Out of the Blue

Chapter 7

I jerked awake to the sound of scratching on the tent wall. When I opened my eyes, I saw nothing but the navy blue of a sleeping bag. It wasn't mine. I was curled in a tight ball inside my sleeping bag and was surprised to find myself huddling into Justin's side.

My shivering stirred him, but I didn't move away.

"Morning," he mumbled in a husky voice.

"G-good morning," I stuttered.

He moved around beside me but didn't look up. "You alright?" he asked with concern.

"It's freezing!"

Justin moved again, taking his warmth away from my face. "You unzipped yourself. You're all twisted." He reached over me to fix my sleeping bag and zip it up. Then he played with the top of the bag and wrapped it around me head.

"You're a burrito now. Better?" he asked.

I was still shivering. "Not really."

He chuckled softly. "Maybe you shouldn't have taken off your pants."

I still refused to look up, hoping that burying my face in fabric would defrost it. That didn't mean I wasn't very aware of the hand Justin kept on my shoulder, trying to warm me up with friction.

"Why do people choose to do this?" It wasn't making sense to me. Especially in winter.

He chuckled again. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad."

The sounds of rustling outside the tent disturbed the serenity inside. I rolled onto my back and away from Justin when I head Sascha's voice. She sounded worried as she asked someone if they knew where I was.

An amused Justin said, "you should probably call out to let her know you're fine."

I shook my head and rubbed my eyes. "Nope. After last night, she can stress for a few minutes." It was mean, but I was still a little grumpy with her.

Justin rustled in his sleeping bag and I glanced over my shoulder at him. He was lying on his back with both hands behind his head, hair tousled from sleep and looking adorable. The only thing I could imagine that could make him look better, if that was even possible, was if he was shirtless.

We didn't move as our gazes locked and I wondered what it would feel like to run my hands through his messy hair.

That was an unexpected thought, and I was relieved to hear Dale's voice interrupt after a few moments too many. "She's in with Justin."

"What?!" Sascha balked in surprise. "You're kidding!"

I missed the rest of their conversation as I hurried to unzip myself. She would no doubt want details, not that there were any, and the sooner I got out there the quicker I could settle her down.

"Don't forget to put your pants back on," Justin reminded me, sounding strained.

I blushed. I'd almost crawled out of the sleeping bag in my underwear. That would give him quite the view, and I knew I would never recover from such a blunder.

Smiling awkwardly, I grabbed my jeans from the corner of the tent where I had thrown them last night and wriggled them on inside the sleeping bag. Justin kept that amused expression but was tactful enough not to watch my struggle.

When I was fully clothed, but still freezing, I opened the door to the tent and met Sascha's curious gaze. She was waiting for me only a few metres away, and she was definitely curious.

"You don't get to say a word," I frowned as I stepped out of the tent. Only she and Justin were close enough to hear me, but I wasn't oblivious to the looks being sent my way from across the fire pit. Emily was clearly annoyed, and Darcy's expression was a mystery.