Paige and Brian fell into the bushes with an unceremonious thump. Dazzled by the brightness of the balloon exploding behind them. They were separated by the harsh impact, and scratched by the sticks and leaves.

"Aargh!" Paige cried. "Jason Statham makes falling out of the sky look easy."

"Paige, where are you?" Brian called from a bush nearby.

"Um, sorry I do not have the coordinates," Paige groaned.

"Stay where you are. I'll try to find you," Brian replied.

Paige felt aches and pains in her muscles and joints, but she was relieved that she could move her arms and legs. Her mum told her that a person with unknown injuries should try to keep immobile. So, she tried to keep as still as possible. She had rolled onto a clear area of grass, surrounded by bushes.

"Paige, talk to me. I can't find you."

The clouds cleared from the pale moonlight and Paige gasped. Her dress had torn down the middle, leaving her with a gaping neckline. It took the brightness of the moonlight to make her notice. She tried lifting up her hands gently to pin the collar manually, but her arms ached too much.

"Paige?"

"Over here," she wheezed.

Brian limped on one leg as he parted the bushes, and moved as fast as he could towards Paige. His shirt was torn when he landed, and he hoped it would not be awkward when she saw him.

Paige heard the rustling of the bushes get louder.

"Mr Rochester, is that you?"

There was no response. Her voice echoed in the early evening air. She heard a twig snap and her breath hitched. Brian had good intentions, but they certainly got more than they bargained for.

Another twig snapped and shrubs shook violently.

"Paige?"

She did not reply. Maybe it was a crazed slasher that overheard Brain calling her. It did not sound like Mr Rochester's voice.

"Paige? Come out, come out, wherever you are," snarled the mystery voice.

Paige was paralyzed. Not from the fall, but with fear. She didn't respond, cursing the hot air balloon silently. It didn't kill her and now the British Pennywise was going to finish the job.

Suddenly, Brian emerged from the bushes.

"Bollocks!" Paige gasped. "You scared the living daylights out of me. That was not funny."

"Yes, it was," Brian chuckled, he winced as he laughed and limped forward. "Do you like my bogey man voice?"

"No," Paige said firmly. She suppressed the laugh that wanted to burst forth.

"Sounds like you want to giggle," Brian teased. He moved closer, and the the clouds parted again. Bathing them in full moon light. When they laid eyes on each other and got a clearer view, both of them were shocked.

"Mothertrucker," Paige whispered. She knew that Brian was a health freak, but never realised how toned he was. His shirt had been torn clean off his body and his jeans were ripped. He looked like an alpha werewolf, set for a transformation. She wondered how she did not notice his muscular physique earlier.

Brian rubbed his right thigh and muttered inaudibly. Bending down slightly, he panted.

"Crikey," he whisper yelled.

Paige winced when she tried and failed to hold her neckline. She cursed her bestie, Madeline for swapping her plain underwear with lacey ones.

Paige struggled to tear her eyes away from Brian's torso. Everywhere she looked spelt trouble. From his square shoulders, to his veiny, muscular arms and the light hair on his chest. It was pure masculinity. The opposite of all the teenage boys she knew.

Brian bit his lip and briefly stared without blinking. He tried to think of anything else but the gorgeous sight before him. 'How does someone fall into bushes, tear her dress, and still look hot?' he wondered. Seeing her white lace peak out from her neckline stirred something within him. As he rubbed the back of his neck, he struggled to bring his thoughts under control.

"My eyes are up here, Mr Rochester," Paige said. She sat up slightly and rested on her elbows. She winced as she flexed her fingers.

Brian raised a cocky eyebrow as he crouched beside her. "I was about to tell you the same thing."

Paige shrugged and kept staring at his chest, "Ow, my shoulder."

"May I touch you?" he asked.

Paige sucked in a breath sharply, and her eyes widened, "Right here, right now?"

He cleared his throat, "I want to check your injuries."

"Oh...alright," Paige said.

Brian touched her ankles and her knees gently. He checked for swelling or dislocations in her arms too.

"Fortunately, it seems like we both have some minor cuts and bruises," Brian concluded. "Nevertheless, we should still go to a hospital."

"Good thinking, sir. How do you suggest we get there?" Paige joked.

"I will carry you."

"What?"

"You heard me."

Paige tried to sit up higher. It was still painful, but not as much as before. She rubbed her back to soothe the dull ache and flinched.

