Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 104729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
“It’s the milk from the coconut. I opened and drained it.”
“Wow. Okay. Thanks,” I say like an idiot.
I don’t know how to handle him being nice. I know we had a truce, but this feels different than that.
It feels strangely intimate, our bodies touching, drinking from the same bottle.
“I’ll make more tomorrow. I was going to do the rest, but then I saw you.”
“It’s okay. This is perfect.”
We settle into a comfortable silence as we both eat the fleshy part.
I groan on the first bite, and he laughs.
“It’s good, right?”
“Not that I want to complain because I’m grateful you had the presence of mind to make the survival kit, but those bars are pretty nasty.”
“That they are. They do the trick, though. But yeah, this is much better.”
I lean back, getting more comfortable.
Alaric had started a fire, and now its blazes warm around us.
“How do you know how to do all this?” I ask.
“I just do.”
“Come on, that’s not really an answer. Climbing. Fires, first aid …” I look up at him, and he’s staring intensely at me.
“It’s just something I know.”
He’s holding something back. I know it. He knows it. But it’s obvious he’s not willing to tell me his secrets. Not that I would fault him for that. Yes, maybe right now, we are on the same team, but I can understand if he’s still wary.
“If you don’t want to talk about that, then what do you want to talk about?”
“Who says I want to talk at all?” His gaze is penetrating. It’s unnerving.
“What then?”
“We can enjoy the silence together.”
“Oh.”
“It's not that I don’t want to talk to you, but do you ever feel like it might be nice just to enjoy nothing with someone?”
I cock my head but continue to look at him.
“Yeah,” I whisper back, understanding exactly what he means.
He settles next to me, our bodies still close but not quite touching, with both of our heads tipped back to look at the sky.
I’m not sure how long we stay like this, but it’s exactly what I need right now.
Silence. A moment to calm down, calm my mind, and just stare at the stars.
Tomorrow, I’ll go back to analyzing everything and probably hating him too. But tonight, I’ll just be.
Whatever that means.
* * *
Bright sunlight streams down, making my lids flutter. For a brief second, I forget where I am. Then it all comes crashing down, like an early morning wave beating against the rocks. I’m still here.
I’m living my own version of groundhog’s day. Waking the same way each morning, hoping the outcome will be different, or that maybe none of this is real.
But none of this is a dream.
No one is coming to look for us.
My heart races, and I sit up from where I was lying. Alaric is nowhere to be seen.
I have gotten used to him being missing in the morning, but after the temporary reprieve from our hatred yesterday, I assumed maybe he’d be here.
How ridiculous am I?
Just because we didn’t kill each other yesterday, and he was kind to me, does not wash away the past.
I’m not sure how to move forward from here.
A part of me wants to put the past behind us for now, revisit it once we are off this island. Another part can’t.
We might never get off here. Can I live the rest of my life holding onto this in my chest?
The idea of being stuck here forever has me feeling suffocated. I move to stand, but then I remember how tight my ankle is. Removing the bandage, I look at it.
Normal.
There’s no swelling. I just need to figure out a way to work out the muscle without hurting myself more.
What would I do if I was back home?
Water.
I remember when Hannah hurt herself back at school, her physical therapist had her do exercises in the water to loosen her tight muscles.
That’s what I’ll do.
Today, I opt to swim in my bra and panties, not wanting to chance Alaric coming back early and seeing me naked.
I’m surprised how much better my body already feels today. Yes, it’s still tight, but I’m sure it will be better soon.
My toes are the first to hit the water. Even though it’s summer and the water’s warm, it still takes a minute to adjust to the temperature.
Slowly, I walk farther in. Once I’m submerged to my chest, I lift my injured leg up and move my ankle around.
In the water, I don’t feel pain. The movements are fluid and easy, and I can feel the muscles loosening.
From where I’m swimming, it’s almost as if I’m on vacation. The tropical landscape a picturesque backdrop that one would pay good money to relax in.
It’s not the case for us.
No matter how beautiful and lush the palm trees are, there isn’t enough food to make this island sustainable for long.