Carissa was still smiling when she awoke, sunshine-yellow happiness spilling from her. She wasn’t certain if she’d been smiling all night or if her smile had returned as soon as she’d awoken. Elon was sprawled across the sheets. She ran her gaze down him, her body warming. Perhaps she should awaken him with a kiss and then they could—
No. Elon needed his rest. And while loving someone sometimes meant bonding with them, other times it meant letting them rest.
She bounced to her feet and tugged on her now dry clothes. She cracked the door open, listening to the rush of wind through the trees, the chatter of birds flitting overhead. Today was beautiful. And the man sleeping on their bed even more so. Carissa cast another glance at him, unable to keep her lips in a stoically straight line. She had to be the luckiest woman in all the lands.
She pulled out some food she found in Elon’s sack—mainly bread and berries—and set them out. It was unlikely they would stay once Elon woke up. She might as well pack up the tarp he’d fastened to the roof.
Removing the tarp took a good deal of hopping—and plucking a bit at the knots every time she jumped high enough. Finally, when she was hot and damp from the exertion, she managed to sweep the tarp off of the roof. She returned with the bundle under her arm, only to freeze when she saw Elon was awake, and smiling broadly at her.