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She slipped off her shoes without a word. Then her shirt. Then her shorts.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡor0F5ihcHs
The golden-yellow swimsuit underneath clung perfectly to her skin, its colour glowing softly in the filtered sunlight. She didn't look at Martin right away - but she knew he was watching.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FcHuQ8YHV
Martin took a step back, trying to concentrate on something other than her. Trees. Shadows. Air. But his gaze kept coming back, drawn by something he didn't want to name.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwILTxrbTT
Lena stepped into the water slowly, deliberately. Her breath caught slightly at the coolness, but her voice remained calm.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfrdlHJ36B
"It's freezing," she said, her eyes flicking to Martin. "Feels incredible."15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVp0vhPRKpD
He didn't answer.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNslHFfJXLw
She took another step, now waist deep, her movements quiet but deliberate. "A little rest won't hurt," she added. "We've walked enough for one day. Don't you like the quiet, Martin?"15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yEAuvs9SA
Martin's throat tightened. He nodded once, as if the movement alone brought the thought of Diana back into focus - her face, her steady eyes, her voice that still felt like home.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡee3OKdq7yi
"I'll stay here," he said finally. "You go on."15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HHNIq59Cb
Lena turned slightly in the water. Her gaze was steady, unreadable.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywx8BtHekq
"As you wish," she said quietly.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGD1tK1Rzh
She cupped the water in her hands and splashed it over her shoulders, droplets catching the last of the light like glass. Her body arched slightly. Her movements were slow - not dramatic, just aware of being seen.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsp1em9mBuk
Martin looked down at the forest floor. He didn't speak.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KBTGtBgSn
But Lena noticed how his shoulders had stiffened.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xAoG8H9O0
She smiled to herself.
The forest breathed differently in the late afternoon. The wind that filtered through the trees was soft but cool, wafting between the trunks and brushing the loose hair on Linda's face. Naomi walked ahead, a relaxed smile tugging at her lips as she adjusted the straps of her rucksack.
"Seriously," she said, glancing over her shoulder, "if we don't find something by the end of the day, I'm starting a petition to rename this place 'Pretty But Pointless'."
Linda raised an eyebrow. "Or maybe you're just impatient."
"I prefer efficient," Naomi said with a grin. "Curiosity with a plan."
They came to a small ridge. Naomi climbed it first, and when Linda caught up beside her, they both stopped in silence.
Below them was a clearing. In its centre, a moss-covered rock formation jutted out of the ground like a relic. Around it, the trees gave way slightly, letting in more light than usual. It was quiet - not ominous, but noticeably still.
Naomi crouched beside the rock and ran her hand along its surface.
"It's smooth," she murmured. "Too smooth for a natural fracture."
Linda stood a few metres away, her arms crossed. She didn't like it. The silence. The strange symmetry of the stones. The way the light seemed too deliberate, as if it had been filtered to land just so.
"Do you think it's man-made?" she asked.
Naomi shrugged. "Could be. Surveyor's mark? Old trail sign? Who knows."
Linda didn't move. "It feels... wrong."
Naomi looked up. "You're such a killjoy sometimes."
"Or maybe I'm just listening to the part of my brain that says don't get too comfortable in a place that doesn't want you."
Naomi chuckled. "You sound like Dorian."
"Maybe Dorian's right," Linda muttered.
There was a pause. A bird called in the distance. Then nothing.
Naomi stood and brushed her hands away.
"All right, relax," she said. "We'll check it out, then go back. But if you start telling ghost stories, I'm dumping you."
Linda half-smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
They circled the clearing, careful not to get too close to the formation. Naomi still seemed carefree, but Linda noticed she was slowing down - pausing more often, her eyes scanning the tree line.
Naomi finally stopped and looked back at her.
"You feel that too, huh?"
Linda nodded.
It wasn't cold.
It wasn't fear.
It was awareness. As if something they couldn't name had seen them before.
Naomi tried to smile again. But this time the grin didn't hold.
"For the first time since we've been here," she said, "I'm in no mood to joke."
Linda's eyes narrowed. Her hand brushed the side of her rucksack where she kept her torch - just in case.
They didn't speak again as they turned to leave.
