"I never hated you." Logan said looking into her eyes.
There was a long silence. The stream bubbled between them.
"I thought you’d say you regret saving again," Jean said.
"I did... for a second. But then you said we should eat the damn boar, and I realized... I’d rather be stranded with a smart-mouthed survivor than anyone else."
Jean almost smiled. "Is that supposed to be a complint?"
"Don’t get used to it," Logan muttered. "You’re still a pain."
She sat down beside him, knees brushing his leg. "So are you."
Logan looked at her hand. For a mont, he wanted to reach for it. But instead, he pulled out a piece of roasted boar from his pack and handed it to her.
"Eat. You look like you might collapse."
She accepted it. And for the first ti, their silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It was... calm. Sothing almost tender passed between them.
Jean dabbed at her face with the edge of her sleeve, grimacing at how sticky her skin felt. "God, I feel disgusting," she muttered.
Logan looked up from the fire where the last bit of boar at sizzled on a makeshift skewer. "You’re welco, by the way. I risked my life for that al."
"I didn’t an about the food or about you, Logan." Jean rolled her eyes at him and stood up, brushing off her dress. "I’m going to find that stream. I think I heard the sound of flowing water. I need a dip. A real one."
Logan arched a brow and grinned. "Wow. So you do believe in hygiene. I thought you were just evolving into one of the wild animals."
Jean glared. "Keep talking, Kingsley, and I’ll toss you in there first." She pointed at the fire.
He laughed but saw she wasn’t joking this ti. The no-nonsense look in her eyes said she wasn’t in the mood. "Fine, fine. Go soak your grumpy self."
As she turned to head off, she shot a warning over her shoulder. "Don’t follow . And if I even sense you peeking behind the trees, I’ll make it look like the boar ca back to finish you off."
Logan raised both hands in surrender, lips twitching. "Noted, Adams. But if you drown, I’m not coming in after you."
Jean paused mid-step, then added coolly, "Wouldn’t expect you to. You’re too busy holding grudges and serving half-burnt at."
He grinned as she disappeared into the trees.
"God," he muttered to himself, "she even insults better when she’s not mad."
______________________________
Jean pushed through the thick forest trees, branches brushing her arms, the warm humidity clinging to her skin. The deeper she went into the forest, the more the world seed to quiet. Just her shallow breathing... and then...
Whoosh.
The soft, steady sound of flowing water.
She followed it, heart lifting with relief, until the trees gave way to a clearing. There it was. The stream.
It wasn’t massive, but it curved beautifully along a rocky path, its clear water glistening beneath patches of sunlight peeking through the trees. Ferns draped over the edges, and smooth stones lined the bottom.
Jean took a mont to absorb the scene... the chirping birds, the glint of light on water, the way nature seed untouched and... peaceful.
She didn’t waste ti. Peeling off her sweat-soaked dress, she stepped barefoot toward the edge, dipping a single toe into the stream.
She flinched.
Cold.
Really cold.
But oddly satisfying. The oppressive heat of the day made the chill feel like a blessing.
Without second-guessing, Jean slid into the water, gasping at first, then relaxing as the stream enveloped her body. Her hair floated behind her, and she let herself lean back, floating slightly with the gentle current. For the first ti in days, her muscles softened, her mind drifted.
Until sothing poked her.
It was soft.
Then sharp.
Then sothing moved against her leg.
Jean blinked, her breath catching in her throat. She turned her head slowly, expecting a floating branch or a fish brushing by. But what she saw made her blood run colder than the stream itself.
Sothing brown... sothing large... shifted behind her in the water.
She scread.
A piercing, guttural scream that cut through the stillness and echoed through the trees.
Far away, Logan’s head snapped up. "Jean?"
_______________________________
Jean’s scream sliced through the trees like a whip.
Logan dropped the pile of branches in his arms, heart hamring in his chest. "Jean?"
No reply.
He didn’t hesitate... bolting into the forest, weaving through the path like a man possessed. Branches slapped his face, thorns scraped his arms, but he didn’t stop.
She’s in trouble. Sothing’s wrong.
Finally, he heard splashes... frantic ones. He burst through the clearing, eyes scanning wildly... until they landed on her.
Jean.
In the water.
Naked.
His brain stopped working.
There she was... glorious, drenched, golden light dancing on her skin, her wet hair clinging to her back as she turned to look behind her. She hadn’t noticed him yet. Logan blinked. He was pretty sure he forgot how to breathe.
Then...
WHACK!
"OUCH! What the hell...?"
A sharp pain blood on his shoulder where a small, very little pebble like rock had landed. He staggered a little, glancing up in confusion just in ti to see another rock flying toward him.
He ducked.
"Logan Kingsley!" Jean’s voice was pure fire. "How dare you stand there gawking at ?!"
Logan imdiately spun around, hands up like he was surrendering. "I-I wasn’t gawking! I heard you scream! I thought you were being mauled by sothing!"
"Yeah well," Jean snapped, her voice echoing across the stream, "turns out it was just a stupid deer! A giant, scary-looking one that stared at like I was its dinner!"
"A deer?" Logan muttered, still keeping his back turned. "You scream like that over a deer?"
"It had antlers! And it growled! Or grunted. I don’t know, it made a noise and I panicked!"
Logan bit his lip, trying to suppress the grin forming on his face.
"And don’t you dare turn around! I’m watching you!"
"I’m not!" he said quickly. "I swear on my life, Adams. Also... for the record... you’re the one who decided to strip naked in the middle of a wild forest. Just saying."
"Do you want to die today?" she hissed.
"No, ma’am."
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