Page 6

six

Byron

Sawyer wasn't joking when she said the reinforcements had arrived.

I wanted to hold her, kiss her, whisper all my feelings to her– but it would have to wait. The rumble of trucks and ATVs filled the air, and only minutes after we'd had the best orgasms of our lives, the forest clearing was teeming with activity.

The people she knew from the city were all driving electric trucks, of course, along with others who'd watched the livestream on social media. There had to be two dozen people here - from the obvious hippie types to the pretty and perfect influencer types. Sawyer, this woman I'd fallen head over heels for, seemed to be a mix of the two.

I couldn't believe it. I was falling in love with this woman half my age. I thought I knew it before we made love, but now it was certain. The need to have and protect her was burned into my mind like a hot iron.

As soon as this was over, I was going to confess my love to her. Then, we could live here in the mountains together forever and chain ourselves to whatever tree she wanted. But this time, we'd have a tent.

"Star!" Sawyer called out as a woman with dreadlocks sauntered over to us.

The woman, Star, let out a whistle. "Look at you two. Chained up real good, huh?"

Sawyer nodded.

"You're inspiring, Sawyer," Star said. "Let's get you unlocked. I'm sure you could use a break. We'll do rotation protecting this Douglas fir, ok?"

A man came over and broke our chains with bolt cutters. The chains jingled as they hit the ground. Even over the rumble of trucks and voices, the sound was deafening.

A weird feeling came over me. We were freed from each other. Would Sawyer still want me around?

Would she still want to be with me now that she had her army of activists to help protect the tree? I watched her embrace Star, laughing and chattering excitedly with her.

I realized then that I had never seen a real, relaxed smile on her face before. It lit up her entire face, making her eyes sparkle, and her cheeks flush with color. She looked radiant, and my heart swelled with pride and love. I would do anything to make her happy, to keep that smile on her face.

I stepped back, giving them some space to catch up.

I waited nearby while the activists got to work setting up a home base. They parked on plywood to protect the lush grass and set up a carefully tended fire in the middle of the clearing.

These were not the outdoorsy types that I was used to, but they didn't seem like a bad bunch. Just... different.

When Sawyer was done filling in Star and the other leaders, she looked around until her eyes met mine. She made her way through the sea of bodies, her brow furrowed.

"Everything okay?" she asked, touching my arm.

"Yeah, I was just... thinking." I couldn't bring myself to tell her that I was worried she might have forgotten about me now that she had her posse of supporters.

Sawyer must have sensed something was off because her expression softened. "Are you sure? I know I just left you hanging back there."

I wave her off. "No, I'm just happy to see you have backup. It's not every day I see a forest full of people willing to fight for what they believe in."

Sawyer's eyes search my face as if trying to decipher if I'm telling the truth. After a moment, she seems to relax, and her smile returns. "Yeah, it's pretty incredible. I never thought so many people would actually show up. I was just... surprised, that's all."

There's a moment of silence before she adds. "I could really use a shower, though." She looks over her shoulder. "Maybe someone can give me a ride into town."

"No way," I say, a little too quickly. Her eyes widen as I continue. "I mean, why don't you come to my cabin." I jab my thumb in the general direction. "It's just up the road."

"Sure," Sawyer's cheeks go pink. "As long as I'm not intruding."

"Never," I say. "You could ask me to break down the moon, drain the oceans, extinguish the sun, and I'd do it for you."