I always leave packing to last minute. I can not pack early. Weird, I know but I can't help it. The night before I plan what I will pack, and the next day I do it. It's the way my mum always did it when I lived at home, so I guess it's sort of a tradition.

I pack my clothes, shoes and toiletries but when I get around to packing my sanitary items, there isn't enough tampons. Fudging turdburgers. I panic, knowing I don't have enough time to go to the shops before Nick gets here and I need to get to the shops. He is never going to let this slide, he will tease me forever. Just thinking about the embarrassment I'm going to face later is enough for me to want the earth to swallow me whole.

I'm going to have to buy a heck lot of confectionary to make me feel better.

I'm zipping up my duffel bag when I hear a knock at my door. I swing it open to find a beautiful sight. Nick is wearing dark shorts, a white tank and thongs. Hot would be an understatement. He leans against the doorframe and looks around until his eyes finally land on me.

"Hey, you ready?" Excitement laced through his tone.

I pick up my duffel bag and day bag, slinging them onto my shoulder.

"Ready." I grin at him.

This feels right, it's going to be fine. I feel safe with Nick. When I'm around him, I feel giddy, like I'm on a high but much better. I'm high on Nick, yeah that sounds about as cheesy as pizza but I couldn't care less.

He offers to carry my duffel bag to his car and I agree. Its a funny sight, seeing him with my feminine bag, I let out a giggle.

He looks back at me, "What?"

"Nothing," I reply, still giggling.

He looks suspicious but let's it slide. We arrive at the car park but I don't see his car. Nick's walking in the direction of a white Toyota ute.

Seeing the confused look on my face, he tells me that it's his dad's car and that he's driving it because he couldn't fit all of the gear into his. It makes sense but how much stuff do we need?

He puts my bag into the backseat and we climb into the front. I'm really doing this, wow, okay I need to calm down before I hyperventilate. I breathe in and out slowly, trying to calm my nerves. I can smell him and it's not helping, it's just another reminder that I'm here with him, only him. Don't get me wrong, he smells incredible, a smell I can only describe as him, but he makes me nervous.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asks, genuinely looking concerned.

"Yes," I answer, too quickly.

"You know you can pull out at any time okay? Don't feel like we have to go, it's completely fine if we don't. If you want to bail at any stage just tell me so I can bring you back, I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Oh my. How do you answer to that? It was beautiful and so cute to see him ramble. I'm doing this and nothing is going to stop me, not even my period.

"No, no, I want to go, I'm just a little nervous that's all." I answer, hoping he understands.

It's 3:10 when we pull out of the car park. Nick turns on the radio but nothing good is on.

"Here, plug your phone in," he instructs, handing me a cord.

"Why don't we play yours? I'm sure you will hate mine." I protest.

"Don't be silly, I might surprise you."

Yeah, I might surprise you too.

"Alright but you asked for it," I give in.

When people ask me what kind of music I like, its hard to answer. There isn't a type for me, I just like whatever I find catchy. That being said, there are a few main artists and bands in my large song collection. They include The Script, Fall Out Boy, The Fray, Twenty One Pilots, All Time Low, The 1975 and Shawn Mendes. They are all so different but all so good.

I put my music on shuffle and the first song to come on is 'Alone Together' by Fall Out Boy.

"You like Fall Out Boy?" He looks impressed.

"Yep." I grin at him and he turns ups the volume.

And I said I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead, this is the road to ruin and we're starting at the end.

I find myself singing and look over at Nick to see him doing the same. He glances at me and we laugh. I feel more comfortable in his presence already, I don't sing in front of strangers.

We walk into Coles to do our shopping for the weekend. It's nearly five but the day is still heated. You know Melbourne weather, it's like a moody teenaged girl.

Nick has informed me that he has a small barbecue and a few pots to cook with. We walk up and down the aisles in search for appropriate food. The fact that I need to buy my feminine products is making me anxious.

We have gathered all the food that we will need for the weekend and Nick is pushing the trolley towards the checkout. If I don't do this now, it's not going to happen. I've already put it off as long as possible but this is my last chance.

"Uhh, Nick I'm just going to go get something real quick." I scurry away before he can reply.

I approach the cashier, box in hand. I put it on the belt behind some other items so hopefully Nick can't see it. Yeah that didn't work, Nick's really tall. He grins and I feel my heat rush to my face.

"If you say anything," I threaten, pointing my finger at him. The smirk remains on his face but thankfully he keeps his mouth shut.

"That comes to $88.97," the woman serving us says.

Nick hands over his credit card and she swipes it. I'll give Nick some money in the car to help pay. I don't like not being able to do things by myself, not being able to pay for myself. We pick up several bags each and carry them out to the ute.

"Here," I hand him two $50 dollar bills.

"What's that for?" He asks but I think he already knows.

"For the groceries, the fuel, everything."

"No way. You're not paying, I invited you on this trip, it's on me."

"Nick seriously, just take it," I try again but it's no use. I hate polite fights, I'll just have to make it up to him.

I check my phone to find three texts one from Eden, one from Lexie and one from Jay. I actually get excited because nobody ever texts me and I don't have many friends. This is actually kind of a record for me.

Eden: Hey, I just wanted to say have fun and that I love you x :)

I text her back saying thanks and that I love her too, and then I open Lexie's message.

Lexie: Hi! Have a good time but be careful okay? Call me if you need to talk or anything.

