Alaric

We finally arrived at the inn, the structure emerging from the tropical gloom like a sanctuary. It was homey and beautiful, at least far more inviting than the rugged trail we’d just survived.

"Finally!" Nico shouted excitedly. "We are here." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

As we approached, warm lanterns were lit along the stone path, casting a soft amber glow that guided our way through the rain. The light reflected off the wet leaves, making the whole place look like something out of a dream rather than the middle of a disaster.

Nico was staggering now. I could feel the tremors running through his arms where they gripped my thighs, his strength finally flagging under my dead weight. He had been carrying me on his back for over an hour and I couldn’t help but wonder where he had gotten that crazy strength and energy from.

"Are you alright?" I asked as his breaths started coming in wet, jagged heaves that vibrated straight through my chest, each one sounding more exhausted than the last.

Before he could reply, we saw a figure standing at the entrance of the inn. It was an elderly woman. She pulled the heavy wooden door open before we even reached the porch and then stared at us with a mixture of concern and practiced hospitality, her face lined with kindness.

"Good evening, gentlemen," she said, her voice soft and welcoming against the roar of the storm. "Please, come in out of the cold. We have been expecting you."

"Thank you," Nico muttered as he walked past the woman to the lobby.

The lobby was glowing with a warm homey light that made the mud of my trousers look pathetic.

"Nico," I whispered, my lips brushing against his ear because I was still plastered to his back. "You can put me down now."

Nico didn’t respond at first but when I tapped his shoulder, he scoffed before responding. "You sprained your ankle, de Villier. You are not supposed to be walking yet. I’ve got you, shut up. I’m not dropping you."

"I am serious, Nicholas. Put me down before anyone other than the woman sees," I hissed, my pride finally resurfacing now that I wasn’t in danger of drowning in a swamp. "I can walk perfectly fine from here."

Nico stopped walking and tilted his head back just enough to give me a side eye filled with pure exhausted malice. "Walk perfectly? Five minutes ago you were screaming in French like a dramatic damsel."

I groaned. "Oh goodness! That was an exclamation of surprise, not a scream," I corrected, my jaw tightening. "Now, let go. I am a professional athlete, I can handle ten meters of polished teak floor."

"Oh, you can walk perfectly? You sure?" Nico’s voice took on a dangerous, playful edge that I should have recognized. Even though I had only known him for a few weeks, I knew he only used that voice when he was about to do something crazy.

But I answered anyway.

"Yes. Absolutely."

"Fine. Have it your way, de Villier."

Without a second of warning, Nico uncurled his arms and stepped out from under me like he was shedding a heavy coat.

Was he about to drop me? I thought and tried to shout but it was too late.

"Wait...!"

I hit the floor with a dull thud, my "perfect" leg giving out the second my foot touched the ground. I went down hard on my backside, the impact jarring my teeth and sending a fresh spike of white-hot agony through my ankle.

"Park! You literal animal!" I yelled, clutching my leg as I glared up at him from the floor. "How could you be so cruel to drop me!"

Nico just stood there, his hands on his hips, breathing hard with a smug crooked grin on his face. "What? You said you could walk. I was just helping you test your theory. Looks like the theory is as broken as your ego, de Villier. I hope the floor is good?"

"Yeah, well, I could have a secondary injury!" I snapped, trying to regain some semblance of dignity while sprawled in the middle of a beautiful Maldivian lobby.

"Yeah, well, I could have sustained a permanent back injury from carrying your aerospace-grade ego for three miles," he shot back, wiping a smudge of mud off his forehead. "So dear de Villier," he said through gritted teeth. "Get up off the floor before the lady thinks I’m beating you. Though, honestly, it’s a tempting thought."

I gritted my teeth, the sound of my jaw clicking audible even over the rain. I remained on the floor for a beat too long, trying to incinerate Nico with a look while my ankle throbbed in time with my heartbeat. Eventually, I hauled myself up, leaning heavily against the mahogany check-in desk while Nico turned his attention to the elderly woman.

"We are the ones Richard called about," Nico said, his voice still breathless but regaining its usual sharp edge. "He booked two rooms, two very separate, very far apart rooms," he stressed on the word "apart" too much that I had to roll my eyes.

The woman adjusted her spectacles, her kind face falling into an expression of genuine apology. She looked from Nico’s mud-caked hoodie to my ruined silk shirt and back again.

"Oh dear," she murmured, tapping a finger against the ledger. "Mr. Richard did call, yes. But with the bridge out and the storm getting worse, half the island is stranded. I’m afraid we’ve had to give away the other vacancies to families who couldn’t make it to the ferry."

I felt a cold pit form in my stomach. "And what exactly does that mean for us?"

"We only have the one suite left," she said softly. "It is our best room. I am sure you will like it because it is also spacious, but... it only has one bed. But it’s a king sized."

Nico’s head snapped towards her so fast I thought he’d get whiplash. "One bed? Are you joking? Please tell me you are joking. There is no way in hell! I am not sleeping in the same bed as him. I would rather sleep in the Mahindra than with the annoying driver."

"And I would rather sleep in a pit of vipers," I added. "Madame, surely there is a cot? A sofa? A very large rug that I can manage for the night?"

"Everything is in use, sir," she said, heaving a deep sigh. "I am sorry about that but we have nothing else to offer. All we have is this suite and the lobby floor and I’m afraid that the floor is already reserved!"

"For who!" I yelled.

The woman smiled as she responded. "The cleaning service."

I palmed my forehead. "Oh goodness."

"This is your fault!" Nico accused, pointing a finger towards me. "If you hadn’t insisted on your high path shortcut, we would have been here an hour ago before the rooms were gone!"

"My fault?" I scoffed, leaning my weight into the desk to take the pressure off my foot. "You were the one who wasted ten minutes playing rock paper scissors like a toddler! We could have been checked in, showered, and asleep by now if you weren’t so obsessed with winning a game of hand signals."

"I won that game fair and clear and when you got injured, I didn’t abandon you in that swamp and now I have to share a blanket with you. I am sure you grind your teeth in your sleep and probably dream about tire pressures."

"I do not grind my teeth," I hissed, leaning closer into his space. "At least I don’t kick in my sleep like a restless foal, which I assume you do given how much energy you have for being a nuisance."

Nico opened his mouth to respond but the elderly woman cleared her throat, cutting him off. We turned towards her and for a moment, she just stared at us as if she had seen so many couples, rivals behave this way. "Gentlemen, the room is ready. It has a hot shower you’ll love. Shall I give you the key, or would you like to continue your debate in the rain?"