"Stupid… stupid," she whispered harshly, cursing herself. "Why did I push him like that?" The words caught in her throat as dread crept in like cold fingers. Then— a sudden thought struck her.
"Maybe… maybe he swallowed water."
Her breath hitched. Without wasting another second, she shifted closer, one hand bracing his back, the other against his stomach. She pressed down not gently, forcing her weight forward in sharp, rhythmic motions.
"Come on… come on, please."
And then—his body jerked. A violent cough ripped from his chest as water spilled from his mouth, Astra's heart leapt relief blooming, but it was fleeting.
His eyes still hadn't opened.
"Kriya…" she whispered, voice breaking, fear clawing up her throat all over again.
She froze, mind racing. Her breath came short and sharp.And then—a thought she didn't want to think forced its way to the front.
Her gaze dropped to his face. Pale. Still. Her fingers curled into fists as she battled with herself.
"No," she muttered. "I can't—I mean, I—"
But her hands moved anyway. One rose to his cheek, the other to his jaw, holding his face gently—too gently. She bent closer, trembling.
Then froze lips a breath away, eyes squeezed shut. Fighting herself. Fighting the moment. Fighting the thunder in her own chest.
Silence pressed in around them.
She cracked one eye open. His face was right there—barely a breath between them. Her gaze drifted to his lips. Soft… too soft, like pressed rose petals left out in the rain delicate, pale, and lifeless beneath the glisten of riverwater.
She swallowed hard, chest heaving.
"It's not the time to waste time thinking," she muttered through clenched teeth. "I'm just—just going to give him air."
Her voice trembled with urgency, but her hands stayed steady—cradling his face like something too fragile to lose. She drew in a sharp breath, eyes shutting tight as if bracing herself against a storm then leaned in, heart pounding.
And pressed her lips to his.
It wasn't gentle. It was desperate—a collision of fear and hope as breath passed from her to him.
Kriya's eyes snapped open.
Wide. Wild. Shock flared in them like lightning, his body jolting at the contact—at the warmth, at the rush of life forced back into him.
But Astra didn't see it. Her eyes were still shut, lashes wet, breath trembling as she gave him air again. Her lips parted only when she gasped for another breath.
Then froze.
Her eyes fluttered open, and met his.
He was awake alive—staring at her in stunned silence. Riverlight danced in his wide, dazed eyes. His lips, still brushing hers, trembled as if caught between speech and disbelief.
Astra stared, breath caught halfway through her chest, her body frozen above his. Their faces inches apart. Too close. Too fast.
And yet for a second neither moved.
Kriya jolted upright with a sudden gasp and Astra, caught off guard, nearly slipped back into the river. But before she could fall, his arms shot forward. He caught her, pulled her in. And she crashed into him into the curve of his chest, arms instinctively wrapping around her as if it were the only thing anchoring them both to the moment.
Then—stillness.
Astra's body stiffened in his embrace, her breath stuttering against his shoulder. Her cheeks burned crimson, the tips of her ears glowing, and her wide eyes vanished behind her hands as she buried her face into his chest trying, failing, to hide.
The warmth of his skin. The scent of river water and something… something unmistakably Kriya.
Her heart thundered, loud enough to drown the world. The lingering haze of wineberries she'd been under was now completely gone washed out by shock, flushed away by the way he held her, by the realization of what had just happened.
A moment passed. And then another.
And then it hit them.
The pose. The closeness. The heat.
Astra's hands flinched. Kriya blinked, his arms loosening. Like a silent agreement, they both released each other and scrambled apart awkwardly, hastily, each turning their backs with shoulders tense and breathing ragged. Silence returned heavy, thudding silence. But under it, their hearts still raced. Loud and reckless. Like thunder trapped in skin.
Astra sat frozen, still beet-red, her soaked sleeves clinging to her skin. Embarrassment crackled around her like a storm, and in her mind, the only escape plan worth considering was flinging herself back into the river and letting it take her forever.
Why, why, WHY did I do that?! she screamed internally, cheeks burning so hot she could boil tea on them.
Meanwhile, Kriya—still catching his breath—lifted a trembling hand to his lips. He touched them gently, eyes wide, as if testing whether what he'd just felt was real or some dream.
His head turned slowly.
And there she was.
Astra, crouched beside a rock, whispering curses at herself with increasing intensity.
"Stupid! Idiot! Absolute mushroom-brained lunatic—next time, let him drown! Let. Him. Drown! That would've been better than committing this injustice to him!"
He blinked.
A beat of silence.
"…Did she just say let me drown…?"
He cleared his throat softly. Astra froze mid-crouch, like a deer caught mid-sprint, one eye twitching. Her furious muttering died instantly, horror dawning on her face as her head turned ever so slowly toward the sound.
"Kriya, I can explain—"
"Thank you," he said, quietly.
"…Huh?" she blinked, caught mid-excuse.
"Thank you for saving me."
Her mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again—like a confused fish floundering in shallow water. "Oh," she breathed at last. A sigh of pure, exhausted relief slipped past her lips.
"Thank you… for not misunderstanding the situation," she mumbled, eyes darting everywhere but his face. "And… sorry. For, you know—committing this… grave injustice on you." She bowed her head slightly, as if mourning the last shreds of her dignity.
Kriya lowered his gaze, a faint color rising to his cheeks. He didn't know what to say at first, until a quiet thought slipped out of him, almost unintentionally,
"…I don't think it was a grave injustice."
Astra blinked, her head lifting slowly.
Their eyes met.
She gave him a small, sheepish look—half apology, half disbelief. He answered with a quiet smile, one that flickered shyly at the corners of his lips before he gave a small nod, as if to say, it's okay.
The river whispered beside them, sunlight glinting off its rippling surface in warm, golden waves. The light was bright In the sky clear.
Astra cleared her throat and sat back a little, pulling her knees to her chest, the wet fabric of her clothes clinging to her arms. Kriya shifted too, settling just a short distance away. Not far. But not close either.
The silence that followed wasn't heavy—it was hesitant. Careful.
"I didn't mean to push you that hard," she murmured, fingers fiddling with a stray thread on her sleeve. "I just… I don't know what came over me."
Kriya glanced at her. "What happened?"
She thought for a moment, brows furrowing. "It was like… a flash. A memory, but not mine. I don't think I've ever been there." She shook her head slowly. "It doesn't make sense."
"It will," Kriya said, voice barely above a whisper. "Eventually."
Astra let out a dry, bitter laugh. "Nothing feels fine right now… I've ended up back in this state again, because of fire… Always the fire."