Morning cuddles?

There are snakes on the ground! A strange plane. A friend-pinch-pinching

"Oh, really beautiful," says Dan to confirm that he really means it.

"You must be wearing glasses if you think so," Nina laughs. "I haven't even brushed my hair today, and I smell like campfire smoke. So, I highly doubt I'm beautiful right now."

Dan decides to playfully nudge Nina, but with their heavy backpacks, it's not that easy. Instead of successfully pushing her, he loses his balance, causing both of them to tumble over.

"Oops, sorry, are you okay?" Dan asks worriedly.

"It's fine, but are you so tired that you can't even stand up? Maybe we should take a break and rest for a while."

Dan feels a bit embarrassed for causing them to fall, even though it turned out fine.

"Sorry," he says again.

Nina smiles and tries to reassure Dan.

"No worries, it was actually quite fun, especially your surprised expression. I almost started to wonder if you wanted some morning cuddles."

Dan freezes in his tracks.

"I do want morning cuddles!" he exclaims, realizing he missed an opportunity.

"Oh, really?" Nina teases. "Well, you'll have to wait until we've walked a bit more. Those are the rules."

"Unfair," Dan protests.

"And there, I just spotted another marker," Nina says cheerfully.

"Unfair!" Dan protests again.

Gradually, the forest transitions into a wilder landscape. They first walk along the edge of a deep ravine and then descend into it. A narrow creek flows at the bottom of the ravine. Suddenly, Nina stops and asks,

"Are you afraid of snakes?"

"No," Dan replies, "not particularly."

"Good, then you go first," Nina says, surprising Dan. But then he notices a black snake sunning itself on a large rock beside the trail.

They pass by the snake, with Nina walking closely behind and slightly to the side of Dan.

"I'm not really afraid of snakes," she explains. "I just get a little nervous when I see them." They both curiously glance at the snake as they continue walking.

"Do you think there are more snakes around here?" Dan wonders.

"No I do not think so," Dan replies and feels fairly confident it's true, hopefully.

But just then, he steps on something that wriggles beneath his foot. Dan lets out a loud scream and jumps backward, right onto Nina's foot, causing her to scream as well, mostly from surprise but also because her foot got slightly pinched.

"What's gotten into you?" Nina says mockingly.

"I stepped on a snake," Dan replies.

"You stepped on me too!"

"I hope neither of you got hurt," Dan says anxiously, "especially the snake."

"Are you more concerned about the snake than your... your girlfriend," she wants to say, but then realizes that they haven't officially defined their relationship yet. "Partner? she finishes with.

They look around and realize there are probably five more snakes nearby, maybe even ten black snakes basking in various spots. What should they do? The snakes don't seem particularly aggressive, at least.

They cautiously continue along the trail, being mindful of where they place their feet to avoid stepping on another snake.

"It's important not to provoke or harm the snakes and to respect their natural habitat," Nina repeats over and over to calm herself.

Carefully, they proceed along the trail, mindful of where they step to avoid encountering more snakes.

After a while, they start to ascend and eventually reach a place where the ravine opens up into a clearing. They are nearing level ground, with tall trees surrounding them on all sides, and the creek seems to flow down into the ravine here.

It's been a while since they saw a snake, and the sun is high in the sky. A fallen tree across the trail serves as both an obstacle and a good place to sit and take a break.

They choose to stop in the shade by the fallen tree. Dan and Nina sit down on the tree trunk and catch their breath after the exciting and somewhat frightening encounter with the snakes. They feel the adrenaline slowly leaving their bodies, and the calm of the forest begins to return. Nina would like to sit in Dan's lap; she feels a bit hesitant to share her real reason for wanting to be close to Dan, to have his proximity. Instead, she says with a smile,

"You know, it's actually safer to sit higher up, in case there are more snakes around here. So if you don't mind..."

Dan laughs softly and prepares himself for Nina. "No problem, climb up. We'll keep an eye out for snakes together."

Nina climbs up into Dan's lap with a pleased smile. When she sits in Dan's lap, he gently holds her hips and pulls her closer to make her more comfortable. She lets him do it, appreciating the natural gesture. Her bottom feels warm and soft against his thighs. Nina smiles at his adjustments and asks,

"Am I sitting in a good way now?"

