Love Unspoken

The next morning, Quinn woke up with a start when a drop of dew splashed on her face. She shot up, touched her face, and sighed in relief when she realized it was just dew. This forest had her on edge, always feeling like bugs were crawling all over her.

She looked around and noticed Alexander was nowhere to be seen. She was lying on a pile of grass.Property © NôvelDrama.Org.

After a moment of confusion, she started looking for him.

A few minutes later, she spotted him coming from a distance, and she felt relieved again.

Alexander was lugging some banana leaves, fruits, and a rabbit.

He walked into the clearing, dropped his haul, and said, "You up?"

Quinn nodded and glanced at the stuff on the ground. "Aren't we leaving today?"

Alexander replied, "I just scouted the way and found the direction of the cave. Let's eat first before we head out."

Hearing he found the cave, Quinn felt a bit more at ease. Being in the cave was better than being out in the wild; at least it was safer there.

Alexander roasted the rabbit. A rabbit washed with water tasted way better than a bloody one. They had cooked a lot of wild veggies yesterday, but they weren't filling at all. He handed Quinn a rabbit leg, which was enough to fill her up.

After a quick cleanup, they packed the leftover meat and headed back.

As they trekked through the forest, they ran into a bunch of unfamiliar creatures, and even with Alexander by her side, Quinn was jumpy.

They had walked quite a distance without realizing it. When the forest darkened, Quinn finally saw the familiar cave, which felt like home. She finally relaxed.

She plopped down on the ground, exhausted. After two days away, the cave was still the same as before.

It was getting dark outside again. Alexander lit a fire inside the cave. Quinn looked at the sky outside, unsure of how long they had been stuck in this forest. She also wondered how Abigail was doing.

Then she couldn't help but ask Alexander, "Can we really get out of here?"

Alexander paused in adding firewood, turned to look at Quinn, and said, "After we get out, will you still talk to me?"

Quinn said helplessly, "Why are you asking this again?"

"Then let me ask another question. After we get out, can I see you again?" he asked.

Quinn fell silent.

Although it made her seem ungrateful, she couldn't bring herself to agree.

"Then we won't get out," Alexander said.

Quinn was stunned. "What do you mean?"

Alexander threw down the firewood and lay down on the ground casually, resting his head on his arms as if giving up. "Since you don't plan to see me after we get out, why should I risk my life to scout the way out?" He added, "You've seen how dangerous it is out there. Why should I do something so thankless?"

Quinn fell silent again. She had indeed seen how dangerous it was; his injuries were still not healed.

She bit her lip, thought for a moment, but still didn't know what to say.

Because she was also very conflicted.

After a tiring day, she leaned against the wall, feeling drowsy.

After nightfall, she was suddenly awakened by a bout of coughing. Quinn opened her eyes and saw Alexander sitting by the fire, adding wood while coughing with his head down.

She suddenly became alert and sat up straight. "What's wrong with you?"

"Just a bit cold," he said casually, adding a lot of branches to the fire. The blazing fire lit up the cave, and even from a distance, Quinn could feel the heat. Yet he said he was cold, which was clearly not normal. She quickly got up, came to his side, and reached out to touch his forehead.

"Do you have a fever?" she asked, all worried.