Give them some privacy

Tam can tell that her friend is lost in Caeden’s embrace. “I’ll just step over to the brook for a few moments, Dunea. Just let me know when you’re ready to get underway.” She may as well have been talking to a stone, however, for all the response she got.

As she steps away, she looks over her shoulder and sees the couple kissing deeply. Her eyebrows go up in surprise when she sees her friend reach down and grab Caeden’s ass. Tam surpresses a giggle at her friend’s boldness, but she isn’t entirely shocked. Tam told her about the last night she and Caeden were together and how their hands wandered over each other’s bodies, exploring, prodding, and caressing.

Tam looks the other direction and sees a small clearing with a fallen tree that offers a place of relative comfort to sit and wait out of sight of the young star-crossed lovers. She takes a few steps in that direction before stopping.

Something within her resists being away from Dunea at this moment. Is it jealousy? Curiosity? The need to protect? She can’t quite place the feeling, but it is strong.