Stranded with the Billionaire

S A G E

After a few splashes of cold water on his face, Sage ‘s anger was smoldering. What did he do? It’s not like you’re begging Irena  to sleep with you. She did it herself.

He shook his head. How was  last night? The fear around him was almost tangible. Something in the past scared him. It wasn’t just a plane crash, though she seemed desperate to convince him that was the case. There is something more. A deep fear.

Although he wanted to hate her for the way she treated him, he couldn’t. Maybe she was just as devastated as he was, and he couldn’t blame her. After all, if he wasn’t her father, she wasn’t his past.

He rubs his face as he examines his reflection. His heart skipped a beat at the thought of how wonderful it felt to have Irena  in his arms. She leaned on him. The warmth of her body and the feel of her flesh under his hand seemed to be etched in her mind.

Focus, Sage , he sings in his head. Today they had to get out of the mountains and into the snow before dark. Then they have to find shelter. He doesn’t have time to act like a teenager.

He opened the bathroom door and stepped out. Irena  was  hunched over in a nearby chair, eating crackers. She looked at him, then lowered her eyes.

Sage  considered telling her exactly what he thought of her sudden coldness but decided against it. He wouldn’t lower himself to her level. He will go  beyond.

“Are you ready for today?”

She just put the cake in her mouth and nodded.

“Good.” He looked at his shoes. High heels aren’t really hiking boots. “Is that all you got?” he asked, nodding his head towards his feet.

She follows his gesture. “Yes,” she whispered.

Sage  scoffed. “These won’t work.” He stopped. “Maybe . . .” He went to the back of the plane and opened a closet. “Yes!” he exclaimed as he pulled out a pair of ski boots from inside. “Here. Put them on.

She looked at them. “What are they?”

“Don’t you know what snowshoes are?”

“No.”

“They’re designed to help you keep your skates on your pair. his feet. Feet.”

She pulled them towards her and took off her shoes. Sage  turned and reached into his  duffle bag.

“Here are some socks,” he said, handing them to her. After tying her shoelaces, she stood up.

“Is there anything else?” she asked.

Sage  starts packing the backpack he found in the closet. He walked over to his suitcase and rummaged through it again. He wanted to make sure he didn’t miss anything. They need all the supplies they can find. “Just to make sure everything is ready to go.”

His cheeks burned as he stuffed his underwear into his backpack. Then he closed the door and pushed his suitcase away.

“Wait. Shouldn’t we take him with us?” she asked, her voice rising an octave as she walked over to the luggage and pulled it toward her.

Sage  prepares for the inevitable fight “We can’t take this with us, Miss . Derrick. I don’t know where we are or how far we have to  get down this mountain. It will only do them all. Let’s slow down.”

“But…”

He walked towards her. You have to make him understand. “It’s not personal. I’m not trying to hurt you. He’s only inches away from her and he feels her tension as he steps closer.

For a moment, he allowed himself. Smile. He appreciated her ability to evoke emotions. He bent down and let the feeling of her small body a few inches away sink into his.

Besides, it’s not bad for her to wear that.

Warning bells rang in his head, so he cleared his throat and stepped back. He came too close. He needed to leave her. “We just can’t carry it.” He said that? He doesn’t remember. All his brain was focusing on right now was the beauty of the little freckles running down the bridge of his nose.

She bit her lower lip, then sighed. “Good. But you’re a billionaire. If you go back to get my stuff, I hope you get mine too.

Sage  brushed his hand away. “Alright.” The softness of her skin against his. . He stepped back and went to the wardrobe. He ruined everything.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Snowshoes aren’t the only thing still out there. All the ski gear he brought with him on his trip a week ago was still inside. He grabbed his jacket.

“Here,” he said, walking over to Irena .

She put it on. It hung from her like a sack of potatoes. He is smiling.

“What?” she kept asking to raise and lower her arm.

“Nothing.”

Then he took whatever he could find to keep them warm. Hats, gloves, scarves were quickly thrown onto the couch.

“Take some,” he said, pointing to the pile of items.

Irena  stood up and walked over. She picked out a few and  returned to her seat.

Not wanting to be distracted, Sage  picked up the remaining briefcases and stuffed them into his backpack. Then he took a tarp hidden in the back and shook the canvas. Then he spread it on the ground. He will make a makeshift bag out of it.

He took extra clothes, a pot, cooking utensils and a first aid kit. After collecting some more food, he placed them in the middle of the spider’s web.

He glanced at Irena , who was watching him. She had an expression that he couldn’t read. Why is she such a mystery to him? And why does he care?

