The Lovers Survivors

8. Discovery

The next morning, Leighton is the first one to wake up. He opens his eyes and sees a handsome face close to his. He gulps when he realizes how near Julian is to him.

Even if there isn't much space inside, there is enough for two people, but the actor seems like he prefers to sleep closer to someone else.

Leighton clears his throat, chasing the thoughts from his mind. He leaves the tent and finds the little boy still sleeping on the sand. He smiles when he hears him snore quietly.

He decides to take advantage of the calm to run to the sea and jump into the water. He lets out a heavy sigh when the freshness consumes his entire body. He swims until he wakes up well and feels ready to start a new day.

Today, they have planned to discover new parts of the island to see if they can find something to eat or anything that can help them survive. Now that they have a child with them, it's more difficult.

Leighton has to make sure he eats well and that he doesn't get hurt, and it's not easy when you live in a place when there is no food and there are rocks and insects everywhere.

When he leaves the water, he runs his fingers in his hair and walks back to the tent. He finds the child inside as he tries to wake Julian up. He chuckles when he hears the actor groan and mumble curses while sleeping. The child looks at Leighton and giggles because Julian looks funny.

Leighton sits by Julian's side and taps his cheek gently, "Wake up."

Julian simply hums and keeps sleeping.

Leighton and the child share a look and roll their eyes. Leighton shakes Julian's arm and leans down, "Jewel, wake up." he whispers.

The actor opens his eyes and frowns when he sees Leighton smiling at him. "I'm still not used to being called like this," he spoke with a tired voice. "And can't you dry that hair first? You're dropping water on me."

"You're welcome," Leighton shrugs, "It's hot, so I'm doing you a favour."

Julian rolls his eyes and frowns when he sees the child. "You think I'm funny? Why are you smiling like this?"

"You're funny," the child laughs. "You look nothing like the actor I'm used to seeing on TV."

"What do you mean?" Julian raises an eyebrow.

"Look at you!" little Jules laughs. "Your eyes are red, you look pale and you even have a beard now!"

Leighton joins his laughter. Julian sends him a death glare and mumbles, "You have a beard too, so shut up."

"Really?" Leighton rubs chin and smiles, "That's true, but you have more than I do." he caresses Julian's beard, "Your skin is soft. You must have taken good care of it before."

Julian takes Leighton’s hand away from his face gently and looks at him with a confused look, "Do you often do this? Touch people without their permission."

Leighton raises an eyebrow, "Are you serious? Should I ask for your consent before touching you?"

"Indeed you have to." Julian nods and gets up to leave the tent. He stretches his legs and arms and turns around to look at him, "This face costs millions, so be careful."

Leighton rolls his eyes.

Archer Jones receives a call while he's still in the car. His mother's voice sounds through the speaker, "Good evening, son. Where are you? We're waiting for you for dinner."

"You can eat without me, mum. I'll pass by tomorrow, okay? I'm sorry."

"Is something wrong darling? You sound very tired."

"Don't worry about me. I'll see you tomorrow."

Archer sighs and presses his lips. Even if he has everything he wants in life, a nice job, lots of money, and a good family, he still hasn't found his happiness.

Dinners with his parents mean them asking him if he has a woman in his life, and he can never answer this question because he has never been interested in women in his entire life. "'I'm sorry, mum," he whispers.

He arrives at the dance academy where his best friend works. He calls him and waits outside. A red-haired appears moments later with a large smile on his face, "Hey man!" he hugs his friend, "Long time no see."

"Yeah, I know. We've been busy since that plane explosion." he pats his back and follows him inside the building.

"How are things going? I heard you found a lot of bodies."

"Yeah, but many others are missing. We still have a lot of work to do." They enter the practice room, and Archer sits down to watch his friend practise a new choreography.

They have been doing this since they met at college seven years ago. Archer used to dance a lot with him back then, but he stopped a few years later when he got injured in his leg.

Now, he just visits his friend at his workplace to watch him and give him his opinions about the choreographies he creates for his students.

"What's wrong, man?" Olly frowns, "You don't seem like yourself."

Archer sighs, "I met someone."

The dancer raises an eyebrow, "Shouldn't you be happy about it? You haven't dated since ages."

"It's different, man. He is different." Archer sighs. "I don't know, he doesn't seem like the other guys I used to date."

"Really?" Olly sits beside his friend. "Where have you met him? The club again?"

Archer shakes his head, "He came to my workplace, his brother is one of the missing passengers."

"Whoa," Olly chuckles. "What a coincidence. But is he—"

"I have no idea, to be honest." Archer shrugs, "I hope he is."

