head bumping limp on her shoulder. “We’re lost.” As much as she loved him, she knew the last person who would be capable of direction in an emergency would be Vernon. Maybe she shouldn’t have let him take the lead in the first place, but it was no use trying to play the blame-game. Fishing out her phone, she said, “We’ll just GPS it.” it was easy enough to say, however the only thing that popped up on her screen was a flat X-sign. “No service?” her jaw dropped. “You told me Korea was the mecca of great wi-fi!” “Well,” he shifted nervously from foot to foot. “Just because they say it doesn’t mean it has to be true. Y’know, promoting their country and all.” “I don’t believe this.” she whined. Vernon bit his lip nervously. “Please don’t be mad.” “I’m not mad,” she sighed, “I’m just worried we’re not going to get back by the time it gets dark.” They’ve been going in circles since noon. And the worst part was that they weren’t even sure what direction they were going, the designated path had somehow disappeared, (“C’mon, where’s your sense of adventure?”) and they’ve been going up and down hills constantly. “Maybe we should sit down.” Vernon gestured to a relatively flat boulder nearby. She didn’t need to be told twice, and she quickly stumbled over to drop her heavy hiking backpack on the cool ground. Sighing in contentment, she rubbed her shoulders, rolling them so hard that they started to crack from the added pressure. “Ugh, my back is killing me.” “I got this, c’mere.” Vernon was already on the rock, patting the space in front of him. Pulling her up with both hands, he splayed his long legs between hers, keeping her secure as he moved the hair away from her neck. He placed a quick kiss on the juncture between her neck and shoulder before starting to rub small circles on where the backpack straps hit. Her eyes closed contentedly at the impromptu massage, her fingers tapping against his kneecaps. “I have to admit though, it was a fun day before we got lost.” she confessed, leaning into the touch as his hands were all over her back and shoulders, unknotting all the pressure. “If I had to get lost with anyone, I’m glad it’s you.” “Awh, baby girl.” he cheered, his arms immediately wrapping around her waist and happily squeezing them together. The sun was already in midday, delivering them comfortable warmth as they basked in each other's company. “See, this date wasn’t a complete flop.”“Although I’d much rather not be lost altogether.” she commented dryly, but reached up anyway to peck his cheek, his chin resting lightly against his shoulder. Minutes later, her phone beeped, causing her to squeal excitedly. “ Look, there’s one bar! Thank god I prayed to Jisoos.” “Jesus?” Vernon asked, nestling closer to get a better look at her phone.“I told Josh that if we weren’t back by three, to track our location and send a search team.” she shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing to do. “Always gotta be prepared.” “Geez,” he said blandly, “Glad to know my girlfriend has as lot of faith in me.”“Love you, too.”   a/n: happy one year to seventeen!