He went to the kitchen to get the remaining boxes. It’s not much but enough for a meal tonight. They couldn’t get too much from the bears roaming Greenland .ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

He puts food in his backpack and wraps the rest in a tarp. He folded it into a square, then took a string that he had stuffed into his sports bag.

“What are you doing?” Madeleine asked.

He looked at her. “It’s called the Yukon Pack. I can pack more things this way than this little backpack.

His gaze fell on the backpack. “Is this what I’m wearing?”

Sage  nodded. “Correct.”

Irena  stepped forward and grabbed it. She then walked over to her suitcase and rummaged through it. After pulling out a few items, she stuffed them into her backpack. Sage  tried not to notice that one of the items had his boyfriend’s picture  on it.

“What’s his name?” he asked, hoping that he didn’t seem very interested. Dude, what’s wrong with him?

“Bret”.

“Huh. How long have you been together?”

When she stopped, he looked at her, she looked at his hand.

“Three years.”

His eyes widened. They must be serious. “Three years? Oh . Are you two getting married?” For some reason, he held his breath.

“Maybe.” Her voice was calm as if she was trying to hide something.

Sage  just pushed her away. It must have been her wish that she wasn’t sure about, that’s all. Her strange and puzzling desire  to be single.

His stomach growled so he went to the kitchen to get a box of cookies. In the desert, it is better to bring things that cannot get wet. All canned items will be left behind.

He opens the box and shakes it into a bowl. He hissed at Titan , who had slept all morning. He stood up and shook his body, his hair flying like clouds.

Irena ‘s nose wrinkled as she moved away from him. She is conceited. It takes a special kind of person to hate Titan . Everyone loves him. He’s the best friend Sage  could ask for. It bothered him that Irena  didn’t like Titan .

“Eat,” he ordered, and Titan happily stuck his nose into the bowl.

When he picked up the second box, he tore it open and started eating. Stepping over to the chair, he sat down and watched Irena  return to pack her backpack.

“You want to be careful,” he said.

She glanced at him. “About what?”

“You don’t want your bag to be too heavy. Who knows what terrain we will have to traverse until we reach civilization. He took another handful of cookies and popped them into his mouth.

She plays with the bag hook. “Good.” Then she grabbed her purse and started pulling things out. His wallet and his sunglasses – a book.

Sage  argues with her about not marrying her, but then stops. Sometimes experience is the best teacher. Also, they can still use it to create fire. Which reminds him. . .

“Do you have a tampon?” ” He asks.

Her cheeks flushed red as she turned around. “So sorry?”

He stared at her. Why is this so embarrassing? I know women who mestruate. At least his fifth grade teachers made sure he knew, no matter how hurtful it was for a child.

“Stamp. Do you have any?” Aunt Kaye Menstruation He put the pieces together “It’s okay.”

She widened her eyes  and nodded. Then she reached into her pocket and went out.

“Good. Remember to pack them up. Oh, and if you have towels, throw them away.

He got up and wiped the debris that had accumulated on the leg of his pants.

Titan finished his cake. And stood whining.

“I’m coming, man,” Sage  yelled as he walked over and opened the door.

Titan disappeared into the powdered snow.

Sage  glanced at his watch. It was seven o’clock in the morning. They had to move if they wanted to go anywhere before dark. In the fall in Greenland , the sun sets six minutes earlier each day. They cannot wander when the sun goes down.

“Ready to go?” he called her. He slipped his feet into those boots and tied the laces.

Irena  is wearing a hat and gloves. Sage  helps her with her backpack that seems to want to get caught in the loose parts of her coat.

He then grabbed Yukon’s bag and gestured for Irena  to help him up. After standing up, he grabbed the remaining water bottles and stuffed them into his coat pocket. No need to let them go to waste.

Sage  looked around the plane and a feeling of sadness overcame him. It is his child. The only connection he had with his father. And he left her in the desert.

He reached out and pressed himself against one of the walls. “I’ll come pick you up,” he whispered.

He walked to the cockpit and picked up the map, compass, and flare gun he left there. After coming out of the mountain, he will head west, towards the sea. If they are lucky, they encounter a swarm of fighters or signal an aircraft and this whole nightmare will be over.

Just before leaving, he stopped. Going to the closet, he pulled out a gun and some spray. Hopefully he won’t have to use both, but it’s better to be prepared. They will come in handy when trying to navigate rough terrain.

As he passed Irena , her eyes widened as she jerked her head toward the gun and spray bottle. “Do we need it?

He looked at her. “Fortunately not. But it’s better to have without needing than to have without.” He stopped at the entrance. “Are you ready, Miss . Derrick?” lips looking out. “I really don’t have a choice now, do I?”

Sage  smiled. “That would be fun. After all, what could be worse?