"Damn, you're falling, man." Olly pats his back. "He must be handsome."

"A lot," Archer smiles.

The three adventurers are walking inside the forest, Leighton is holding the child's hand in order not to lose him. They find some coconuts on their way and they drink from their water to stay hydrated for the day.

They keep walking and stopping from time to time to rest. It's hot and they are starting to get tired. Leighton takes off his shirt and wets it with cold water before he puts it above little Jules’ head, "Don't get a migraine, kid."

He turns around and watches Julian move slowly and tiredly. The heat is weakening him.

Leighton uses his other free hand to put it around Julian's waist, "Don't die, Jewel, we still need you."

Julian rolls his eyes, "It's too hot, man. I don't think I can survive.”

“Leighton, do you hear this?" little Jules stops them. Leighton raises an eyebrow and concentrates on the sounds around him to hear what he is talking about. First, he hears the sound of the tree leaves moving along with the gentle breeze, then he hears the birds chirping and the trunks cracking. He focuses more and widens his eyes when he hears the sound of the water falling. "A cascade!" he exclaims. He looks at the child and gives him a wide smile, "We need to find it!" he grabs both Julians' arms and follows the slow melody produced by nature.

They get there in a few minutes, and the child starts screaming and dancing when he sees the large waterfall. He giggles and lets go of Leighton's hand. He takes off his shoes and the rest of his clothes before he runs to the water.

"Watch out Jules!" Leighton shouts.

"Don't worry, my mum taught me how to swim!"

Leighton shakes his head and watches the kid enjoy himself in the water. He then turns around and sees Julian taking off his shirt and his trousers, "You're getting in too?" he asks.

"Do you think I'll want to die with this heat instead of freshening up in the water?"

Leighton laughs, "You're right," he keeps his underwear on and follows the actor to the water.

The kid laughs when he sees them getting in and joins them. He tells them how happy he is to swim in the cold water because it's very hot outside.

Little Jules also tells them about how his mother taught him how to swim in the sea. Leighton notices the sadness of his tone when he speaks about his mother, but he also admires him for being a strong boy.

When he finishes talking, Jules looks at them and smirks. He then starts splashing water while laughing out loud. Leighton splashes water on him too, and later, Julian joins the fight. They keep playing with water, freshening up their bodies and warming up their hearts thanks to the small and happy moment they are sharing.

Later, they swim to the rocks and stand under the waterfall. They enjoy the relaxing feeling created by the pressure of the water and its coldness.

Leighton can't stop smiling despite all the sadness and fear of never coming back to his usual life. He's happy because he's finally away from the daily routine, from the stress and anxiety, from the

countless shifts and the never-ending debts. He's happy because he's finally feeling alive.

Julian can't help smiling either. He hasn't heard his father's nagging for a long time or received his manager's unstoppable calls, or has been annoyed by fans and paparazzi. He doesn't have to pretend to love a woman in front of the media, and he doesn't have to act like the person he's not.

Julian opens his eyes and watches the kid swimming. He wants to join him, and when he walks away from the waterfall, he almost stumbles on a rock before Leighton saves him from the pain, by grabbing his waist tightly. He turns him around because of the sudden action and looks at him with worried eyes. "Watch out, Jewel." he smiles.

Julian gulps. The water is falling on the younger man, making his hair stick on his forehead and his muscled body shine under the sunlight. He feels the strength of his arm against his back and the softness of his skin caress his own.

He's getting confused, he doesn't understand what's going on with him. Why is he feeling this way? Why does Leighton make him feel strange?

Mrs Wright places the dishes on the small table and goes back to the kitchen to put the rice into bowls. Tyler helps her set their breakfast table, he brings forks and a bottle of cold water.

Madeline asks him where he was the night before, and he tells her that he's been invited to dinner. When she asks about his new friend he tells her that it's been a long time since he has met someone as kind as Archer.

He doesn't forget to mention how fancy is his car and the suits he wears, he says that he wishes to be as rich as him, and the woman takes advantage of it to slap his arm and tell him that he should've studied well in high school to get a scholarship and go to a good college.

Tyler whines and complains about the government who doesn't make it easy for young people to study what they want. Mrs Wright rolls her eyes and tells him to stop accusing the government of the failure of his professional life.

Tyler turns on the TV to change the subject, it's time for the morning news, so he increases the volume to hear if anything is interesting.

The president of appears first, he made a speech to console the families who lost their loved ones during the plane explosion. After this, they show a list of names belonging to the new passengers they have found dead down in the sea.

Tyler and his mother's hearts stop when they read the name, Leighton Wright.