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Chapter twenty-one

Darla

“ M o-Mo, stop stealing it all, I already gave you plenty!” Grumbling, I gently swat him away from the basket of fruit.

Once again, I woke up feeling bad about how I left things the previous night, so after listening and ignoring their morning calls for me, I heard them say they wanted to check the beach for any signs of rescue.

So I got to work collecting breakfast for them.

The jerky will last for a long time, so there was no need to hunt for rabbit or boar for a while, thankfully.

“Eep!” I roll my eyes at Mo-Mo’s demanding trill, while his fingers make grabbing motions towards the fruit.

“Fine, this is your last one, you’ll get sick if you eat anymore,” I say, passing him a guava, which he snatches from my hands and quickly makes his departure.

“Love you, too, buddy,” I say with an amused shake of my head.

I stand and look around camp. Is this enough to make them forget about me running off last night?

I just can’t imagine what they’d think if they heard me screaming from my nightmares.

I can’t even think about the cause of the nightmares without hyperventilating, so how could I possibly explain it to them?

I glance up at their hut and decide to go check it out while it’s empty.

I stand inside and study their belongings. It looks so different now, like it’s filled with life. Bottles of shampoo and soap sit on the desk, along with some other things that came from their bags. I glance at the wall and see thousands of marks covering it, the ones I spent a lifetime making.

Pulling McStabby from my sheath, I find a spot to add in the few marks I’ve missed since I’ve been sleeping outside. When I finish, I turn and look at the hammock. That’s when I realize that they’ve been sleeping here every night with only two beds.

“Crap shells, I need to fix this.” I quickly make my way to the oldest hut, the one filled with my previous attempts at furniture and other things. I have to push my shoulder into the warped door to get it open.

When I step inside, I take a minute to look around and a chill goes down my back, making me shiver, despite the heat. This place is full of memories and a depressing reminder of how long I’ve been stranded on this island.

I shake my head to rid myself of those thoughts and remind myself why I came in here in the first place.

After only a couple minutes of searching, I find what I’m looking for, one of my earlier attempts at a mattress.

It’s not huge, but it will work for one of them, maybe Kingsley, as he has the narrowest frame.

I drag it back to the main hut to assess it. It’s in pretty good shape. The only reason I had upgraded was to make a bigger one, and I had learned better binding techniques since I made it. Deciding it will work, I move the table and chair until there is room against the wall for it .

After that, it’s a matter of finding material to put inside of it.

Leaves tend to make the softest stuffing, so I grab two bags and head to an area with the softest leaves and start harvesting them.

It takes me a while to fill it, and as I head back with what I think will be my last haul, I’m surprised the guys haven’t come back yet.

Unease starts to prickle at the back of my neck. Are they okay? Did they get injured somehow? Were they in danger? Had they spotted a rescue ship? Have they already been rescued? Am I alone, again? My stomach twists uncomfortably at the thought of them leaving.

Isn’t that what you wanted? To have them leave so you could be alone again?

“Shut up, Steve,” I grumble, choosing to blame my pet rock for those thoughts instead of myself. “Maybe it’s what I wanted before I got to know them. But now…”

But now, I’ll be devastated when they leave.

As I get closer to camp, the sound of Bower’s voice reaches my ears and a smile crosses my face in relief.

They’re still here!

I silently drop onto the skywalk in a crouched position as I watch them munching on the food I left for them.

Kingsley is smiling at something Bower just said, and Weston is staring into the trees across the clearing.

Is he looking for me ? Why do I hope that he is?

If I wanted him to know I was here, I could just tell him.

Unsure what to do about these new feelings, I quickly move into the hut and dump my bags on the ground, taking a seat beside the mattress. Slowly, I continue stuffing the remaining leaves into it as my mind jumps from thought to thought .

What do I do after I finish this? Are they still mad about last night? What happens if a rescue ship arrives to take them away?

“Zee?”

A surprised yelp escapes me as I twist around and see Weston standing in the doorway. His piercing hazel eyes stare at me with so much intensity it makes my body heat.

“What are you doing?” he asks softly, his eyes darting to the mattress beside me.

“I, uh, I realized you guys only had two beds in here.” I look up at him, feeling nervous for some reason, like I’ve done something wrong.

