The Survival

Chapter 36

My eyes are puffy, and my throat is sore because of all the hiccups, my arms are around Nathan's neck and my face is buried in his chest. I haven't moved an inch since I started crying and I lost count for how long I have been standing here.

All this time, Nathan simply let me cry and let me get all of the frustration that was deep inside of me out. One of his hands has been stroking my hair and his free arm is wrapped around my waist while I cry my heart out.

The pain that I felt when I thought that Nathan was gone and very well dead is still present in my heart and brain.

Somehow, the tears stop, and I open my eyes, the first thing that I see is Nathan's shirt that is all wet on the place I was resting my face.

"I-I'm sorry." I say with trembling lips, he uses his thumb and index finger to raise my chin, so our eyes meet, he gives me a confused look and I point to his shirt, "It's a mess."

"Forget about it, I need to clean the shirt anyway." He laughs and it warms my heart. I nod at him and I, very unlady like, sniff.

Nathan grabs the hem of his shirt and puts it over my nose, "Blow up."

"No." I say with a voice that you can only have when your nose is clogged.

"Kate just do it." He insists and squeezes my nose with his piece of cloth as a barrier between his fingers and my little potato also called nose.

"No, it's disgusting!"

"I don't have nausea or disgust of you cupcake."

As weird and different as this conversation may be I can't help but think how cute he is being. I end up doing as he says, and he cleans my now unobstructed nose.

"Was it that difficult?" He asks, I can see the corner of his mouth twitching, so I know that he is joking with me.

"Oh, shut up!"

"I love when you're fierce." He brings my body closer and says a little 'rawr' making me roll my eyes.

"We should probably go inside, the others already settled down and the weather is changing." I look up and try to see beyond the pines' leaves and I catch a small glimpse of the gray clouds, I then look at the cave and see an orange glow coming from it, most likely a bonfire.

"Let's go." I'm about to unwrap my arms from his neck and take a step back when he lowers himself down and lifts me up in his arms. A squeal leaves my mouth and I look in surprised at him not expecting nor understanding his actions, "Your legs are shaky. Wouldn't want you to fall down on your face princess."

"Princess is so lame." I mutter to him while I rest my head on his shoulder.

"Cupcake?"

"Much better." When we entered the cave I'm greet with warmth, although the cave was supposed to be icy the fire that the others built provides enough heat to stop us from freezing to death.

I see Dylan sitting against the rocky wall and when his eyes connect with mine he lowers them to the ground.

"You were rough with him."

"Excuse me?"

"He didn't deserve that." I look at him dumbfounded. How is it possible that he is defending him?

"He left you all by yourself." I hiss remembering what he made me think that happened.

"It was wrong, yes, but you don't know how much he hates snakes, also I forced him to get in here with me when he was scared of stepping a foot inside." Nathan lowers me down and I notice that someone has brought our backpacks inside.