Discoveries | TMR | Three

0:7

Adeline was sitting on the end of a pier at the furthest side of the Harbour when Nick found her; legs dangling loosely over the edge and her head bowed down to stare at her twiddling fingers.

He wonders what is on her mind, what goes on in her mind after these altercations. Although these arguments are regular, it is not often that he sees her afterwards, when the heat of the moment had subdued, when all she is left with are her thoughts. He wonders if she regrets it; the way she acted with Alby, or if it was just another thing to add to the ever-growing list of things she does not care for.

Probably the latter, he thinks.

Their time here has been short, but it has become abundantly clear to Nick that Adeline is at her wits end, and she has always masked her emotions with indifference. She barely speaks to anyone, he has noticed, save for a few, so it can be hard to gauge her true feelings, and even harder to keep track of her movements.

He used to be capable of it, but now he's not, and Adeline always has been pretty shit at conveying her thoughts in a proper manner.

"You gonna stand there all day?" Adeline asks him, and truthfully, her sudden spark of conversation catches him off guard.

He had thought he managed to make it here unnoticed, but he supposes that ones senses would be heightened after so long of trying to survive in the Scorch.

"I actually came here for some peace and quiet, but you stole my spot," he quips.

"Fine." His attempts at lightening the mood goes to pot when Adeline tries to stand. "I'll go somewhe-."

"No, no, no, it's okay," he quickly spits, his hands flying from his pockets to the air on either side of her shoulders, stopping her body from advancing any further. She pauses and stares up to him, whilst he plasters a nervous smile on his face and chuckles. "I didn't mean you had to go."

Adeline had only half stood up when she decided to sit back down again; spinning herself until her body faces out towards the horizon. Nick, still stood to her right and slightly behind, watches her intently, noting the way she closes her eyes and listens to the sound of her inhaling the fresh breeze.

Nick gazes out to the water and allows a shallow breath to gently whistle through the tiny gap in his lips. The sunlight beating across the width of the ocean gradually begins to sting, and he raises his brows high and tries to blink away the burn.

"I'm not gonna apologise, if that's what you're here for."

"It's not."

"Good."

"Actually, I came here for you," Nick mutters lowly. With his hands back in his pockets, he looks to the ground, staring at the toe of his trainer as he kicks at a loose stone. "To see if you were okay."

"I'm fine," she tells him, and she pauses before continuing, "it's Daniel I'm worried about."

"He shouldn't have heard what Alby said," Nick comments in agreement.

"No, he shouldn't."

There is a hollow silence shared between them for a moment, though Nick does not let it linger for long. Peeling his right hand out into the cool air of the harbour, he loosely points to the spot on the pier next to her. "Do you mind if I sit?"

"Sure," is all the redhead mumbles, only catching a glimpse of him sitting next to her through her peripheral. "Not like you to ask though. You would normally just sit."

"Yea." Nick grunts as he drops down to the edge of the pier. "I'm feeling polite today, though." He adjusts himself on the wooden slats, leaning back with his palms spread out behind him, and his eyes glance her way.