Page 72 of Dissent

“Yes.” The word tumbled out of me, barely escaping my lips before Matias closed the gap and kissed me.

37: Confinement

Hislipsgrazedmineas my hands circled up around his neck, fingers finding themselves in his hair. His hunger overwhelmed me, my knees finally collapsing. But his arms were around me, carrying the weight of my body while holding me firmly pressed against him, the curves of mine shaping along the curves of his. His lips were soft and his kisses, though passionate, carried a gentleness about them. But he wanted more because his lips grazed along mine, looking, searching for what I could only assume was my soul. And I was happy to give it to him. I kissed him hungrily, pulling away only for a second at a time to catch my breath before he drew me into another kiss.

I wanted him.

I didn’t even realize just how much I wanted this boy, or how much I’d been yearning for this very moment. And now that I had it, I didn’t want to let it go, to let it end. The way he continued to hold me, to kiss me as though his very life depended on it, told me everything I needed to know. He wanted me too, and I was all but too happy to oblige.

Strength returned to my legs as a unique energy swept over me. A warmth and fire that burned as my hands unraveled from his hair and skittered across the front of his chest, gliding over straps and buckles, wanting desperately for them to be undone. But before I could do anything, Matias was pushing against me, walking me backwards, never allowing his lips to leave mine, until he walked us into my tent, into the darkness, until I felt my back come up against something firm—the sturdy, wooden pole in the center.

Pinned, I felt the exhilaration of having nowhere to go, of having no choice but to surrender myself to his need. And need me he did. It was clear in the way his hands traveled the curves of my body, how his lips scattered kisses across my cheek and down the length of my neck, sending chills down my spine as I tipped my head to the side, giving him better access.

I didn’t know how much time had passed. It felt as though time had stopped, but I knew the seconds had been ticking the whole time. His lips were back on mine as my hands crossed the landscape of his body. And then he pulled away. His body held me firmly pressed up against the pole, but he took in rapid breaths, his eyes closed as he rested his forehead against my own, our noses almost touching. I breathed too, recognizing how lightheaded I felt. His evergreen scent filled me as I tried to slow my heart.

He opened his eyes and looked at me as a smile crossed his lips and a chuckle escaped him. I couldn’t help but laugh. I was giddy, filled with so much joy—something I hadn’t felt in a long time. “You know…this isn’t going to make things easier,” he teased.

I placed a quick kiss on his cheek. “I figured as much. But I think it’s going to make things a lot better.” I meant it. I meant every word. This entire world was so effed up, but having someone to share it with, someone to fight for, made it so much more worth it.

He kissed me again, but not one of those hungry, soul-searching kisses. It was light and fluttery and revealed so much more affection than those passionate kisses ever could. I wrapped my hands around his waist and buried my face into his firm chest, taking deep, even breaths to capture the scent of him. His hands wrapped around me too, enveloping me while his head rested against my own. I enjoyed it, relished it as much as I could, before I pulled away to look up at him.

“So, what do we do now?”

But he didn’t get a chance to respond, because from behind him, a familiar voice answered. “Well, I knowI’dappreciate it if you kept your clothes on.”

Matias jumped out of my arms, putting several feet between us as he turned to face Edith. And just like that, the moment was over, and in its place was a whole lot of embarrassment.

“Edith? What are you doing here?”

A knowing smirk played across her face as she walked further into the tent with a duffel bag. “I could ask you the same thing, Matias.” She was playing with him, and he knew it, but it didn’t keep his cheeks from flushing red. I wasn’t far behind him though, because my face suddenly felt hotter than a summer’s day in the desert.

“I was just escorting Mara back to her tent.”

“Uh huh…yeah, I noticed that.” She slung her duffel onto Chelsea’s cot. “Well, as happy as I am that you guys have finally figured out how toescortone another, I’ve been assigned as Mara’s bunkmate. Soooo,yeah.”

Matias tried to hide his own embarrassment, but there was a smile he just couldn’t help but wear. “Got it. Well, maybe it’s better if I go. It’s late anyhow.” He stepped toward me and hesitated for only a second before swooping in and placing a quick kiss on my lips, whispering, “Goodnight.” Then he stepped backward, waved at Edith, and was out the door.

We sat in silence for all of one second before Edith squealed out, “Oh. My. God. You better tell me EVERYTHING. Spill!” I laughed, relishing this new joy that had bloomed inside of me. “From the beginning. Now go!”

***

Edith had me up all night retelling her everything that happened. I desperately wanted to sleep, but she would have none of that. Finally, somewhere in the early hours of the morning, she let me rest. And I must have been seriously lacking sleep, because the next time I opened my eyes, it was almost nightfall the following day. My back was sore, my ankle was throbbing, and I felt like a truck had run me over.

When I finally awoke, I scrambled to get out of bed and head out, only to discover a man in uniform guarding the entrance to my tent. He was quick to report that I was under “confinement,” which, apparently, meant housearrest. I wasn’t to leave my tent until called for by the President for my “review.” So, I was stuck…in a tent…forthreedays!

I was going crazy. An allotment of nourishment pills were brought to me, and I was allowed exactly one trip to the river for a bath,thank god!Dr. Jones came in to check on me, reported that I had a slight sprain in my ankle, wrapped it, and that was the end of that. Apart from him, I wasn’t allowed any visitors except for Edith since she was my new bunkmate after Chelsea’s capture. But of course, she pretty much only slept there because she was constantly training. But when she would come home, I would interrogate her endlessly.

Payback’s a bitch.

By the evening of the second night, I was ready to claw myself through the canvas tent. But I knew it was a dead end. Edith told me the damn tent had guards posted at each corner. It seemed that Sasha didn’t trust me to follow directions anymore.

“I’m so effing done.” I paced back and forth like a trapped rat. “This isn’t fair!”

“Chill.” Edith was sitting on the edge of her cot, legs crisscrossed and elbows resting on her knees. “You brought this on yourself, you know.”

I whirled on her. “What! For real? You’re going to say that being in jail ismyfault.”

She snickered. “Well, yeah,duh. Just because you’re Raúl’s daughter doesn’t mean you’re going to get preferential treatment or anything. You disobeyed an order. Now you’ve got to wait for your review.”

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