Monthly Bonus Content #3—'Tempest' (Ava Spring Scenario Special) (Patreon)

“I warned you of this impending monsoon,” Ava groans, holding an arm above herself in a ridiculous attempt to keep the hammering rain from pelting down onto her.

“Monsoon?” I roll my eyes as I swing around to look at her. “It’s not quite that bad yet.”

But it’s probably not far off…

The trail back through the forest is beginning to become harder and harder to follow as the grassy edges turn to mud. Thankfully, the weeks I’ve been here have ingrained the path into my memory. I press against the trees as I push through some of the undergrowth that’s leaking onto the pathway, their flimsy branches flattened by the heavy rain which continue to pour down from the dark sky above.

Five minutes ago, it was glorious sunshine.

I sigh at the thought and continue on.

“We’re still far from the warehouse,” Ava calls behind me. “You’ll be sodden by the time we make it back.”

I pause and turn to her once again. “And you won’t?” I flick a hand over her wettened form, only now taking note of the way her t-shirt clings to the strong muscles of her torso even more than usual. The material has turned somewhat transparent giving a tempting view of the body which lays beneath.

She stares at me through the sheet of rain, droplets flowing down her cheek and trailing across her jawline, as though caressing it.

I clear my throat.

“I won’t be the one catching a cold for staying out in this weather for so long,” Ava notes with an annoying arch of her brow. She mimics my motion of gesturing at my completely drenched appearance…and then seems to mimic my lingering gaze as her eyes sweep over me in a slow trail.

She clears her throat.

“Well, it’s not like we can do much about it now, is it?” I comment, turning to look out from the canopy to the clearing beyond. A smile forms on my lips. “Might as well just enjoy where we’re at.”

“…I do not like the sound of that.”

I don’t reply, instead stepping out of the limited protection of the forest and letting the rain cover me in splashed kisses. The droplets are chill but refreshing as they coat my skin right through my clothing.

Ava shakes her head with a frown. “What do you think you are doing? You’ll catch worse than a cold if you spend any more time in this deluge.”

A groan seeps out of me. “You know one thing that annoys me about you?”

She folds her arms. “Oh, just the one?”

My words stutter for a moment at her unexpected teasing before I manage to force myself to speak. “Your life is endless, but you don’t seem to want to do anything with it!” I hold my arms out and tip my head back to enjoy the freshness of the moment. “You could do with learning to actually live a little, Ava. Learn to enjoy the centuries spread before you.” I tip my head back down to smirk at her. “Or eternity is going to be seriously boring.”

I’m not sure if the rumble was from distant thunder or Ava expressing her obvious annoyance.

But—eventually—she steps out into the rain with me.

I let out a laugh. “Are you actually taking some advice? From me?”

“Why is that a surprise?” she asks, her heavy boots sinking into the mud and leaving puddles behind her. “I have listened to you many times.”

“Listened, sure.” I hold up a finger. “But rarely actually taken it on board.”

The smallest smile quirks at her lips as she draws to a stop a few inches from me. “Considering your current advice has us standing in the rain for no apparent reason, is it any surprise I don’t take it more often?”

“We’re not just standing in the rain,” I correct her, distracted once again by the cascade of droplets which trace across her strong features. “We’re enjoying the moment. We’re making memories.”

“I suppose you’re correct.” She reaches out, curling her finger along my jawline to catch the rain there, and making my heart skitter. “The memory of you now is…one I will certainly cherish.”

My breath hitches as her fingers spread across my neck, resting there gently.

The rain blurs everything except the warm green of her gaze as it pierces into me. The chill of the rain seems to have turned to steam with the intensity of her stare, as though she’s never seen anything she’s wanted more.

“Are you checking if I already have a fever?” I croak out the joke, needing to break through the weight between us before I suffocate under it.

Lightning blasts a sudden arcing flash across the sky.

Ava rips her hand away.

My heart seems to go with it.

“Rain is one thing, but a storm is another,” she mumbles, her voice hoarse and deep. “We should return.”

I rub at my neck, the shadow of her touch lingering. “…Right.”

We begin trudging back through the muddy mire towards the warehouse, but our tempest of stormy emotions seems to trail us all the way there.