They drink some tea from the thermos and share some of Dan's digestive biscuits, even though they're more crumbs than biscuits after being squeezed in the backpack for so long. It's a pleasant and relaxed break during their hike. They not only share their food but also a moment of rest and togetherness in the middle of the forest. It might not be the fanciest dinner, but it fills their stomachs and gives them energy for the rest of the hike.

Nina has a cheese called Babybel, perfectly wrapped in red wax and in just the right portion size. "Here, baby," she says as an affectionate gesture, referring to both Dan and the cheese.

Dan savors the wonderful feeling of having Nina so close, and he can't help but caress her gently over her back as she sits in his lap. For Nina, it's the perfect excuse to be close to Dan, and she enjoys his warmth and presence. She gently rests her head on his shoulder and gazes into the distance, lost in thought. It's a moment of intimacy amidst the wild nature.

When Dan smells Nina's neck, a scent he can't get enough of, she shivers. When he then meets her gaze, she feels warm and happy.

"Nina, I can't resist kissing you. Your scent, it's so delicious, and I feel so incredibly enchanted by you." He lets his lips meet her skin in a tender kiss and lingers there for a moment before slowly looking up to meet her gaze again. Nina thinks about saying

"then kiss me, already" but the words never come out. Instead, she strokes Dan's cheeks as she pulls him closer. She lets her lips meet his with tenderness while also holding onto his ears.

Slowly, as if they both share the same nervousness, they part their lips slightly. They feel a tingling excitement and their hearts pounding in their chests. They dare to deepen the kiss. Dan's hands on Nina's back, while Nina places her hands on Dan's cheeks. They become bolder, tasting each other's breaths and gently caressing their tongues against each other.

At first, it's a bit clumsy. They tentatively move their lips against each other, exploring the new sensation. Dan gently runs his upper lip over Nina's lower lip, and Nina follows his movement.

Nina feels herself getting warm and sweaty. Why does she get so affectionate when she's close to Dan, and why does he have to make her feel like this when they have a goal to reach? She doesn't really feel like going anywhere right now, but it's a bit awkward to balance on a tree trunk. She sighs deeply. "I'm going to get pregnant," she thinks but dismisses the thought, "I'm just cuddling a bit."

Suddenly, they hear a thunderous roar above their heads. A large gray, bulbous plane flies right above them. It flies so close to the treetops that it almost seems like the propellers are cutting the leaves.

"What was that?" Dan asks in shock.

"No idea, it was an airplane," Nina replies.

After the unknown plane disappears, the forest falls into total silence. It's a vacuum of sound that is only noticed when it's gone.

"Shall we continue?" she says with a trembling voice. Some of the place's magic has suddenly vanished. The backpacks feel heavier as they hoist them onto their shoulders, but they are not far now.

"I got a little scared when it thundered like that," says Nina.

"Yes, it was a bit strange," Dan replies.

"I couldn't see any text on it at all, usually there's text on airplanes, right?" Nina wonders.

"Maybe we just couldn't see it?" Dan suggests. They continue in silence, the winding path meandering back and forth.

"Do you know what you need?" Dan asks to lighten the mood.

"What?" she wonders if he knows something she doesn't. Dan gently pinches her arm.

"These," he says mischievously.

"Do you think I need a pinch?" she questions, furrowing her eyebrows to appear stern.

"A friendly pinch?" Dan clarifies. Dan smiles playfully as he continues to try to pinch her arm which she smoothly and easily avoids and responds by slapping him on the chest with the back of her palm.

"still a pinch," she says with an amused grin.

"Yes, exactly. Just to see if I'm still dreaming."

Nina laughs softly and shrugs.

"If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up yet." Nina grabs hold of Dan's backpack and gives it a little tug.

"Hey Dan, are you awake, or do you need a friendly pinch?"

  Dan smiles back, admitting that he definitely needs a friendly pinch. Nina reaches out her arm and pinches him with precision and accuracy on the buttocks. Dan cries out, surprised, not the place he expected to be pinched.

"Did it hurt?"

"A little, but it also felt good in a way," Dan replies.

"You're just trying to impress," Nina dismisses him.