Chapter 22 #2
"Take off the wet clothes." I say.
Her head turns sharply in my direction. For a second, she simply stares at me, as though she’s trying to decide whether I actually said those words or if the near-drowning experience has finally damaged her hearing.
"I'm sorry?" She replies.
"The wet clothes." I repeat. "Unless your long-term survival plan involves freezing to death."
Disbelief flashes across her face. "You cannot be serious."
I let out a slow breath. "You're shaking so hard your teeth are practically filing for divorce."
The look she gives me suggests violence.
"I'm cold." She says.
"That's usually how hypothermia starts."
Zora stares at me for another moment before narrowing her eyes. "Did you really just use hypothermia as a pickup line?"
A laugh escapes me despite myself. "If that's what you took from that sentence, I have concerns."
"You have concerns?"
"Several."
Another shiver runs through her before she can continue arguing, immediately destroying whatever dignity she is trying to maintain. I don't even have to say anything. The expression on my face does the work for me.
She notices. Predictably.
"Don't look at me like that." She warns.
"Like what?"
"Like you're right."
I consider pretending otherwise. The effort doesn't seem worthwhile. "Unfortunately, I am."
The glare she sends me should have been enough to generate heat. Sadly, science continues disappointing us both.
Outside, another wave crashes against the rocks, sending a cold gust of wind through the cave.
I watch as Zora instinctively curls further into herself before quickly straightening, pretending she hasn't moved at all.
It is a poor attempt at hiding the cold, and judging by the look she gives me, she knows I noticed.
I raise an eyebrow and she immediately pointed a finger at me.
"Not a word."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking something."
"Always."
"That's the problem."
A quiet smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. Even after everything that has happened, she still finds the energy to argue with me. Somehow, her stubbornness is strangely reassuring.
By the time we wring out what little water we can from our clothes, they are still damp enough to be uncomfortable.
"Keeping these on will only make it worse."
Without waiting for a response, I peel off my shirt and set it aside with the rest of the damp clothes. The fabric sticks to my skin before finally peeling away, and I run a hand through my wet hair, trying to shake off some of the water. When I look up again, I find Zora watching me.
Her gaze lingers for just a second too long before she quickly looks away, as though she's been caught doing something she has no intention of admitting to. Even in the dim light filtering into the cave, I don't miss the faint flush creeping into her cheeks.
A small smirk tugs at my lips. "What?"
"Nothing." She answers a little too quickly.
"Hm."
She rolls her eyes, though she still avoids looking directly at me. "Don't flatter yourself."
The corner of my mouth twitches, but I let it go.
"Turn around."
This time I don't tease her. I turn my back to her and fix my attention on the cave entrance, listening to the waves crashing somewhere beyond the darkness.
Behind me comes the quiet rustle of wet fabric being peeled away and the soft sound of water dripping onto the stone as she wrings out her clothes.
"You can look now."
I glance over my shoulder. She has spread her damp clothes over a nearby rock as best she can and sits with her knees drawn to her chest, wearing only her undergarments while trying to preserve what little warmth she has left.
Without a word, I look away again and settle my gaze back on the cave entrance.
"We'll figure it out in the morning." I say after a moment. "Right now, the only thing that matters is making it until sunrise."
Zora follows my gaze toward the entrance before giving a quiet nod. For once, she doesn't argue. That alone tells me how exhausted she is.
We settle on opposite sides of the cave, putting a respectable amount of distance between us. Neither of us says much after that. There isn't much left to say. We survived a plane crash, nearly drowned, and ended up stranded on an island with no idea who else made it ashore.
I try closing my eyes, but sleep refuses to come.
The stone beneath me is uncomfortable. The air is cold. My body aches from the swim and the fight against the ocean, and every time I begin drifting off, another gust of wind finds its way into the cave and drags me back awake.
Across from me, I can hear Zora shifting occasionally. She's not sleeping either. But neither of us acknowledges it.
Time crawls by with painful slowness, until minutes begin feeling far closer to hours than they have any right to.
Then I feel movement beside me. A warm arm slowly slides around my waist, and every muscle in my body goes still. I turn my head slightly and find Zora looking down, deliberately avoiding my eyes as she shifts closer. She doesn't say anything, but she doesn't have to. The cold has finally won.
I stare at her for a long moment. She's still a Krogen. The daughter of the man who ruined my life.
But right now, with her cold skin pressed against mine, that old hatred feels strangely distant.
I hesitate only for a moment before completely turning and wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her against my chest. The shared body heat spreads almost immediately, easing the relentless cold that has settled into both of us.
Holding her like this feels strangely natural. Too natural. I don't want to examine that thought too closely.
I glance down at her and murmur, "Good night, Elf."
She hesitates for a moment before shaking her head ever so slightly. "Don't get any ideas."
A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Neither of us makes any move to pull away.
Several seconds pass before her voice reaches me again, soft enough that I almost miss it. "Good night... Nico."
Something in my chest tightens unexpectedly at the sound of it. Sleep doesn't come nearly as easily as I'd hoped.