White Eyes

Chapter 10 - Decisions

— Eyder —

We were heading into the fourth day without her sleeping, and I was getting somewhat concerned. Maybe too much. She already seemed tired, but she insisted on keeping watch. I didn't exactly know why; maybe she truly thought she was the strongest in the group, which even I believed she was, but she needed to sleep. So, on that night, I had decided that I would stay awake or wake up in the middle of the night. As always, she sat leaning against a tree. She looked so beautiful; even though she was dirty, she remained beautiful.

I pretended to be asleep, showing that I trusted her. Then, to my embarrassment, I dozed off, and when I woke up, I saw that she was fishing, her head drooping and rising. I went to her and said, "You can sleep."

She looked at me as if evaluating me and only then said, "But I don't want to."

"Come on, lie down for a while, or just close your eyes right there, sitting. I'll sit beside you, and you can sleep while I keep watch."

"But I'm afraid," she said, biting her lower lip as if deciding whether to tell me or not.

"Of what? I'm here; you don't need to be afraid."I felt embarrassed saying that, but luckily, she didn't seem to think the same. I felt like I was in a cliché movie.

"I'm afraid of closing my eyes, and when I open them, it's all dark again, and none of this happened; my eyes are blindfolded again."

I wanted to hug her and tell her that it was okay, but I hesitated like a coward. After a mental struggle, I managed to say something at least. "You can lean against me; at least this way, you'll know that when you wake up, there won't be darkness because you'll feel that I'm by your side," I said, trying not to let my voice falter.

She moved closer to me until she was leaning against me, then went back to watch the forest. I couldn't help but feel how weak I was. I wanted to touch her, so I made her lean against me. How embarrassing. But okay, I waited for her to say something else, then I realized her eyes were starting to close, and when her head was about to fall, I pulled it and placed it on my shoulder. At least I did something right.

Looking at her was addictive; her beauty seemed to have come from heaven. Instead of looking around, I ended up looking at her, and I put my arm around her shoulders. Who needed sleep when you could look at her all night? Tonight, she seemed even more like a goddess—the goddess of winter, undoubtedly. I absentmindedly stroked her soft cheek but stopped myself from going further.

It was morning when I realized I hadn't noticed the time passing while looking at her. I could look at her for eternity. I was so absorbed in my thoughts about her that I didn't even notice Lina staring at me with a sly smile. I didn't need telepathy to know what she was thinking. And of course, my face instantly turned red. I had no idea how long she had been watching me, and the worst part was that I hadn't taken my eyes off Ayra for a second. She must have had plenty of material for fanfiction.

I had to look away, searching for another point, to maintain my composure. Of course, it didn't work; my face felt hot. Luckily, amid my mental breakdown, Ayra woke up and looked at me. That's when I remembered that my arm was still around her. No wonder her gaze was so intense and full of questions; I wasn't just looking at her; my arm was around her.

She began to move and get up, seeming surprised by our position. She had fallen asleep sitting at the foot of the tree and had woken up still in the same place, but with her head on my shoulder because I had pulled her close and my arm around her. I had no doubt she had figured everything out.

"Thank you," she said, averting her gaze. I was sure she had figured it all out.

"You're welcome."

I saw that she seemed happy to see me. That made me smile; it was good to see her happy.