pretty eyes ~ newt

chapter 27: reconciliation

"love you to the moon and to saturn"
seven, taylor swift
—

We talk late into the night, about everything from the safe haven to Frypan's stew. Time flies by when I'm with him, and we talk until my eyelids start to droop from fatigue.

A sigh of content leaving my lips, I tilt my head softly onto Newt's shoulder once more, and he chuckles at me in amusement. Nudging me slightly, he gives me a fond look. "Alright, we should probably head to bed now. C'mon Isa."

I groan quietly. "But my leg fell asleep, Newt. And I'm tired as fuck. What if I trip on a rock and break my leg? It would all be your fault, you know."

He gives me a pointed look, shaking his head in mild exasperation. "You bloody drama queen. C'mon, I'll carry you."

"Ooh really?" My eyes light up a little, and I grin at him. "Deal."

He stands up, dusting himself off before turning around and offering me his hand. I take it with a small smile, using it to hop onto his back easily.

I wrap my arms around him tightly, and rest my chin softly on his right shoulder. He adjusts me in his grip a little, his hands hooked underneath my knees. "All good?"

"Yep," I reply quietly, starting to feel sleepy again, and he nods before starting his way down the cliff.

For once I'm grateful for the dark, otherwise he'd be able to see my pink cheeks—being this close to him, and feeling the warmth of his body on mine is making me more than a little flustered. My traitorous heartbeat pounds through my chest, and I'm almost certain that he's able to feel it beating, even despite the layers between us.

He continues his way down the mountain steadily, his steps slow but sure as he carries me down. I adjust my position on his back so that I'm a little more comfortable, and eventually I feel my eyelids starting to droop again.

"Thanks for carrying me Newt," I mumble quietly, just as my breathing starts to slow. And by the time he responds back I'm already half asleep, his familiar voice fading into a soft murmur in the background.

A few minutes later, Newt carries me into one of the private tents. At this point I'm barely conscious, my breathing steady and slow. I faintly register him carrying me gently off of his back, and laying me onto one of the beds. I feel his hands pull the warm blankets over my body, and his warm fingers gently tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

There's a long stretch of silence. I'm almost certain that he's left by now, and my mind starts to slowly drift off to sleep. But just before I lose consciousness, I hear him murmur something quietly.

"You're beautiful, Isa," he whispers softly, his voice faint. "If only you could see yourself the way I do...maybe you would finally see how true it is."

His retreating footsteps are the last thing I hear, before falling deep into the world of sleep.
. . .

I step out of my tent the next morning, my eyes still blinking blearily in the sunlight. I wander around the large camp until I spot my friends, my eyes lighting up when I see them already eating breakfast together.

But then the memories from last night come flooding back, and I falter in my tracks when I remember how I had ran off after exploding at Teresa. Shit, this is gonna be so awkward.

But I steel myself, forcing myself to continue walking towards the group. Get it together, Isa. You know these people, for god's sake.

But my head turns around in surprise when I hear a familiar voice, pausing in my tracks again.

"Mornin', Isa. Getting breakfast?" My face splits into a relieved smile when I recognize the familiar lilt of Newt's accent, and he falls into step beside me.