NOTE ‼️❗‼️🔞 THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS R RATED SCENES
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The movie flickered softly inside the tent, casting shifting shadows across the canvas walls. Theron sat close, but not too close — not yet. His attention had drifted from the screen minutes ago. Every subtle movement Egwene made — the way she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the faint curve of her smile, the way her eyes sparkled in the candlelight — pulled him in deeper.
He wasn't watching the movie. He was watching her.
Egwene shifted slightly, catching the weight of his gaze. She turned her head and met his eyes, cheeks already tinged with pink.
"You're staring," she said softly.
Theron didn't look away. "Yeah."
Her brow lifted, curious. "Why?"
He didn't hesitate. "Because I love you."
The words fell between them like sparks, crackling in the silence. Egwene blinked, caught off guard. Her breath hitched ever so slightly.
She turned her eyes back to the screen, but her voice came quiet and unsure. "What if… I don't love you back?"
Theron's heart beat hard in his chest, but he didn't waver. He shifted closer, his voice low and steady. "Then I'll try my best every day until you do."
There was something in his eyes that made her forget how to breathe. She opened her mouth to say something — maybe to tease, maybe to protest — but the moment swallowed her words.
He reached up gently, brushing his fingers against her jaw. Her skin tingled under his touch, heat rising from her chest to her throat. She didn't pull away.
Theron leaned in slowly, giving her every chance to stop him — but she didn't. Her lips parted just slightly, and he closed the distance between them.
The kiss was soft at first, uncertain, like the beginning of a question neither of them knew how to ask. But then something shifted.
Egwene's hand curled into his shirt, pulling him closer.
Theron deepened the kiss, cupping the back of her neck, pouring everything into it — all the longing, the fear of losing her, the ache that had built in his chest for days. Their breaths tangled, mouths moving in rhythm, as the candlelight flickered brighter around them, catching the glint of her lashes and the curve of his smile.
Time seemed to stop.
The movie played on in the background, forgotten. The world outside — the monsters, the danger, the ruins of the old world — disappeared.
Here, in this fragile little tent lit by firelight and hope, it was just them.
When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads rested together, breaths shallow and smiles trembling at the edges.
"I wasn't expecting that," Egwene whispered.
Theron smiled. "I've been waiting to do that since the day I saw you at that train station and since the day you hit because I took your chocolate
She laughed, leaning into him, fingers still clinging to his shirt.
"Then you'd better be ready to kiss me every time I get mad at you," she teased.
He grinned. "Challenge accepted."
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The sun dipped low behind the trees as Egwene and Theron stepped through the base's entrance, hands still linked from the walk back. Laughter bubbled between them — quiet, effortless, the kind that came from a place of safety. A shared look. A soft brush of fingers. For a moment, the chaos of the world didn't touch them.
But from above, someone was watching.
Aaron stood in the watchtower, his arms resting on the railing, eyes locked on them. He didn't move. He didn't blink. As he saw Theron lean closer, whisper something that made Egwene laugh and squeeze his hand tighter, something in Aaron's chest twisted.
The sound of their joy hit him like a gunshot.
He pushed away from the railing, jaw clenched, and stormed down the stairs.
Egwene noticed him too late.
"Hey, Aaron—" she began, but he didn't look at her.
In one fluid, furious motion, he walked straight up to Theron and slammed a fist across his jaw.
Theron stumbled back, caught off guard, his lip splitting instantly. The force sent him a few steps sideways, but he didn't fall. He turned, slowly, fire rising in his eyes.
"What the hell is your problem?" Egwene shouted, stepping between them.
Aaron's breathing was heavy, raw with emotion. "My problem? You walk back into camp hand in hand like it's some kind of fairy tale, and I'm just supposed to smile and move on?"
"You don't get to decide who I'm with," Egwene snapped, her voice fierce.
Theron wiped the blood from his lip, his eyes never leaving Aaron. "You hit me again, and I won't hold back next time."
Aaron scoffed. "Is that supposed to scare me?"
"Enough!" Aurora's voice cut through the rising tension as she ran into the courtyard, a couple of others behind her. "What is this, high school? We have flesh-eating creatures in the forest and you two want to fight over a girl?"
"Don't talk about her like she's a prize," Theron growled.
"I'm not," Aurora said, stepping between them now. "But let me remind you — a loud fight like this is a beacon. We're lucky those things don't like the firelight. Keep it up and we'll have more than hurt feelings on our hands."
Aaron's fists were still clenched, but he stepped back. "This isn't over," he muttered, glaring at Theron before stalking off into the night.
The camp was silent.
Egwene turned to Theron, worry in her eyes as she touched his bruised face. "You okay?"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah. But I don't think he is."
Aurora crossed her arms. "That jealousy's been festering a long time. You might have lit a fuse tonight."
Theron looked toward the trees where Aaron had disappeared.
"I didn't mean to," he said quietly. "But I'm not going to give her up."
Egwene looked at him, her hand finding his again.
"You're not going to have to."
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