†POISONED†

Aria gently cleaned her face with the wipe Ryan had handed her.

She wiped away the tears and little bits of dirt that had settled on her skin.

Her eyes were red rimmed from crying and they gazed blankly into space, her thoughts was still reeling from the overwhelming grief.

Ryan watched her with concern but also relief, thanking the gods that she had finally shut the hell up.

After Aria had a breakdown, she had just simply sat at the table, lost in thought with her body language screaming of exhaustion and despair.

The silence between them grew thicker and heavy with unspoken emotions while the only sound was the soft screams of the creatures in the distance. {note the sarcasm ^^}

Ryan broke the silence"Are you hungry?" he asked, his eyes on her.

Aria's stomach growled at the mention of food.

She had only eaten once and that was hours ago.

But her grief stricken mind made her shake her head NO, dismissing the idea of eating.

Ryan nodded "Well, even if you were, there's no food here," he said, he just wanted to check if she was still alive after not speaking for minutes.

"This place has been abandoned for years." he continued.

Aria snapped back to reality and she opened her bag, rummaging through the contents.

Her hand moving around to the canned food she had carried from the abandoned hotel.

"Here," she said, tossing the can to Ryan.

He caught the can, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, thankful that he wouldn't have to stave for two days straight.

Aria's voice was flat and devoid of any emotion.

"Abandoned hotel." she replied short, she doesn't have the energy to be explaining.

Ryan's eyes were on the canned food, Well she maybe weak but she is smart, Ryan thought.

"You carried this with you?" he asked, he didn't see it when she brought out the medical supplies although he knew there would be something more than medical supplies with the way the bag had weighed.

Aria shrugged. "I didn't know what I would find and I didn't know if I would survive."

"Thank you,"Ryan said sincere, he had being extremely hungry even though it has been an everyday lifestyle to stay hungry and eat what you saw, it was still hard not to feel the hunger.

Aria's gaze dropped,"No thank you for saving me," she whispered.

Ryan opened the can, the sound of the lid cracking open filling the silence. The sight of canned beans greeted Ryan as the lid was lifted, enticing Aria's stomach, he cleaned his hand.

Ryan watched as Aria eyed the food, her gaze lingering on the canned beans as if uncertain whether to trust her own hunger.

Her eyes that was still red rimmed from crying, seemed to hold a deep sadness.

"Let's share the food," Ryan said inviting after all she was the one who had the food.

Aria shook her head again, her ponytail swaying slightly.

"I am not hungry," she insisted, "Just eat it all."

Ryan sighed, "Aria, come on," he coaxed.

"You need to eat, you have lost a lot of blood from your wound."

But Aria refused to budge, her arms crossed on her lap.

Ryan scooped a portion of the food onto his hand and brought it to Aria's lips. She turned her head away, but Ryan persisted.

"Eat," he urged.

Aria shook her head again, her voice rising.

"I said I am not—"

Before she could finish the sentence, Ryan quickly placed the food in her mouth. Aria's eyes widened in surprise, her cheeks flushing.

Ryan turned around and walked back on his chair, a hint of amusement on his face.

"I wasn't asking if you were hungry," he said with a subtle smile. "I just wanted to know if it's poisoned."

Aria's eyes narrowed, her face still processing the sudden action.

"You could have just asked," she said with irritation,How dare this ingrate accusing her to poison his food.

Ryan shrugged."I figured this was faster."

Aria chewed the food slowly, her gaze never leaving Ryan's devilish but also handsome face.

His piercing dark eyes were still holding amusement and his strong jawline made his face a perfect model.

The dim lighting of the room highlighted the sharp angles of his face, making him look even more ruggedly attractive.

Aria swallowed the food while shaking her head but her eyes still roamed over Ryan's features, taking in the subtle curve of his nose, the shape of his lips, and the slight stubble on his chin.

His dark hair was a mess, framing his face with a rugged charm that made her heart flutter a tiny bit.

Aria's gaze lingered on his lips, noticing the slight curve of his mouth as he ate the food, She felt a sudden urge to reach out and touch his face, to see if his skin was as warm as it looked.

Ryan's gaze lifted up from his food , his eyes meeting hers for a moment before moving back to his food.