I wasn't going to let it happen. I wouldn't let her die there. I would inspect every corner of that island until I found everything that could provide us with sustenance. I would use every paltry twig I could find to make a safe home for her, and find an effective way to get fresh water. Life had given us the opportunity to be together and I was not going to waste it.

There was no response to my confession. It was no secret at this point, or, at least, not from her. She just leaned close to my body and laid her head on my shoulder, letting me feel our connection as we watched the last rays of the Sun hiding behind the immensity of the ocean. A bittersweet moment full of fear and hope all at once.

"Where do you think we should spend the night?" she asked, sighing on my chest and I would say a little sleepy.
"Get some sleep. I'll handle it, okay?" I replied plucking up the courage to stroke her hair as I had always wanted to do.
"No. I wanna help."
"We'll take turns. When you wake up, I'll sleep. For now, just rest, please."
"Fine… but if you need anything, let me know…"
"I'll do."

And, with a sweet smile, she fell asleep in my arms.

I didn't give it a second thought. There was so much to do. I carried a sack of fruit on each of my shoulders and her in my arms and began the descent to the beach. On the way, less surprised than one might expect that she didn't wake up to the hustle and bustle, I made sure to fill my pockets with acorns and pinyon pineapples. The mushrooms and figs would have to wait for another time.

By the time we got down, it was pitch black, every muscle in my body ached, and I thought my arms were going to fall off. But I had no time to lose limbs, there was a refuge to build.

I laid Anna down carefully on the floor, spread the food beside her, and covered her with my shirt. Then I ran for a good piece of wood with which to carve something like a plate and a glass and got to work. I had never been so grateful for all the obsessions I had acquired as an ice harvester. There was no suit in the world where I couldn't hide my machete.

About four hours and two slight cuts later, I finally had a small mechanism to evaporate and condense sea water to get drinking water ready. All that remained was for it to really work.

It was time to start building the refuge. Something small could serve provisionally while we find the materials to improve it. Finding the food and preparing some kind of stove would be the next day's job. For now, I would only take a few minutes to rest and start preparing what would be our first home.

Without realizing it, the minutes of rest turned into about ten hours of sleep and, when I finally opened my eyes, I found myself lying alone on the beach in the shade of a couple of branches embedded between the stones on the ground and accompanied by an asparagus mountain.

"Anna?" I asked still somewhat disoriented as I tried to focus in the distance.
"Already awake? You can get more sleep if you want: a tiring day is waiting for us."

I turned to look for the distant voice of my sweet redhead and found her about fifty meters from me, sitting in the middle of the meadow, wearing only her undershirt, a petticoat, and a straw hat.

"Where did you get that from? I asked fearing that it was from some inhabitant who had passed us unnoticed the day before.
"I've made it! Isn't it fantastic?! There are a lot of dried weeds around here. I am braiding and tying them to make ropes. I have your hat right here too. You want it?"

I got up immensely surprised by the dexterity and ingenuity she was showing and I went over to enjoy the beautiful smile of pride that occupied her face as she threw my hat at me.

"Thank you, Anna."
"Thank you. I can't imagine how hard it must have been bringing me here last night."
"Did you sleep well?"
"As in a mattress of stones."
"I can have an idea," I replied rubbing the still sore parts of my back from the comfortable floor on which I had rested.
"Oh! Did you see that?! I've found a lot of asparagus over there!" she exclaimed as she pointed excitedly towards some uncertain point at the beginning of the wooded area.
"It's great, Anna. You are great."

She smiled at me and I lost myself in her image. I couldn't believe she was really there, for me; that there was a world for us, and, even with food!

"The water! Has it condensed?"
"And you've even drunk it!"
"What?"
"Don't worry, I've started making more. Wait, can you say make in this case? Well, what difference does it make?"
"But, I don't remember…"

"Oh, I bet you don't, you were very asleep. I thought you could use it so, I woke you up to drink. You did it obediently and kept sleeping."
"Are you serious?"
"You look so cute when you sleep, you know?"

That mischievous look, that smirk, that rosy sea of freckles… I needed to change the subject.

"What about you? Have you drunk?"
"Uh-huh."
"Thank goodness…"

"What do you think we should do today?"
"We have enough food to last a couple of days and water, and there don't seem to be any big predators on the island. Perhaps, the best thing would be to focus on building a more comfortable and secluded place to spend the nights."
"Like a house in a tree?"
"How about a tent?"
"Probably more workable, but also more boring, don't you think?"
"Sorry to settle for something boring for now."
"And what do you intend to do it with?"
"With that over there."

I pointed with a smile at the mountain of clothes she had taken off. The strong fabric of her dress could get us a good shelter against mosquitoes, snakes if any, and other types of small animals.

"Of course! But… what if it's cold when the summer ends?"
"If by then we're still ali… here…"
"Very subtle."
"I bet we managed to make some kind of fabric out of the vegetation in the area. At least, we won't lack time…" I replied with a shrug.

Anna stood up with a mysterious smile, walked over to me, and gently stroked my jaw.

"You will grow a beard."
"It seems so, yeah."
"I want to take advantage before it grows, may I?"
"Take advantage to do what?"

Anna stood on tiptoe and tenderly placed her lips on my cheek.

"May I?"

Seriously? I took a deep breath and lost myself in her gaze. How many times was I going to have to wonder if this was real?

"I beg you."

Carefully, under the shade of her straw hat, Anna placed dozens of soft, leisurely kisses all over my chin, my cheeks, and my jaw. She then kissed the crook between my neck and my ear giving me a pleasant chill and then she went down leaving a trail of pleasant kisses all over my neck until an involuntary moan escaped my mouth when she reached the collar bone.

"I don't think I will grow a beard there," I commented happy and embarrassed taking her in my arms.
"You're right, I'll leave the rest for another time."

Anna winked at me and sat back to braid straw as she entertained herself with a lively song.

I looked up at the sky, shook my head like a dog laden with fleas, and put on the straw hat Anna had bothered to make for me.

"Okay, time to get to work!"