One disadvantage to being stranded - privacy is in short supply. With the exception of the small spaces they cram themselves into to film video diaries, to find privacy is to venture too far away from camp and freak out the others, or end up lost in the thicket of trees that start to look the same after the tenth banana palm. After dinner is really the only time there is to do your own thing, if you so desire - and god, does he ever.
"Come with me." his breath is warm, lips just catching the silky outer shell of her ear, and her blue hoodie is pinched between two fingers at her wrist.
"Okay."
She agrees without hesitating, and for once, he's grateful she trusts him as readily as she does.
It's a lesson learned the hard way not to stray too far into the jungle, and they're no more than five minutes away from camp, when he stops and she nearly crashes into his back, if not for a quick arm thrown around his middle. She blushes and apologizes into his shoulder, brown eyes darting around the clearing of mostly short, stout banana trees - she knows this clearing well, it's where she had not so subtly told Nathan to back off with his pretentious attitude toward Jackson.
"It's alright." because oh, this girl, and her apologies. "I actually brought you here for a reason."
"What is it?" her head tilts, silky black hair spilling over one shoulder. "Jackson?"
"I, uh - well, I," he looks down at the jungle floor, hoping for some courage, because shit, he is screwing this up. "I don't know what that reason was exactly but I just needed to not be at camp. With you." he flings his hands up because honestly, he is feeling a little out his element. It only takes him a second to realize what he said; a second that nearly has Melissa running for camp. "Damn it. I didn't mean it like that. I meant I needed us to not be at camp where we could possibly be interrupted."
"Well, we're in the middle of the jungle." Melissa allows herself a giggle at his expense, spreading her arms. "Unless trees can talk, I don't think we'll be interrupted."
"No - but Eric and Taylor can." Jackson raises an eyebrow at her.
"Touchè."
"Look, Mel, you're my best friend, here. I've told you that, but lately, I've been thinking." he's finally worked up enough courage to do this. Maybe. "I made that stupid rule about not dating - if you can call it dating in this hellhole, while we're here and I think maybe, that was wrong because I've been considering breaking that rule."
"Breaking it - uh, okay?" her face scrunches in curiosity and, damn it, she's adorable when she clueless. "What does this have to do with me?"
The answer is there in the haze of lust and attraction his brain has become. He knows it is. But, right now, all he can think about is the fact that she's standing in front of a tree and he'd very much like to, ahem, deflower that tree with her. Okay, whoa. His mind really needs to come out from the gutter. He wants to violate the tree, not Melissa, so he does. And, she's there, all warm skin and soft cotton and full lips, pressed up against a palm tree, slight inexperience making a clumsy mess of the kiss but he just doesn't care. He licks into her mouth like he's dying of thirst and she's the first drop of water he's had in days.
"E'sy, 'el." he mumbles against her lower lip, nibbling the swollen skin. "Not edible."
Her fingers curl into the belt loops of his pants and pull him closer, hips creating delicious friction. She pulls aways, breathless but with a smile that wrinkles her eyes at the corners. Her lips soon drop in a hesitant frown and he wants to kiss it away because he's tired of seeing her so disappointed - in him, in their situation, in whatever drama is happening at camp. "Jackson," she murmurs, blushing a brilliant scarlett. "I'm not very good at this -"
He just smiles and echoes her words from a night when there had been nothing but music, the moon, the waves rustling on the beach, and the sound of feet shuffling in sand. A night when stepping on her toes was literal, not figurative, and when he finally felt like he belonged, like he does now.
"I'll teach you."
Welcome home, OnceAnonymous14! If you're reading this I'm doing one of two things - sleeping, or working my ass off. More than likely the latter, but it might be the former. I feel a bit out of practice but I gave it my best shot. After this weekend, I'm hoping to get back into the depths of writing fanfiction - that makes it sound scary. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, anyway. Love ya. Hope to talk to you soon!
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Love,
RobertDowneyJrLove