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. . . All I did was blink and somehow I ended up back in my tent. I looked back down at my bandaged hand as I twisted my wrist around and bent my knuckles. The pain had mysteriously vanished.
I was snapped out of my thoughts when Daniel bursted into my tent. My first instinct was to hide my hand behind my back and step in front of the shards of glass that were still scattered across the ground.
"What the hell were you thinking!?" he yelled with annoyance and anger in his voice, "Challenging Pan like that!?"
"Oh, so now you're talking to me?" I sassed back while crossing my arms. Granted, it's been only two days since he'd last spoken to me, but it still felt like an entire eternity.
He placed his hand over his forehead with his thumb and forefinger on his temples, "We're not talking about this right now."
"You might not be, but I am," I asserted firmly, "Now, what did I do wrong, huh?"
Daniel avoided my gaze and kept his eyes on the ground. I unconsciously used my foot to brush away some of the broken glass out his line of sight.
"Was it something I did or say? Was it the kiss-"
"God, Cass!" he threw his arms in the air and slumped down on my cot, "Yes, it was the kiss! Of course it was the God damn kiss!"
"Or lack there of," he added quietly while running his hands down in his face.
I sat down next to him, creaks of the cot filled the silence in the small tent. "I'm sorry-"
"No, I'm sorry," Daniel cut me off again, "I guess I just caught in the moment. I should've made you sure you felt the same before making a stupid move like that."
"It wasn't stupid, Daniel," I shook my head as I rested my hand on his shoulder, "Ever since I was three years old, I've been engaged to a guy I never met. I've been preparing for this marriage for my whole life, that's how important it was to my family. Then to make sure I didn't get cold feet when the time came, my parents isolated me from the world. Besides with my family and the people I grew up with, I've never actually experienced love before."
I took his hands in mine and looked up into his ocean blue eyes, "But I do feel something with you, Daniel. I just... don't understand what this is."
My eyes wondered down to his lips, and I internally scolded myself, but I couldn't bring myself to look away. There was so much tension between us like that night in the cave during Pan's game of hide and seek.
Pan's game.
I briefly broke the gaze. Of course, even during a moment like this, he would somehow find a way to sneak into my mind.
Before I could say something to stop us from going any further, Daniel shortened the distance between us by pressing his lips against mine. The kiss was sweet and gentle, it wasn't forced or harsh. There wasn't any time to think or react, so I kissed him back.
