Page 27

“Sweetheart, no,” Kingsley says, his expression softening. “We just hate that you’re doing so much for us and we’re doing nothing for you.”

“I told you I’m not doing this to get something in return,” I tell them, my eyes bouncing between all three.

“We just wish we could do more,” he explains. “We’re not used to taking a backseat, especially when it comes to women and relationships.”

“I don’t need you to do anything, though. Honestly, I’m just glad for the pleasant company. Steve, Kevin and Bob aren’t the best conversationalists.”

“Who’s Kevin and Bob?” Bower asks.

“Kevin’s the palm tree she hates,” Kingsley says, surprising me with his memory.

“Bob is the seagull who tried to shit on her,” Weston adds.

“Are you sure there’s nothing you want from us as a thank you?” Bower asks from behind me, placing his hand on my shoulder as I look up at him. His warm hand reminds me of the hug. Hmm… I did love being held by him, maybe there was something they could give me.

“What about a thank you hug?” I ask, my gaze moving between the three of them.

Kingsley's smile is slow, but as I watch, it covers his entire face. His hair falls down into his left eye as he takes a step towards me. Bower gently pushes me forward with his hand on my shoulder and I step up to Kingsley and wrap my arms around his waist, as his own come up to encircle me. He gently sways me back and forth, causing me to let out a quiet, contented sigh. He wasn’t as big as Bower, but his embrace is softer, and as he rests his chin on my head, letting out a deep sigh.

Maybe he needed this hug almost as much as I did?

I step back, giving him a shy smile, which he returns.

Then I turn to face Weston, who’s frowning at me again, and I’m starting to realize that it’s just his normal expression.

When I step up to his giant six-foot something frame, he bends down and wraps his arms around my waist, hoisting me off my feet.

“Weston!” I gasp in surprise, my arms flying up around his neck. He presses his face into my neck as he holds me close and takes long, deep breaths. My legs feel awkward dangling, but I have a feeling if I try to lift my legs, I’ll flash the other two behind me.

I drop my own face to his neck and inhale his intoxicating scent of ocean and mango.

He holds me like that for a couple minutes before his lips press to my neck gently, making my breath hitch.

He kissed me! Even if it was just my neck, it makes me feel special.

Important. Like a silent promise to take care of me.

Eventually, he sets me down. He no longer looks frustrated, now, a completely different look covers his face. Something deeper, more intense. Something that makes my own body heat with awareness at his close proximity to me.

Bower claps his hands once, making me jump in surprise. “Okay, so what’s on the agenda for today? You want to show us where some of the other fruit is?”

“Yeah, sure. I can do that,” I say, nodding my head like a stupid bobble head toy. “Let me just seal this up.” I turn back to the mattress and use the small vines I had brought with me to sew it closed.

The guys are silent as I work, and when I glance over my shoulder at them, they are exchanging looks with one enough that I can’t decipher. It’s like they are having an entire conversation in silence.

“Okay, all done.” I stand up and gather all my supplies.

“How’d you learn to do that?” Kingsley asks, looking down at the mattress.

“Trial and error, mostly.”

They follow me as I return my supplies to the other hut, asking me questions the entire time. In all honesty, I don’t mind. Talking about this stuff doesn’t bring bad memories, and it’s nice to have an actual two-sided conversation for once in my life.

We spend most of the day with me showing them the best places to get fruit, and pointing out things to look out for on the island .

As the day goes on, I start to feel more relaxed around them. Ever since I hugged them all this morning, it feels like we’ve broken down one of the invisible barriers between us. I notice them standing closer to me than they did before, like they’re no longer worried they will scare me off.

Whenever Kingsley walks beside me, he instinctively seems to reach for my hand. I don’t say anything, but secretly, I love it. It’s been a long time since I held anyone's hand and the action makes me feel like he wants to keep me close.

Throughout the day, they make sure one of them checks the beach for signs of a boat whenever possible. Each time, the thought of rescue makes my stomach twist. I’m not sure how to tell them that I can’t leave this island. So instead, I decide to enjoy their company while it lasts.

That evening, while we sit around eating dinner, I decide I want to know more about them. Kingsley already told me about the company he owns with Bower, so I turn my gaze to Weston.