She hoisted herself up slowly with the aid of Brian's shoulder and a log of wood. "So are you going to piggyback me?"

"No."

Brian shifted himself onto all fours.

"Bollocks. Are you about to turn into a werewolf?" Paige took a few painful steps back and doubled over. She leaned on a tree trunk, and rubbed her behind. It was sore and probably bruised.

Brian sprung up remarkably fast, and leapt towards her. He caged her in by putting both hands beside her head. "Mate! Mate!" he growled, with eyes glinting with mischief.

"So, are you going to mark me, Mr Rochester?" Paige asked softly.

He tiled his head closer and gazed into her eyes. She closed her eyes slowly, and raised her head to meet his halfway.

"Put your hand on my shoulder and I will hoist your leg up. I am going to carry you, bridal style," Brian whispered huskily into her ear.

Paige released a breath she did not know she was holding. Her eyes flew open sharply. She was met with a smooth, self satisfied smirk on Brian's face.

"Well played, sir."

"I learnt from the best, Paige."

Brian hoisted her up with strong but gentle hands. He grunted with the first step he took and looked into her eyes, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you." She rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

"Good. Let's go, Paige."

**

"Please don't tell my parents."

Paige looked around in her small, light blue room in St. Kensey Hospital. The sterile, sharp odour of antiseptic hung in the air. It was silent, except for the sound of a machine beeping periodically in the distance. She wondered how she would explain the whole drama to her mum and dad. How do you justify obtaining plant samples leading to a Hollywood style action movie scene? she wondered.

The doctor chuckled. "Relax, we have conducted all necessary tests and an x-ray. You do not have any serious injuries, so a next of kin does not need to be contacted."

She had a look in her file and glanced at Paige kindly, "You do have a sprained ankle and a few bruises." She pointed at the bandage on her left foot. "More damage would have been done if your-"

"Friend."

"-friend did not carry you. It's remarkable that he carried you all the way to St. Kensey before he could phone for help."

Paige smiled and felt a little light headed. She was not sure if it was exhaustion or the pain relievers. Perhaps it was being held in Brian's arms. "How is he? Will we have to spend the night here?"

The doctor smiled knowingly. "Brian is fine. He should be able to see you in an hour, then you can leave. In the meantime try to get some rest, it has been a long day. The pain relievers and anti inflammatory tablets will make you drowsy."

"Alright, Thank you Doctor—"

"Cavill." She nodded curtly and walked out.

**

Brian threw his head back in his pillow and groaned. 'I should have just taken her for a picnic,' he thought.

He wanted to give her a memorable treat, and they ended up in the hospital. His attempt to be charming was a monumental failure. The near death experience was shocking, but he was thankful that Paige did not get badly injured. 'What would I have told her parents? Or Professor Rawlings? Landmark University management?' he wondered.

Brian recalled suppressing the nagging pain in his collarbone as he carried Paige in his arms. Her softness and occasional glances into his eyes made it bearable. They reached a small vicarage, and he explained what happened to the Reverend. The cleric gave them shirts, some takeaway packs of mashed potatoes and steak, and called the ambulance.

The absence of the search party or any other emergency service officers confirmed Brian's earlier assumption. Obviously, the management of Bailey's Balloons was stalling till the morning, and did not call for help.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Who is there?" he asked.

"Doctor Cavill."

Brian sat up and leaned against the headrest. "Come in."

Dr. Cavill walked in with a courteous smile. "Hello, Brian. How are you feeling?"

"Apart from the pain in my collarbone and my joints, great," he joked.

"The good news is you have no internal injuries, but you have a bruised collarbone and some cuts that do not require stitching. You and your-"

"Friend."

"-friend are very lucky to be relatively unharmed."

"How is she?"

"She had been treated and you can go and see her in-"

Brian got out of bed as quickly as he could. "Which room is she in?"

"Seven."

He responded while walking out the door, and passing her by. "Thank you, Dr."

**

Brian sat on a chair in a corner of Paige's room and scolded himself.

"Strewth, I'm whipped," he whispered.

Brian watched Paige as she slept, and sighed. The gentle rise and fall of her chest as she slumbered warmed his heart. Against the doctor's advice, he sat by her side, waiting for her to wake up. He was told that he could pop in and return to get some rest of his own. Despite the aches in his joints and muscles, his heart yearned for her so he stayed.

