Love Unspoken

"What's up?" Alexander's voice came from above, and Quinn's heart, which was pounding like crazy, finally started to chill out a bit.

She pointed over there, tears in her eyes. "Two freakin' snakes fell from that tree, almost nailed me. They were huge, as thick as my arm." Seeing her dirty face, panicked eyes, and still clutching a banana leaf, Alexander couldn't help but laugh.

He cleared his throat, trying to hide his grin, and put on a serious face. "You okay?"

Quinn quickly shook her head and handed him the banana leaf. "Here, take this."

Alexander took the leaf and used the chance to touch her face, fixing her messy hair. "Alright, it's okay now. We're far enough away. They ain't coming over." Still shaking, she sniffled and leaned closer to him.

Alexander wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her back to the riverbank. Quinn, still freaked out the snakes might follow, asked to move a bit further away. Alexander nodded and walked about 100 feet before stopping.Text content © NôvelDrama.Org.

Quinn immediately cleared a spot on the ground. The trees weren't as thick here, letting a lot of light through. Seeing the open space, she felt a bit more relaxed.

After she was done, she looked over at Alexander and saw him shaping two round pots out of clay. He lined the pots with banana leaves and set them on branches to dry. When they were almost dry, he added another layer inside and then took the makeshift pots to the river to fill them with water.

He placed the pots on two stones and lit a fire. The clay cracked as it dried, but thanks to the leaves inside, the water didn't leak.

Quinn squatted in front of the pots, staring at the water, waiting until bubbles started forming at the bottom.

She looked at Alexander, excited. "It actually works!"

Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Impressed, huh?"

Quinn's smile faltered for a moment. She knew Alexander was impressive, but she didn't want to boost his ego.

She felt that if she praised him, he'd get even more cocky.

Alexander sighed, a bit bummed, and picked up a stick to add to the fire.

Quinn glanced at him again.

He was focused on the fire, his hair a messy mop over his forehead, and his face dirty.

His upper body was covered in bloodstains, but despite his rough look, he didn't seem pitiful at all. Maybe it was his calm and composed vibe, or his naturally sharp eyes, that gave him a wild edge. "The water's boiling," Alexander said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Quinn quickly looked at the pot. The water was indeed boiling.

She put out the fire and then sat down next to him, untying the cloth on his body.

The bleeding had stopped, but the area around the wound was red and swollen, and it felt hot to the touch.

Quinn put the cloth in the boiling water to sterilize it, using the other pot of clean water to clean his wound.

She started with the worst wound on his back. Seeing the nasty gash, she hesitated.

This must have been from when he pulled her earlier.

"Hang in there," she said.

"How can I hang in there when it hurts this bad?" he said casually. "I might not make it and die from the pain. What'll you do alone here then?"

Quinn's fingers trembled, and she softened her touch. "I'll be gentler then."

"Good idea. A kiss might boost my adrenaline, and I might just survive," he said. Quinn was so focused on his wound that she didn't catch his meaning right away. When she did, she grabbed the cloth and pressed it hard against his wound.