Chapter 19: Close call

She rubbed her arms flailing the lantern around, she was met with the sound of crickets and tree frogs. The water stirred as she climbed in and she pushed the cabin door open. The light burned inside.

"Yahtzi," She held on to them and descended carefully hopping down.

"I was getting bored, maybe they missed us," He shrugged and she unlocked the door.

"They're probably too small to take a generous bite out of you,"

That one had him laughing and he held the walls making it on his own to the parlour.

She flicked on a light that gradually glowed brighter over the modern set living room.

"Sorry it's not up to code," He smirked even if his knee was pulsing and kept it elevated.

She saw it was swelling and checked the cabinets in the bathroom.

On the mirror, she gaped at her dark hair sticking out and pushed it into her woolen cap.

"It's just what I needed," She said dropping the kit "Seems like someone lives here," She announced in the bathroom and got a ratty napkin.

He sagged on the chair. "It's chartered,"

"You rented the whole island?"

"At a fortunate price,"

"I think you need a refund," She said drily.

"The shore counts," He sat up while she worked around the hot towel and blew on it squeezing it dry.

He saw the pulsing reduced under the warmth.

"It's safer to use a cast," She said.

He moped at the slight manipulation and she tied it up patting his knee. "This'll hold,"

"Ow, you don't have to be hard about it,"

"I'm starving,"

He stiffened.

"It probably still hurts," She loosened at his expression and loosened the bandage. "Looks adequate. Are you hungry?"

"You could say that," He stared at her.

Her eyes flickered "Good, I warn you, I'm a big eater, so you might have the smaller portion...."

Her voice trailed while she left and he swallowed hard.

***

Odetta brushed her hair into her skull cap and washed her hands, getting a dish pan. The stove ran on natural gas.

"Perfect," She grimaced at the stock "Ramyun?" She shoved it back inside and the rest were instant noodles.

"I give," She yanked it open.

"I need to see what you're doing,"

Her eyes rounded at his voice and she turned. "Edward, you're not doing yourself a favour,"

"It's worth the risk," He held the wall and stepped in.His eyes looked intense and she gulped.

"If that's what you want,"

His eyes followed her waiting and limped with a cane to the contents and the water steaming over the gasfire. He looked in closely.

Odetta caught him holding up the pot by a mitten. "What are you doing?"

He picked it up and poured the water in the garbage disposal. "Taking preventive measures,"

She scoffed "What risk? You're the one putting too much pressure on your knee,"

She pushed in a stool and a pillow for him to sit down.

"I'm being cautious," He said almost without minding her reaction. He was cold again, the cold Edward she met everyday at work.

He set the pot on fire and stirred the sauce on the third face.

She stopped to watch him cook and it seemed personal to him, like he'd been cooking his whole life.

He checked the cilantro for any bruises and cut them sharply. Spilling it in the sauce, movement wasn't a big deal for him.

She leaned to the other side as he got a can of corn beef and she gasped at the package.

He crossed the line at the corn beef.

"Are you gonna eat all that?" She said and he filtered the noodles and replaced the bowl, pouring the remains in the sauce then mixed it.

"Smells good,"

"You think so?"

"Your eggs are burning," She pointed and the flicked the gas off flipping the omelette and evened it under the oil.

"It's crisp," He used a fork to cut out a piece and she opened wide to eat pulling up the fork at the tasty goodness.

He smiled at her reaction.

"If you wanted to do the cooking, you could've just said so," She stocked the sink with dirty dishes.

"Not too much!" She cautioned.

"You're a big eater," He jested.

"I was hoping for plain, light and simple not garnished, heavy and complicated," She rolled her eyes.

He grinned in mockery. "What's the difference?"

"You did not just say that," She blushed about him and Jake.

"It was a cue, you didn't expect me to just remember, did you?" He shrugged.

"Wait, it is complicated," She said defensively.

"Me? or it?" He asked.

She simmered and lowered "The food's getting cold,"

He scoffed when she walked past him with her plates and his.

"Leave it," He repeated coldly.

"You got it, right?" She dropped his plates and dropped hers at the dinner table.

"Oh, I could've saved you a second trip but don't worry,"

He set it down by himself, "Being passive aggressive won't cut it,"

"I'm not being passive aggressive, I'm actually trying to help you,"

"I didn't need your help!" He retorted.

She winced "Oh, you can totally do this on your own, well be my guest...we'll see where it takes you,"

He strained his ears at that last part and laid down his fork. Brushing his hair.

"Olivia...I'm not asking you to leave,"

She stirred and held her other arm, insecure. "Thank goodness, I might actually ruin your lovely centre table,"

He snickered. "Were you always this ductile?" His eyelashes rose. "Likely to change?"

"What? Do you want me to stubborn? Just like you?"

"No, I'm not stubborn,"

"Oh, I'm sure I didn't notice,"

He looked sardonic and then flipped the omelette to her plate.

She pulled her plate closer. "I'm sure my stomach's the way to my heart,"

"It gets easy? Wow,"

"Yes, I'm that ductile," She pointed and finished her dinner then cleared up disposing of the paper plates.

"Am I complicated or it?" He asked.

She paused. "It is,"

He grinned when she lifted her chin. "Oh, we both are, lecture me, I beg you,"

She softened, "I don't think I've stayed long enough to figure it out, and..."

"I understand," He drawled. "You can't hold your own against me nor can you stand in the same room without your body_"

"Hold on a second," She cut in and he smirked.

She flinched at the red light and backed away when he rose. "I'm really beat,"

"If 'it's' got a problem with that then it can come to me," He poised his hand on the wall.

"He's real," She said.

"So am I" He cupped her face to kiss her.

Olivia's senses buzzed and she broke contact when her earpiece beeped.

"Olivia, where the hell are you?" Danica asked. "The bodyguards looked everywhere," Danica said at the shores and signalled to them.

"It's kind of an emergency,"

"Oh, what's worse?" She sounded distressed and Olivia lifted a hand.

"Calm down, Danica,"

Edward got an idea of who it was.

"I'm at the island_ and Ed has a broken leg, and I have no idea how to sail, I can hardly park a boat,"

"Oh, that's nice to hear, dine with the billionaire and sell out yourself_"

"We're okay," She mumbled taking correction and he mouthed "Are we?"