~ꜱᴛᴀʀᴄʀᴏꜱꜱᴇᴅ~

"I nearly died while saving you." His breath blowing on my face as he growled.

"I never asked you to do that. You made the decision to save me. You chose to put your life in danger, not me. Do not try to put your lifesaving actions over my head. You're so arrogant!" I am furious. His statements stun me.

"I am not holding it over your head. I'm declaring what is obvious. I have no regrets about saving you. It is not and will never be a burden to me, and if I am arrogant, you are unyielding. My intent in bringing it up was not to beat you in the head, but to warn you that walking out there, out of this cabin, is a bad idea. If you go now, all we've worked for will be squandered." He looks pleadingly at me. He clearly does not want me to depart. I'm not sure if that's because he doesn't want to be caught or because he doesn't want me to be caught. In any case, I take a step back from him and toward the kitchen.

He exhales a sigh of relief, and I look at him, wondering what his next words would be. "I'm preparing your favorite dish, zumgot. Would you like any, or do you intend to flee when I walk away from the door?" His amusement tells me all I need to know. I glare at him before turning around and sitting at the tiny table on the bench near the kitchen.