He focuses on me, and I guess we have to be serious for a minute. “Tell me this: how would you feel if it had been theother way around?” he asks sheepishly. “Like, what if I’d kissed Juniper instead?”
“Do you want to kiss Juniper?”
His eyes widen, and his cheeks pink. “That’s not what I said …” He squirms.
Now, I’m smiling. “So, do you?” I ask again, terrified yet kinda turned on by the idea.
“Fine. Yes. Yes I do,” he says, finally. “But it doesn’t mean I don’t still want to be with you,” he adds, and there’s so much anguish in his expression, I can hardly bear it.
“I know.” I reach for him, taking his hands in mine. “Trust me. I know.”
He bites his lip. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I tell him. “Because I feel the same way.” I squeeze his hands then stare right into his gorgeous face. “Because I know I want to be with Juniper, and I am still head over fucking heels in love with you.”
Chapter Nine
Thecabinfeelssmalleras the three of us sit in the silence following our kiss, the crackling fire the only sound breaking the stillness.
Outside, it’s dark again and the wilderness looms, vast and unforgiving, the moon casting an eerie glow through the window. An unsettling howl echoes through the trees, sending a shiver down my spine.
I shudder. “Did you hear that?”
“It’s probably just wolves,” Juniper says, utterly nonchalant.
Ethan and I exchange a look.
“Sure,” I say, wincing.
“Yeah, that’s probably all it is.” Ethan shrugs.
I for one am definitely not scared at the thought of being mauled to death by a pack of wolves in the middle of this snowy nowhere.
We fall silent again. Juniper’s expression is a mixture of exhilaration and uncertainty, mirroring my own turmoil. The warmth of our moment felt fragile, as if it might shatter under the weight of our unspoken fears. Now I can almost hear the forest’s whispers, urging us to confront the reality of what just happened and the fragile boundaries we’re now teetering on.
A crack sounds from the woods, and I break the silence again. “And that? Did you hear that?” My voice is barely above a whisper. It’s as if the very forest is watching, aware of the tension hanging in the air between us—a reminder that we’re utterly alone, encased in our own little world, with all these secrets and desires swirling just beneath the surface.
“You guys have bears, right?” I ask, tentatively.
“Sure!” Juniper laughs, but then she stops and looks at me, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion. “Wait … you guys don’t?”
Ethan chuckles softly. “No. We definitely do not have bears in the UK.”
Juniper gapes at him then turns to me to confirm.
“It’s true.” I shrug.
Juniper’s eyes widen in disbelief. “You don’t have bears?”
Ethan and I giggle. “Nope.”
Another loud crack makes us all jump. A flame shoots up from the fire, briefly illuminating the room before settling again, and we chuckle nervously.
Then Ethan stands. “You know what? I say we go confront the wilderness! We’ve been here for days and haven’t even played in the snow yet!”
I look up at him, shaking my head, but he holds out his hand and pulls me to my feet.
“Fine,” I concede, still kinda nervous about the bears, and the wolves, and the multitude of other creatures which couldbe hiding in the night. But it’s impossible to resist Ethan’s big puppy dog eyes.
