The forest didn't sleep. Not really.
It watched.
Every snap of a twig, every whisper of wind, felt like breath brushing the back of Evelyn's neck, not from something alive, but from something aware.
Wrapped tightly in Zayn's coat, barefoot and chilled to the bone, she followed him into the dark, tangled silence.
Her soaked clothes clung in a bundle under her arm, her damp hair stuck to her shoulders.
The long coat—his coat—hung off her frame like an oversized robe, smelling faintly of woodsmoke and earth.
She tried not to think about how warm it was, or how much warmer he must've been before giving it to her.
He hadn't said much since the stream just pointed out where to place her feet, occasionally steadying her when she slipped on mud or moss.
His touch was brief and gentle but the heat of it stayed long after.
She couldn't read him, and that was beginning to drive her mad.
They walked in silence until the air shifted, denser but Still.
"Here," he said finally, halting while pointing to a hollow between two mossy stones opened before them—half cave, half natural burrow, veiled in vines.
It was low and narrow but dry and hidden.
Evelyn ducked inside, the hush swallowed her.
She heard Zayn step in behind afterwards.
It was warmer in here and Earthy.
Her knees trembled with fatigue, but she stood stiffly, waiting.
He didn't waste time.
While kneeling he began arranging twigs in a circle of stones as if he'd done it a thousand times. Methodical and focused.
Evelyn sank down onto a bed of moss and curled her legs close, wrapping the coat tighter around herself.
It gaped slightly at her thighs, but modesty had long taken a back seat to survival.
"You always this charming when you bring girls into the woods?" she asked, voice rough but teasing.
Zayn glanced up, and finally his lips quirked.
"Only the dangerous ones."
It caught her off guard.
She laughed once, dry and surprised. "You think I'm dangerous?"
He looked back to the fire. "Don't you?"
His voice was soft, but not mocking.
That was the worst part.
He wasn't trying to provoke her. He was serious.
Evelyn stared at him, heart stammering.
He struck the flint. A spark caught.
Light bloomed across the cave, brushing the curves of his face in warm gold and deep shadow.
She'd looked at him before. She thought she had.
But now, in this quiet light, it hit her harder.
His skin was a pale, burnished bronze like fire kissed honey, his lashes were long, shadows fanned against cheekbones sharp enough to cut.
But what startled her most wasn't the beauty, it was the softness behind it.
And then without a word, he lifted his hand and removed his hat.
It was simple, worn black wool, slightly bent at the rim.
As he set it aside, a cascade of soft, wet curls spilled out.
They framed his face, thick and loose, falling just past his shoulders. Wild and untamed.
Beautiful wasn't the word. It felt... inadequate.
He caught her staring while running his hand through his hair.
"What?" He asked, voice low.
"You look different without it" she said her throat dried. "You hide"
It wasn't a question.
He smirked, almost reflexively. "And you don't?"
There was an awkward silence.
She cleared her throat to break the silence.
"I have a life, you know," she muttered. "Friends, a boyfriend, a phone with four percent battery left. Clara was probably texting me and I was probably ignoring her and now I'm here. In a vine-cave with a beautiful forest hermit who may or may not be a criminal."
Zayn tilted his head. "Hermit?"
She shrugged. "You kind of give off the vibe."
He actually chuckled. It was low, rumbling barely there. But real.
Then: "You're not as calm as you pretend to be."
Evelyn froze. "Excuse me?"
He met her eyes direct, not invasive. "You joke when you're scared. That's fine but you don't have to."
That shut her up, not because it was rude but because it was true.
"I'm not scared," she said, quieter.
He just nodded, like that wasn't worth arguing.
The fire crackled. Shadows danced.
She swallowed and traced her finger over a line of moss near her ankle. "So what now? We sleep? Hope nothing out there rips us apart?"
"There's a barrier," he replied calmly, adding more wood to the flame. "Nothing large gets close without me sensing it."
"Sensing?" she repeated.
He didn't clarify. Of course he didn't.
She narrowed her eyes. "You keep saying weird things and acting like they're normal."
He didn't look up. "You screamed into water, Evelyn and it answered you."
Her breath caught.
He turned his face slightly, light flickering over his profile. "I know who you are."
That shouldn't have scared her. And yet...
"You don't even know me," she whispered.
"I know enough. Enough to keep you safe."
She looked at him, at his curls falling into his face, at the calm certainty in his voice.
"You're not afraid of me?" she asked.
His eyes flicked to hers. "Should I be?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
Zayn stared at her a beat longer, then turned and settled beside the fire. "Get some rest."
Evelyn blinked. "What, just like that?"
"I'll keep watch."
"You don't have to."
"I want to."
He said it with finality, not pride. Just truth.
She watched him sit cross-legged, curls falling loose around his shoulders, eyes already scanning the mouth of the cave still alert like something carved from the night itself.
And then it hit her as raw and clear as the first breath after drowning:
He's not just protecting me. He's hiding too.
She lay back slowly, heart racing, arms tucked into the oversized sleeves of his coat.
Her eyes traced the shadows cast on the ceiling.
Outside, the forest breathed and in that hush of firelight and half-sleep, a new fear crept in.
What if I don't want to go back? Just for his sake.The forest didn't sleep. Not really.
It watched.
