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Five woke up before he opened his eyes. He hadn't rested well, the damp, metallic air of the subway stations always felt like inhaling lead into the lungs.
Almost imperceptibly, millimeter by millimeter, he stirred a little to be aware of himself. His right arm was especially numb. Still with his eyes closed, he shook it a bit to regain its mobility.
‘Enjoying the touch?’
Lila's hoarse voice jolted him awake, like when he was about to fall asleep and felt like falling. He opened his eyes and found himself hugging her by the waist, their bodies barely inches apart. The hardness of the floor highlighted her curves, making them more pronounced. Then, he pushed his arm away, which barely responded to him.
‘If it bothered you, you should have taken it away.’
He ran his hands through his clothes, as if to play it down. When Lila heard his newly awakened voice, something stirred inside her. It was lower, deeper. The change had been so slow she hadn't noticed.
‘There's... some tea left in my bag,’ Lila said, glancing over her shoulder at him. Five grimaced.
‘Breakfast is for those who get out of bed.’
Then he blinked and appeared a few feet away, where they had what they needed to start a fire. Five put water in the kettle and began to heat the wood.
Suddenly, he felt two hands on his shoulders.
‘Two can play this game.’
Lila had blinked behind his back. Five repressed a smile.
‘I knew you were going to do that.’
‘Right, you always know everything,’ she whispered mockingly.
‘I meant it.’
She squeezed him gently with her fingertips.
‘C'mon, take my hands away. Or am I not bothering you enough?’
Exhaling slowly, Five blinked and appeared behind her. Lila gasped.
‘Control yourself, can you?’
He wanted to grab her hands with his but she managed to dodge his grip from one side, turning on herself. Then, they were both facing each other.
‘I can bloody play at that too,’ said Lila quietly. ‘Look: uncontrol yourself, want you?’
Five looked down at her and Lila was forced to accept he was already taller than her. But, at that moment, a subway arrived at the station. He cleared his throat.
‘Shall we take it?’
Lila looked up at his hand holding her by the wrist and he let her go quite slow.
‘Nah, we'd better eat properly.’
When Five sat down to breakfast, he still felt Lila's warmth on his fingers.
The next subway had brought them to an unfamiliar timeline. The weather up there was at once cold and desolate, like a white desert.
They both had camping backpacks, with the blankets they used at night rolled up in them. Five felt a cold rush of air in his legs and missed their bed.
‘Do you find it worthwhile?’ he asked.
There were no people or animals to be seen and all the vegetation was dry, because it was winter. Lila turned on her heels before answering.
‘Where's your adventurous spirit?’
Five closed his eyes tightly. Truth was, he was already tired. After half an hour of walking, a house caught his attention. Although worn by the passage of time, it stood up fairly well.
At one time, it had been pine-colored and everything about it was reminiscent of a rural house. Its sunflower curtains, its wooden structure, the high, wide ceiling. Five noticed it had its own cistern and got thrilled. The running water system no longer worked on almost any line they visited.
To one side, with walls of transparent white glass, was a greenhouse. He stared at it as if it were something from another world.
‘Will there be something to eat... there?’
‘Let's see,’ said Lila, stepping forward.
Five felt the need to tell her it was dangerous but, in reality, he knew she could take care of herself, so he just followed her. Behind the doors, a wave of warm moisture and greenery greeted them. A micro-ecosystem had formed there, teeming with life and color.
Lila was walking among the greenhouse crops, as if it were her own vegetable garden. When she found strawberries, she gasped and took them in her hands. The look in her eyes was of absolute happiness.
‘You like them that much?’ asked Five, arching an eyebrow.
‘You wouldn't get it. They're my favorite.’
Then, wasting no time, she pulled out a bag and began to fill it. Five let her work quietly as he went to inspect the house. The construction was holding up well enough and the plumbing system looked stable. It was cozy inside and there was a large wood-burning fireplace in the living room, as well as clean clothes in the bedroom, albeit with a slight musty smell. He took what he needed and returned to Lila.
Finding her so happy, he suddenly felt he wanted to stay there, in that corner lost in time and space where they would lack nothing. And he wanted to stay with her.
‘What… should we do?’
She scanned that lively environment with her eyes and then inhaled deeply.
‘Go back... before it gets dark.’
So, with slow steps, Five walked over to the strawberries and buried four or five of them to the bottom. Lila just looked at him, curious.
‘For them to sprout again.’
Lila nodded as a part of her wondered if he was thinking of returning there.
‘I hate you,’ she said, ‘I hate you for this.’
Five held her in his arms, while she thought of the injustice of not being able to live with him and her family in that little corner that was her paradise.
Their paradise.