Grant Her A Reprieve

You make an elaborate show of weighing your choices, placing a finger to the side of your chin. Then, with a little smile, you wave your hand. "Okay, if you insist." You say in a dismissive tone.

"Finally!" Melody huffs and quickly pulls her shirt down. She doesn't have time to properly adjust her bra, so her bare breasts press awkwardly (and sexily) against the fabric of her shirt. And as if on cue, a young couple come hiking by from around a corner. As they see you, they wave enthusiastically.

"Hello there! Nice day for a hike, isn't it?" The man asks, adjusting the brim of his baseball cap.

"Sure is!" You reply. "We just took a quick break by the water."

"Y-yeah." Melody says awkwardly, trying her best to give an uncomfortable smile.

"Are you planning on going for a swim?" The woman cocks her head to the side. "The water looks pretty refreshing."

"Nah, nothing like that. I was actually just admiring the view." You grin slyly, then immediately let out a loud yelp as the heel of a hiking boot is driven down onto your toes.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Melody says to you with a sincerity that anyone who hasn't spent years with her might assume is authentic. "I didn't see your foot there."

"You better watch out." The woman chuckles. "It's a long walk back and it will take forever with a hurt foot. Trust me; last time we were here, I sprained my ankle and it took me until after sundown to get back to the trail head."

"Oh, darn." Melody snapped her fingers. "Ain't that a shame!" She glances down at your feet and you shuffle away from her instinctively.

"Well, have a fun hike!" You say quickly, trying to move the conversation along. They share the sentiment, then resume their hike. Before long, it was just you and Melody at the water's edge again.

"Jeez, you didn't have to crush my foot." You say as you turn to look at her and meet her eyes, which are currently shooting daggers at your head.

"You are king of the assholes." She hisses. "Were you really going to leave me exposed with my chest hanging out?" That seems to trigger a memory and she reaches under her shirt to adjust her bra.

"Of course not." You laugh, trying to play it off. "C'mon, you know me better than that. I just wanted to see you squirm a bit."

"I don't know if that makes me feel relieved or more angry." She finishes up with her bra and crosses her arms in front of her chest.

"Look, any teasing is just between us, okay?" You hold your hands up. "I don't want to see you humiliated in front of others. I promise."

"You better not." She says, trying to stay upset, but ultimately failing. She allows herself a small smile. "I suppose you want to hike back to camp now, you horn dog." You give her a goofy grin and nod excitedly.

"You heard the lady; it's a long walk back and I have precious little time left before sundown."

"You are impossible." She sighs, shaking her head. The smile, you notice, has yet to leave her face. "Fine, fine. Let's go back. A promise is a promise after all. You can't help but marvel at your luck and jauntily start skipping down the path. When your left foot comes down, though, pain shoots through your leg. You let out a surprised yelp before stumbling a bit and struggling to hold yourself up.

"Are you okay?" Melody asks, her concern genuine this time.

"Yeah...it just my left toes. I am fine standing still, but there is this sharp pain when I step down on them."

"Oh dammit. I didn't mean to stomp down so hard!" She says quickly. "I mean, I was a little angry with you at the time, but still..."

"It's fine." You wave off her concern. "I will be fine. I can power through it." You take a few steps to show her your fine and unfortunately wince and stumble whenever you shift weight to the left foot.

"Fine my ass." Melody sighs and walks over to your left side. She grabs your arms and puts it around her shoulder. "C'mon, let's do it together, Jack."

"It will take forever this way." You groan. "We'll never get back to camp by sunset."

"Yeah, because you will much faster hobblin' about." She rolls her eyes. "Just trust me, okay? I will get you back to the tent with time to spare."