"Ms. Carnahan?"
Evelyn nearly jumped at the sound of a voice coming in front of her. Dropping the book she was reading by the fire, she looked up to see Beni.
Standing there, hat now off and held between his clutched hands he looked halfway nervous. Evelyn rolled her eyes. She really didn't like Beni, in fact he annoyed her for the last day or so that they interacted. Thinking him as no more then scum, she sat up straight against the rock she was leaning on and eyed the others who slept around her.
"What?"
"I thought you might need this, the desert gets cold at night."
He held out a wool blanket. Evelyn looked at him as though he had two heads before realizing it really was getting chilly. Waiting for some trick, she stared at him for a second before slowly taking the blanket.
"Thank you…"
Beni quickly nodded and turned away. Evelyn held the blanket in her hands before clearing her throat.
"Are you from Israel?"
Beni stopped before turning, his eyes still nervous.
"Yes…Jerusalem is where my family lived."
"I heard you served in the army for some time?"
Beni nodded.
"For five years, I also sailed with our Navy through the Mediterranean Sea."
Evelyn glanced at O'Connell and her brother sleeping before looking back at him.
"Mind keeping me company as the fire dies out, my eyes are sore from reading in such dim light."
Beni looked uncertain before slowly walking over, trying his best not to make any noise. Evelyn watched him and thought about how silly she was acting. O'Connell had been bending over backwards to impress her this entire time. Looking at him for a moment she thought of how typically handsome he was. Looking at Beni a strange unsettling feeling went through her.
Beni took Evelyn's blanket and slowly put it around her shoulders before sitting down. Evelyn was caught off guard by this small act of kindness and saw that Beni really was a gentlemen underneath that sneaky thief was a personally he had. Sitting beside her, Beni looked down almost embarrassed to even make eye contact with her. Finally Evelyn spoke.
"O'Connell says you've been here too?
Beni slowly nodded before the two sat in silence for a while. The fire across from them popped and cracked from the burning wood. Finally he looked up.
"I know what you must think of me, a thief and a no good rat."
"I wasn't…"
"No it's okay, I understand…I came here because I have no money and no place else to go." "But I have the strangest feeling it was a mistake."
"Do…do you think we'll find something?"
Beni shrugged.
"Who knows…"
Evelyn pulled the blanket around her tighter as a strong wind howled around them. Glancing up at the star lit sky she took a deep breath before seeing his chains and smiling.
"Open minded man are we?"
Beni took a second before looking down and faintly smiling.
"I guess you could say that."
Evelyn then got another strange feeling over her before she locked eyes with him.
"That's very rare you know."
"What?"
"Blue eyes, somebody like you having blue eyes all the way out here in the middle East."
Beni softly laughed.
"My mother was Irish you see, I often get commented on it."
"I think their really stunning, I've never seen such a color before in my life."
Both smiled across from each other before Evelyn got the sudden urge to just lean over and kiss him.
Just then the sound of horses were heard in the distance along with somebody from the camp talking with another person. Their voices mumbled. Evelyn quickly looked away at the fire which was now burning out.
"I guess I better get to bed."
Beni said. Evelyn looked over trying her best to smile.
"Well I guess I'll see you in the morning."
Beni got up and began walking away before he glanced over his shoulder.
"Night Evelyn."
Watching him disappear, Evelyn settled back down and looked up at the stars.
"Evelyn…"
She thought to herself before smiling and turning over.
