Chapter 3
Xin never felt out of his element. The rain continued for about an hour, effectively extinguishing any embers that might still be burning on board, and unfortunately getting wet. Fortunately, the storm had passed, and only deep darkness and the sound of their breathing broke the silence.
He considered telling her lies to calm her down, but realised it would be wise to be honest with her. "I don't think someone will start a search tonight." What he didn't tell her was also that someone might start a search tomorrow.
Save with . "So we're stuck here overnight." There was a strange strain in her voice. It wasn't anger, it was something deeper and darker. "If the search party doesn't show up first thing in the morning, they can probably go somewhere else to get help.
His knees were pounding to the bone, and he knew he had exacerbated an old football injury that once plagued him. The same tone coloured her voice again. All Xin wanted was a spark of light, a tiny illumination that would reveal her features. There seems to be no choice."
She didn't speak for a long time, but he felt the pressure of her shoulder on his shoulder... "I don't like the dark," she muttered. fear. He heard it in her voice and it startled him. Cool, always-together, always-able Mei Shei was afraid of the dark. "There is nothing to fear," he said. He felt her stiffening in protest. "I am not afraid. didn't believe her protests.
He was afraid of the dark. One of the things he dislikes about her that he tells himself is that she's always in control and seems incredibly strong and efficient. Somewhere in his heart, Xin always believed that had she been a little less strong and a little more needy, Loi might have matured and become more responsible in the marriage. As far as he was concerned, she was a lipstick demon, a forbidden temptation sent to test his willpower.
Still, he couldn't help but be a little inquisitive. "So how long have you had nyctophobia?" he asked. "It's not a phobia," she said, sighing. He stiffened her body and fought the urge to reach out and touch the strands to see if they were as soft and silky as she looked. "I think the best thing we can do is get some sleep. I'm sure it will look brighter in the morning." "For some reason I don't expect that," she said quietly. They were the last words they had to each other that night. Xin tried to get comfortable, but the adrenaline that had filled him from the moment he realised the plane was crashing refused to dissipate due to the amount of sleep that overwhelmed him.
I found myself having a hard time relaxing. She writhed beside him, but never stopped her shoulder from touching him. As time went on, her fidgeting slowed, and when her head rolled onto his shoulder and she fell towards him all the way, he realised she was asleep. His first instinct was to push her away. He didn't want to feel her provocative warmth, or smell the faint scent of sweet, ripe strawberries wafting from her hair.
He had to admit that he closed his eyes and relaxed his body. He knew he might need all his wits and all his energy to head into the morning. If you're lucky, you'll either be spotted by someone who saw the plane crash, or you'll find a small town nearby. If they were incredibly unlucky, they would find themselves in the middle of a forest with no one around for miles. What if he couldn't walk enough to call for help? He bent over and smiled. Of course, Mei being as capable as she always was, she could have made a stretcher out of her branches and dragged him out of the woods.
That was his last conscious thought before sleep overwhelmed him. He awoke at dawn, momentarily utterly confused. Even before he opened his eyes, his mind was working to orient him. A warm female figure was curled up in her arms, and her nose was filled with the scent of strawberries. Taking a deep breath, he remembered. Crash... Mei... Forest. His eyes opened quickly and I could see that at some point in the night their bodies were searching not only the soft ground covered in leaves, but also each other's bodies. , he took the opportunity to observe her as the light of dawn shone through the trees. It was easy for him to understand why Loi was attracted to her.
She had beautiful, sinful lashes and an attractive, rich mouth that inspired her man to plunder its depths. Her skin is almost untanned, cookie-coloured, and her cheeks are naturally pink. As he gazes at her, his fingers caress the skin of her cheeks and tingle to touch her slightly plump lower lip. He wanted her girlfriend. He had wanted her for years, and in that desire was his shame. wife of Loi. wife of Loi. With these disturbing thoughts he rose away from her. At the same time he woke her up. After she was upset and moaned, she got up and pushed her lion-coloured hair out of her face. "Oh my god. I feel like someone beat me all night," she said, standing and stretching her arms above her head.
Xin frowned at her, his eyes on her T- shirt. Her relief flooded him as she lowered her hands and her shirt returned to its place. He followed her gaze as she scanned her surroundings. She folded her arms and hugged her shoulders. He thought it wasn't the cold of the morning, but that she was visibly shivering in her, a hint of their closeness. "You can't believe they both left, can you?" he said.
She nodded and then turned to him. "How's your knee?" "I'm fine," he replied. "Okay, I might have to get out of here if the search party doesn't show up soon." should have been "We shouldn't do it too early. It's only minutes after sunrise. We'll be here at least a few hours on the plane." And he could tell by the worried frown on her smooth forehead that she was probably thinking of Loi and Iam.
"They are probably coming back to your apartment," he said. "Loi must have been back in Kansas City when you didn't show up at Twin Oaks last night." he leaned against a tree. "Do you really think so?" She said, the grimace that had furrowed her brows gone, and desperate hope shone in her big blue eyes. Her face and clothes were dirty, but her hair was dishevelled and adorned with leaves.
For a moment Xin wanted to hold her in her arms, smell her sweet scent emanating from her, kiss her luscious lips, and wash away all her worries. Xin's inexplicable tension rose to new levels. "Loi may be a lot of things, but he was always a good father," he said. She stared at him, clearly startled by his outburst. "You must be hungry," she said. "Loi used to get grumpy when he was hungry."
He had expected her to respond to his anger with hers. Her answer left him momentarily speechless.
When the ability to speak returned, he gave her a grimace. "I'm hungry," he agreed. "Perhaps you could rummage through the woods and serve us a delicious breakfast of berries and roots." She ignored his sarcasm and looked instead at what was left of the plane. "If I can find my crate overnight - and it survives the fire - then I have a bag of fried corn and an apple in it.
The anger he tried so hard to feel. admittedly, the anger he needed to feel towards her had left him.His gaze fell again to the rubble lying between two trees.Do you think my suitcase is still there. Is that?" If I had to guess, your case is somewhere between here and the first place we hit the tree. He left the tree. "We can take a look and see what we find." She nodded and started walking briskly.
He staggered behind her, trying to suppress the pain that was tearing his knee apart with every step. He would rather suffer than let her see weakness. They weren't very far when she turned to him. She stopped walking and put her hands on her hips. "Sit down," she ordered. "I'm fine," he protested. "Yeah sure. Walking always makes you sweat" She deliberately strode over to where he was standing and put herself under his arm "I don't want you to blame me when you're permanently paralyzed because you chased me." follow my suitcase." ", she said as she led him to a tree.
He sat down reluctantly, knowing that there was no point in pretending to be painless. "Perhaps if I abstain a little longer…" Her voice trailed off in frustration. "I'm perfectly capable of foraging on my own."
Once again she left him. Please look at her, reluctantly admiring the length of her well-proportioned legs, the slight movement of her slender hips. He wasn't surprised that she handled the situation quite well. She always had the kind of confidence that made men terrify her. At least most men. She certainly wasn't threatening him. He rubbed his knees, realizing that as long as he stayed away, the pain didn't matter. Unfortunately, there was no doubt in his mind that he would eventually have to get up and get out of here.
As he continued to massage the sides of her kneecaps, he frowned, listening to the silence around him. There was noise - birds chirping in the treetops, and here and there the leaves rustled as squirrels jumped from branch to branch. But those are not the sounds Xin wants to hear the most. It is worth noting that there is no noisy traffic, the laughter of a family setting up camp.