Lena woke up early the next day. Hindi rin naman siya gaanong nakatulog. Bailey helps her sleep at night. Madalas na nakapatong ang ulo nito sa tagiliran niya kapag natutulog. Without him, the bed feels bigger. The empty spaces remind her that she's alone. It makes her uneasy, lalo na't matatakutin siya.

When Julie, Cyrus and Blake arrived, she was already done preparing. Nanunuod na lamang siya ng TV habang hinihintay sila.

They helped her load her things, one bag for her equipments and one for her personal things. Kotse ni Blake ang dala ng mga ito. It has room for the four of them along with all their belongings.

Naturally, Julie rode shotgun while she and Cyrus took the backseat.

"Pakigising na lang ako kapag nandun na tayo," sabi niya sa mga ito. "Wala pa kasi akong masyadong tulog."

Sumandal siya sa may bintana at pumikit. The road wasn't exactly smooth, so her head kept hitting the window. After five minutes of struggling, isinandal naman niya ang ulo sa kinauupuan. But she wasn't comfortable sleeping that way.

Nevertheless, she shut her eyes and tried to sleep. That's when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It gently pushed her to her left, making her lean on someone. Nang magmulat siya ng mata, kay Cyrus na pala siya nakasandal.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded and murmured her thanks. Then she closed her eyes. And she was finally able to sleep.

--

She woke up with her head on his lap and her feet on top of the seat. Nakasikat na ang araw. They already opened the windows to let the cool breeze in. When she got up, she realized that they're not in the city anymore. Maaliwalas ang paligid at sariwa ang hangin.

"Morning!" Julie greeted.

Kinusot niya ang mata. "Nasa'n na tayo?"

"Malapit na," Julie answered, which didn't totally make sense. Cyrus provided her a better answer though. Malayong-malayo na nga sila sa Maynila.

Nag-stop over muna sila sa isang kainan along the highway bago magpatuloy sa pagbibyahe. Nasa kalahatian pa lamang daw sila, maybe a couple more hours before they get there. Para sa kanya, impractical ang desisyon nina Julie na puntahan pa iyong mismong lugar para sa ilang pictures. But that's just her opinion. Alam naman niyang sentimental ang dalawa.

She's not big on adventures. Being an introvert confined her inside her little comfort zone. The only time na nakakalabas siya, ginugugol pa niya ang oras sa pagkuha ng litrato.

She readied her camera. When they're at the doorstep of the restaurant, she snapped a few pictures: one of the sky, one of their backs, and one of the road less traveled. Sumunod siya sa loob pagkatapos.

Breakfast platter ang in-order ng mga ito, which to her looked like her 3 meals in a day all rolled into one. Plus a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Tingin pa lang sa pagkain, pakiramdam niya'y nabusog na siya. Her companions ate with gusto while she tried to finish even just half of her plate.

"Ayaw mo na?" Cyrus asked when she put down her utensils.

"Busog na 'ko." Sayang wala si Bailey. Ito kasi ang tagaubos niya ng pagkain.

"Kumain ka pa. Matagal pa bago 'yong next meal natin. You'll need the strength for the long hike."

Napalunok siya at the mention of the 'long hike'. For someone who doesn't like the outdoors, hiking is a nightmare. Akala niya, pagkaparada ng sasakyan nila sa lugar, doon na rin sila magsi-set ng camp. Apparently, they'd still walk their way to it.

Napilitan siyang dagdagan ang kinain. Hindi man lang siya sinabihan ng mga ito na ganoon pala ang mangyayari. Wala pa naman siyang dalang hiking shoes. Sneakers ang suot niya. Tapos naka-long sleeves pa siya. Siguradong tatagaktak ang pawis niya mamaya. Hindi naman siya pwedeng mag-sleeveless. Julie and Blake would notice her scars. She tried to hide her annoyance. Habang tumatagal, mas lalo niyang nagugustuhang bumalik na lang sa bahay.

--

The scenery was beautiful. She's surrounded by trees, but Lena couldn't appreciate it fully because her feet hurt and her bag's getting heavier by the minute.