There’s a sudden heat rising in my chest, something fragile and uncertain fluttering in my stomach.

A myriad of emotions flick through his face so fast I’m only able to pinpoint two; surprise and frustration.

I swallow heavily, unsure if I’ve done something wrong.

He rubs his hand through his scruffy beard as he takes a deep breath.

Then he slowly moves towards me, his eyes glued to mine.

I’m unable to move or look away from the strength of his gaze.

It pins me in place, not with fear, but with something deeper… expectation, maybe. Or hope.

He squats down right in front of me, his eyes searching my face. For what? I’m not sure. Maybe he's trying to read what I’m not brave enough to say out loud. Then his eyes flick to the mattress, a small frown pinching between his brows as he looks it over.

“You don’t like it?” I can’t help but ask, worried he’ll think it’s too small for them to use.

His eyes snap back to mine and I take in a sharp breath at the intensity I see there .

“Don't like it? Fuck, Zee… You made us a bed, you gave us your home, you made us breakfast. Of course I fucking love it, I love everything you do.”

“You do?” I ask in surprise.

“Yes, why would you think otherwise?”

“Because you’re frowning.” My finger points to the center of his brow where he still wears the pinches expression. As soon as I make contact with his skin, the pinch disappears and his hand shoots up to grab my wrist, making me gasp in surprise.

I stare at him with wide eyes, unsure what he’s going to do next. My heart is thudding against my ribs like it’s trying to reach him before I can.

When he doesn’t move, my fingers twitch, grazing the side of his face, and he slowly moves closer, letting go of my wrist. I let my fingers trail over his cheek before moving them down into his stubble.

It prickles my skin and makes me shiver.

I like the roughness of it in contrast to his soft skin and I can’t help but wonder what it would feel like against my face if he kissed me.

I lick my lips as I trace his jaw, his eyes following the movement of my tongue. I bite my lip nervously as I grow bolder, using my whole hand to explore his face.

He reaches up tentatively, making me freeze my movements. Then he cups my face with one of his hands, his thumb runs over my lower lip, pulling it from my teeth and my tongue darts up to trace where he touched me.

“Mango,” I whisper.

He groans, the sound desperate and rough, causing me to feel wet between my legs. Before I can decide what to do next, we’re interrupted by Bower’s booming voice .

“Tink, you’re here!” I jump back on my butt, quickly pulling away from Weston as my gaze moves to Bower.

“Hi, Bower,” I say shyly as Weston and I stand up.

Bower starts to head towards me, his arms opening wide, but he stops short, his eyes going wide in alarm, as if he suddenly realized what he’s doing.

“Shit, sorry, Tink. I forgot you don’t like hugs,” he says sadly, his arms dropping.

His somber tone has me deciding to be honest with him. “I never actually said that. You just surprised me before.”

He and Weston look at me with a mix of surprise and hope.

“Are you saying… that I can hug you?” Bower asks carefully.

I shrug, biting my lip again, and Weston surprises me by reaching out and tugging my lip free.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” he says quietly, making me swallow heavily. The tension feels thick and I glance back at Bower, deciding that I don’t just want him to hug me to make him happy, I want him to hug me to know what it feels like.

Unsure of how to say the words, I decide to show him.

Stepping around Weston, I move right in front of Bower, who looks down at me with wide eyes.

Slowly, I lift my arms and wrap them around his waist. He waits all of two seconds before his arms wrap around my shoulders and back.

He squeezes me tightly against him as I rest my cheek on his chest, well it’s more like his abs due to our size difference.

His embrace is warm and solid and I find I like it, I like it a lot. It makes me feel safe and cared for, something I haven’t felt in a very long time .

After a couple minutes, I hear someone clear their throat and I let go, taking a step back to look up at him. He smirks down at me, looking pleased. “I hope we can do that again, Tink.”

“Me, too.”

His smirk turns into a full-blown smile, but before either of us can say anything, Kingsley speaks, bringing my attention to the fact that he’s here, too.

“Is that another bed?” he asks, eyeing the mattress behind me.

“Yeah,” Weston says, sounding a little frustrated again. “She did this while we were at the beach.”

Kingsley looks at me with a similar, disgruntled expression. “You did?”

“I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?” I ask, feeling frustrated myself at their reactions.