When Ruoning opened her eyes from that warm embrace, the first thing she saw was the young man's face, the same face she'd gazed at countless times in her dreams.
Reality crashed into fantasy.
She thought this might be another layer of some endless dream, so she stared at his face, completely mesmerized.
Crack...
Crackle...
Drip...
Time ticked by. The sound of burning branches mixed with rain pattering outside the cave gradually pulled Ruoning's consciousness back from that hazy fog.
She tried to lift her hand to rub her eyes. The young man in her vision looked down, and only then did Ruoning realize she'd been lying in Yino's arms this whole time. That incredible warmth she'd felt came from the roaring campfire blazing beside them.
"You're awake. Want some grilled fish?"
Yino spoke casually, holding up a skewer.
The girl pushed herself upright, first scanning the four girls sitting around the campfire, then thoughtfully accepted the fish from Yino's hands.