Cyrus offered to take her other bag earlier so she could take pictures. Nasa unahan nila sina Julie at Blake. Kasabay naman niya si Cyrus. Tumitigil ito kapag tumitigil siya.

"Okay ka pa?" tanong nito.

Tumango siya. Dapat ay siya ang nagtatanong dito kung ayos pa ba ito. Sukbit nito ang bag niya, bukod pa sa backpack na nasa likod nito. Puno rin ang dalawa nitong kamay ng mga dalang gamit. Gustuhin man niyang tumulong pagdadala, hindi naman ito pumapayag. He said that she should just focus on taking pictures, kasi iyon naman ang talagang dahilan kung bakit siya kasama.

She took a few pictures of him before resuming her hike.

Up ahead, Julie and Blake seemed to be enjoying the moment. Masayang nagkikwentuhan ang dalawa habang naglalakad. Hindi inda ng dalawa ang mabibigat nilang dala. Maybe love lightened the load?

--

Magtatanghali na nang sa wakas ay ianunsyo ni Julie na nakarating na sila sa lugar. Blake and Cyrus immediately gathered wood to start a fire. Siya naman ay tumulong kay Julie sa pag-aayos ng mga gamit.

May dalang bigas ang mga ito at ilang de-lata. They even brought a big container of drinking water. Para sa pampaligo at iba pang gamit, sa ilog daw na malapit doon sila kukuha ng gagamitin.

They ate right after the rice was done cooking, using the disposable plates and utensils. Pagkatapos kumain, inilagay na lamang nila ang mga ginamit sa pagkain sa isang trash bag. She made a mental note to buy disposable things when she got home. Bagay sa kanyang tamad maghugas ng pinagkainan.

"Lena!" Julie called. She motioned her to come. Lumapit naman siya, bitbit ang camera. Nakita niyang nakaturo ito sa katawan ng isang puno. When she got near, she saw what it was. Nakaukit ang pangalan nina Blake at Julie sa loob ng isang puso. It was dated almost five years ago.

"This is where he asked me to be his girlfriend," kwento nito. "We were with some friends, then he pulled me aside. Tanda ko pa, nanginginig pa sya no'n. I thought it was just the cold weather."

"That's sweet," she commented. She could only imagine what it's like. It must have been hard for Blake. She knew because she finds it hard to express what she feels. "Do you want me to take a picture?"

"Oh, sure!" Julie stepped aside. "Can we do one near the river as well? Maganda kasi do'n."

After taking the picture, she followed Julie and Blake to the river. Maliit lamang ang ilog, mga tatlong dipa lang niya siguro. The two gave her sweet poses, which wasn't really hard for them to do. Kinakausap din niya ang dalawa. Nagtatanong siya, nagkukumento maya't maya. That way, she could catch some reaction. Like that one questiom that she asked that made Julie laugh so hard. It translated well in the picture. Julie had her head back in laughter while Blake's face was scrunched up in embarrassment.

Nakaka-singkwenta na yata silang pictures nang mapagdesisyunan nilang balikan si Cyrus. Naabutan nila itong nakatayo sa tabi ng mga nakasalansan nilang gamit. Nakapamay-awang ito at kunot na kunot ang noo. When he saw Julie, his eyes flickered with anger.

"Where's the third tent?!"

--

There was supposed to be a third tent. Lena didn't know about this until Cyrus explained why he's angry. One tent for Julie and Blake, and two smaller tents for each of them. Now, one of the small tent was left behind.

Gusto man niyang isiping hindi sadya iyon, a part of her knew that Julie left it on purpose. Still, she was indignantly denying it.

She tried to calm Cyrus down, knowing that if he snapped at Julie, Blake would side with Julie and defend her at all cost. Baka magkagulo lang sila at mapagpasyahang umuwi na lang, sayang naman ang ipinunta nila roon.

She asked Julie and Blake to take a walk. Siya naman ay tinulungan si Cyrus na itayo ang mga tent. She told him that she doesn't know how, which is true. Hindi naman kasi sila mahilig mag-camping. He, on the other hand, looked like he knew what he was doing. Teaching her how to do it seemed to calm him down a little bit.