Every snap of a twig, every whisper of wind, felt like breath brushing the back of Evelyn's neck, not from something alive, but from something aware.
Wrapped tightly in Zayn's coat, barefoot and chilled to the bone, she followed him into the dark, tangled silence.
Her soaked clothes clung in a bundle under her arm, her damp hair stuck to her shoulders.
The long coat—his coat—hung off her frame like an oversized robe, smelling faintly of woodsmoke and earth.
She tried not to think about how warm it was, or how much warmer he must've been before giving it to her.
He hadn't said much since the stream just pointed out where to place her feet, occasionally steadying her when she slipped on mud or moss.
His touch was brief and gentle but the heat of it stayed long after.
She couldn't read him, and that was beginning to drive her mad.
They walked in silence until the air shifted, denser but Still.
"Here," he said finally, halting while pointing to a hollow between two mossy stones opened before them—half cave, half natural burrow, veiled in vines.
It was low and narrow but dry and hidden.
Evelyn ducked inside, the hush swallowed her.
She heard Zayn step in behind afterwards.
It was warmer in here and Earthy.
Her knees trembled with fatigue, but she stood stiffly, waiting.
He didn't waste time.
While kneeling he began arranging twigs in a circle of stones as if he'd done it a thousand times. Methodical and focused.
Evelyn sank down onto a bed of moss and curled her legs close, wrapping the coat tighter around herself.
It gaped slightly at her thighs, but modesty had long taken a back seat to survival.
"You always this charming when you bring girls into the woods?" she asked, voice rough but teasing.
Zayn glanced up, and finally his lips quirked.
"Only the dangerous ones."
It caught her off guard.
She laughed once, dry and surprised. "You think I'm dangerous?"
He looked back to the fire. "Don't you?"
His voice was soft, but not mocking.
That was the worst part.
He wasn't trying to provoke her. He was serious.
Evelyn stared at him, heart stammering.
He struck the flint. A spark caught.
Light bloomed across the cave, brushing the curves of his face in warm gold and deep shadow.
She'd looked at him before. She thought she had.
But now, in this quiet light, it hit her harder.
His skin was a pale, burnished bronze like fire kissed honey, his lashes were long, shadows fanned against cheekbones sharp enough to cut.
But what startled her most wasn't the beauty, it was the softness behind it.
And then without a word, he lifted his hand and removed his hat.
It was simple, worn black wool, slightly bent at the rim.
As he set it aside, a cascade of soft, wet curls spilled out.
They framed his face, thick and loose, falling just past his shoulders. Wild and untamed.
Beautiful wasn't the word. It felt... inadequate.
He caught her staring while running his hand through his hair.
"What?" He asked, voice low.
"You look different without it" she said her throat dried. "You hide"
It wasn't a question.
He smirked, almost reflexively. "And you don't?"
There was an awkward silence.
She cleared her throat to break the silence.
"I have a life, you know," she muttered. "Friends, a boyfriend, a phone with four percent battery left. Clara was probably texting me and I was probably ignoring her and now I'm here. In a vine-cave with a beautiful forest hermit who may or may not be a criminal."
Zayn tilted his head. "Hermit?"
She shrugged. "You kind of give off the vibe."
He actually chuckled. It was low, rumbling barely there. But real.
Then: "You're not as calm as you pretend to be."
Evelyn froze. "Excuse me?"
He met her eyes direct, not invasive. "You joke when you're scared. That's fine but you don't have to."
That shut her up, not because it was rude but because it was true.
"I'm not scared," she said, quieter.
He just nodded, like that wasn't worth arguing.
The fire crackled. Shadows danced.
She swallowed and traced her finger over a line of moss near her ankle. "So what now? We sleep? Hope nothing out there rips us apart?"
"There's a barrier," he replied calmly, adding more wood to the flame. "Nothing large gets close without me sensing it."
"Sensing?" she repeated.
He didn't clarify. Of course he didn't.
She narrowed her eyes. "You keep saying weird things and acting like they're normal."
He didn't look up. "You screamed into water, Evelyn and it answered you."
Her breath caught.
He turned his face slightly, light flickering over his profile. "I know who you are."
That shouldn't have scared her. And yet...
"You don't even know me," she whispered.
"I know enough. Enough to keep you safe."
She looked at him, at his curls falling into his face, at the calm certainty in his voice.
"You're not afraid of me?" she asked.
His eyes flicked to hers. "Should I be?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
Zayn stared at her a beat longer, then turned and settled beside the fire. "Get some rest."
Evelyn blinked. "What, just like that?"
"I'll keep watch."
"You don't have to."
"I want to."
He said it with finality, not pride. Just truth.
She watched him sit cross-legged, curls falling loose around his shoulders, eyes already scanning the mouth of the cave still alert like something carved from the night itself.
And then it hit her as raw and clear as the first breath after drowning:
He's not just protecting me. He's hiding too.
She lay back slowly, heart racing, arms tucked into the oversized sleeves of his coat.
Her eyes traced the shadows cast on the ceiling.
Outside, the forest breathed and in that hush of firelight and half-sleep, a new fear crept in.
What if I don't want to go back? Just for his sake.
Well for those two chapters that i wrote with few words. Well this chapter i wrote it as a pay back.
Pssst, Next chapter is Zayn's POV.