Defying the Odds (The 4th Quarter Quell) [The Hunger Games Fanfiction]

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Layla

Night slowly falls on our camp, and Asher packs down the ashes in the fire before packing up the rest of our supplies into the bag. Instead of pitching the tent, we decide to sleep out in the open. It’s much too hot to be sitting inside of a tent anyway, and it’s easier to be aware of the surroundings. I don’t complain, I just curl up against him and lay my head on his chest. His arms wrap around me and pull me closer, and I stifle a yawn.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to keep watch? You haven’t slept for days, Asher.” I know my persuasion will do nothing, but I still try.

“You need to rest and gather your energy,” he simply says, and plants a kiss on my head. I sigh.

“If you get tired, just wake me.”

“I won’t.”

I sigh again.

I sit still for about a minute, until I begin to feel the darkness filling my vision.

“Goodnight, my love,” I can just barely hear Asher say.

“Goodnight, my Lumberjack,” I try to say, and I don’t know if it comes out.

I come to my senses what feels like minutes later and wake to fingers touching my head and softly brushing over my hair. I keep my eyes closed, but breathe in deeply for a few moments. When my eyes flutter open, I look up at Asher to find his eyes on me.

“I think you like watching me sleep,” I say, and a small smirk pulls onto his lips.

“I do like watching you sleep,” he confirms. My lips brush against his barely-covered chest and all the muscles in his body clench. I giggle.

“You seem flustered,” I comment as I hear his breathing becoming labored.

“This is the effect you have on me,” he says.

“I love it,” I say, pulling one of his trademark smirks onto my lips.

“We should get going while it’s still dark out.” My lips fall into a frown.

“Can’t we stay here?” I ask.

“You’re already pushing it by forcing us to go to the feast. Come on, we can talk through the plans again while we walk,” he says, and I roll off of him. He slings the backpack over his shoulders and hands me three knives, keeping the rest for himself. I suck in a breath before getting to my feet, and Asher links my fingers in his and pulls me along.

I can only imagine how sickly I must look to him. The loss of blood in my arm and partial lack of sun has paled my skin, and the hunger pains in my stomach make it obvious that while it has shrank, it has also made my ribs more prominent. I glance down at my stomach and count them easily.

How can he look at me as he does and not see how weak I am growing? Is his love for me glancing over these impurities? Or does he refuse to see them because he feels as if he needs to help me?

I watch him move and as he blinks irregularly. His eyes are puffy and light purple underneath, but that does little to take away from the harsh beauty in his face. His cheekbones are more prominent, and his jaw is kept in a permanent lock. His stony expression and wild eyes leave me silently begging for more from him.

We stop at the lake and fill up the water bottle. I dunk my head in the water and little jolts of adrenaline rush through my body as the cool water forms around me. I pull out my head and my hair whips behind me, sending water flying through the air. Asher jumps away, and almost laughs.