"Why are you so good at this?" tanong niya nang maitayo ang unang tent.

"Madalas kaming mag-camping no'ng bata pa 'ko. My parents loved the outdoors. Siguro namana naming magkakapatid."

With his help, she managed to erect the second tent in no time. Lena called Julie and Blake back. Nang makabalik sila, si Cyrus naman ang nagyayang maglakad-lakad.

--

When night came, bati na ulit sina Cyrus at Julie. The four of them sat around the fire, toasting marshmallows on sticks. Katatapos lamang nilang maghapunan.

"Can you hold this for a sec?" She handed him her marshmallow stick. Nang kunin nito iyon, kinuha niya ang camera at kinunan ng pictures ang dalawang nasa tapat niya. The two were sharing a thick blanket. Tiyempong may ibinulong si Blake kay Julie nang kunan niya ng litrato ang dalawa. She caught Julie's laugh. It looked so picturesque, kahit siya ay namangha sa sarili. She really have a knack on taking stolen shots. Siguro ay dahil mahilig siyang mag-obserba ng mga tao. She knew what moment to capture and when to capture it.

"Kuhanan ko rin kayo!" Julie got up and took the camera from her. "Cy, put your arm on her shoulder!" she instructed.

Cyrus complained but he did it anyway. And because Julie's such a pro (note the sarcasm), it took her a long while before she got a decent picture. It was mainly because the camera was too complicated to handle, according to Julie. Nangalo na sila dahil sa tagal ng pag-pose. And the marshmallows were already starting to burn. When they decided to just focus on toasting, saka naman nag-flash 'yong camera.

Julie asked for one more pose. Napilitan silang sumunod because Julie won't let go of the camera. This time, sunod-sunod na pictures naman ang nakuha nito. Kada maliit na galaw yata nila, na-capture.

"Thanks!" Julie handed her back the camera after.

--

Mag-a-alas otso pa lamang yata nang mag-ayang matulog si Julie. Of course, Blake had to sleep as well. What kind of fiancé would he be if he let her sleep alone? So nang pumasok ang dalawa sa tent ng mga ito, naiwan silang dalawa sa harap ng maliit na bonfire. They already stopped toasting marshmallows a while ago. Ngayon, hinihintay na lamang nilang mamatay ang apoy. She guessed that both of them didn't want to sleep just yet.

Naiintindihan niya kung bakit nagalit si Cyrus kay Julie kanina. She's a woman and he's a man. They shouldn't sleep together unless they're in a relationship. But she's not worried about that. They're not attracted to each other that way. And he's not the kind of guy who would take advantage of the situation. Ang tanging inaalala niya ay kung paano siya matutulog nang hindi gumagalaw. Malikot kasi siyang matulog.

"You can take the tent," he told her.

"Pa'no ka?"

He shrugged. "I'll figure something out."

She shook her head. It's too cold to sleep outside. Kahit nga naka-sweater at jacket na siya, malamig pa rin.

"We should sleep together." Realizing that it insinuated something else, she quickly explained, "I-I mean, beside each other. Not the other thing..."

He smiled. "All right. If it's really okay with you..."

"Kaso malikot akong matulog," pag-amin niya. "I might bring the tent down with my excessive sleep-kicking."

"I'll shove you out if that happens."

He laughed when she complained. Sitting next to him made her notice his eyes. Like, really see them up close for the first time. They looked like they have fire dancing in them. It must be just the fire's reflection.

"You have beautiful eyes," she commented.

"Thanks, but isn't that supposed to be a guy's line?"

"Doesn't mean that we're not allowed to give it." She smiled sheepishly. "I think your lashes are longer than mine."

She touched his eyelashes, which made him close his eyes. Binawi niya ang kamay the same time that he opened his eyes again. For a moment, they held each other's gazes. For a moment, she thought that the fire crackled louder that it's supposed to.

For a moment, she wondered about what it would be like to kiss him. But that connection broke. She had pull away.

"Matulog na tayo," aya niya.