arms on her waist then murmur near her ear, "Are you going to be mad at me all night?"
She shrugs.
"How did you grow up on a farm if you were in Mexico City? I don't remember any berry farms when I went."
"I ran away when I was fourteen."
She...?
I spin her into me. "What are you talking about?"
"I don't want to discuss this." She shoves out of my arms and walks toward the treeline. She asks, "What are we doing now?"
"Zoe, if I—"
"Please tell me what we are doing now."
I sigh. "We should start a fire. I'll find some kindling."
She bends and picks up sticks.
"I'll do it."
"Whatever," she mumbles and continues to collect items.
I scout deeper into the woods and find some bigger pieces and take them over to the pile.
Zoe sits on the ground and is building a teepee structure.
"You've done this before?" I ask.
She slaps a bug on her arm and mutters, "Sorry, is my attempt too divaish for you?"
Guess I deserved that one.
Why did I have to say that to her?
I pull a blanket out of my bag. "Let me spray you then put this around you before the bugs bite worse."
She rises and holds her arms out.
I spray her then put the blanket around her. "Sorry, I didn't get different clothes for you when I went to the store."
She holds her throat and clears it. "You didn't know."
"Are you getting sick?"
"No. My throat's been sore for a while."
I put my hand on her forehead.
She steps back. "What are you doing?"
"Seeing if you have a fever."
"I'm not sick. I've strained my vocal cords, that's all."
"From singing too much?"
"It's fine," she quietly says.
"Don't do that, Zoe."
"Do what?"
"Act like it isn't a big deal what they did to you."
Her face hardens. "And what did they do to me, Dirk?"
"Why don't you fill me in?"
Her eyes turn to slits. "And what have you told me about yourself? Hmmm?"
"Why are you getting mad at me?"
Her eyes glisten, and her voice creaks. "I'm not."
"What do you want to know about me?"
A tear drips down her cheek, and she wipes it away. "Nothing."
We just had sex, and there's nothing she wants to know?
I cup her cheeks. "Zoe, why are you crying."
"I'm not." A tear rolls onto my hand.
"You are."
"Can we not do this?"
"Do what?"
"Stop asking me questions." She sniffles.
I hesitate, but finally, remove my hands. "Go sit down and I'll make dinner."
She closes her eyes and exhales hard. "Fine."
It doesn't take long before the fire is burning bright. I deskin the snake near the river, throwing the meat into the bag and tossing the remains far out into the current. I wash my hands and knife then sit next to Zoe.
I get out my seasoning and toss it into the bag and shake it up.
Zoe is rocking back and forth with her arms around her knees and tapping her fingers on the sides of her legs.
"What's going on, my Little Diva?"
"Nothing."
"Doesn't look like nothing."
She taps her fingers quicker.
"You hungry?"
She grimaces at the snake then turns away.
I wrap it around a stick and lay it over the fire. "You really have something against snakes, don't you?" I try to tease her, but it comes out flat.
She won't look at me, and I'm not sure why. I decide not to push her and pull the bag of items I bought for her at the store out of my sack.
I unwrap a slippery elm lozenge and place it next to her lips. "Take this."
She turns. "What is it?"
"The slippery elm."
"I didn't get to look at the ingredients. What's in it?"
"Nothing you need to worry about."
She scrunches her forehead and continues to rock.
"Zoe, take it. It should help your throat."
She takes it but doesn't put it in her mouth. She drops her head into her knees.
I scoot closer and put my arm around her back, and she freezes. "Besides being an ass earlier, did I do something to hurt you?"
She slowly shakes her head. "No."
I tug her closer to me. "Want to tell me what is going on?"
"I don't know why this is happening right now," she whispers.
"What's that?"
She puts her arms on her knees and buries her face. "I'm fine. It'll go away soon."
"What will?"
She groans into her knees as if in pain.
I drag her onto my lap. "Tell me what's wrong."
She shakes her head.
"Right now. Tell me,” I sternly say.
She hides her face in my chest. "This is so embarrassing."
"Don't worry about that. Just tell me." I wrap my arms tighter.