“Thanks,” he replied faintly, but Jerah had already stepped away to start unpacking his bedroll. They set up their sleeping arrangements in tired silence—Florian hesitated, considering whether or not he should try to set up his bedroll close to Kade's; but before he made up his mind, the other man was already spreading out his sleeping bag next to the opening of the tent—Jerah between them—so with a resigned sigh, he set out his own sleeping bag on the opposite end of the shelter. That was probably for the best anyway, he thought. The shelter was no more than twenty feet from one end to the other, so Jerah would be uncomfortably nearby either way.
Once everything had been unpacked and a small, quiet meal of hard bread and dried meat passed around, Jerah immediately went for his own bedroll. He started peeling off his dusty clothes, and Florian looked away self-consciously, making a mental note to change into clean clothes once the others had gone to bed. Though with how cramped the quarters were, he doubted that any real privacy would be possible.
“Don't stay up too late, you two,” Jerah said with a sigh, once he had changed clothes and settled into his sleeping bag. “You especially, Kade. I know how you get. Sleep!”
“I will,” Kade replied with a nod, though Jerah didn't look convinced.
“Good night,” Florian said, glancing uncomfortably between them. But Jerah had already set his head down on his pillow, eyes closed, and did not respond. “Man. I wish I fell asleep that fast.”
Kade made a faint noise of agreement, but he was looking away toward the tent flap. Florian hesitated, then slowly went to sit next to Kade.
“Hey,” he said quietly, and Kade only glanced over at him. “What did he mean? He knows how you get?”
A tiny, chagrined smile spread on Kade's lips. “He thinks I don't sleep enough,” he answered, his voice low. “I try to keep watch. Or listen, I guess. But it didn't seem like there was anything alive anywhere near here. So I'll sleep.”
“Do you think there'll be things that are alive further in?” Florian asked, frowning.
“Definitely.” There was no hesitation in his response, and Florian wasn't sure if his certainty was reassuring or frightening.
For a moment he wanted to reach out and hug Kade, but the memory of their strange, intense kiss that morning—and the weird, anxious energy that had been between them the rest of the day—still lingered in his thoughts. Maybe they were both nervous. And he was sweaty and dusty anyway, Florian thought. Maybe tomorrow would be better.
“I guess I'll lie down, too,” he sighed, standing back up. “Goodnight, Kade.”
Kade watched him go and hesitated for a long moment, before responding. “Goodnight.”
