He tried to recall his last words to her and found nothing. Still, she didn’t talk to him and the silence stretched on and on. There came a point that he couldn’t take it anymore. He racked his brain for topics for a good conversation.
“How did you get so handy with things? How do you know all this?” he gestured at the now clean room.
She sighed heavily. They have been through for what felt like a hundred times already. He never believed her once.
“I wasn’t really born into riches, Nikos. I already told you this. I was with my parents in America when they were alive. When they died and no one claimed me, not even Costas, I was sent to the foster system. I lived in different homes where I learned how to do housework so I could earn my keep.”
This was one of the lies she told him before. But was it really a lie?
“And about my wrist?”
“Mine’s been broken twice.”
“What happened?
She sighed. “I was pushed down the stairs twice,” she replied in a dead tone.
Then, she turned towards him.
“Why are you asking me all this, Nikos? I know you won’t believe me. I told you this before and you called me a liar. What’s changed?”
Nikos was at a loss for words.
When he was through thinking of all the things happening in his life recently, he found Cassia to be asleep on the moldy couch. He was too weak to carry her to the bed so he just covered her with a blanket.
He took a few more minutes just looking at her. Her features were relaxed and she was even more beautiful when she wasn’t glaring at him. He suddenly found himself smiling and before he knew it, he bent and placed a kiss on her forehead.
Nikos shook his head at his sudden burst of tenderness and returned to the bed. He was reluctant to close his eyes for he didn’t want to scream from his nightmares and alert their kidnappers to their location. So he just lay there and listened to her even breathing as she slept, watching for any signs of their captors.
Dawn came and the silence was interrupted with the chattering of Cassia’s teeth. Nikos immediately stood up and brought his blanket to her and covered her with it. It was cold but they couldn’t build a fire for it would easily be seen by their enemies.
He tucked the blanket edges securely around Cassia but she still shook with the cold. Nikos muttered a string of curses when he felt that her skin was like ice.
He sat beside her on the sofa and gathered her in his arms. Her eyes immediately opened and panic set in.
“Shh...it’s me.” he whispered as he rocked her.
“N-n-nikos...can- we l-light that f-fire now?” she stammered.
“I’m so sorry. We can’t. They’d find us.”
“It’s s-s-o c-cold-d.”
“I know. Trust me on this?”
She frowned but nodded. He lifted the covers and heard her gasp of outrage as he slid in beside her.
Nikos pulled her to his chest and placed her cold hands on his neck. He gasped from feeling her icy fingers on his skin. He rubbed her arms and her back with his uninjured hand and then wrapped the blankets more securely around them.
Her entire body stiffened against him in protest but after a few minutes, she relaxed and sighed.
“That’s nice,” she whispered.
“Radiant warmer at your service,” he teased.
“Thanks.”
“Anytime, Cassia.”
After that, both of them fell asleep; warm and comfortable. Nikos didn’t plan on sleeping but with the feel of his wife in his arms and her exquisite vanilla scent he loved so much, the moment he closed his eyes, he was a goner.
Daylight streamed through the windows making Cassia groan.
She didn’t want to get up yet as every part of her ached. Her shoulder felt as though it had been hit by a sledgehammer. Her legs felt like dead weight from walking around all day and her other arm ached from hauling water from the well.
But she really had to get her day started if she wanted to survive on this island and not get caught by their kidnappers.
With another groan, she opened her eyes and got up from bed.
“Good. You’re already awake. Breakfast is ready,” Nikos told her.
He gestured to the table which was already set with two plates filled with pork and beans. Cassia winced and Nikos laughed.
“Beggars can’t be choosers, remember?”
She laughed when he threw her own words back at her.
She was also glad that he could already stand, even though he was still limping. The swelling in his eye had already lessened and his bruises were turning a darker shade of purple. Overall, he looked better today.
Suddenly, the events in the early parts of daybreak came crashing back to her and she averted her gaze. She just spent the night cuddling with none other than her estranged husband! Well, maybe that could be excused because she was really, really cold and they could not start a fire for fear of their kidnappers finding them.
