After they ate, Lex asked her if she wanted to spend some time outside. He put a blanket down on the ground a few feet from the base of the mountain.
He laid down on his stomach and began reading.
She did the same thing on her side. She faced the mountain and took her journal out, wanting to write down how beautiful it was here. She left a few feet of space between them.
The sun had started setting by the time that Lex suddenly spoke up.
"Grace told me what you told her before you got here, about not being sure you’d ever see your home or people again. About being worried about your mother. There’s no way for you to contact them?"
"Uh," Aria said, a little surprised, "Not that I know of. We were supposed to send someone back to report on what things were like up here. Back home, we were running out of food and essential supplies. That’s why we needed to find out if the surface was safe. But obviously, we never got a chance to go back and tell everyone what we found. I-I don't know what happened, but...I think she's dead. I think they all are," she said.
"But you don't know for sure," he asked.
"No, I guess not. But I figure if they came across the Terra, which they probably did, they’re dead. Why?"
"Just curious," he said, but she wasn't sure if he was telling the truth.
She studied him for a few minutes. He must've felt her gaze on him, but he continued reading his book.
When it got too dark for them to see, he suggested they head back inside.
Aria wasn't really sure what they were supposed to do with their time. They'd only been here for a few hours, and it was already starting to feel awkward. What the hell could they do for the next two days?
In their bedroom, Lex built a fire and got in bed. He kept reading.
"Do you have another book," Aria asked, not knowing what else she could do. She wasn't tired enough to sleep just yet.
"Yeah," he said, not looking up. "There's another one in the pack."
She got up and searched through his pack, finding a very used looking book—History of the Trojan War.
"You have a thing for history," she asked, sitting down on the bed.
He nodded.
Why the hell is he acting so weird? He was being distant. He hadn't even teased her all day.
She thought about asking him. But what if it was because he was uncomfortable about her asking him to come here? She sighed and began reading. At some point, she fell asleep.
The next morning, Lex asked if she wanted to go explore along the creek. She agreed, mostly because she wanted something to do. And a walk down to the water would take up some of the time they spent not talking to each other.
The hike down wasn't bad. And it was beautiful, even though Aria couldn't go into the water. Not as deep as she wanted, anyway.
Lex noticed her standing knee-deep in the water. At some point, he had taken his clothes off and disappeared into the water.
"Come swim," he yelled from a good distance away.
"You know I can't," Aria said, rolling her eyes.
He went under the water, and when he emerged, he was only a few feet away, the water up to his waist.
Aria looked away. Suddenly aware that he was very, very naked.
"I'll teach you," he said, smiling at her.
"I-I don't know," she said. She wanted to learn; she really did. But the thought of being close to him while he was naked made her a little uncomfortable. And there was no way that she would take off her clothes and join him, no freaking way.
"Oh, come one," he said. "It's easy. I learned when I was a kid. I taught Grace. I can teach you."
She was still looking away.
"Okay, but...but I'm not...I'm not getting naked," she said, turning in his general direction but not looking at him directly.
He rolled his eyes. "Is that why you're so uncomfortable?"
"Yeah," she said. "It is."
"Okay, well...stay in your clothes. I promise I won't get too close," he said, his voice mocking.
"Fine," she said.
She went back onto the shore and took off her pants and her shirt, leaving her in her underwear and a thin undershirt. Before she could think of a way to talk herself out of it, she trudged into the water.
"So," she said, once the water was up to her waist. "What do I do?"
He laughed.
Her cheeks flushed, "If you're going to laugh at me, then I'm going to leave," she yelled.
"Calm down," he said, raising his hands. "And come closer."
She took a few tiny steps towards him, the water now up to her rib cage.
"I-I can't go any further," she said; this was already too deep.
"Hey," he said, grabbing her arm but keeping her at an arm's distance, "I promise I won't let you drown" he was fighting a smile.
"What's so funny," she asked. She didn't find the situation amusing at all.
"Nothing," he answered quickly. "First things first, let me teach you how to float."
He came a little closer and gently bent forward to place one hand on her back and the other behind her knees. He lifted her knees up, and she leaned back into his hand.
And then, she was lying in the water.
"Oh my god," she screeched, "Don't let go!"
He laughed a bit, saying, "Relax. I won't. Just relax. Don't fight it."
She stayed like that for a while, and then he moved his hands out from under her. Until she was floating by herself.
It was a little scary, she had to admit. But he stayed close to her. After a while, he joined her. He floated next to her, an arm's reach away.
Eventually, he turned her on her stomach and taught her how to move her arms and legs to stay afloat. After a few hours,
