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I pull out a backpack and grab a canteen. “Here, drink this.” I hand him the water. “Dehydration is the last thing you want to have to deal with out here.”

Jake takes the canteen and drinks from it too. “Oh, wow. It’s been a while since I’ve done anything this rugged, I gotta say.”

Rebecca reaches for the flask. “I’ll take a hit off of that.” She unscrews the lid and takes a long swig. She starts to cough. “Holy cow! What is this stuff?”

Jake laughs and screws the lid back on. “It’s whiskey, babe. You wanted to try it, remember?”

She waves the air in front of her. “That is the strongest whiskey I’ve ever tasted.”

I take the flask from Jake and put it back into his quad. “No more of that,” I say. “Alcohol dehydrates you too, so let’s stick to water from here on out.” I wink at Rebecca, and she giggles. “Are we ready to fish?”

They nod and grab the poles I hand them. I sling my backpack over my shoulder and lead them down the trail to the water’s edge. This spot is the absolute best for catching fish. There is plenty of open water, and the surrounding trees are high enough to provide lots of cover for the fish.

The three of us spend a couple of hours fishing and don’t catch a single thing.

Even so, it is still a relaxing time spent getting to know them.

They met on a dating app, fell in love, and six months later got married.

For a modern romance, it’s pretty sweet.

Just like them. They’re absolutely made for each other.

Jake teaches theater at a high school, and Rebecca is a nurse who works evening shifts at a hospital near their home.

For the most part, Rebecca is off during the day, and Jake gets home from work just in time for dinner. Their lives are perfectly matched.

I’ve often wondered what it would be like to fall in love.

To have someone who means everything to you, someone who would cherish you as much as you cherish them.

To have someone to hold at night when the demons come out of hiding and try to take you down.

I shudder at my thoughts. Not today, demons. Today is about having fun.

Around three in the afternoon, I grab some bread and cheese out of the picnic basket Doris made for us and offer some to Jake and Rebecca. We find a nice shady spot to enjoy our lunch. I grab the flask and hand it back to Jake. “Here, you’ve earned it.”

Rebecca takes it from him and drinks from it instead. “What do we do if we don’t catch any fish?” she asks.

I shrug. “I suppose we could come back tomorrow and try again.”

She looks at Jake and sighs. “I was kind of hoping to try fly fishing, babe. Plus our followers on socials will love seeing me wading around in the water. Do you mind?”

Jake smiles. “Sure, honey. We can fish again tomorrow if it works out.”

I smile, knowing full well she’d rather not admit that fishing wasn’t quite the rugged adventure she’d thought it would be. Maybe she thought we’d be waist-deep in the water, fly fishing, fighting bears for our catch? Who knows? I stand and stretch. “Well, what would you like to do now?” I ask.

Rebecca glances at Jake, and he looks at her. They nod and start to stand. “Actually, we’d like to head back,” he says. “If that’s okay with you?”

“Sure thing,” I say and grab the backpack. “We have plenty of time to make it back before dinner.”

We pack everything up, making sure not to leave anything behind, and hike our way back to the quads.

I lead the way through the forest once again, only this time a little faster than before since the young couple is more confident with their abilities.

Once back at the quads, I notice that although Rebecca’s hair is no longer perfect, and Jake’s man-bun is completely undone, they’re both smiling, and that’s what matters.

A wind gust comes out of nowhere and the trees rustle high above our heads. The three of us stop and look up. “Watch for falling branches when this kind of thing happens,” I say.

Rebecca nods and sits on her quad, clearly ready to get the heck out of the wilderness and back to the warm sanctuary of the lodge. “How long does it take to get back?”

“At least a couple of hours in this terrain,” I say, but add reassuringly, “It’ll be a piece of cake though once we are through the tricky parts.”

“Babe,” Jake says. “We didn’t take any pictures by the stream for our social media account.”

A clear worry crosses her beautiful features, but her concern is tempered by the wind overhead. “We can always take some tomorrow.”

“I know, but we told our followers we’d update daily.”

What the hell are they even talking about? Followers? Are they famous and I’m not aware? I shrug and tighten my pack to the quad. “You’ve got a few minutes before we need to leave if you want to go back to the water and snap a few photos.”

The couple exchange a glance, an agreement passing silently between them. Jake reaches for her hand and they practically skip off into the forest toward the fishing spot. I smile and shake my head. Aww, young love. It’s a beautiful thing.