𝑅𝐸𝑀𝐸𝑀𝐵𝐸𝑅 𝑀𝐸 | druig

𝑜𝓃𝑒

She was startled awake by a hand clamping around her mouth, its rough calluses scraping her lips. Her eyes shot open only to reveal the silhouette of someone hovered above her.

Panic started rippling through her gut until a voice whispered, "Shh. Come with me, Nita." She immediately eased at the sound of Andres' soft tone.

Andres then retreated out the door, as silent as a black jaguar lurking in the trees, while Nita swiftly grabbed her sweater and followed him, careful not to wake her slumbering family.

Nita stumbled out of the hut after Andres, the canopy of the towering jungle making the night seem even darker to the point where she could barely see her own hand before her face.

"What's going on, Andres?" She spoke to the silence, save for the music of nature surrounding her; insects and birds and so on. In response to her question, Andres took her hand and dragged her along the side of her hut towards the outskirts of their village, where the jungle met the wide river.

"What are we doing out here, Andres?" Nita asked him as he took her to the shoreline, taking off his sandals, followed by his shirt but leaving his pants on.

"What does it look like?" He countered, extending his arms to either side of him as he slowly backed up into the black water.

Nita took a few steps forward, keeping him in her line of vision as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark. "It's not safe at night," she said in a loud-ish whisper, irritation mixed with worry coursing through her veins and reeling in her stomach. Not a good feeling.

Andres was always like that--always giving her those feelings as he went about constantly putting his life at risk for a thrill. But at the same time, it gave her feelings of exhilaration.

It made her feel more alive. Living in the village they did with the man who the villagers claimed to be their protector, those drug-like feelings didn't come often. He was their guardian. However, was he really those things when he had the power to mind control these people to do his bidding? To control Nita's friends and family.

That's what gave her the true feelings of irritation and worry and even anger sometimes. Knowing that the man who led them and guarded them from the dangers of the outside world was also the one who could make them do unspeakable things to protect himself or his land or who knew what else. Nita always found herself clenching her fists so tight that she sometimes drew blood in her palms at the thought of Him. Just as she was now, watching Andres back into the black waters of the lake where beasts lurked, waiting for stupid people like him to mindlessly wander in only to be snatched down, never to be seen again.

But maybe that's one of the reasons why Nita and Andres were drawn to each other so much in their early teenage years: they both shared a sense of hatred for their leader that no one else did.

"Come on, Nita. Just a quick dip!" He called, now waist deep. Nita found herself smiling slightly at the sight of her good friend enjoying himself so much--his dark brown eyes crinkled in the corners from his grand smile that brought a smile to everyone's face whenever it cracked. The smile that made her cheeks sometimes heat and stomach flutter.

Andres was the village clown who oftentimes brought joy and deep laughter to all just as much as he was the rebel of the village who would on occasion give some of the elders near heart attacks from his carelessness or stupidity. However, somehow he always managed to walk away from his endeavors unscathed.

Nita would always be warning him that one day he wouldn't be so lucky which was always followed by Andres slinging his arm around her shoulders, planting a kiss to her head and laughing it off then launching into his next adventure.

Nita now stood with her toes in the water, letting it cool her down from the humid night in the Amazon Jungle, seriously beginning to contemplate ridding herself of her clothes and joining Andres.

They held each other's gaze for several seconds without exchanging any words before Andres finally spoke, "Nita... aren't you the one always wanting to defy Him? And live on the edge a little?" Nita held her breath then nodded once. "Well... this is it. Come on, it's just a quick swim. Everyone's asleep and no one will know."

Nita dropped her head back, looking up into the bright starry sky. She took in a deep breath then looked back down at Andres, dropping her sweater to the sand and removing her shirt and pants, leaving her in her undergarments. Andres' smile grew wider.

"I'm telling you right now, Andres, I'm not coming after you if you get sucked in by a river demon," she said, holding her hands clasped above her chest as her skin prickled with goosebumps from the cold.

When she walked far enough to be within arm reach of Andres, he reached out his hand and she met it with hers, their fingers interlacing together. "See? It's not so bad, is it?" He asked her as he snaked his arm around her bare waist, pulling her into him.

Nita cocked her head to the side, now able to see his full face. Andres was quite handsome--a young man that many of the young women in the village whispered about and admired but due to his mischievous ways, would be forbidden to associate with by their parents. Nita's parents weren't fond of her close friendship with him, but Nita was too stubborn to please them in ending it as Andres was her only true friend. The two did occasionally tumble in the jungle or meet up for late night rendez-vous but no one knew of it and besides, it didn't go beyond the physical attraction as Nita wouldn't let it. Just something to help meet their needs. Friends helping friends.

Andres then leaned it, his lips brushing her ear. "You look very beautiful under the starlight, Nita," he whispered, then pressed his lips to the sweet spot beneath her ear. Her cheeks heated slightly despite being chilled to the bone from the water.

Nita wrapped her arms around his golden neck, followed by her legs around his waist. "Andres," she whispered before he pressed his lips to hers, the warmth of his perfectly sculpted body pressed against hers making the need between her legs grow very strong, very fast.

Andres' lips then parted from hers before trailing small kisses to her jaw then down her neck. Although Nita knew having meaningless sex in the river at the dead of night was not a good idea, she couldn't stop herself from hiking her legs higher up his waist, finding herself needing him inside her right then and there.

But then he suddenly stopped, his eyes darting to the shore, his thick, dark brows furrowed. "What is it?" Nita asked, looking at his concerned expression with one of her own.

"Someone's coming," he said quietly, still holding her close to him.

And just then, that voice that made Nita's blood boil in her veins spoke. "Well what do we have here?"