𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 - 𝐿.𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑏𝑦

6.

Lee came back around ten minutes later. I was back in the tent when he flung the tent open. He looked angry.

    "What's up?" I asked, sitting up from my bed.

    "I just got back from talking to him and I'm going to have to take the balloon up again. We're moving camp." He sat down on his bed and looked at me.

    "Again?" I asked, "didn't we just get here?"

    "Mhm. We've only been here for four days." He sighed and fell backwards onto his bed. He reached into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out, and reached in again to find his lighter, but was unsuccessful. "Hey, do you know where my lighter is?" He asked, a cigarette seductively dangling out of his mouth.

    "Nope." I answered. I put my hand on my pocket and shifted the lighter around. Lee sighed and got up.

    "I'll go look for it." And he walked out of the tent. I heavily exhaled and laid on my bed again.

    "You're kind of good at lying." Magnus told me.

    "Thanks, I guess." I hate having to lie to Lee, but for his health, I have to.

    Lee came in a few minutes later, looking angrier. "I can't find it." Again, he sat on his bed. "I need that lighter."

    "You're telling me you need this?" I pulled it out of my pocket and twiddled it around with my fingers. Lee looked shocked.

    "You had it the whole time?" He got up and tried to grab it from me, but I pulled away quickly enough.

    "I did." He reached for it again but missed.

    "You better give it to me. I need that. You don't understand why, but I need that." He stared at me, angrily. I hated to see him angry. It made me upset, but I don't care this time. Again, he reached for it, but missed. He growled.

    "If you want it, then you'll have to earn it." I got up and slid it back in my pocket. I craned my neck up to look at him. He was so tall. I wrapped my hands around his neck and started to lean in. We both closed our eyes and I felt his lips brush over mine.

    Then the tent swung open. I jumped away from him and we stared at our visitor, Lyra.

    "Oh, sorry." She winked at me and went over to her bed to grab something. Then, she walked back out. I looked at Lee. He was lightly biting his tongue. I took his hand and placed the lighter in it.

    "Just take it." I opened the tent and walked out.

    "Wait, Y/N!" Lee ran to me and stood in front of me. "I'm sorry." I fidgeted with the smaller lighter in his hands.

    "What are you sorry for?"

    "That I forced you to give me this and that I tried to, you know-" He paused.

    "Kiss me again? That doesn't matter to me. What does matter is that you don't need that lighter. I'm sorry that I'm making such a big deal out of it." I pushed him to my left and continued to walk. I turned around, "and I was the one who leaned in to kiss you. Thank you for going along with it."

    He ran up to me again, "look. I'll throw this away. I'll throw it away with my pack of cigarettes. I don't want you to be worried about me anymore, okay? I'll get rid of them." Lee walked over to the edge of the valley and threw his box of cigarettes into the tall, dry grass. Instead of throwing his lighter into the dry grass, which would probably cause a wildfire if the lighter was lit, he went to a metal tin and threw it in there. He looked at me to make sure I was watching, and smiled at me. Lee came back over to me and put his arm on my shoulder. I slightly flinched at his touch.