Enemy Beloved

21 | through the woods

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C L A I R E

Shame. Fear. Confusion.

I feel all when I withdraw from Vaughn. He folds his arms over his chest, gifting me with a stony glare. I feel so small under his gaze that I have no choice but to look at the road while clutching the hem of my dress.

If stupidity was personified, it would be me. After my monologue on how I wasn't a damsel in distress but a knight, I ended up getting us robbed due to my ego. If only I had listened to Vaughn, we wouldn't be having this trouble.

When I lift my eyes to look at him, he still has the same expression on his face as he stands there, watching me. I am microscopic for those eyes; he has shown me that he is the bigger one of us — and not just physically.

"Okay, fine." I break the silence when it starts to get uncomfortable. "I'm a damsel in distress."

Vaughn remains unfazed.

"Say something please..." I beg him, making pleading eyes. "What do we do now?"

I hear him inhale a deep breath and then his eyes are on the road, searching for something. He picks up his wallet which was thrown by the man to the side of the road and shoves it back into his pocket.

"Shouldn't you be the one giving us the idea now?" he mocks, standing up and giving me the icy glare again.

I frown. "You're the one who gave them your car—"

"To save you," he cuts me off and squeezes the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "That car has a tracker in it. They will be caught in no time."

"Oh!" I blink, a little relieved by that information.

I look at the sun disappearing behind the mountains. It is about to set. It will be dark in no time and we are stranded on an empty road with no means of transport. Kudos to myself.

"Should we wait here then? Maybe someone will save us," I tell him as I hug myself.

The evening air prickles my skin, making me aware of the backless dress I am wearing which hardly covers my body from the chill.

"You think there are others as stupid as you to stop their car on an empty road?" Vaughn taunts, making me huff in frustration.

"Can we please fight after we've found a way out of this mess?"

"A mess of your creation." He rakes his hands through his hair as he inspects our surroundings. "Okay, I think I have a way," he exhales after a while.

I follow his eyes and see him looking at a thin trail of a path that leads inside the woods.

"Are you serious!?" I step forward to stand beside him. "You want to go through the woods?"

"You have a better idea?"

He turns to me, cocking his head.

I roll my eyes, knowing that I do not have one at all.

"Okay," I say. "But if anything happens, remember it's all your fault."

"My fault?" He takes a quick step towards me, making me back away. He closes his eyes and exhales a breath as if to calm himself down. "Follow me quietly and don't speak a word for God's sake."

He spins around after ordering me and leads the way inside the woods, leaving me to follow. I take a hesitant step before forcing myself to trace his footsteps.

The woods are covered in moss and ferns. Twigs snap under my feet while branches of trees nip at my skin, making me wince. Vaughn doesn't even glance behind to check on me as he keeps walking with brisk steps. I remain silent too, remembering his words clearly.