CYOA Page 227

[lumy12]

Page Two Hundred Twenty-Seven

Without telling Joel, you just climb over the rocks behind you. Quite easily. Now you're tempted to go look for that water... but first things first! "Joel, now I'm way back here!" you call to him. "Does that make you feel better about it? Cuz I can keep going back in this tunnel, there's not as many rocks..."

He doesn't answer.

"Joel!"

"Hang on, Ellie!"

You wait for like ten seconds before you start down the tunnel again. It winds around--

"All right -- stay back there! The kid brought me some C-4. Should work pretty good, if it don't cause a total cave-in..."

"He had dynamite back there? I didn't see any!" Somehow that feels like a betrayal. Which is just dumb. You're not even friends with the little weirdo.

"Go as far back as you can, all right?"

"Okay -- you won't be able to hear me, that's how far back I can go! ...Bye!" You set off in search of the maybe-hot springs.

You notice the incline is... declining, much more rapidly than on the other side. You round the bend and...

Oh! Oh wow holy shit -- WATER! A big pool of it! But it's a bit of a steep drop from where you're standing, and it makes you a little nervous. Poor Joel... if he blows up the rocks only to find you now trapped in this water... ha!

You'll wait. Wait and just admire the pool from safe ground.

KABOOM!

You didn't have to wait long! You rush back toward your little obstacle course. "Joel? Joel! Did it work?!"

You find him climbing over what's left of the 'wall.' He sees you approaching and smiles. "It sure did."

The explosion didn't topple the smaller wall, but you can get over that one easily -- Joel is right there on the other side, waiting for you. You were going to hurl yourself into his arms, but he reaches out and practically lifts you over the wall. "Thank you thank you thank you!" you cry as you hug him.

He squeezes you tight. "You're welcome... I guess. Ain't like I was doin' you a favor," he says with a chuckle.

"Yeah you were! You made a way out for me!"

"I did that for me. It's a lil' hard to do this from the other side." And he gives you what could possibly be the sweetest little kiss ever.

You giggle softly. He's so cute! Craning your neck around, you don't see the kid anywhere; you've already kissed in front of him, but that doesn't mean you want to keep doing it with an audience. "We're alone?"

"Think so."

But as you're about to kiss him, he steps back. "Wait. Lemme look at you. You sure you're all right?"

"Yes!"

"Your arm..."

"It's fine! Not like this shirt doesn't have other holes in it."

"Is it still bleedin'?"

"It's just a little scrape. -Oh! Joel, you have to see this -- come on!" You turn around and tug him by the hand -- but that works better when you don't have a few rocks to climb over, as you immediately have to let go of it.

"Guess I didn' need to worry about you scalin' this wall," Joel admits.

"Yeah, I know, you just couldn't see it. Come on!" You grab his hand again as soon as it's free and yank him away from the rocks, then start running. Or, trying to. Joel's not being very cooperative!

But you do get there eventually (in about 45 seconds). "Right through here... look!"

"Whoa..."

"Pretty cool, huh? I wanted to go in, but see -- no steps. So I figured I'd better wait for you."

"Good call." He tweaks your nose. "Might be too hot for us anyhow."

"How can you tell?"

"I can't from here. Just guessin'. See the steam? Plus it feels a bit warmer over here..."

"That's because you're touching me, and I make you warm." You grin. "Except really it's more the other way around."

"Goes both ways. I can test it... would have to take my pants off, though."

You gasp in mock horror. "Oh no! Is there any other way?!"

" 'fraid not. Can't reach it without lowerin' myself in." He frowns. "Even if it's fine, though, I don't think--"

"Here, let me help you with that," you cut him off before he can overthink this. You start fumbling with his belt buckle. "Might wanna take the holster belt off, too... at least this one here..."

He grabs your hands, immobilizing them. "I don't think so, kiddo." But he's smiling.

"If you want me to take mine off instead, we can do--"

"No no no."

"Why not? It makes more sense, actually, cuz you can help me get out better than I can help you." You make a half-ass effort to free your hands.

"Not if you start drownin' an' I have--"

"I can swim now, remember?!"

"--to jump in after you. Then we're both stuck an' we have to wait for the kid to wander over here so we can tell him to go get the rope."

"That wouldn't be so bad. Look, there's like a little beach over there! Ooo we should be on that side."

Joel laughs. "Only problem is we can't get there from here. Or here from there -- we'd be stuck there, too."

"Doesn't sound so bad to me," you say coyly. As soon as you wriggle one of your hands free, it returns to his belt buckle.

He recaptures the hand. "You're a naughty girl."

"I didn't do anything," you protest with a giggle. "Think about it... just you and me... naked..."

"Freezin' our asses off at night..."

"Keeping each other warm... and it's warm over here! You really think we'd freeze?"

"Nothin' to eat... questionable drinkin' water..."

"Living on love instead of food..."

"Prob'ly have to piss an' shit in the water, too..."

"Not if we're living on love! Love produces no piss or shit."

Joel snorts. "You've got it all sorted out, do ya?"

"Nothing to do but have sex over and over..."

"Mm. Sounds like absolute torture."

"What?!"

He smirks. "Since we can't do that."

"But we totally could because if we're stuck here forever then your dumb rules don't matter."

"Good point." He kisses your nose, then lets go of your hands. "But since we live in reality, we oughta get back to the horses. Leavin' 'em alone is just beggin' for 'em to get stolen."

"But this is way off the highway," you pout.

"Maybe we'll come back here someday," Joel lies (you know it's a lie). "We'll chisel some footholds, handholds, make a nice lil' ladder right there so we can get in an' out real easy."

"And you'd still say we can't cuz the horse might get stolen," you grumble, but you start following him out.

He takes your hand, companionably this time. "I reckon we'd have to walk here."

"Easier just to go in the water at home... or take a bubble bath together."

"Now you're talkin'."

You look at him in surprise. "No shit? You'd take a bath with me?"

"Sure."

"For real? All this time I've been bugging you for a shower, and... a bath is okay?"

"We'd have to have our suits on, is all."

"Oh. Okay, well, that's still good. -No, it's awesome."

Joel looks at you fondly (God, you love that look! Even if you're only seeing the creepy-blue-light version). "Know what I love about you?"

"One of the million things, you mean?" you tease.

"Million an' one, yes. You're easy to please."

You give him a funny look. "I am? Cuz... you've told me I'm impatient... that I want too much..."

"But overall, you're easy to please. You just want... to be with me."

"Well, yeah. Is that weird?"

"It's nice."

That's all Joel seems to want, too -- to spend time with you. To love you. Not the way you may want him to -- sexually-speaking -- but in his own way. And you'd never admit it to him, but if you went the rest of your life never having sex, you know you'd still be happy with him because he does love you so much. You've never experienced anything like it.

...but, not gonna lie, I'd be even HAPPIER if we eventually had sex! As soon as you get home, you're going to march him straight to the tub. Sure, you may have to start out having your suits on, but who knows what could happen once you're in the water...



THE END



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Comments

Carlos

[(Anonymous)]

Ha, I almost thought that you're going to kill them in the explosion. But the hot sprint was a nice add and sexy. Yeah too bad Joel have to be a gentelman and not go in there naked with her.

Re: Carlos

[luminations.livejournal.com]

Ha — see, I'm not ALWAYS evil! Yep Joel is too gentlemanly for Ellie's liking.