Page 44 of Surviving Love
“The other day, you said something about some of us having more obstacles than others to get here.” He sounded a little breathless. “What did you mean?”
I grimaced. “I didn’t mean anything.”
“Really? Because the way you said it, it felt… personal.”
A flash of lightning lit the inside of the shelter, and I was glad I had my head against his chest. Otherwise, he’d probably have seen my surprised expression. He was more intuitive than I’d have expected. “I don’t know much about you, Jack, but you expect me to tell you my business?”
“What do you want to know? I have nothing about my life I’m afraid to share.”
Must be nice.
The rain wasn’t hammering the roof quite as hard, so I lifted my head and pulled away from him. He let me go, and he watched me closely as I scooted away from him.
“We all have sad stories.” I lifted my chin. “I don’t need to hear yours, and I’d rather not tell you mine.”
I couldn’t see his face clearly in the dim lighting. His body language, however, was telling. His shoulders stiffened, and he sat up straighter. “Still don’t trust me?”
“Of course not.”
His laugh seemed forced. “I guess I see why. This game doesn’t exactly instill confidence in others.”
“Nor does life in general.”
“True.” He cleared his throat and scrambled to a crouching position. “The rain has slowed, but I’m sure it will come back with a vengeance. I’m going to work on the roof. You should stay inside. We don’t need you to start wheezing again.”
His sardonic tone made my face warm. I guess he was done playing nice, which was fine by me. It was easier to navigate this game if I didn’t get too close to anyone. We’d been teetering precariously close to male bonding moments ago. It was best if we went back to disliking each other.
Jack was outside for a while, so long, in fact, that I fell asleep waiting for his return. I had an awful dream of falling into that swollen creek and woke up gasping for air. As I sat up, for one second, I worried I was having trouble breathing again, but it wasn’t anything like that.
I rubbed my face roughly, still feeling groggy. I had to fight a feeling of despair as I sat in the damp shelter. I kept running into a wall in this game. I wanted to prove I was strong enough to be here, but I wasn’t sure that was even true anymore. It certainly couldn’t be said I’d been excelling at the game so far. I was struggling, socially and physically.
I jumped when Jack returned suddenly, and he slid into the shelter with a growl. Outside, the rain was slamming the little hut, and it shook with the force. Breathing hard, Jack took his place beside me.
“It’s gnarly out there.” He wiped his dripping face. “I’m worried for the other contestants too. That shelter we built the first day won’t be able to withstand these winds. We’re shielded here against the trees, but the other shelter isn’t into the trees far enough.”
“You’re worried about the others?” I asked, surprised.
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?” He pulled his collar up higher on his throat, shivering.
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Because I’m a jerk?”
I sighed. “I didn’t say that.”
He shook his head, leaning back. “This is a game. No one is supposed to die. This storm is no joke. There are a lot of falling branches and shit. I’m kind of hoping the producers evacuated the others, if I’m honest.”
My chest tightened. “But then we’d be out here all alone.”
“We’re alone either way, Mason. It’s up to us to survive this. The film crew can’t help us right now.” His voice was quiet. “You get that, right?”
Uneasiness shifted through me because, I guess, at the back of my mind, I’d believed the show wouldn’t let anything hurt us. But realistically, there was only so much they could do in the face of Mother Nature’s wrath.
“Are we going to be okay?” My voice wobbled.
“I’ll do my best to keep us safe.”
Not exactly the guarantee I’d have liked, but I did trust that Jack knew how to handle this situation way better than most. “This is nuts,” I said softly. “I signed up for a TV show, not anactualsurvival situation.”
