HAVEN ✓

Twenty-Seven

That night, I look over at Luke, sitting on the edge of his bedroll, and get an idea that makes my stomach flip.

Without thinking it over too much, I pad right over to him and roll my bed out right next to his.

We're camping out under the stars tonight, right beneath the rocky outcropping on the same mountainside as the waterfall. Our only shelter is a sizeable slab of limestone jutting out of the cliff above us. I use it as my excuse to justify being so near Luke.

He leans back on his elbow when I lay next to him. I can feel his eyes on me, but I only look up into the darkened sky and focus on the crackling of the small fire Luke made, trying to play it cool. I'm just going to sleep next to him. No big deal. None at all. Nope.

"Going to sleep already?" he asks. I can hear the smile in his words.

I nod. "Had a long day," I say. My voice sounds foreign to my ears, too high-pitched. Nervous.

If Luke notices, he doesn't give any indication. I hear him slide around in his bedroll, making all sorts of noise and movement that I can feel it on my pallet. Curious, I finally turn to look at him just as he procures a small, worn blanket. With a quick flick, he lays it out over me and I watch as it floats down in slow motion until it settles over my legs.

"Where...?" I begin to ask, but Luke anticipates my question. 

"Sol gave it to me before we left. Your hair has not completely dried, and in the open wind tonight I don't want you to get sick." He leans over me, pulling the blanket up to my chin.

Something about looking up at another human being and seeing only that person is wonderfully extraordinary. Luke is all I see, his voice the only thing my ears focus on. My senses are tuned into only him and the rest of the world is tiny, irrelevant.

"You're always taking care of me," I state, reaching up to him. As my fingers touch his face, I watch his adam's apple bob when he swallows. I see his eyes search mine, yet he will find no sign of opposition. I want him to close this space between us, to push aside the empty air and fill it with himself. I want him closer, and I've never felt a longing such as this.

It is as if we are connected, riding the same wave of emotion, because he turns his head to kiss my palm, sending jolts of electricity up my arm. Following it are his lips, and like polar ends of a magnet do we come together, snapping into place like we belong to one another, as if there is nothing but the world keeping us apart.

We separate, and I sigh. How did I ever become so fortunate? Why me?

"Subter Aspen. Oh, Prince of Natio," I grin, teasing. "Out of all the eligible women in the village, you settled for me."

He scoffs. "I would never just settle." Luke takes his time before continuing, a playful grin on his face. "I may not be obligated to any woman in Keir, but I'm not blind. I chose you simply for the fact that I wanted to." He brushes a lock of hair from my forehead. "I'm choosing you, Sophie. Sometimes there is no rational explanation to it."

I nod. Aside from outright attraction, and the obvious fact that we work and function well together, what I feel inside my chest is difficult to translate into words.

"You're right." I blush as I speak the words out loud, my heart pounding against my ribcage. "For me, it isn't much of a choice." And I mean it. What I feel for Luke is undeniable. I couldn't ignore it if I tried.

Luke threads his fingers through my hair, combing down to the ends. "I can fathom that."

He grins shyly and looks down, inspecting the few inches between us, then glances back up at me, his eyes vibrant. "You have a good heart. Golden. Though you were put in an unfortunate predicament, you still have compassion for the welfare of others, some of whom should be of no consequence to you." His soft breath caresses my cheek. "My people mean much to you, and we've only been known to you for a short time. I admire you for it. It's addictive, actually. Seeing you so determined makes me want to be better. I constantly want to do better—not just for Natio, but for all people. And I know you do, too. Your steady empathy is contagious." I beam, flattered, and Luke dips his head, brushing his nose across mine. "Much like that smile."