06-11-2025, 12:51 AM
Scene 25: Strengthening Their Shelter (Fifth Day: Afternoon)
By late afternoon, the air had turned cool, carrying the familiar scent of salt from the sea. The sky had deepened into a soft, hazy blue, and the breeze, though gentle, carried a hint of the chill that would follow once the sun set.
The small hut, which had once been little more than a patchwork of branches and fronds, now stood sturdier, its rough edges softened by their shared effort. Still, as the wind whispered through the gaps, it was clear the night air would be colder than ever.
Kavya surveyed the hut, her brow furrowed in concentration, her eyes tracing the edges of the doorframe. She pointed to a narrow slit between two bamboo supports near the doorway. “We need to block that side. The wind will come straight through.”
Naveen crouched near the opening, his fingers skimming over the rough bamboo, as if testing the strength of the frame. The soft warmth of his skin against the weathered wood made something inside her stir.
He looked up at her, his gaze warm but with that playful gleam in his eye. “If we use the flat driftwood pieces from the shore,” he suggested, his voice deep and easy, “we can make a proper door. Something that swings and fits tight. Keeps the cold out... and maybe a few other things.”
Kavya’s heart fluttered, but she masked it with a teasing smile. “A real door?” she asked, her voice light but the challenge clear.
He grinned, and in that moment, Kavya could see the quiet confidence in him. The way his smile reached his eyes, how every word felt effortless. "Maybe not real, but real enough for us,” he said, his voice softening as his eyes lingered on her, as if saying more than just the words.
Kavya didn’t speak right away. She just stared at him for a beat longer than she should have, noticing the way his dark hair fell into his eyes, the strength in his shoulders, the way his gaze seemed to settle just a little too long on her, like he was seeing something in her that no one else did.
She smiled, her lips curving softly. “We’ll see about that,” she said, more to herself than to him, before turning back toward the beach.
By late afternoon, the air had turned cool, carrying the familiar scent of salt from the sea. The sky had deepened into a soft, hazy blue, and the breeze, though gentle, carried a hint of the chill that would follow once the sun set.
The small hut, which had once been little more than a patchwork of branches and fronds, now stood sturdier, its rough edges softened by their shared effort. Still, as the wind whispered through the gaps, it was clear the night air would be colder than ever.
Kavya surveyed the hut, her brow furrowed in concentration, her eyes tracing the edges of the doorframe. She pointed to a narrow slit between two bamboo supports near the doorway. “We need to block that side. The wind will come straight through.”
Naveen crouched near the opening, his fingers skimming over the rough bamboo, as if testing the strength of the frame. The soft warmth of his skin against the weathered wood made something inside her stir.
He looked up at her, his gaze warm but with that playful gleam in his eye. “If we use the flat driftwood pieces from the shore,” he suggested, his voice deep and easy, “we can make a proper door. Something that swings and fits tight. Keeps the cold out... and maybe a few other things.”
Kavya’s heart fluttered, but she masked it with a teasing smile. “A real door?” she asked, her voice light but the challenge clear.
He grinned, and in that moment, Kavya could see the quiet confidence in him. The way his smile reached his eyes, how every word felt effortless. "Maybe not real, but real enough for us,” he said, his voice softening as his eyes lingered on her, as if saying more than just the words.
Kavya didn’t speak right away. She just stared at him for a beat longer than she should have, noticing the way his dark hair fell into his eyes, the strength in his shoulders, the way his gaze seemed to settle just a little too long on her, like he was seeing something in her that no one else did.
She smiled, her lips curving softly. “We’ll see about that,” she said, more to herself than to him, before turning back toward the beach.
.
![[+]](https://xossipy.com/themes/sharepoint/collapse_collapsed.png)