“No. I mean, we can’t let it happen.”
“Why not?”
“Pete, you’re not a new recruit. You know what the rules are. Co-fraternization will get us both punished. Maybe even kicked out of the military altogether.”
“No one is going to know that we’reco-fraternizing. Look at where we are — in the middle of nowhere.”
“Pete, it’s wrong. We can’t do this.” Eva walked away from him and held her hands over the fire.
“I want to tell you something,” Pete said, joining her. “Earlier, after you’d rescued me and had gone to get firewood, I could have sworn you were lying next to me. You were warming me with your body. It felt wonderful because it warmed me from the inside out, but mostly because it wasyou. You’re incredibly beautiful, Eva, and I’m very attracted to you.”
“But that’s just the thing — we can’t act on our attraction. It’s against the rules.”
“So you’re attracted to me, too!” Pete said triumphantly.
“No! That’s not what I meant.”
“Oh yes it was. Come on now, be honest. You like me!”
“Pete, I can say, hand on heart, that Idon’tlike you. You’re arrogant and annoying.”
“Okay, that might be true, but you’re into me.”
Eva snorted, then quickly covered her nose with her hand. “Seriously, how old are you? We’re not teenagers.”
“In some ways I’m still a teenager, if you know what I mean.”
“Stop it!”
An owl called from a tree somewhere on the ledge just above them, making them both jump. The shock of it made them laugh, breaking through the tension that had been building between them. A moment later, a wolf howled somewhere far off in the distance.
“The creatures of the night are coming to life,” Pete said.
“We’d better get some sleep. We’ll set out at first light to find our way back to the others.”
“Here, you lie down here right next to the fire, and I’ll get behind you,” Pete said. “You deserve to get closest to the fire since you built it.”
Eva looked at him disapprovingly. “Nice try, but no way. Your dream is not about to come true.”
“Come on, Eva, trust me. Our body heat will keep each other warm. I’ll agree to your no co-fraternization terms.”
“Damn straight you will,” Eva said gruffly, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
“Do I have to worry about those wolves paying us a visit in the night?”
“I doubt it,” Eva said. “It’s not exactly an easy spot to access. They’ll be looking for more easy prey.” She had a sudden thought of her squad and hoped they were having a less dramatic and eventful time during their first night in the wilderness.
Pete’s arm came to rest on her hip. “Don’t worry, I’m not trying anything,” he said. “It’s just nice to elevate my arm at night. Old shoulder injury.”
Eva resisted the urge to make a jibe. “What happened?”
“I dislocated it during combat training. It took two days to see a medic. She reset it, but it never really healed properly.”
“The hip that you’re using as an armrest?” Eva said. “Some genius on my squad when I was a new recruit tackled me during a game of football. All two hundred and fifty pounds of him fell right on my hip. Fractured it in two places.”
“Ouch. Double ouch. Is it painful?”
“Only when it rains. Or when rain is forecast. Or when it has rained.”
