Airborne

16. Dreams become Reality

Brody

There was no way I was going to let her go. We have been through a lot in the small amount of time we've spent together, and I don't plan to throw it away. I can feel it in my gut that there's something between us, every time I'm with her my heart skips a beat, my blood rushes straight to my face when she doesn't realise how her laugh can affect me, how my stomach knots at the thought of her leaving me, hating me . . . I'm just happy to share whatever I can with her, whatever it is she gives me.

She was happy to see me, it was in her eyes. The thought of her thinking of me as she travelled the few miles pleases me, and with what I've seen from her so far, there's time for me to work on building a proper foundation of feelings. Now that we're officially companions, I have that chance with her.

Chloe; strong, beautiful, funny, sassy Chloe.

She's marching ahead, and we did manage to find a woodland area—in fact, the small town is covered in the greenery. If anything, people would think the nature here was first, and then the buildings grew out of it. There's plenty of cover, enough places to scrounge for resources, and there's somewhere to sleep.

Trailing my gaze to her legs and staking the way her hips move whenever she needs to hop over something . . . when Chloe turns to face me over her shoulder, a boyish smile pulls at my lips. Her cheeks collect a faint pink hue, and it sends a rush through my system even though my cheeks probably match hers.

Reaching her side, I lean in and whisper inches from her ear, "What's the plan, Chloe?"

The small shiver she tries to cover up doesn't go unmissed, and it gives me an idea for the near future.

"Collect more ammunition, maybe top up your supplies, and then we can make a start on your bow."

"I'm looking forward to it," I reply while taking the lead to the closest building.

Reaching the large floor level window with a bit of a girthy ledge, my eyes glance over at her, seeing her gaze where my ass was.

We like each other's ass, that's a perfect start.

"After you," I say, giving her a hand over the ledge, even though I'm sure she can climb over with ease.

Surprisingly, her hand settles in mine, and my fingers curl around her own to keep that contact locked for as long as possible. Chloe doesn't shrug me off when we're through, and it pleases me. The only time we split off is when we search for things, and it makes me curious, since I expected her to let go at the first opportunity.

During our collecting, I managed to gather enough ammo, and together we rounded up even more grub and medical supplies. Since Chloe left, it was mid-day, and I had missed her instantly, now it's nearing to night time and I can see she's growing tired by the way she subtly rubs at her eyes when she thinks I'm not looking, or how her feet drag on the shorter sides of the room.

Hiking off, there's a nice patch of grass tucked away with leaves galore. Finding the comfiest spot, I bunch a pile of leaves together before retrieving her, and when she spots my makeshift pillow, her eyes fill with gratitude.

"Let's bunk here for the night, we can play Pocahontas tomorrow darling," I offer, dropping my things on the floor before working the bow and satchel off her shoulder.

Once it rests beside my belongings, my gaze swing over to her, unsure what to make of her compliance. Surely she would be putting up some sort of disagreement or something to show that she doesn't like me helping her too much, or the fact I've taken charge for the time being since she's tired.