As I sit outside on one of the wooden stumps and slice some of the fish, she keeps throwing wicked glances at me.
“What?” I bark, wanting to know what she’s thinking.
Her nose twitches, and she spits, “Nothing.”
Wow, a word. That’s more than she’s given me the past few hours.
“Are you mad at me?”
She doesn’t respond. As always. Instead, I get a mean look.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I say. “I did nothing you didn’t want me to do.”
When she glares at me and raises a brow, I glare right back and grin. “It’s the truth.”
She sighs and returns to cutting that oddly shaped wood. However, her banana leaves get stuck on a sharp edge, and she loses half of them, exposing the left side of her ass.
“Ooh,” I mumble, enjoying the view.
Her face turns red, and she screams, “Stop looking at me!”
“Why? Nothing I haven’t seen before,” I muse. “And it’s everything I like.”
She picks up a fallen twig and chucks it at my face. “Not funny!”
I lean sideways and easily avoid it. “Wasn’t meant to be,” I reply. “Why are you so afraid of me? I won’t do anything you don’t want me to. And you definitely wanted me back there.”
“Stop talking about that,” she says, holding up her hand. “Please.”
“Why? Nothing to be scared of. I won’t bite. Unless you want me to.” I wink at her, but that only makes her face contort in rage.
“I don’t care!” she says.
“Yeah, you do. That’s why you’re getting yourself all worked up. Because you care too much,” I say, trying not to laugh. “I don’t mind, Jules. You can be angry all you want. No one’s here to judge. It’s just us. You and me.”
“Maybe I don’t want that,” she says. “Ever crossed your mind?”
“Never,” I say, shrugging in denial.
“Whatever,” she spits, and she throws the tools onto the ground and marches off.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“Nowhere. And don’t follow me!” she screams as she disappears into the jungle.
But since when have I ever listened?
Never.
Accompanying Song: “Devil In Me” by Halsey
Juliet
I march off toward the beach without as much as a bottle of water with me. I just needed to get out of there … away from him. I don’t fucking care what he thinks right now. All I want is to be alone, but he won’t let me.
Am I mad? Fuck, yes.
I just don’t know who’s at fault. Him or me?
We had sex, and I blame both of us for that.
I could’ve resisted, could’ve pushed him away, but no, my sleepy head had to give in so easily. He could’ve let me be, could’ve let me go to the lake on my own and went back to sleep, but he didn’t.
It’s both our faults, which is why I’m so pissed. Not at the fact that he got what he was after. Not at the fact I actually wanted it so much.
No, I’m pissed because we didn’t use protection.
There isn’t any. Not here on this godforsaken island. Goddammit.
I kick a rock on the way to the beach, but my toes immediately regret it, and I hop on one leg as I bite my tongue and scream some more.
Annoyed, I continue walking until I get to the rocky part of the beach. There, I pick up some of the less heavier rocks and drag them all the way to the sandy part of the beach.
Yeah, that’s right. I’m going to make an SOS signal using rocks. Old school way. One rock at a time.
I’m pouring out all my frustrations into lifting these rocks. And right now, I don’t give a shit how long it takes me to put them all together to form a word. I’ll go on until it’s night if I have to. I won’t stop until it’s done.
Several hours pass before I have the first two huge letters complete. However, the moment I haul myself back to the place I found the rocks, Lock appears from the jungle.
“Jules.”
Oh shit.
I look up and then continue walking, ignoring the knot in my stomach as it grows tighter with every passing second.
“Jules!” His voice rings in my ears, but I ignore it.
He might want to talk, but I don’t.
He’ll only sway my heart to stay when I shouldn’t. I should go back home. Where I belong.
I pick up another rock. Within seconds, he’s right in front of me and snatches it away from me. With a loud grunt, he hurls it into the ocean.
“What the hell!” I scream, and I slap his chest. “Get out of my face!”
“No,” he growls back. “Stop this.”
“No, fuck you,” I hiss, and I grab another one … which he immediately steals from me and chucks into the ocean. Again.
“What is wrong with you?” I sneer.
“What’s wrong with you?” he interjects. “You’re acting all strange.”