Chapter 22: Blossoming Tolerance

After a few days of rest and recovery, it was time to (hopefully) return to Erica's car. She never thought she'd grow to miss her beat-up 1997 Honda Civic, but here they were. As they traveled, she took note of a few things—one, they didn't seem to be going in circles, which was a positive. Two, the forest felt never-ending, which was not a positive. Despite those observations, traveling with this group was becoming strangely comfortable for her.

Lee would make some ridiculous remark, Erica would counter it with a deadpan retort, and the twins would comfort Lee in his ongoing failure to win Erica's affections. It had happened so many times now that even she was starting to grow tired of the joke. Yet, for some reason, she also felt something tight in her chest whenever she thought too deeply about it. And just like that, she decided not to think too deeply about it. Problem solved. If Lee ever caught wind of her reasoning, he'd probably drop to his knees in anguish. But luckily for both of them, that was not going to happen.

As they walked, Sid awkwardly suggested stopping for a snack break, pulling out what he had left to share. Erica and Lee both reached for the same snack at the exact same time, fingers brushing briefly before both recoiled slightly, eyes locking in silent challenge.

"Who will triumph, the apathetic slacker or the sly scammer?" Sydney asked with amusement.

Sid, ever the mediator, sighed. "You could just share."

"You underestimate how much pride is clouding their judgment right now," Sydney mused, resting her chin in her palm as if watching a great duel unfold.

Instead of settling the dispute like normal people, Erica and Lee escalated into their usual antics. Rock-paper-scissors would have sufficed, but no, that was far too easy. After a brief, unspoken agreement, they locked eyes in an intense staring contest.

"They come up with the silliest games when a simple coin flip could've settled this," Sid muttered under his breath.

"Where's the fun in that?" Sydney grinned.

Erica's pale green eyes bore into Lee's, unblinking, unwavering. She wasn't about to let some pretty boy steal her food—not without a fight. Lee, of course, was taking full advantage of this opportunity to study her face. He had seen her countless times before, but never this close, never for this long.

Her freckles, usually subtle under the sun's harsh glare, stood out in the warm light. A strand of dark hair had slipped loose from the mess of a ponytail she always wore, resting against her cheek. She was sun-kissed now, tanned from the outside adventures, but he wondered what she looked like before all of this—when she was pale, when she had the luxury of stillness. He wondered where the scar on her neck came from. He wondered if she always looked this serious when she wanted something.

Erica, on the other hand, had one thought and one thought only: I need that snack.

But forty-five seconds in, the game took an unexpected turn.

Lee's dark green eyes, sharp and assessing, were now rimmed with unshed tears from his dry eyes. The same man who always had a smug remark, who wielded charm like a weapon, was sitting there, looking just as ridiculous and vulnerable as she was. It was… oddly thrilling.

Nope. That was a hard no direction for her thoughts to go in.

Panic flared in her chest, quick and hot. Her fingers twitched, her stomach flipped—nope, no, absolutely not. To save herself, she sacrificed her snack-related victory and blinked.

"I'm bored now. You can have it," she said quickly, rubbing her eyes to mask anything that might have slipped through.

Lee, stunned by the sudden loss, blinked at her in disbelief before hesitantly taking the snack. He had been prepared for a battle to the death. Instead, she had folded like a cheap tent.

Then, without hesitation, he broke the snack in half and held a piece out to her.

Erica blinked at it. Was he always planning to share? She quickly shoved the thought aside and took the piece, nodding in acceptance.

Yeah, she was definitely going to share too. Totally.

The break ended, and they resumed their journey, the atmosphere still light despite the ever-stretching forest. Erica found herself falling into step next to Lee, who seemed to be in an unusually good mood. He hummed a tune under his breath, the corner of his lips curved in an almost smug smile.

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing," he said, in the tone of someone who was absolutely thinking something.

Erica gave him a side glance but let it go. It wasn't worth engaging in his nonsense. Instead, she focused on the path ahead—until they crested a small hill and spotted something that immediately soured her mood.

A village. The millionth one they'd come across.

Erica groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."

Lee, still very much amused, placed a hand over his heart. "Come now, don't act so thrilled."

"I swear, if they try to attack Lee again, I'm leaving you all behind."

"Understandable," Lee said. "But you'd miss me too much."

"I'd sleep just fine."

Lee sighed dramatically. "Why do you wound me so?"

Sydney and Sid, now used to their back-and-forth, exchanged looks before walking ahead, leaving them to their banter. Lee smirked at Erica, slowing his pace to match hers again.

"Admit it," he said. "You're starting to enjoy my company."

Erica exhaled through her nose, side-eyeing him. "You're tolerable at best."

"A win is a win," he chirped.

Erica rolled her eyes but didn't deny it. They continued toward the village, the weight of past battles and future uncertainties momentarily lifted by the absurdity of their companionship.