“Weston?”

“Hmm?” he asks, chewing a piece of jerky as he turns his hazel eyes to me.

“What does the tattoo on your arm mean?” His eyes flick down to his bicep, swallowing his mouthful of jerky.

“It’s a compass, it represents my time in the Marines.” He pulls up his sleeve so I can see it fully.

“The Marines? Like, the army?” I ask, trying to remember what I knew about them.

“It’s a military branch, yeah. I was a pilot with them for ten years.”

“Was? You’re not anymore?”

He shakes his head, his eyes dropping to his hands.

“No, not for a few years. I’m a private pilot now.

I have my own plane… Had my own plane,” he corrects himself, his eyes flicking to the other two before they drop again.

“Sometimes I fly cargo, and sometimes people… like these two idiots.” He jerks his head in their direction, but they both just smirk at him.

“Wait—were you flying the plane that crashed?” I ask in shock. For some reason, I had assumed the pilot hadn’t made it, and these three were all passengers, just like my crash.

He nods his head without lifting his eyes.

I frown, my gaze darting to Kingsley who looks at him and sighs.

“It wasn’t his fault. There was an explosion, he was lucky he didn’t get injured, but it took out all the systems.”

“How—How did you guys get separated?” I ask curiously. I’d wondered why they’d arrived in two different rafts on two different days, but at the time I was too preoccupied to ask.

Nobody answers and I glance around, realizing I’ve said something wrong.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. I don’t like to talk about it either.”

I feel three sets of eyes on me as I stare down at my dirty feet, feeling dumb for bringing up this topic.

“Zee…” Kingsley says softly. Too softly. If I so much as look at him, and see his kind blue eyes staring at me, I’m likely to break, and I wasn’t ready to talk about the crash yet, because then I’d have to talk about him. My dad.

I jump to my feet, avoiding their eyes as I head for the ladder. “I’m getting tired now, goodnight.”

“Wait! Tink, you have to give me a goodnight hug!” Bower says, stopping me in my spot as I grip the bottom of the ladder and contemplate what to do. I really wanted a hug, but I didn’t want to talk. Not right now.

“Zee,” Kingsley says from right behind me, making me stiffen at his nearness.

He places a hand on my shoulder and tugs me gently to face him.

“Zee, you never have to tell us anything you aren’t ready to share, okay?

Even if we ask, you don’t have to answer.

We’ll try not to pressure you, but we may ask from time to time.

Just tell us if you don’t want to answer. Is that fair?”

I lick my dry lips and nod before finally looking up to meet his eyes. He gives me a tight-lipped smile, and I feel guilty for making such a big deal about this. But I can’t help it. “Thank you,” I whisper before wrapping my arms around his waist.

He presses a kiss to the top of my head, and I sigh in relief.

“Are you sure we can’t persuade you to stay in the hut tonight?” he asks after a few moments of silence.

I shake my head and step back. “Goodnight, Kingsley.”

I turn to Bower, and he bends and lifts me into a hug like Weston had given me earlier. He kisses my neck and I giggle, his beard tickling my skin. “Tink, I could listen to that giggle all day long.”

He places the next kiss a little higher, near my ear, and it has a completely different effect, making me suck in a sharp breath, my body heating instantly.

“Say goodnight, Zee,” Weston says from behind me.

“Goodnight, Bower.” He slowly sets me down, but doesn’t instantly let me go. He watches me for a moment before taking my face in his hands and tilting my head so he can place a kiss on my forehead. My heart leaps in my chest from the touch.

“Goodnight, Tink. ”

He turns me around and I hear him and Kingsley walk back over to the firepit area, leaving me alone with Weston. He stares at me for a moment, and I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but it looks like he has a hundred things he wants to say.

“Stay in the hut with us tonight?” he asks.

“I can’t,” I whisper, shaking my head. He looks resigned, like he expected that answer, and nods once in acceptance.

“Alright, give me a hug then,” he says, pulling me into his giant frame as I wrap my arms around his waist. “Zee?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you come down in the morning when we call? It always scares me when we can’t find you.”

