‘I’ll go find that wood,’ Caz says again, bringing me back to the moment. ‘I guess you should get in the queue for your hugs.’
I turn around to see what she’s talking about. Both Ruben and Kyor are standing at the back of the cave unbuttoning their shirts. Skin on skin has always been the best way for Ruben to transfer his heat to someone, the same way he did with me when I rescued Fen, but this is the first time I’ve seen Kyor accept one of Ruben’s hugs with his shirt off. That’s definitely something new.
‘Come on, be honest, you’ve dreamed about this too,’ Benny whispers in my ear as he sidles up beside me. I move to elbow him in the side, but he shifts away, his eyes meeting mine with rare seriousness.
‘So about Ruben …’ he says tentatively.
As I glance around, I see that Caz and Thessa are already gone.
‘You like him?’ I finish, trying to speed the conversation along.
‘Right, and I think he might like me too …’
I glance back at Ruben, who is now topless and wrapping his arms around Kyor. Yup, that’s definitely an image I didn’t expect to see on the trip, and it’s one that’s surprisingly difficult to draw my eyes away from.
‘Okay,’ I say, finally looking back at Benny. ‘So what’s the problem? If you’re worried about Ruben and me?—’
‘No, no, that’s not it,’ Benny says remarkably quickly. ‘I know how much he loved you and everything, but I think he started to let go of that idea when you entered the Retterheld. He knew you’d win, knew you’d go on to bigger, brighter things, and leave him behind. When you reconnected, it rekindled that hope a little, I think, but … it didn’t take much to snuff it out. He’s realised you and Kyor are meant to be. No, the issue isn’t with him. It’s with me.’
‘With you?’ I question, ignoring the ‘meant to be’ comment.
With a slight sniff, Benny bites down on his bottom lip. ‘Okay, so I should probably admit I’ve never had a relationship before. Well, I’ve had “relationships”.’ He uses his fingers as air quotes. ‘I’ve had plenty of those. Like loads and loads. Too many to even?—’
‘I get the idea,’ I cut across him.
‘Right.’ His feet shift slightly on the stone floor of the cave. ‘It’s just … he’s special, right?’
Warmth floods my cheeks as I turn back to Ruben, who is finally moving away from Kyor. ‘Yeah, he is.’
‘And I don’t want to screw it up. And there are so many reasons it would be a disaster in the making. I mean, with my position, he and I … long term, it’s just?—’
Facing Benny once more, I place my hands on his shoulders, stopping his rambling. ‘You know what? I don’t think it’s me you need to be telling this to,’ I say, glancing back at the other two.
This time, Ruben’s eyes flicker across to us. ‘Hey, so the precious princeling is all warmed up,’ he teases, voice warm. ‘Which one of you two is next?’
Rather than answering, Benny looks at me, something almost like fearin his eyes. I respond to it with the only thing I can: a smile, which remains on my face as I turn back and look at Ruben.
‘That’ll be Benny,’ I say, slapping my friend on the arm before whispering in his ear, ‘You’ve got this, buddy.’
With a glance at Kyor, I raise my voice. ‘Hey, Kyor, want to help me find some wood?’ I say as he strides across to me. ‘You too, Loch.’
While Loch, who was running his hands over the stone walls, immediately vacates the cave, no doubt having heard the conversation between Benny and me, a frown creases the prince’s face. ‘I thought the others had gone to do that,’ he questions.
‘Yes,’ I press the word pointedly. ‘But we could always do with more.’
‘Really? I was going to?—’
‘Any time now would be great.’ I offer him my most withering glare before skirting my eyes across to Benny and Ruben. Finally getting it, Kyor gapes slightly before he clamps his jaw shut and moves to join me.
‘You know, I’ve only just got warm,’ he says as we head back out of the cave, Loch ambling in front of us. ‘And now you’re making me get cold again just so they can get some alone time?’
‘That’s exactly what I’m doing,’ I respond.
As soon as we step outside, my eyes are drawn to the sky and the bright blue expanse that’s been revealed.
‘The weather changes so quickly here,’ I say aloud.
‘Yes, I don’t think the mountains have ever looked so clear.’