Me: I will, thank you. I'll tell you all about it when I get back ;)

Jay's message was just telling me not to have too much fun without him, typical Jay. It made me smile though, I love that I have a friend that's a guy. I love Eden and Lexie but sometimes you just need a boy. They think differently to girls and sometimes they are just what you need. Not a boyfriend just a really good guy-friend.

***

Nick never actually told me where we were going or what it looked like but I'm sure that even if he did, it wouldn't have done this place justice. It is absolutely beautiful and completely deserted. There is a beautiful river with large, lush trees trailing all the way down. It has a sandy bank that reminds me of the lake at home. This is the kind of natural beauty you find on the Internet, the kind of thing you never actually get to see in person but being here now is just magical. Beautiful trees are scattered around everywhere, giving it a peaceful feel. The grass is the perfect length, not just cut but definitely not long and the perfect shade of green. I blink to make sure I'm really here and not just dreaming.

"Nick, it's so beautiful!" I gush.

"It is. I come here whenever I can." He takes two three man tents from the back of the ute, putting one on the ground and opening the other, emptying the contents onto the ground.

"You can have this one, I'll take the other," he tells me and I agree. We set the two tents up next to each other, talking about previous camping trips we have been on. My family went camping all of the time when I lived at home and from what Nick has told me, his family did the same. I don't know much about his family at all but I plan to find out more this weekend.

We each put an inflated mattress in our tents along with our belongings.

The sun is going down as we gather twigs, sticks and branches to make a fire. Although it's nearly summer, the nights are still chilly so a fire will warm us and also allow us to cook some of the food.

Nick packed an esky to keep our food from going off and a plastic wash-up station so we can easily do the dishes. I unpack the groceries and put the items that need to be kept cool in the esky while Nick gets the fire going.

"What should we have tonight?" I ask, sitting cross legged with food surrounding me.

He chuckles at the sight, "We could have that soup and you could show me how to make it?" He bites his lip. Is he...nervous?

"Sure, I just get water from the river right?" I pretend I didn't notice his nervousness.

"Yep, just get the stuff from the top and don't stir up the water so it's cleaner," he explains.

I grab the biggest saucepan and do exactly that. The water is so warm if makes me want to go swimming. Maybe a night swim?

Nick isn't at the campsite when I return but the fire is going well. I grab a stick to poke at the log to see if I can get some coals to serve as a stovetop but it hasn't been burning for long enough. I collect the three ingredients I need to make the air show soup while I wait.

When I was little, my whole family went to the air show. Dad had pre-made the soup and brought it in a thermos and called it the air show soup. It's actually just chicken noodle and sweet corn soup but the name just stuck, so air show soup it is.

I told Nick this while we were shopping and he told me that he doesn't know how to cook many things but has a few cracker recipes. I said I'd teach him how to make a few more and he thanked me.

A few minutes later, Nick walks back with some decent sized pieces of wood.

"This should keep us going for tonight," he informs me, dropping them. "You ready to show me this soup?"

"Yeah, but I need some coals but it hasn't been going for long enough," I explain. The river looks really good right now.

"Okay so there is a small toilet block behind those trees," he points towards a large cluster of trees. "But the showers is a different story. We will go tomorrow because it will already be closed for today."

Um, what? I'm not the crazy city girl who would freak if she had dirt under her nails but what does he mean by 'it will already be closed for today'? Oh well, it's an adventure and I'm up for it.

Okay that's it, I can't wait any longer. "Do you want to go swimming?"

A smile spreads across his face and I take that as my cue to go and get ready.

The toilet block is made out of concrete. There's a male and a female side with two sinks and mirrors above them. It's tidy but definitely old, I like it. Yeah all the technology is great these days but I prefer older, less modern things, most of the time.

I pull my t-shirt over my bikini to keep myself covered. I don't like to show my body. I'm quite self conscious and I think it's because I look at lots of models and how they have perfect bodies, curves in all of the right places, long, slender legs, a good rack and beautiful face. I have short legs, an okay rack, a few curves here and there but I don't think I have a pretty face. Makeup saves me daily.

Nick is unfolding chairs when I return and let me tell you that it's a pretty sight. He's shirtless and looking mighty fine. I quickly go into my tent to retrieve my towel and put my clothes in there. I leave my shoes outside and jog in the direction of the river, Nick hot on my heels. I throw my top to the ground along with my towel and run into the water, splashing a lot. It's so good, a refreshing temperature. After the warm day today, this is exactly what I need. I'm about to go under when I feel large, warm hands on my waist. He spins me around to face him and I freeze. His touch has me going crazy, in the best way. He hasn't been under yet either but with all of my splashing, his hair is slightly damp. We look into each others eyes for what seems like an hour before he unexpectedly dunks us under. He doesn't let go at all until we surface but if it were up to me, he would never let go. He looks stunning, his hair wet and stuck to his head but still looks amazing. Mischief gleaming in his eyes, he looks into mine. He can't know I'm having these thoughts, I quickly cover it up.

"Oh no you didn't!" I jump on him, pushing him under.

Payback, I'm a huge believer. I am not a peace keeper and never will be. Nick, watch out my friend, watch out.

*********

Hiiiii guys!

Just saying, thongs are what the Americans call flip flops. Sorry if you got confused, hahahahah.

Please comment/vote/share :)

Also, it would be great if you could leave suggestions as we're still struggling on ideas, thanks <3

•••Lara & Tahlia•••