Page 41 of Reign of Light
“This is where you slept?” His arms rest on the edge, his body still propped on the ladder as he looks over the space.
“This is it.”
He nudges my boot, and I move to the side, giving him enough space to climb up. He sits beside me, his back leaning against the railing that ensured I didn’t roll to my death, and crosses his ankles in front of him. I feel oddly self-conscious as he looks around, glancing at my lack of personal effects, before he takes in the trees and the skies above.
“It’s nice up here.”
“I thought so too,” I say and press my shoulder into his.
“Why did you pick this one?”
My cheeks heat and I look down at my fingers, picking at a nail. It seems like so long ago that I was choosing my bunk the first night I arrived on the island with an abundance of hope and optimism. The reason may seem insignificant, but to me, it was everything. Dane never asked, even though he knew I went all the way to the top, but Weston cares enough to know about this tiny piece of me, a remnant of who I was when I stepped foot on the island.
“I hadn’t ever seen the stars,” I breathe. “I wanted to stay under the sky for as long as possible.”
“I remember that feeling.” He tilts his head back, resting it on the wooden beam behind us as he looks up at the blanket of thick clouds that is oddly reminiscent of home. “When Sig and I finally left the cave, I remember being amazed by how clear everything was. I appreciated it much more after almost dying, and it made me realize how much I took it for granted every time Rem and I traveled anywhere outside the kingdom. After surviving, I try not to do that. I try to appreciate thelittle pieces of beauty and be grateful for things that happen. I don’t want to overlook even the little things. You never know how quickly your entire life can change. Recent days have proven that.”
I nod solemnly then lift my chin, but he’s no longer staring at the sky, taking in the beauty of nature. He’s looking at me. His eyes caress every inch of my face before moving up to hold my gaze. My chest tightens and my throat thickens. I thought I’d only learned to have hope and trust here on the island, but Weston is right. Everything can change in a moment. What you thought you had could be ripped away, and if we don’t take the time to live in the moment, to love what is in front of us, we forget that it can be fleeting, and could be gone in the next.
My lips curve into a soft smile, and I shift to my knees, clambering over his lap so I’m straddling him. His hands settle on my hips, and he watches me watching him; soaking up the moment that we have, because another isn’t ever guaranteed.
“This bunk may have started out that way, but I don’t have very good memories of it.” I lean down and press a firm kiss to his mouth, pulling back only slightly before speaking against his lips. “I like your bed much better.”
“You’re fucking right about that,” he grumbles and snakes his arms around my waist, squeezing me against his chest. “What did we come up here for anyway?”
“Well, I told you to stay down there, but you didn’t listen.” I wiggle out of his grasp, and he adjusts himself beneath me. I can’t keep the smirk off my face. “I just came here for my stuff.” I shift to the edge of my sleeping pad, looking for my last piece of home. The fabric peeks out from under the bed, where it must have gotten shoved the last time I was here. I reach under and pull out the balled-up clothing, the thick cloak wrapped around everything else, and tuck it under my arm.
“Alright. Let’s go.” I scoot toward the ladder, but Weston puts his hand out, stopping me.
“Nice try.” He slides in front of me, descending the ladder first before I follow. His hands find my waist as I reach the bottom, and he lifts me off the ladder, setting me back firmly on the floor beside him. The lump of fabric disappears from under my arm, and I turn to find him grasping it all in one hand, and reaching out to weave his fingers through mine with the other.
“Lead the way. I’m not sure how to get out of this place.”
I laugh and squeeze his head. “You would have been so lost if you had ever snuck in here.”
“Jorn would have shown me.”
Camp is still quiet as we follow the walkways, and I can only imagine what discussions started in the cabin after we left. When the platform hits the ground, we step off, and I take one more look around camp. I doubt this is the last time I will be here, but it feels so different walking out of it with no intention of ever returning, this time with Weston by my side.
Once we’re back on deck, I take my clothes from his hand and head straight toward the stairs. The door clicks closed behind me, and I know he followed, probably curious about my hint of urgency.
Bending down, I lift the lid to his trunk and drop my balled-up clothes inside, slamming the lid shut right after. My chest heaves with a huge sigh as a weight lifts off my shoulders, and I turn to find him softly smiling at me.
“What was that for?”
“It’s time to leave Blackwood and Dane behind.” I cross the room and take his hands in mine. “It’s time to let go of the worry about everything we can’t control or the wonder about how things could have turned out. It’s time to live, just like you said. Can you leave all that behind too?”
His smile is dazzling, and my chest squeezes.
“Anything you say, Lennox.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Despite the storm and ongoing cloud cover yesterday, we woke to clear skies and warm suns, so the girls and I decide to move our breakfast to the deck. We pull together a makeshift table and chairs of crates and sit below the helm, soaking in the sunshine.
With everything that has happened in the past few days, along with our newfound freedoms, I haven’t been able to spend much time with them. It feels odd to say that, especially since now we have nothing but time. I need this, though. With all the change, I’ve missed the companionship of my friends.
“Today’s going to be a good day,” Stassia says as she sits down on a crate on the other side of the table. “I can feel it.”