But neither of them noticed that the wind had stopped behind them.
Lena drifted deeper into the pond, the water now rising to her chest. She turned slowly, letting the coolness envelop her body. The silence was thick - not threatening, but intimate. Her eyes met Martin's again.
"You've been looking at the same woman for so many years," she said, her voice low, tinged with something softer. "Doesn't it ever... tire you?"
Martin flinched slightly at her words. "This isn't about Diana," he said firmly.
"Isn't it?" Lena took a step closer in the water. "Or is it just about her?"
She reached behind her back. With calm, deliberate fingers she loosened the strap of her bikini top. It slipped easily. She caught it with one hand. Her eyes never left his.
Martin looked away immediately, but not quickly enough. His breath quickened.
"You don't have to do this," he said, his voice harsh.
"I'm not doing anything," she replied. "Just letting things be."
Lena moved to the edge and slowly emerged from the water. Her skin glistened, droplets catching the dying light like stars. She didn't fully expose herself - not quite. But the intent was clear.
Martin's fists clenched at his sides. His jaw tightened. "You're playing a game."
"And you're afraid of losing."
He finally turned to her, his eyes burning. "You can't test my loyalty."
"Maybe not," she said, stepping closer, water running down her body. "But something in you wants to be tested."
Martin's pulse thundered in his ears.
Then Lena whispered - barely louder than the breeze, "Don't you ever wonder... what else is out there, beyond routine? Beyond safety?"
Martin's eyes met hers. She was inches away now. Her body warm from the water, her breath soft against his skin. She leaned in, close enough that he could feel the air shifting between them.
But just as her lips brushed his... Martin's breath caught in his chest.
The moment stretched - just skin, silence and a question hanging between them.
Then, suddenly, he drew back.
"No," he said. His hands came up, firm but not violent as he pushed Lena gently away from her shoulders. His voice, when it came back, was lower. Steadier. "I won't cross that line."
Lena stood there, water dripping from her, her top still in her hand. Her lips parted, frozen between desire and disbelief.
"Really?" she whispered. "Diana's name... still comes before mine?"
Martin looked down, his jaw clenched. "Not just her name. Her trust. Her eyes. The way she believes in me."
Silence.
A beat passed. Then another.
Lena said nothing. But something changed in her expression - a flicker, small but sharp. Not just rejection. Not just frustration. Something deeper.
She turned away without a word and began to walk slowly through the water. Her shoulders were square, her chin held high, but her steps were slower now - not seductive, just... heavy.
Martin watched her retreat.
And even though he had done the right thing, something still twisted inside him.
The way she had looked at him. The way her presence lingered even after her body had left the frame.
He took a shaky breath.
And turned towards the trees.
A few minutes passed.
Martin had made it halfway back to camp when something tugged at him. A thought. A sound. A feeling. He stopped, turned.
And ran.
Branches scraped his arms as he cut back through the trees. The pond came into view again, glowing faintly in the last light of the sky.
But it was empty.
Still.
Silent.
Floating in the centre: the undone bikini top.
Martin froze. His eyes searched the water.
"Lena?" he called.
No answer.
A shiver ran down his skin. His steps quickened as he moved to the edge of the water. "Lena, this isn't funny."
Still silence.
Then - a sudden splash behind him.
Before he could turn, the water hit him in the back. He stumbled forward, screaming, and fell to his knees in the shallow water.
Laughter echoed around him.
Lena.
She was standing behind him in the water, arms folded, grinning like a girl who'd won a dare.
"You're too serious, Martin."
He turned around, drenched, angry - and somewhere underneath, relieved.
"That wasn't a joke."
Lena came closer again. Naked, unapologetic, her body framed by waves and moonlight. "You were afraid," she said quietly. "But not of me."
Martin stood, his voice low. "You crossed a line."
"So did you," she said, even more softly. "With your eyes. With your breath. You just won't admit it."
She leaned in again. Closer. Closer.
Martin caught her gaze - then shut it. His hands came between them again, firmer this time.
"I won't betray her," he said. "Not even here. Not even now."
Lena paused. She didn't pull away right away. She just... froze. And in that stillness something cracked behind her eyes.
Not lust.
Not anger.
Not disappointment.
Not in him.
