Page 103 of Paradox
This boy is dangerous.
Each day he’s proving that he needs me less.
That he’s the bow and I’m the fiddle.
That with one sour look he could bring me to my knees. And I’d let him.
“Is that you, Eden?”
Shit.“Yeah.”
“Could you help me carry this back when I’m done?”
“Sure.” I make my way through the trees towards him, but keep my distance.
Picking up some of the larger fallen branches, I break them with my foot and throw them into a pile.
“Do you think it’d be easier to carry it back then cut it there?”
“Um, probably—yeah. Yes. It would be.” I stumble over my words like a bumbling fool instead of a man who owns his own business.
“Are you alright?”
When I look at him, he’s standing there with the axe over his shoulder.
“Not really.”
“And why not?”
“Because I… I don’t think I can be around you, right now.”
His face pales and his shoulders drop. “What have I done?”
“Nothing… Everything… I’m gonna regret what I do next if I don’t walk away.”
He smirks. “So don’t walk away.”
“We’re here to catch dinner.”
“This wasmygift.”
I take a step back. "And that’s exactly why I need to leave.”
Jin drops the axe. “Can’t I change my mind?”
“Not for this.”
“But I…” He glances behind himself and into the dense forest. “I want you to chase me.”
Holy hell.
Again I shake my head and reverse until I’m backed up against a tree. “Not here. Not now.”
“When you threw me over your shoulder yesterday… Then when I ran from you… I…”
“I know… I wanna do everything to you all at once.”
“And I want you to.”
