A New Morning

Bumping against heads. Elbow smacking against his ribs, and knees shooting straight into his stomach, wasn't exactly Ren's idea of a gesture of romantic affection.

Still, he kept his protest and hands to himself. Least he wanted his carefully built relationship with Evie turned to dust at an accidental slip of a hand. Intentional or not, that was all it would take to ruin it.

Until the trembling eventually ceased and the earthquake settled, Ren and Evie caught their breath, both rubbing the injured part of their body.

When they opened their eyes, their faces were just a breath away. The warmth of the first sunlight danced on Evie's lips, and Ren gulped even if he couldn't see her face.

He quickly pushed her away from him by the shoulder and looked to the side. "Get off."

"Agh . . . sorry." Evie's voice was dead while her face was still white as paper. Though her heart was pumping more than necessary, and she was sure that it wasn't because of the recent quakes.