In herself.
She nodded once, slowly. Turned. Walked silently out of the water.
Martin stood for a long moment.
He had passed the test.
But the echo of it would follow him for a long, long time.
Night had settled over the island like a heavy curtain. The stars stretched endlessly above, glittering over the dark canopy. The fire in front of their tent crackled gently, but its warmth felt distant next to the cool breath of the sea breeze.
Jessica hugged her knees to her chest, her eyes half-lidded as she watched the flames.
“You know,” she murmured, “this place feels even more deserted at night.”
Tom smirked, tossing a stick into the fire. “Scared?”
Jessica shot him a look. “Please. I’m a woman, and you’re a boy barely out of puberty.”
Tom laughed. “Great. Night starts with insults. But don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the giant spiders and whatever monsters are lurking behind the trees.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You’ll have to do better than that if you want to scare me.”
He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Fine. What if this place is deserted because no one ever leaves? Maybe it’s cursed. Maybe the people who came before us just... disappeared.”
Jessica groaned and flopped onto the sand. “Oh God, here we go.”
“Hey, it’s possible,” Tom said with mock seriousness. “They say the island traps souls. And at night… they return.”
Jessica burst out laughing. “A cursed island? What’s next? A ghost cooking breakfast for us in the morning?”
Tom shrugged. “Maybe there’s one here right now. Sitting next to you.”
She narrowed her eyes, playing along. “Okay, my turn. What if this is all a setup? What if it’s an experiment? Hidden cameras. Scientists watching how we behave in isolation.”
Tom blinked. “Jessica, you’ve watched way too many movies.”
She grinned. “And if that’s the case, I deserve an award. Somewhere out there, someone’s watching and thinking, ‘What a fantastic character.’”
Tom shook his head. “You’re impossible.”
Jessica’s smile softened a little as she looked toward the sky. “Still... isn’t it weird how quiet this place is? It’s like it’s too perfect. Something about that bugs me.”
Tom stared into the fire for a moment. “Yeah. It’s like... being alone feels heavier than usual.”
Jessica gave him a light nudge with her foot. “Don’t get all emotional now, little brother.”
He chuckled. “Alright, alright. New topic. Your love life.”
Jessica groaned. “Really? Now?”
Tom grinned. “Come on. When was the last time you were in love?”
Jessica paused, then exhaled. “Not now, Tom.”
“Sounds like a ‘never,’” he teased.
“Okay then,” she shot back. “Your turn. Any girls?”
Tom looked out toward the water. “Not really. Love feels... complicated. Risky.”
Jessica studied him quietly, then smiled. “That’s more honest than I expected from you.”
They fell into a thoughtful silence as the waves whispered against the shore.
Later, with the fire fading, Jessica sprawled out on the sand while Tom lay beside her, arms folded behind his head.
“By the way...” Tom said casually, “don’t you think the boat guy was staring a little too hard?”
Jessica turned to him. “What are you talking about?”
“The captain,” he said, in a mock-serious tone. “He looked like he forgot how to blink when you stepped on board.”
Jessica blinked, then laughed. “That old seaweed-smelling man?”
“Exactly!” Tom said. “He was normal until you showed up in your bikini. Then he practically combusted.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “If my body can shake a man’s neural system like that, then the problem’s clearly not mine.”
Tom snorted. “You noticed.”
She nodded. “Of course I did. I even gave him that 'Yes, I see you, but pull yourself together' smile.”
Tom doubled over laughing. Jessica sighed and suddenly sat up.
“Okay, enough. I need to pee.”
Tom grinned. “Nature calls.”
Jessica scowled. “And there's no bathroom, so I get to become one with nature.”
Tom raised a hand. “May the forest bless you.”
She grabbed a flashlight. “Say one more word and I’ll use you as a toilet.”
Tom laughed as she walked toward the edge of the trees.
“Don’t go too far,” he called out. “You know... the night is cursed.”
Jessica gave him the finger over her shoulder without looking back.
As she disappeared into the darkness, Tom lay back on the sand and stared at the stars, the laughter fading into silence.
“This trip’s gonna be weirder than I thought,” he muttered.
The embers of the fire dimmed.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmTyluFhmB
And the island listened quietly.
