Lovers Not Without Sin | Dutch van der Linde x OC

Chapter 47

Despite her recovery still very much in flight, Ada begins to itch over currently not contributing anything to the gang. While the others have been hard at work, she's pranced around with Dutch in secret and spent her days reading and eating. Nobody yet expects her to pull her weight, even Grimshaw has made a point of routinely checking that she isn't straining herself but she hardly wants to wait until the woman is wagging a finger at her and calling her lazy. Hosea's agreed to let her fish with him by the lake, but even that task is proving difficult given the still-sore fingertips in her possession and weak arms to match.

"Enough now, just reel in," he warns her gently, swaying his rod to attract any nearby fish.

Rolling her shoulders, Ada huffs and stretches each of her hands in turn before returning them and ignores the throbbing pain travelling up her arms thanks to the fishing rod which she could've sworn never used to be so heavy. "If I catch at least one fish, I'll be happy."

"You just can't react quick enough when they nibble, it's okay. You'll be back to your usual strength in no time and we can go on all the fishing trips you like."

A stubborn hum and the jut of her chin later, she drags her rod through the water and hopes that a particularly dumb fish will take a bite.

"Plus," he begins, "Dutch will have a lot to say if he finds you over-exerting yourself unnecessarily."

Ada tilts her head at him, not missing the glint of mischief in his eyes and slightly turned-up mouth. She narrows her gaze as she studies him and her rod tugs, but her lost focus coupled with her physical ailments lowers the odds of her catching the fish to almost zero. "That was your fault," she huffs, thoroughly disappointed as she reels her rod in and places it at her feet. "I would've had that one."

"I don't doubt that you would," despite Hosea's convincing tone, crafted through years of practised conning, it's clear that no part of him believes she was ever catching that, or any, fish.

"Besides, Dutch isn't in charge of me. I don't care if he does give me an earful," she busies herself with lighting a cigarette, hiding her jealousy when Hosea catches yet another fish.

"No?"

"No."

"Seems to me like you do care, both about Dutch and what he thinks," he says, impish lilt underlying his tone.

"Why don't you just say what you mean, Hosea?" Ada scoffs.

"Because I don't have to," he lends her a knowing glance and she rolls her eyes at the seemingly omniscient man. "I'm only teasing you. I'm glad, you're good for Dutch and you both deserve the happiness you create when the two of you are together."

She blushes slightly, checking her surroundings to make sure nobody is in earshot. "You don't... think I'm being hasty?"

"Hasty? By going on a date with him? That's hardly a binding thing."

"I suppose, but -" Ada frowns, folding her arms loosely over her chest. "Hold on, how did you know about the date?"

Hosea chuckles lowly. "Dutch is my best friend, he told me all about it."

"Did he now?" she asks and he hums in confirmation. "I wasn't aware we were telling people."

"Doesn't matter if you aren't, I'd have been able to tell anyway. The man hasn't sat still all day, he's been buzzing around with this new lease of life he's gotten thanks to a few kisses from a pretty girl," his smile is full of warmth, and talking out loud about the whole thing with a third-party causes Ada to become aware of just how real it all is. "He forgets we don't all have the energy he has. He thought it appropriate to wake me when the two of you got back last night and pull me aside to tell me all about it. As lovely as it sounded, I do think I could've survived with him telling me in the morning, instead."