Breaking the story

Rowan vs. the dynamic duo

"I swear to all that is unholy, you must be the worst map reader in this story!" I shouted, exasperated. Rowan pushed his gold rimmed glasses up his nose and squinted at the map again. This time he'd managed to get it upside down. The dark trees crowded in on us and my torch wasn't providing much light.

"It's not as if you're any better," he snapped, trying to turn it around again. I snatched it out of his hands with a sigh and tried to figure out where we were.

Apparently we weren't needed for any dramatic scenes because we were promptly dumped in the middle of the forest after the big 'setting off' scene. Now we were trying to find the big exciting treasure that was marked with an X. Whoopee.

"Okay we're....eh...." I stared at the map, trying to make sense of it. Then I threw my hands in the air, the map bending at an awkward angle. "I don't know! We're lost."

Rowan shrugged and fiddled with his hair. He was blessed to be wearing a hoodie and had avoided the dreaded shorts. So it was just me who was rapidly approaching frostbite. The shadows snaked around our feet and I felt the first prick of fear.

"You don't seem too bothered about us being lost," I said, raising my brows.

"I don't care," he drawled, looking far too relaxed. "But maybe you want to get back to your precious Elijah. Or maybe not, since he's with Grace."

"Haha. That's not even funny. Grace can have him," I said. "But being stuck with you is slightly less annoying than being here with him."

He smiled at that, his face warming.

"Only slightly," I muttered and the smile turned rueful.

"I really thought you were quiet as a mouse but it seems like your real personality is a raging bull," he said with a grin. "What happened to all the blushing and barely speaking?"

Fake Beatrice wasn't that bad! Although I didn't know why I was defending her in my mind.

"Maybe I'll gore you," I said quietly. "Would make the night more interesting."

"Very angry," he said. "You should go to therapy for that."

"I could list all my woes for you, if you like. Firstly, my parents warned me off red headed jerks when I was small...but, alas, I met you. Then I realised I was in a story.."

"What?" He asked and I sighed.

"..in which said jerk couldn't remember a thing! Then I had a vision of us in a city.."

"You're having visions now?" He asked. "First sign of madness."

"You must be driving me mad."

He laughed at that and stepped closer to me.

"You always drive me mad. I don't know what it is but I feel as if I know you," he said, smiling. "You said you saw us in a city? What were we doing?"

I glanced at him suspiciously. He looked too good in his boring black hoodie; it was distracting me. And why the sudden interest in my 'madness', as he called it?

"We were drinking coffee and I was humming and you stole my coffee," I said, the memory irritating me for some reason.

"So you're saying you want me to buy you coffee?" He asked, smirking.

"No!" I shouted, flushing scarlet. The nerve of this idiot! "I'm saying you owe me coffee. There's a difference."

He chuckled and the sound of it birthed butterflies in my stomach. Oh no you don't, body! I refused to be a hormonal fool!