Page 14 of Only ever you-Ana & Byron
He turned, jaw tight. "I'm just keepin' pace."
"Yeah, with your bloody ego."
He flinched, then looked away.
Ana didn't apologise.
He cracked jokes with the others, still loud, still Byron, but when he circled back to her, his face was shuttered.
"You alright?" he asked flatly.
"No," she snapped. "I'm cold, hungry, and I'm sick of being ignored."
He blinked, taken aback.
She didn't stop. "You act like I'm invisible unless it's convenient. I get it-Newcastle offer, Cathy Liston's fluttering lashes and overflowing boobs, cigarettes behind the gym. That's your vibe now."
"Don't do that," he said sharply.
"Do what?"
"Act like you know what's goin' on with me."
Ana dropped her pack on the gravel path and crossed her arms. "I used to."
He stared at her. For a second, she thought he might explode. Instead, he swore under his breath and kept walking.
The rest of the day passed in a haze of pain and silence.
She didn't look at him when they reached camp. She barely spoke during dinner. She got ready to set up her tent with stiff arms and heavier thoughts, ignoring how the stars looked so much colder this time around.
By the time they reached the campsite-a quiet dip near Grisedale Tarn, surrounded by sheep-speckled hills and a wind that whooshed like a wandering ghost- everyone was too exhausted to speak. Byron and Gray set up their tent in silence. Ana and Cadi refused help and struggled with theirs until Gray came over and insisted on helping.
Gray and Cadi vanished not long after, murmuring something about looking for constellations, but Ana knew where Cadi would be sleeping.
Ana lay in her tent, sore and cold and full of questions she'd stopped asking weeks ago.
The zip rustled.
"Cadi?" she muttered sleepily.
"It's cold," came his voice, low and familiar. "An' I couldn't sleep."
"Byron?"
"Were you expecting someone else?" His voice had a strange note "What? It's freezing."
She squinted at him. "This is my tent."
"Yeah, and I'm about to save us both from hypothermia. You're welcome."
Before she could protest, he climbed in, long limbs and all, zipping their bags together in one smooth, practised motion.
"Are you-have you done this before?"
"Brownies. Camping trips. I'm a man of hidden talents. Scouts, ya know. "
She glared at him. "You're such a pain."
