She laughs despite herself, the sound echoing off the walls. When she stumbles slightly on some loose rocks, she crashes into my side. I steady her with a hand on her waist, trying to ignore how right it feels to have her this close.
“The romance, the drama, the cave-ins...” I continue.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“You love it,” I wink.
We start moving again, our headlamps cutting through the darkness. The air is thick with dust.
“So,” I say, breaking the silence, “if we make it out of here alive, what’s the first thing you’re going to do?”
She considers for a moment, unconsciously leaning into me as we navigate a particularly narrow section. “Take the longest, hottest shower of my life. You?”
“Probably join you,” I quip before I can stop myself. Old habits die hard.
She turns, eyebrow raised, close enough that I can see the gold flecks in her eyes, even in this dim light. “In your dreams, Donovan.”
“Every night, Ford,” I shoot back with a grin that’s only half-joking.
We continue like this, trading terrible mine puns (“This situation really rocks, huh?”), the banter keeping us both distracted from the darkness pressing in.
Suddenly, Alex stops. “Wait. Do you hear that?”
I strain my ears. There’s a faint sound, barely audible over our breathing. “Is that water?”
“Underground stream.” Alex nods. “It might lead to an exit.”
“Lead the way, Lewis.” I gesture dramatically. “Your Clark awaits.”
The sound of water grows louder, and suddenly we’re in a larger cavern. A small stream cuts through the center, disappearing into a crevice at the far end.
“If we follow it, it might lead us out,” Alex says, excitement creeping into her voice.
We pick our way along the stream, the rocks treacherously slick under our boots. I keep one hand hovering near the small of her back, ready to catch her if she slips. When she does stumble,her fingers dig into my arm, and I pretend the jolt I feel is just adrenaline.
“Careful,” I murmur, steadying her.
And then we see it – a faint glimmer ahead that makes my heart skip.
“Is that...?” Alex breathes, her grip on my arm tightening.
“Either daylight or the afterlife,” I quip, though relief is making me dizzy. “Let’s hope for the former.”
We scramble toward the light, energy renewed. The exit is partially blocked by fallen rocks, but together, we manage to clear enough space to squeeze through.
And then we’re out, blinking in the late afternoon sunlight. The cool mountain air has never tasted so sweet.
Alex turns to me, her face streaked with dirt and absolutely beautiful. “We did it!”
Before I can respond, she launches herself at me in a fierce hug. For a moment, I’m too stunned to move; I thought inside the mine was an exception – we don’t do this anymore, this casual touching, this closeness. But then my arms wrap around her automatically.
“Thanks,” she mumbles into my chest. “For keeping me calm in there. And for the terrible jokes.”
I chuckle, the sound rumbling through both of us. “Anytime. They were mine, allmine.”
She groans, pulling back to swat my arm, but she’s laughing. “That’s it. Back in the mine you go.”
“Nah, you’d miss me too much,” I say, and immediately wish I hadn’t. Because the way she looks at me then, still flushed from our adventure, dirt smudged across one cheek, makes me want to do something stupid. Like brush that dirt away. Like pull her close again. Like kiss her until we both forget why we ever stopped.
