It was a comfortable silence, and when the coffee was gone I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sounds of the night. I hated that he thought that, that it was nothing more than a children’s story. I felt a strong desire to prove him wrong, but I wasn’t sure how.

“Bora Bora,” I finally spoke up, letting a yawn slip. Who knew what time it was by then. “Sounds pretty interesting to me. I’ll have to watch your blog for pictures of that one,” I smirked. I remember wanting to mention mailing actual pictures, but I thought it would seem silly. In ten days or so he would be off to another destination and another tour guide. It wasn’t worth even the postage. 

Finally I sat up with a small groan, arching my back in a stretch. My muscles were stiff from sitting still on a wooden bench for so long. “We should get going. I still need to stop by the pub to drop you at your car,” I said with a soft smile, reaching my free hand out to help him up. “Why don’t you go around the house to the truck and I’ll put these away,” I said, taking his coffee cup. I planned on leaving Sammy there, since he enjoyed it and I still wasn’t sure if animals annoyed Peter or not.

I went through the screen door and through the kitchen, meeting him out front a minute later. If anyone [i]was[/i] still up by then, they did a good job of hiding from me. Either that or I was lost in thought. “So what are you doing for the rest of the week here? I figure you’re not staying in the immediate area, are you?” I asked, sounding a bit too hopeful. “I thought it if you’re not sick of me I could call in ill one day. A little white lie wouldn’t hurt anybody,” I said, stepping off the front porch toward the truck, hands behind my back. “I could help with your work, ya know.” I had no idea how, and was hoping I would think of something clever on the spot. I didn’t. “I’ve always heard it’s safer to travel in pairs,” I decided on with a laugh, glancing up at the glistening moon above to avoid eye contact, in case he said no. “I know I can talk an awful lot, but I swear I won’t bother you.”