Go where? Where were we? Had we somehow made it to civilization? I doubted it, because honestly, with the amount of trauma and cold both of us had experienced yesterday, we should be in a hospital, not in a freaking ski cabin.
“Where are we?”
Ettore winced at me.
“I hope you are asking about where specifically, and not generally, because if you don’t remember that we’re on the west coast of Norway, we have much bigger issues than my-uh, almost floral bruises.”
“No, yes, I know we are in Norway, I know that our ferry capsized, I know that we were in the water, and I did CPR, but what happened next? How did I get in here? Where is here?”
I could hear my voice creeping upwards, potential hysteria beginning to ooze in. It seemed that Ettore noticed too. In a smooth movement, he scooted closer until we were pressed together.
“Hey, hey, hey,rilassati,everything is okay or will be.” He looped an arm around me just like I had held Jin Woo yesterday.
“We are onsomeland, an island of some sort, the big, hairy redhead says it’s a sheep island, where a farmer would put his sheep so as not to have to worry about putting up fences or predators. We’re in the shepherd's cabin, and the redheaded one and Jin Woo have gone to set some fires to see if they can attract any attention from rescuers.”
I winced. My analytical brain was whirring, tearing apart all hope. I gnawed on the inside of my lips for a moment.
Ettore shrugged sheepishly.
“I believe they are purposely ignoring the facts. Neither of them seems particularly good at being patient. I figured it was for the best for them to burn some of the energy off. I, on the other hand, was more than happy to rest.”
Trapped on an island for lord knows how long. Great.
That prick of obsession raised its head in me.
“A red-headed guy? The same one from the ferry?”
Ettore nodded obligingly, tucking me in further.
“Yes, do you know him? He hasn’t been especially talkative. All, ‘I’m a gruff Scandi man who thinks even a little polite small talk is worse than death,’” Ettore dipped his voice and raised his shoulders, supposedly imitating Not-Oskar.
“No, not really, he just reminds me of someone I used to know. Did he wash ashore, too?”
Ettore shrugged, loosely, indolently, like a prince or courtier of some fancy European court.
“Yes, but not where we came ashore. He scooped you up, quite frantically, and brought all three of us here. He apparently had come ashore earlier and found the cabin as he was looking for help.”
“Oh, okay. Is it just us? Are we the only survivors?”
“I don’t know about the captain and the older woman and the assistant, but we have this lump here too.” Ettore lightly kicked a person, which I only just noticed. He was camped out right in front of the fire, and every so often, a little grumble of a snore would make its way out of him.
“Apparently, he had followed the redhead to the island, whinging the entire time he swam. Honestly, you’re lucky that he’s asleep. The rest of us woke up in the middle of the night and spoke a bit, but you slept through his whining,” he paused and looked at me with a look that was so,sosweet that I couldn’t bear it. I stared down at the blanket. In a moment, he had my face, my chin between his pointer finger and his thumb.
“Sweet one, little savior,” he half whispered, his lips so close to mine, “thank you.Grazie.For saving me and, more importantly, saving Jin Woo. We owe you two lives.”
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from those captivating eyes, but I did my best to shake my head, not breaking eye contact.
“No, don’t worry, it was just what anyone would do.”
“No,” he gave my face a firm squeeze, a chastisement, and something hot and liquid rippled through me. He was just so much, so in control despite his elegant beauty; it was as if he had stolen every breath out of my lungs.
“not anyone. You. You risked your life for us, and now we are yours,” he quirked a mischievous smile, “if you’ll have us.”
I was pretty sure that my brain had completely short-circuited. If I had tried to speak, all that would have come out would have been derpy monosyllabic sounds and grunts if I were unlucky.
Maybe this was what it was like when maidens in Greek myths stumbled upon gods. Though Ettore was no brash Zeus. Maybe Apollo or Hermes.
“Can you both shut up?” mumbled the lump near the fire.
