She thought, “That is considered illegal in nature, someone needs to report them.” The acrid scent of burning vegetation mingled with the idea that civilization may have sat on no more then a cantilevered toothpick ready to splinter the moment some fictional dark energy swooned over its structure.

It was also a precursor to the storm they were going to get very soon, coming from the south. The air grew heavy with anticipation, the distant rumble of thunder a warning of the impending deluge. Juniper could feel the electricity in the atmosphere, a palpable tension that mirrored the one growing between her and Daniel.

Juniper swallowed, showing signs of thirst. Daniel noticed quickly, and Juniper noticed that from how his right knee rose before he spoke. The subtle shift in his posture, the way his body seemed to lean towards her ever so slightly, warmth flooded her, every inch, a physical manifestation of the effect he was having on her.

“Hey, you’re thirsty?” he asked, his voice low and gentle, almost intimate in the confines of the car.