Bonded || LottieNat

Adjusting To The Wilderness

After hours the team realized that they would be out there for longer than they had imagined. It was time to start settling down and continue on with life in this circumstance...

NATALIE
Its officially night time. The hours went by slow. It hasn't even been a whole day.

Me and Lottie have been keeping tabs on each other throughout the day. Still not the best with keeping a conversation just yet though, but I know I can do it.

The team decided since it was dark that we start up a campfire for "team bonding" apparently.

I really had no interest in talking to anyone else here but Lottie though. If i was gonna be out here for the rest of my life, I'd wanna spend it with her.

LOTTIE
The horrific incident won't stop replaying in my head. Waking up in a plane on fire in the middle of nowhere, My dad's dead body, everything. Especially thinking of how I literally wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Nat. I still can't fathom it.

Why would she save me? Did she just do it out of pitty? Clearly she wouldn't just leave someone to die right?

I'm just overthinking as always. I don't know why I believed I was special because she didn't leave me to die.

Does she consider me a friend? Because it already feels like shes one I can really trust.

We haven't really talked much since she told me those kind words after seeing my dad. I hope she knows how much I appreciated her for that. Only little things here and there like "How are you holding up?" Other than that its just eye contact after eye contact with her all day. Hopefully this team bonding campfire thing can get us to talk more.

***

Everyone gathered all the materials and started up the campfire.

They all sat on some logs grateful to be alive. They cherished the time they had out there together.

Natalie was sitting on one of the logs alone until Taissa and Van filled up the rest of the log beside her.

Where was Lottie gonna sit next to her now?

Lottie sat down on an open log which she had her stuff on top of to reserve the seats. looking at Nat across from her. Lottie could tell something was off with Nat, she didn't seem to be enjoying herself sitting with Tai & Van as they were mainly just talking amongst themselves forgetting Natalie was even there.

Nat and Lottie made eye contact once again. Lottie waved her hand for her to come sit with her as she moved her stuff over.

Nat was unsure if Lottie was signaling at her. She looked around and pointed to herself while speaking under her breath, "me?" Lottie smiled giggling a bit, nodding her head yes pointing at her doing a finger wag causing her to get up from her seat.

Nat loved the way the campfire glared off of Lotties dark eyes and the way her skin glowed.

She made her way over to Lottie. "Oh, did you think I was pointing to you." Lottie said jokingly. Nat couldn't tell if she was serious and looked down. Lottie laughed it off. "I'm kidding, Don't be shy you can sit." Lottie said with a soft smile.

Nat sat down next to Lottie not saying anything for a few seconds. the silence was loud. "How are you doing?" She finally uttered.

"Oh cmon you've been asking me that all day. I'm okay I promise. Now lets talk about something else, something so where we don't have to think about earlier." Was Lotties reply. Nat felt bad for bringing it up so many times.

"Yeah, sorry... what do you wanna talk about?" Nat's brain was empty.

"I don't know maybe you, lets talk about you." Lottie said examining her. "Me? theirs not really much to say I-" She was cutoff by Lottie. "Music. You're always listening to music. What do you listen to?" Lottie was curious as Nat always had her headphones in.

"Oh, nothing you would know probably." She was sure their music tastes were completely different. "Well maybe I could learn something new then or maybe you don't know as much about me as you think" Lottie said teasing her.

Nat handed her a mixtape along with her headphones. She never let anyone listen to her music. "All my favs are on here." She said nervously as she had no idea how Lottie would react to the music.

Nat watched as Lottie put the headphones on. she kept messing with her hair to get it to lay right with the headphones. This made Nat laugh a bit. Lottie looked over with her hands still in her hair, "What?" "Your hair looks fine, just fine."
Since Nat said so, Lottie stopped fixing her hair and pressed play.

She scooted over closer to Nat, taking one of the headphones off as she continued to listen. "Lets listen together." She said holding the headphone out for Nat to put over her ear.

Nat didn't say anything, she was nervous, but she proceeded to put it on as Lovesong by The Cure was playing.

Nat is staring at Lottie blurring out everything around her as the music is overpowering every other sound around. She's anxious on how Lottie will feel about the song. Lottie has a small smile on her face as she pictured Nat to listen to something much more heavier and not so heartwarming.

She begins to bob her head as she looks over to Nat still staring at her. Their eyes meet. Everything feels like its going in slow motion.

"Its good, I like it. Not what I expected from you but I can see it, it fits." Lottie says with a smile. Nat was shocked that Lottie enjoyed it. She looked away breaking eye contact saying "i'm glad you liked it" with a big smile on her face.

It was getting late and they were getting tired. The campfire went out and the only light source are the stars in the sky.

Lottie pulls a blanket out from her stuff with a big yawn. Nat wasn't too tired and knew she would not be able to sleep out in the open like this.

Lottie lied her head on the dirt. "Here use this as a pillow." Nat said throwing Lottie her leather jacket.

Lottie was shocked Nat gave her jacket up just like that. "You want your jacket to get dirty?" "You want your hair to get dirty?" Nat replied to Lottie teasingly. Lottie felt as if their was some attitude to it though but she knew thats just how she could be sometimes.

She gently lied her head on the jacket looking over to Nat still sitting on the log covering her arms without her jacket as if she was cold.

"Do you not have a blanket?" Lottie said noticing her shivering. "Why would I pack a blanket for going to nationals?" Nat said poking fun at her.

"I know you had to have heard my big rant for my hatred of hotel blankets back in the locker room." Lottie said cuddling up in her blanket. Nat laughed a bit under her breath as she stood up to walk away.

"Where are you going?" an anxious Lottie said. "To find some space to fall asleep." she said looking back at her. "You don't have a blanket or a jacket. you're sharing this blanket with me."

Nat was speechless and couldn't believe she said that. "I think you can survive a night sharing a blanket, it's not like were spooning cmon now." Lottie continued. Nat appreciated her offer and lied next to her nervously and awkwardly.

"I don't bite, goodnight." Lottie whispered along with a "Ooh I know you heard that rhyme." with a giggle. Nat shook her head with a smile just barely showing on her face as her back was turned to Lottie.

Lottie would then toss some of the blanket over Nat as if she was too scared to reach for some herself. She scooted over closer to Nat to get more comfortable. "I said goodnight Scatorccio."

"Goodnight." Nat replied practically asleep already as her eyes were closed and you could tell she forgot she even said goodnight in the first place. Lottie had a soft smile on her face seeing how quick Nat knocked out. She turned her back against Nat's as they were now up against each others.

The first night in the wilderness wasn't so bad after all...