“You were worried about me?” I ask in surprise. Although I’m not sure why, I’m still surprised by them. They have repeatedly shown that they care about me.

“I’m always worried about you, baby. I hate that you aren’t by our sides all day and night. I hate that you had to be out here for who knows how long without anyone, and I hate that you’re obviously going through something on your own and you won’t let me help you. ”

“West—”

“I know, baby, you aren’t ready. But we’ll be here for you when you are, okay?” I let out a deep breath and nod against his chest.

“Okay.”

We say goodnight and I climb up to my lonely hammock, grabbing Steve and clutching him to my chest.

I stare up at the small patch of night sky above me; the stars are shining brightly tonight. Maybe I'll finally be able to sleep without nightmares. Maybe images of the guys would invade my dreams instead.

Unfortunately, I had another fitful sleep. But when I heard them calling my name in the morning, I headed straight down to them after cleaning my teeth. I was greeted with three big hugs that all seemed to linger a little longer than the previous ones.

And that becomes our routine for the next two weeks. I wake up and am greeted with smiles and hugs, two of them head to the beach as lookout while me and the other one go and pick some fruit. I spend that time getting to know them, asking them about their life outside of the island.

Weston tells me more about his time as a pilot for the Marines, which makes me wonder why he left it. When he’s not working, he apparently spends a lot of time tinkering with small engines as a side business. He also loves watching action movies and has read every Stephen King novel at least once.

I teach him how to hunt and prepare rabbits and boar, and quickly learn that he’s a natural, unlike the other two.

Kingsley told me more about AI and what his company does.

I think he’s actually a tech whiz, but doesn't like to boast about it.

He shared his love for tennis, apparently, having even won some tennis championships in his youth.

The part that amuses me most is his extensive shoe collection.

Why a grown man needs over fifty pairs of shoes, I have no idea .

And I know more about Bower than any of them, thanks to his constant nattering.

He loves food, which is no surprise to me.

He’s constantly talking about what he wants to eat when he gets back to civilization.

The funny part is that he’s apparently a terrible cook, everything he craves is either from a restaurant or something their cook makes for them.

He also has a pet Siamese fighting fish named Seymour that he hopes Reece is feeding for him.

But most of the time, when he isn’t working, he’s just relaxing with Kingsley and Reece, playing video games.

The more he talks about Reece, the more intrigued I become. They describe him as grumpy and angry and yet also super loyal and would do anything for them. It’s why they are so convinced he’ll eventually rescue them. Even Weston, who doesn’t know him as well, is sure he’ll find them soon.

Each day, after we’ve gathered the fruit, the four of us eat in the shady part of the beach near the jungle, where Mo-Mo joins us, sometimes with his family in tow.

Then the guys go swimming while I guard their clothes.

Sometimes we head back to the waterfall to swim there instead.

I don’t have a change of clothes, so I often hang back, choosing to bathe when they’re done, sending them back to camp so I can be alone, something that really bothers them.

They constantly grumble about it not being safe for me to be alone, which makes me roll my eyes in annoyance since I’ve been doing it for so long.

They are always offering me soap, shampoo and clothing, which I refuse, not wanting to take any of their few possessions from them. But when Kingsley gave me his spare toothbrush, I think I hugged him for five minutes straight.

They don’t ask me anything about my life before the island, something I appreciate.

Each day I feel myself growing closer and closer to them, and I’m terrified that any day a boat or plane is going to show up and whisk them away.

I have a feeling they won’t take it well when I tell them I’m not leaving.

I know I won't take it well when they leave.

The fear of being alone again keeps me up almost every night now.

But what really has my mind preoccupied is the fact that I think we’re heading into the rainy season any day now.

I won’t be able to sleep in my hammock when that happens, and I’m still not ready to share my nightmares with them.

I know I have two choices; the cave at the top of the cliff or their raft.

Considering how dangerous the cliff is, especially when wet, I’m leaning towards the raft. But I have a feeling they aren’t going to be happy about that and I’m not sure what to do about it yet. So far, I’ve been lucky, and it hasn’t rained once since the first day Bower and Kingsley arrived.

But I know it’s only a matter of time before everything I’m keeping from them comes spilling out.