[Day 6, Dec. 25 – Wintermist Island]
Octavia
The morning of Christmas dawned crisp and cold, the snow outside glinting like diamonds under the winter sun. I had woken to the warmth of Dave’s arm wrapped protectively around me—thanks to the ever-convincing Dave, here I was in the villa I promised not to step a foot in.
Nothing had happened (though I secretly wished it had), but the thought of his arm around me, holding me close, sent a flutter through my chest that I couldn’t quite suppress.
His steady presence, the safety I felt in his embrace—it was a feeling I wasn’t sure I was ready to name.
I pretended to be asleep until I felt him stir, his arm slipping away as he got out of bed. I couldn’t bear the thought of him seeing my flushed, rosy face.
Later that morning, I found him i
