...

"OKAY, FUCK, MARRY, KILL. Choose."

"Between you three?" Ella asked as they walked to the pile of logs Clarkson had set out for them. She thought for a second, before replying. "Fuck you, marry Will, kill Levi."

"Why would you only fuck me?" Alex said indignantly," I'm obviously marriage material."

"I don't particularly care," Ella said," if you want I can choose you for marry."

"No," Alex huffed," now it isn't coming out of your heart anymore."

"El and I would have a happy marriage," Will said as he threw his arms around her.

Ella chuckled as she hugged him back briefly, before pulling back and walking towards the logs. People were sitting around them, none of them looking eager to move and begin. Clarkson kept trying to shoo them away, but to no avail. She would've stayed longer for that amusing sight if not for the fact she wanted to be done quickly. Her lack of sleep and coffee wasn't doing her much good. At that moment she saw Tamara walking towards them and her hopes of leaving within minutes were gone. The girl's eyes were cautious when she stopped in front of them, fidgeting with her fingers in front of Alex.

"Hey," Alex smiled," what's up?"

Surprise flashed in Tamara's eyes and she turned her head to look at Ella for a moment. When she realized what the question in Tamara's eyes was, she shook her head almost unnoticeably. The gratefulness on Tamara's face was gone so quickly Ella almost thought she imagined it.

"Nothing," Tamara said as she twirled her hair around her finger," I was just wondering if you could help lift up some logs."

"Of course, sugar," Alex grinned," you know I could help with a lot of things."

"Really?" Tamara said, her barely contained happiness spilling over.

"Just show me the way."

"If you need more help, just call for me," Will offered.

Alex and Tamara looked up in surprise, having forgotten his presence for a moment, and Ella stifled a laugh.

"Will!" she called out," come here, we need you."

"No, we don't," Levi frowned at her.

"Hush," she said.

Tamara cast one look in Ella's direction, before nodding at Will. "Actually, my other group members really need help too, so that would be great, Will, thank you."

Will nodded and joined them, leaving Ella behind in confusion. When Tamara gave her a brief thumbs up after, that only grew, a frown on her face. Why'd Tamara take Will along? This would have been the ideal moment to be alone with Alex. Well, whatever, it wasn't like she was invested enough to meddle anyway.

"It's just us two now," Ella sighed as she went to lift a log.

Levi didn't say a word, instead taking the log before she could and easily carrying it over his shoulder.

"You're in a bad mood," she said," why?"

If she hadn't been together with him non-stop for more than twenty-four hours now, she wouldn't even have noticed. He always was angry after all, but his posture was more tense than before, his jaw set. Surprise flickered in his eyes for a moment, but it vanished quickly.

"What're you talking about?" he said.

"Is it because I said I'd kill you?" Ella said," to be fair, it was the reaction I'd expected you to want."

Levi stopped dead in his tracks.

"Why?" he said.

"You don't like me all that much," Ella said.

He looked at her and for a moment, with his messy hair and sunlit eyes, he looked so handsome her heart skipped a beat. She cursed herself in her head, but that didn't stop her from looking at him.

"Who said that?" he said suddenly, the words breaking her out of a trance.

"What?" Ella blinked in confusion.

"Who said that I don't like you?" he said as he neared, easily towering over her even though she was quite tall herself.

"No one, but I just got the impression -"

"Unless you hear it directly from me," he cut her off," it isn't true."

"What?" Ella said," does that mean you like me?"

"I don't dislike you," he said.

"You're cryptic, you know that?" Ella chuckled as she tried to calm down her beating heart.

She bent over to pick up another log, but Levi sweeped it off the floor before she could again. Ella huffed in annoyance and straightened her back.

"Why do you keep doing that?" she said.

He looked at her as if the answer was all too obvious.

"Because they're heavy," he said.

"I can carry them just fine," she began, before remembering they thought she couldn't.

"Even if you could," he shrugged," I would still carry them."

"Why?" Ella said.

"You should learn to depend on someone," Levi said as he started walking back to the water," instead of doing everything by yourself."

Ella grabbed rope from the ground and followed close behind. "So you want me to just depend on anyone?"

"No, definitely not," Levi said," I meant you should depend on me."

"Next time I'm in need of someone to carry my logs, I'll call you," she said.

"You don't have my number," he said.

"It was a joke," Ella said.

Levi pulled to a sudden halt and she bumped against his back.

"Why'd you stop?" she said.

He dropped the logs he had been holding on the grass and stretched out his hand towards her.

"Give me your phone."

"What?" Ella said, not sure she heard him right.

"Give it."

"No," Ella said.

"What do you mean no?" he frowned.

"I mean," she said," if you want my phone, you ask for it nicely. Say please."

He looked at her, dumbfounded, but she didn't budge.

"Fine," he gritted out," give me your phone... please."

"Here you go," she smiled as she handed him her phone," now was that so hard?"

He scowled at her, but started ticking on her screen.

"What do you want with my phone anyway?" Ella said," there's no cell service here."

He tapped a few times on his own phone too, before handing hers back to her.

"I've added myself as contact," he said curtly," also, you need to get a password."

"Why?" Ella said," do you want to carry logs for me out there in the modern world? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not a lumberjack."

He just picked up the logs and walked on. Ella matched his quick pace easily, her curious eyes on his broad back.

"Are you pouting?" she said," I was just kidding, you know. I'll call you."

He glanced over his shoulder and his usual scowl seemed to fade away for a bit.

"If you don't I'll just call you," he said," I have your number too."

"Wouldn't have guessed you the straightforward type," Ella said.

Although he didn't turn his head, she knew he was rolling his eyes and the thought almost made her chuckle. They reached the river soon enough and Levi dropped the logs on the ground.

"Those idiots just left to let us do this all on our own," Levi scowled.

"It's alright," Ella said," you have me."

"That's worrying," he deadpanned," the way your eyes started to gleam when you looked at me while we were talking about building a raft - I'm half suspecting you're planning to sink me."

"I would never," she gasped.

There went her plan of sneakily sinking the raft when he sat on it.

"Yeah, sure you wouldn't," he said.

"Come on now," she said," let's build a raft together."

To her surprise he complied without much difficulty, placing the logs beside each other as she tied the knots.

"This is just like when we build that tent all over again," she said," except way less violent. How nostalgic."

"That was literally yesterday."

"Shut up."