Vasiliki closed her eyes, listening to Alex’s soft breathing as he pressed his lips to hers.

They should’ve been researching, but instead, they had ended up taking a break and wandering off into the jungle back to the clearing where Vasiliki had taken him before. She moaned softly, knowing she really should stop Alex and get them both back to work. Daedalos was supposed to be helping them, but she’d sent him off early so that she could have time with Alex alone.

His hands rested gently on her hips, and he moved slightly so that he could nip her ear playfully. She pulled her head back, suddenly serious. “Alex…”

He looked at her, seeing the serious look, and frowned. “What’s the matter, love?”

She looked down at the ground and her bare feet. “Alex…” She repeated. “My… I…” She looked out into the jungle frustrated. A tear slipped down her cheek.

He brushed it away with a gentle touch, and she took his hand, holding it against her cheek. “I don’t know how to tell you, Alex… But my mother… She’s going to…” Vasiliki’s voice caught, and she tried to force it to stay steady. “She’s going to kill you if we don’t find a way back.” She blurted out.

Alex looked down. “Vasiliki, you already knew that.”

She couldn’t keep the quaver out of her voice anymore, and more tears dropped down her cheeks. “It’s one thing to think it, Alex. It’s another to hear her say it.”

Alex nodded, brushing her cheek with his thumb. “Hey, whatever happens, we’ll face it together, alright?”

She nodded back, smiling through her tears. “Alright.”

He smiled back at her, kissing her again.

She melted into his arms, surrendering to his kisses and caresses. Alex was gentle and kind with her. He wouldn’t hurt her. She was safe with him.

Still… The feelings she felt frightened her. But with him, those fears were beginning to fade, and she had to admit that his kisses, warm and sweet against her lips, did much to convince her that being in love wasn’t so bad. Her mother and the rest of the tribe were crazy if they thought that loving a man was evil.

Did she love Alex? She thought about that for a moment. Yes. Yes, she did.

“Alex…” She sighed into a kiss.

His hands were cupped gently around her face, and he was still brushing his lips against hers. “Yes?”

“We need to stop now and go back.” She murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck, and burying her fingers in his soft, thick curls.

He laughed gently, kissing her again. “Why go back?”

She started, going stiff in his arms. Then she relaxed. “We have to go back. Until we’re ready to actually leave, we need to act normal. And we have to get Daedalos out too, remember.” She murmured against his lips.

He nodded, looking into her deep green eyes. “I don’t want to go back. I want to disappear into the jungle with you and never come back. We could do that. Right now. Leave and not return.” Alex murmured, kissing her softly again.

She sighed, breathing in deeply to take in as much of his smell as possible. She ran her hands down his sides, letting them rest on his hips. “I think I love you, Alex.” She whispered.

He grinned, their faces just inches apart. “You think?”

“Well, I’ve never been in love or loved a man before… So I don’t know for sure.” She murmured.

“Does this make your mind up?” He bent his head to swallow up the distance between them, kissing her more firmly and insistently now.

She felt her pulse racing underneath his touch on her waist. He pulled her tighter against him so that she was pressed to him with nearly no distance between them. He kissed her long and hard, but not fast. She was sad when he stopped and moved back. “I don’t know… Maybe…” She teased.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head back down to hers. He pressed her backward until her back pressed against the trunk of one of the trees.

A few minutes later, Vasiliki sighed. “Alright… Now we really do need to go back, Alex.” She whispered.

He groaned. “Do we have to?”

“You sound like a petulant child, Alex… Grow up. Yes, we have to.”

He sighed. “Fine. Let’s go then.”

She took his hand and led him back towards the village, only dropping it when she had to and finally letting go again at the village.

He walked behind her, silent and wraith-like. Unwilling to be punished by any of the other women for so much as looking at them wrong, he kept his eyes on the ground until they reached the sanctuary of the library.

There they began research anew.

***

“So… What are you finding, Vasiliki?” Alex peered over her shoulder at a book’s small text.

She shut it, causing dust to fly up and choke them both. They coughed, waving to clear the dust away. “Sorry!” She muttered.

He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been acting strange all afternoon, Vasiliki. What’s wrong?” He whispered.

She shook her head. “Wrong? Nothing… Just tired.”

Alex shook his head. “No, you’re not. You’re lying.” He sat down across from her, taking her hands in his and glancing about quickly to be sure no one was watching or nearby. “Listen…  You can tell me anything. You don’t have to lie to me.” He murmured.

She nodded, taking a deep breath. “Alex… I…”

“Yes.” He squeezed her hands gently.

She looked down. I can’t tell him that I intend to sabotage this mission. He can’t find that out. He wants to go home… He’d hate me if he thought I was trying to ruin that chance. “Alex… Do you… Well, do you want to go back home?”

He shrugged. “Why do you ask?”

“Because if you do, that means leaving me behind.” Vasiliki’s voice caught, and she looked up into his eyes suddenly, desperate to know what he was thinking.

Alex’s breath hitched, then steadied. He laughed. “Vasiliki, you could always come with me.”

She shook her head. “No. I couldn’t. Not out there.”

He frowned. “Why not?”

She looked away then. “I don’t know. Because I guess that there my mother really would need me, and I can’t bear to leave her when she needs me most… Even if she has injured me in emotional ways and lied to me. Here though, she doesn’t actually need me. She can handle it on her own.”

He nodded. “Well, you know what… The world out there isn’t worth losing you.” He whispered.

She nodded too. “But if it means you die?”

He shrugged. “If I find a way back, I can let your mother go, and we can stay here.”

She shook her head, tears glittering in the corners of her eyes. “No… I couldn’t. Because like I told you, my mother would need me with her if we found the way back. And I’d go. I’d have to leave because I can’t just abandon her when she needs me. Alex, do you understand what I’m saying?”

He looked away, sighing, and running a hand through his messy black hair. He looked back at her, eyes troubled. “You want me to…” He paused. “You want me to help you sabotage the mission? So that even if there is a way back, they can’t use it and neither can we?”

She nodded. “It’s the only way.” She whispered, holding his hand.

Alex took a deep breath. “I’m going back to my room to think about it. I can’t… I don’t know what to do, Vasiliki. I’ll talk to you about it in the morning. Alright?”

She sighed. “Yes. I will see you tomorrow then.”

He nodded, smiling. But the smile didn’t reach his eyes, which were troubled and dark.

He walked away, leaving her sitting alone at the table surrounded by her texts and scrolls. She dropped her head into her arms, resting her forehead against a thick piece of parchment. Would things never end happily for her?