Besides, there was no other way to keep warm so it’s fine. Right?
No, traitor.
Her conscience chose that moment to intrude on her thoughts and she groaned.
You liked it even when you weren’t cold anymore. You liked feeling his arms around you. You liked his smell and the feel of his hard chest against your palms. You liked feeling his soft breaths against your cheek. His closeness reminded you of that one night you spent together.
She cringed at her thoughts. This was wrong. Being near him evoked a lot of memories and emotions in her. Those were things that she buried a long, long time ago. She wasn’t the naive girl who fell in love with him anymore.
But everything now chipped at the ice that she surrounded her heart with. Her armor was weakening and he hadn’t even so much as kissed her! He just held her and she was nearly insane with desire for him!
Cassia mentally shook herself.
Stop it.
Her life was much better now and she couldn’t throw everything away just because of lust.
“Is something wrong?” Nikos asked her.
She glanced up from her plate of pork and beans and shook her head.
“Nothing’s wrong but you haven’t eaten anything. I’ve been watching you push your food around your plate.”
“Umm...guess I’m not that hungry.”
“You’ll need your strength, Cassia. Eat up.”
He was right. Danger still held them by their throats and she would need every ounce of strength she possessed. She also needed to eat to keep her brain shipshape.
Cassia sighed and started to eat without really tasting the food. Her thoughts were still on the complex man sitting before her.
“Do you think we should leave?” Cassia asked after a long period of silence.
“I think we’re safe here for now. First, they would comb the shore area. They think that’s where we’ll go and they’ll tighten the security on ferries and boats with access to this island. I think that will take them a day. While you were asleep, I tried to circle the area. If by any chance, the kidnappers can find this cabin, they would be coming from that direction.” Nikos pointed towards the trail they came from. “The other side only contains a denser portion of the woods. So I doubt they’d be coming there. If we hear them coming, we can go out the back door of this cabin and lose them in the forest.”
“Sounds like a great plan. What about the phone? Is it already charging?”
“I’m afraid the solar panels have been damaged. Only one is working and the wires have also been damaged. I can repair those wires but it may take some time. The soonest we can make that call may be by tomorrow.”
“Great,” she muttered.
Nikos ignored her. He cleared the table and began to lay out several tools and wires. He placed the solar panel on one side and inspected every inch of it.
“I’m going to refill our water supply and then maybe go around for a walk.”
Nikos looked up and she was pierced by his green eyes.
“Be careful,” he warned.
“Always.”
Cassia returned a little past noon. She was breathless from the long hike she took. She wanted to get a lay of the land. Unfortunately, she was not able to do that but she found something else.
“Good news or bad news?” she asked Nikos.
His brows were furrowed as he concentrated on repairing the solar panels. Also, there were several dirt streaks on his cheeks but he couldn’t look any more handsome if he tried.
Cassia cringed at her thoughts. Don’t go there, Cassia.
“Bad news.”
“Okay then. We only have two cans of pork and beans left. I guess that’s for lunch. Then no more.”
Nikos raised an eyebrow.
“Good news?”
“I found a stream nearby and we can bathe there and also get fish. Assuming one of us knows how to fish.”
Nikos’ green eyes glittered with amusement. “Well, we’ll have to learn if we want to eat tonight, right?”
“But how’re we going to cook it?”
“Ever eaten sushi?” Nikos asked with a huge smile.
“Yes. I hate sushi,” Cassia answered. She wrinkled her nose.
Nikos’ smile turned into a bark of laughter.
“Maybe we can cook the fish when it’s already dark so that the smoke won’t be that visible. We’d have to do it quickly, though.”
“Can we risk it?” she asked.
“This is a dense forest. I doubt they’d see a little bit of smoke at night. Hmm. Better yet, let’s cook it from afar where there’s a thick canopy of trees. Let’s cook near this stream you found.”