Page 29 of The Edge of Never

“Ye need tae eat.”

“So do you.”

“Am no gonnae argue with ye there. I have rations in mah pack, but I didnae bring many.”

Four main meals and two breakfast ones, to be precise. Even then, I thought I was being conservative. I couldn’t imagine Kit had brought much for a one-day excursion. We would have to be careful about food, as I had no fucking clue when we’d be able to leave this tent. Nor whether anyone knew we were missing yet. Callan would notice we were gone at some point, but who knew how long that would take.

I struggled to sit up. Kit immediately took hold of my arm to help me. Their touch burned through my thermal undershirt, making my skin tingle in a disconcerting way.

“Do you want me to get something?” they asked when I rubbed my face with both hands. “You look as exhausted as I feel, so we can go through what we have tomorrow.”

After blowing out a breath, I decided I didn’t have it in me to argue with them about any of it. I was tired as fuck and needed sleep if I was ever going to make a plan for what to do next.

“Aye. Ye dae that.”

Kit squeezed my arm and moved away.

I only let myself react to their touch when they turned their back. My body shuddered, and I clenched my fists because I remembered we only had one sleeping bag. I was going to have to spend the night with them pressed against me. It would be the only way we would both stay warm.

Why is this happening to me? I don’t need this dilemma when we’re in a shite situation and I shouldn’t even be thinking about them as someone I could find desirable. It’s not like I even understand desire anyway, so how do I know if this is it?

Kit dumped a packet into my lap and sat next to me on the sleeping mat. I stared down at what they’d given me. It was one of those flapjacks with fruit and chocolate in it.

“This is what ye brought with ye?”

Kit raised an eyebrow right as they were biting into their own one. I waited for them to chew and swallow.

“What’s wrong with it?”

I shook my head and opened my packet, stuffing half of it in my mouth. Getting into an argument about appropriate food to bring with you when mountaineering wouldn’t be productive when we were both tired. In fact, it would only make matters worse.

“It’s no a proper meal,” I muttered after I finished mine off.

“Well, I’m sorry it’s not a five-course spread, but no one told me that’s what I had to bring up the mountain with me.”

I huffed and crinkled up the packet. It didn’t exactly quell my hunger, but it would be enough to survive the rest of the night.

“Noo ye know for next time.”

Kit snorted before their eyes darted to my mouth. Their nose wrinkled in that endearing way of theirs and I hated myself for staring at their mouth too. Then I sucked in air when they reached out towards me. Their fingers brushed over my beard before picking something out of it.

“You had a crumb.”

They flicked it away and their eyes darted off to the side as a blush spread across their cheeks.

My eyes were still on their mouth, watching the way their lips parted slightly and the fullness of the bottom one.

“We should probably get some sleep. Well, at least, I should since you were out for a while.”

“Aye.”

I made no move to lie down. Why couldn’t I stop staring? Why were they so close in the first place? What was wrong with me?

“Thane?”

Shaking myself, I handed them the empty packet and settled back down, wincing at the ache in my ankle.

Kit shifted away, putting both our packets down before they hovered over me as if wondering how we would go about this.

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