At Ends

Chapter Seven: Race against time

    

-------Chris's POV------- 

    I stared at her, worried. "Come here, Ade." I said softly, opening my arms as she began to cry. 

    She sniffed and moved into my arms, resting her forehead against my chest, and crying. I closed my eyes and rested my chin lightly on her head, trying to be strong for her. 

    Then I wondered.... how long have I cared about her like this? Like I wanted to make everything okay for her, even though I was falling apart just as fast as she was. I was being strong for her, and I wanted to hold her, and make her.. okay. When did I start caring this much? Was it at the hotel? During the pillow fight? Or was it after, when I found myself pulling her against me at night? 

    "Hey, look at me," I said, softer still. She looked up, the green in her eyes standing out against the redness of her tears. I wiped a tear off her cheek. "It WILL be okay, and we WILL find them again."
    She nodded and sniffed, letting out a weak, "okay."
    I wiped a piece of hair from her face, and ran my hand through her hair slowly. She closed her eyes and stayed still.  I guess she likes her hair played with.
  I kept running my hand through her hair. Studying her face, and memorizing where all her freckles were. Then without thinking I leaned forward and gently pressed my lips against hers.
  Is it possible to catch yourself by surprise?
   "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I pulled back, heat rising in my cheeks. "I couldn't help it." I covered my face with my hand, keeping one on her arm. I didn't want to see whatever expression her face was showing.
  "Its okay," she said softly, "I-I didn't mind." I peeked out between two fingers, and she was looking at my shirt, blushing dark red. She sheepishly rose her eyes to meet mine, biting the inside of her lip. "I'm just saying, I didn't mind it," she said again, smiling.
  I sighed with relief. I was so scared she was going to be angry with me. But she wasn't. She liked it even. She smiled again, flashing her teeth, before laying her head on my chest again.
   I played with her hair some more, breaking the tangles in it, and combing it out.
   About ten minutes later, her breathing slowed, and I realized she had her thumb in her mouth and was softly snoring. I smiled to myself and laid my head back, falling asleep myself.

-------Adelynne's POV------

    He kissed me.
    He kissed me. He KISSED me. The fuck?
    Like I didn't mind, but... Should I have minded? Like... I used to think about kissing him in class, but it was more of a curiosity.

    I sat up sleepily.
    Oops.
    I didn't mean to fall asleep and definitely not on him.
   
     The kiss. What if it made things awkward? Would he want more? Does he want more? God I hope not. Would it ruin things if it did? I sat up and sighed, looking up at him,  as he quietly slept. I traced his lips with my thumb before gently kissing his cheek and waking him up.
   Fuck.
    I cursed myself for waking him up. Especially like this. I dropped my hands and stood up, adjusting my clothes as he got up after me.
     "Shall we?" I said, gesturing towards the way we came. He nodded. We picked up our bags and headed off, the heat and sun still lashing at us.
     I didn't talk, and I kept my head down, my mind racing.
     What do I do? Like, does he like me?

------------

    Finally we came to the edge of the forest where we first split with the others.
    "Hey Chris? Shouldn't it be dark right about now?" I furrowed my brows, looking up the sun, still right above us.
    "Yeah... Yeah it should. I hadn't realized it hadn't moved."
    "Let's just keep moving. We need to find the others," I said, taking off again, my hand glued to my duffel bag straps.
    We reached the edge of the forest, and walked for about two hours until the trees stopped. I furrowed my brows. What the fuck?
     We kept walking.
      I heard my name being faintly called about thirty minutes later, and it sounded like Mara. But every time I turned around, there was nothing. Maybe it was just my lack of food causing me to hallucinate.
  

------Chris's POV------

   She was being quiet. Did I fuck things up? Its not like I meant to, I mean I wanted to. Did I make anything awkward? Maybe I was just craving human affection that I imagined her kissing me back. No. Definitely not. I just kept walking and didn't talk.
    Until Adelynne jumped, screaming bloody murder. I turned around quickly, putting an arm around her instantly.
    "What the fuck? It's just us. We've been calling your names for the past 45 minutes, dodo birds." Mara said, hand on hip.
     "We looked and there wasn't anything there but god you guys are okay that's all that matters," Adelynne said, jumping out from behind me and hugging her best friend. I sighed in relief.
     Just then the whole earth shifted, moving too fast for any of us, days and night passing in seconds, then stopped, the sun setting.
   "What the actual fuck?" Mara said, holding onto me.
    "I dont know, but I just got really freaking tired, and we are stopping." I said, walking slowly to a group of trees to our right, the three following behind me.
    I dropped to the ground, laying on my stomach, arms under my head. Adelynne laid next to me, in the same position, obviously feeling the same way, her eyelids barely staying open.
   Her face was the last thing I remembered.