Divagate

Chapter 27

Lia
•••••
I didn't mean to fall asleep, but Darwin's heated body against mine just felt so nice. Like when you take a shower and as soon as the warm water hits your skin, you don't want to move.

Even now, I don't want to move. Just like being in a warm shower, all of my worries have melted away, leaving my mind at peace.

Plus, the rhythmic thumping of his heart against my ear is like a lullaby, specifically made to put someone to sleep.

I should have cramps more often if it means I get to sleep like this.

Tilting my head upwards slightly, I gaze at Darwin's face. It looks like I'm not the only one who found this comfortable. His eyes are closed and he looks so calm and relaxed.

Honestly, he looks really... no, I can't let my mind wander like that.

I tip my head back down, my eyes meeting Darwin's bare skin on his torso. Holy fucking shit. I do not remember him looking like this before we were taken to Myer Labs. I mean, I suspected that he was fit, but not this much.

I trace his perfectly sculpted abs and prominent v-line with my gaze. He doesn't even look real. I have to be dreaming. To make sure it's not my imagination running wild, I reach out and lightly touch his stomach. My fingertips skim over his muscles and incredibly soft skin.

Nope, this is definitely real.

Unable to stop myself, I splay my hand out. The warmth radiating from him is just so soothing. There's a hitch in Darwin's otherwise steady breaths and the arms around my lower back tighten.

Oops. I forgot Darwin's a light sleeper. He definitely wasn't like that before Myer Labs.

I look up just in time to see his eyes flutter open. Squinting slightly, they scan the truck before landing on me,

"Your hand's cold." Darwin mutters, the last bits of sleep slurring his words.

"I think it's just you, human heating pad." I smirk. A puff of air from Darwin's nose tickles my forehead,

"You say that like it's a bad thing." He chuckles softly, closing his eyes again. I give him a gentle pat on the chest,

"Aww, don't be sad," I pout. "If anything, it's more like a compliment."

This earns a smirk from Darwin. Shaking his head, he moves his shoulders to get comfortable again. The feeling of him moving beneath me is both strange and, in a way, relaxing.

"So I take it this helped you?" He asks, gazing at me through hooded eyes.

It definitely helped me in more ways than one. While it helped to relieve my cramps, it also made me realize how much I missed this. What I mean is, I missed being able to spend time with Darwin and have him actually know who I am.

It's just nice to be with someone I love again. Platonically, of course. Yeah, platonically.

As an added bonus, I got some much needed rest. I let out a content sigh,

"Yes, a lot more than anyone at Myer Labs or the others could've done."

"Good, I'm glad." Darwin yawns, the arms around me relaxing again. I get comfy again, ready to fall back asleep, when it hits me.

"The others." Placing my hands on Darwin's chest, I quickly push myself up, breaking free from Darwin's hold. They're probably freaking out over our absence, especially since Siggy's now healing. Vince or Charlotte might've gone to tell us and panicked when only Lincoln was in the tent.

"Oh fuck," fully-awake Darwin sits up as I crawl off of him, his shirt slipping back into place. "We're going to be in deep shit."

That doesn't even begin to describe how much trouble we're in. Judging by the early morning rays of sunshine peeking through the trees, we've been out for hours. Once we get back to camp, who knows what the others are going to think. I guarantee they noticed the missing truck keys and bag of food.

Shit, we're really going to have to lie our asses off.

Not to mention my period that I'm going to need to hide from Siggy. Darwin shoves the snack bag under the seat before hopping out of the truck. As soon as he motions to me, I begin to panic.

"Come on!" He hisses. I slide out and the door gets slammed behind me. The truck clicks as Darwin locks it.

To my surprise, he gently places a hand in the middle of my back, pushing me forward. Whoa...

Focus, Lia. We need a plan.

Well, it's not like we can pretend that nothing happened, they'll see straight through that. And if we're honest and say that we were just hanging out, they might accuse us of attempting to steal the truck. I don't even know how to handle the whole period thing.

"What are we going to do?" I breathe. Darwin has to have a plan, right? He always does.

"Ok, um," he freezes, removing the hand on my back to press it against his forehead. "Just, uh..."

Wonderful. We're in the middle of the woods, trying to get back to a camp of people who most likely hate us, and we don't have a plan. We're completely fucked.

Up in the treetops, birds chirp happily. Oh to be them right now. So blissfully unaware of the amount of stress we're under. Safe from the ass whooping of the century that awaits us.

"I think I got it. You go stay in the truck, and I'll go back to—"

"What?!" Is he serious? There's no way I'm staying there alone! He knows how I feel about this kind of stuff!

"No, please just hear me out. You stay there, I'll go back to camp, and tell Charlotte you started your period and need her help." Just as Darwin turns to leave, I grab his arm,

"What if they ask why I'm in the truck?" With a sigh, he places a hand on my shoulder and looks directly into my eyes. What's with all the touching all of a sudden? I'm not opposed to it, but it does feel a little odd.

"Lia, you just have to trust me. I'll handle it, ok?" I glance down at my feet under his intense gaze.

I've known Darwin practically my whole life, yet I don't ever recall his stare being this extreme. Myer Labs really changed him, in more ways than one. I trusted the old Darwin.

However, no matter the changes, he's still the Darwin that I grew up with. Even if the similarities between the two are kind of buried. So, I can trust Darwin 2.0, right?

"Ok," I nod, my voice barely above a whisper. Reaching into his pocket with his free hand, Darwin presses the truck keys into my palm,

"I know how you feel about being alone. I saw how you reacted both as a kid and now. It may seem scary, but I promise you won't be by yourself for very long," he gives my shoulder a light squeeze before finally letting go.

Darwin starts to jog away, leaving me standing there alone. Glancing back at me and seeing that I have yet to move, he frowns.

"I'll see you back at camp soon!" Darwin calls with a wave.

Shooting him a weak smile and a brief wave, I turn around and trudge back towards the truck, preparing myself for the agonizing wait.