Brian wondered what the next step was for their situationship. Thinking they were going to die, they had opened up on deeply personal issues. As he watched Paige's eyelashes flutter, his heart skipped a beat.

Her eyes opened slowly, and she smiled. "Mr Rochester?"

He rushed to her side and held her hand. "Hello, Paige. How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

"Much better. Just a little drowsy," she replied with a lazy smile.

Brian brushed a stray curl away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "I am so sorry about the hot air balloon accident. I should not have put you at risk of danger."

Paige cleared her throat and Brian gave her a glass of water. She sipped it thoughtfully as she looked at Brian. He looked so cute when he was feeling remorseful. However, in that case, she did not think it was necessary.

"You should not be sorry. The hot air balloon malfunction was not your fault. I am a consenting adult, and I accompanied you willingly."

Brian put his hand on his forehead and frowned. "You could have been killed." The thought of her getting hurt pierced his heart with pain.

Paige squeezed his hand. "Hey, don't be hard on yourself. For everyday we live, there are one thousand ways to die."

Brian chuckled. "Who are you, and what have you done to Paige Adesanya?"

She giggled and put her hands on her hips. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"The old woman words of wisdom," he shrugged. "Such profound depth from a young extrovert, it is strange."

"Aww. That's so kind of you, sir. I am sure there is a compliment in there somewhere."

Brian smiled and looked into her eyes. "Seriously, there is so much more to you than I initially thought."

"I was just about to say the same thing, sir."

Paige and Brian settled into a comfortable silence. Their thoughts ran wild about the overwhelming events of the day, and what it meant going forward.

"Mr Rochester."

"Yes?"

"I have two questions for you. Will you answer them?"

Brian arched an eyebrow at the cheeky grin on her face, "Hmm. Terms and conditions apply," he retorted.

Her smile broadened. "One. What were you doing in the bushes when you got on all fours?"

He grinned and bit his lip. "I was doing what is referred to as the cat and cow pose."

"Yoga?" Paige inquired.

"Yes. After checking that I had no severe injuries that would require immobility. I did the pose to relieve my lower back pain."

Paige giggled. She recalled how he sprung on her and said 'mate'. It was equal parts hilarious and hot.

Brian smirked knowingly, he was sure she was thinking of the 'werewolf stunt'.

"Two. Why have you not told me to call you, Brian?"

He ran a hand through his hair, and his cheeks flushed. "I like it when you call me, Mr Rochester."

"Okay, Mr Rochester," Paige replied cheekily.

He shook his head playfully and looked at the wall clock. "It is nine p.m. and the doctor said we are free to go." He pointed a thumb in the direction of his room as he concluded. "If it is okay with you, we can go back to our inn. I will go get my stuff."

"Yeah. I would love to get out of here and sleep in a real bed," Paige replied.

"Sure?"

"Positive. Thank you, Mr Rochester."

He turned to leave. When he lay his hand on the door handle, Paige called out to him.

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"I would not change today for anything, sir. It started off with fresh, plant petal and root sampling-"

"But-"

"-from there we had a breathtaking, sky high view of the Cliffs of Dover. In a hot air balloon. Eventually, we ended up jumping from it as it burst into flames." Her eyes twinkled with excitement as she recalled the events.

"It was the most spectacular day ever!" Paige exclaimed. "I would do it all over again, but maybe with a helmet and some safety padding on."

Brian smiled, "You are a pretty amazing woman, Paige. I must say, you displayed remarkable courage and poise in the face of probable death."

Paige nodded. "Thank you, sir. You are a pretty amazing man, Mr Rochester," she replied quietly.

Their eyes shone with newfound appreciation of one another. Just for a moment, everything else faded into the background. Brian cleared his throat and approached the door. He paused briefly and looked back. "I will clear us at the reception and book a taxi to take us to our inn."

"Okay."

"We are going back to London in the morning."

Paige winced. "Straight back to the lab for analytical work right?" Her muscles tensed and she felt her stress hormones going into overdrive.

"No. I can speak to Professor Rawlings and appeal for two weeks off. I am sure he will excuse you from weekly lab work so you can fully recover."

"I hope so," Paige replied. "All he will need is a medical report right?"

"Yes."

"Mr Rochester?"

Paige gave Brian a pointed look. "You owe me dinner or lunch when we get back to London. The hospital food sucked."

Brian grinned."You have my word, Paige."