Page 31 of Caught in the Middle

Chapter Eleven

Lucy sat, sulking in the passenger seat with the heating cranked up as she watched Oliver set up a tent in the flat surface in front of the car. She didn't care how spoilt she looked, she was not partial to doing any form of exercising, and felt like in the last couple of days she had done more than her fair share. Besides, Oliver seemed to be doing it perfectly fine on his own, despite his wounded leg.

'What's the matter,' he called over to her as he fed the pipes into the tent material, 'you never go to girl scouts as a kid?'

She glared at him through the window. Of course she did. But only for one session, just like everything else she did as a child. She did every hobby imaginable, but never for more than a month, tops. Ballet, swimming... even archery. But when she realised within the first couple lessons that she wasn't going to light the world on fire with her natural talent, well, then it was time to call it a day.

She studied Oliver as he worked on the tent. He looked so different in just a normal T-Shirt and jeans, but for a while she couldn't figure out why. Then she realised, it's because he doesn't look nowhere near as scary.

One thing she couldn't figure out, however, as she shoved her shivering hands in front of the warm air vents, is how he wasn't freezing in just a tight grey T-shirt. And how he didn't shiver once when he was naked in that icy river this morning.

It made her wonder if he was actually cold last night when he climbed into her bed.

She dismissed the thought immediately. It was definitely wishful thinking on her part.

Once she could see that the tent was fully erected, she begrudgingly rolled out of the car.

'Ah, she appears!' Oliver joked, panting slightly after his tent building exercise.

Lucy glanced over to it, and with a little sparkle of hope, she realised it was tiny.

Visions of him cuddling up to her all night, sharing one sleeping popped into her head, and she wasn't trying to dismiss them.

'You've appeared at the perfect time,' Oliver said, opening the boot again. Lucy groaned. What else could come out of that fucking boot? 'You're going to help me blow our bed up.'

She sighed, loudly as he pulled out deflated lump and dropped into onto the earth. 'Out of everything you have in that magic boot, you don't have an air pump?'

He shook his head and grinned. 'Nope, must have left that at home,' he kicked it over to her direction, and buried himself in the back of the car once more. 'However, whilst you’re doing that, I'll put the dinner on.'

Lucy frowned as he pulled out a Bunsen burner, the type she remembered from her school science lessons, and a few cans of food.

Oliver glanced up at her expression and raised his eyebrows. 'What? Pizza Hut doesn't deliver to this area code, sorry.'

She crouched on the floor and began to pump up the bed with her breath. At least the heavy breathing was warming her up a little. She watched as Oliver poured cans of beans into a little pot over a tiny Bunsen burner. Even though he was clearly rich, she was intrigued by how comfortable he was with shitty living. He may have looked out of place, even when he wasn't in his suit, but he was still happy to get his hands dirty, sleeping in uncomfortable places and eating the shittiest food.

It made Lucy wonder if he had always been rich.

It was dark by the time Lucy had huffed her last breath into the blow-up bed, and her face was tingling from the lack of oxygen.

Oliver clapped in delight when she dropped it to the floor, pumped up and ready to be slept on. 'Ah, well done, fine pair of lungs on you.'

He grabbed it and stuffed it into the tent, before dishing up beans, pasta and canned sweetcorn onto paper plates.

They ate in silence in the car, as it was getting too cold for Lucy outside.

She could feel Oliver watching her eat, and she became self-conscious.

'What?' she snapped, in between mouthfuls.

'Nothing,' he smirked, pushing his beans around with his plastic fork. 'I just like that you're eating what I made you. It means you don't think I've poisoned it.'

'Or I'm hoping you have poisoned it, because I'd rather be dead then sleep in that ridiculous tent tonight.'

He nudged her playfully, and went back to eating.

'So, what's the plan for tomorrow?' Lucy asked.

'We're going to head further north, there's a man there who's going to take us in for a while.'

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