Chapter 24: Lazy Sundays

                                    

                                          
I woke up to the smell of coffee and the sizzling of some food. 
                          
I sat up and rubbed my eyes, unzipping my sleeping bag. Poking my head out of the tent, I smiled. 
                          
Logan was sitting by a freshly started fire, a little wire grill over it with a tiny pan of eggs and bacon on it. 
                          
"Good morning," Logan grinned at me, holding out a mug of fresh coffee. 
                          
"Morning," I yawned, taking the mug gratefully and leaving the tent. 
                          
I plopped myself down between Logan's legs and leaned against him, happily sipping my coffee and soaking up his warmth. 
                          
He chuckled, "I can't cook breakfast with you there." 
                          
I took the spatula from his hand and stirred the scrambled eggs around as if I knew what I was doing, "So I'll cook."
                          
I smiled as Logan kissed my temple and wrapped his arms around me. I finished up our breakfast with only a couple burnt things and we ate while the sun rose higher. 
                          
"What time is it?" I asked Logan as I finished off my coffee. 
                          
He shrugged, "Bout seven thirty." 
                          
I nodded and collected our plates, standing up to walk to the river. I sat on my knees and cleaned the plates in the cold water. 
                          
When I was finished, I set them aside and studied the lazy current. Something sort of reflective caught my eye. 
                          
I reached down and grabbed a river stone, which was smooth and a beautiful jade color. 
                          
I shoved it in my pocket and stood up. Our next stop was the Gateway Arch in Missouri and we should probably get going. 
                          
That was about a four and a half hour drive from the trail we were on and we still had a two hour hike back to the truck. 
                          
Logan and I packed up our gear and got ready to leave. We'd probably reach the arch sometime in the evening, so I didn't see the rush. 
                          
I hoisted my bag onto my back and looked over at Logan, who was leaning against a tree. 
                          
"You ready?" I asked. 
                          
"Yeah," he nodded, "Just a sec." 
                          
I watched him pull his knife off his belt and raised an eyebrow. Logan raked the blade through the tree bark and scratched out a big heart. 
                          
I smiled as I watched him carve L   E right in the middle. 
                          
"That's cute," I said, taking Logan's camera and getting a quick picture. 
                          
He grinned, putting his knife back, "Its what couples do to make it last. It's supposed to be good luck." 
                          
"We don't need luck, but it's cute anyway," I chuckled and took his hand, "Let's go, Romeo."
                          
....................
                          
"I wanna thrill you like Michael, I wanna kiss you like Prince! Get it on like Marvin Gaye, like Hathaway write a song for you like this!" I sang as I drove down the interstate. 
                          
I weaved around a slow person and sipped my soda from the last gas station we stopped at. 
                          
I danced with the music, trying not to let it affect my driving. My mood was awesome and Logan was just quietly chilling in the passenger seat instead of acting crazy like me. 
                          
"Get into it," I grinned at him, tossing a jellybean at his chest. 
                          
He caught it and popped it in his mouth with a smile, "I don't have that much energy."