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“I miss them, too,” he confided. Tonight would be the last night he would be near Lauren. They were leaving tomorrow, and they would not be afforded the luxury of huts. It would be open camping. Watches would be set. Killmer didn’t want Alex or her on the roster. That was fine. They’d be doing sentry duty soon enough after they set up an op location. One person would sleep while the other stayed awake and alert. It was a test he wasn’t looking forward to.
“Coming to the hut?” Lauren asked, finishing off her coffee. She stood, going over to where the dirty dishes were stacked. Lauren had asked Merrill if she could contribute by washing them, but he’d smiled and declined her offer.
“I will be there shortly.”
Alex watched the sway of Lauren’s hips as she headed in his direction. It was getting dark, as if someone had suddenly pulled a black blanket across the sky. He got up and accompanied her to the hut. Never making the mistake of walking too close to her, touching her, Alex wanted it to look like they were a working team, not personally invested in one another.
The roll of thunder began to the west of them. Nearly every night at least one cell, maybe two or three, would drench the area. Already, the wind was starting to pick up. Lauren knelt down and crawled into the hut. He followed and pulled the waterproof tarp down behind him.
She unlaced her boots after she sat down. “I wonder,” she said in a very low tone, “if they suspect anything?”
Earlier, Alex had realized that he could see through some of the vines that created the main structure for the hut. There was a loose array of long, thin grass woven between them, along with leaves. He’d brought out another waterproof tarp, a much larger one, thrown it over their hut, and anchored it down so that they would remain dry during the night hours. “I do not think so. Why?”
“Guilt.”
Alex saw a flash of lightning off in the distance. It looked like they were going to get hit squarely by a series of storms tonight. “Guilt about what?”
“That we have each other. Their loved ones are back home in the States.”
Alex could hear Lauren getting out of her boots, a damp, soaked tee, and stripping down to her panties and her silk camisole. She had two of them and, every morning, she would wash one out carefully with a bit of rain water, hang it inside the hut and let it dry somewhat. Nothing ever dried completely in a nearly one-hundred-percent humid jungle. “It is the fortunes of war,” he told her, undressing. Lauren had devised what she called a ‘spit bath’ for them. They both had Baby Wipes, which were a godsend in a place like this where they couldn’t bathe. But she’d gotten hold of an old aluminum pot. She grabbed her bar of unscented soap and her washcloth and, over it, cleaned herself up. Then, he would use the water. Being clean was important in a jungle. Bacteria from a scratch could be life-threatening. The bugs were also deadly, and some of their bites could put a person in hospital.
Lauren pulled off her camisole and panties without care because they were in utter darkness together. She quickly began to wash herself, starting with her face and working downward. She felt, or perhaps heard, Alex lay down nearby.
“Can you see me in the dark?” she wondered, the soap feeling wonderful against her sweaty skin.
“No. Why?”
“I feel you looking at me.”
There was humor in his voice. “I can imagine in my mind and heart what you look like naked,malen ‘kaya.”
His words fueled her lower body to glowing life.
Just then, there was a flash of lightning not far away. Lauren hesitated, the light flashing through the hut. She realized she Alex could see her. For a moment, Lauren froze. And then, she gave a short, quiet laugh. “Well, I guess you don’t have to imagine anymore, do you, Kazak?”
“Not any more. You are beautiful, Lauren. Even more than I dared to dream and imagine.”
Lauren took a steady breath and forced herself to focus on getting clean.
“Does it bother you that I saw you?”
“I guess not… no… not really. It was just… well… unexpected.”
“You have a beautiful body, Lauren. You should be proud of it. Not hide it.”
“I’ve been hiding all my life, Alex. I don’t think I’ll ever wear clothes that make me feel uncomfortable or bare too much of my skin.” Because it drew the unwelcome attention of men who wanted sex with her.
“That is because you are afraid to be vulnerable. You fear being hurt once again.”
She continuing washing, scrubbing, and rinsing the cloth out in the bowl. Taking a towel, she patted her clean body off. “Yes, you’re right.” Lauren hesitated and then said, “Alex?”
“Yes?”
Donning her clean t-shirt, trousers, socks and boots once more, she gently slid the aluminum pot, with the soap and washcloth inside it, over to where he sat waiting patiently. “I’m finding,” she said, “that I am trusting you more than I’ve ever trusted another man, Alex.”
“I would guess you did not have any relationships after your experience with your foster father. Is this true?”
She listened to the splash of water, knowing he was semi-naked. “Yes. I’ve never wanted sex again.”
