"Ouuu, that stung mi amor" Ron said falling to the ground like he was really hurt.
Lila noticing he wasn't standing up began to panic.
"What have I done, are you okay?" She asked.
"I'm good, I was just pulling your legs mi amor. So you care for me this much" he said.
"No, I don't. Don't call me "mi amor" she exclaims.
"I know you like it" Ron said teasing her. I see you blushing everytime I say that." he said with a mischievous laugh.
"No, that's not true" she said to defend herself.
They were sitting on logs now, eating whatever they had left in their bags.
"Good thing you brought all these snacks. We would be starving by now" Ron says.
"You can thank me, I'll wait" Lila said giggling.
For a moment, an awkward silence was felt. Ron finally spoke.
"Do you want to know why I talked about boundaries earlier?" He asked her.
"Yes I want to" she replied.
"I'll tell you. I didn't have a great childhood. I grew up with my father who never showed care for me emotionally. There was no love". He said sadly.
"What about your mother" she asked curious.
"I don't know who she is. I have never seen her. My father told me she abandoned me as a baby." He added.
"My whole life has been in white and black. Not having a loving family has made me shattered and insecure. I hate to admit but I am scared of letting anyone exceed my boundaries. Sometimes, I feel I should not let my guard down no matter what. It would hurt. I just don't want people to stay for a while and then leave."
Everything began to make sense to Lila now and she felt pity for him.
"I'm really sorry about what you had to go through Ron." She said.
"As a child, I had to endure lots of trainings with no friends. He punished me for every little mistake. I remember when he was teaching me how to play the piano. He would hurt my fingers whenever I missed a key. These are tough memories I have had to keep" he added.
"I grew up with hate for my father. I find it hard to forgive him for all he did. This is all I can tell you for now."
"It's okay Ron. I just want you to know that I'm here whenever you want to let it all out."
"Aren't you feeling sleepy?" He asked.
"I am actually. I think we should go inside and catch some sleep. Maybe dream about how we'll find our way out of here" she said laughing.
"Definitely" he agreed.
Back at the hotel, the rest of the team are worried about them.
"Everyone should be calm. I'm very sure Lila and Ron are okay" Mark assured.
"What if a demon has succeeded in taking it killing them. This isn't good at all" Christine asks worried.
"I think we should be calm. They won't die. They may be lost, we don't know". Isabel says.
"We should hope that's the case. For now, we should all get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we can look for them." Shane says and they all agree.
Meanwhile in the woods.
"Wait…why is there only one bed?" Lila asks.
"This is the only one we came with. Who knew we would have to spend the night here. Maybe I would have brought two." Ron says with a smirk.
"We have no option than to share"he added.
"Share a bed with you, no that's not happening. Besides this bed is so small" Lila mumbled.
"Are you scared of me?" He asked.
"Of course not" she retorted.
"Ohh, you think something will happen between us" he said laughing.
"I can assure you nothing will happen" he said laughing even harder.
She gave him a disgusted look.
"You can laugh all you want, but don't come close to me while I sleep" Lila warned.
Ron was already on the bed resting. It seemed like nothing bothered him at the moment. Lila used a long piece of cloth to divide the bed in order to avoid any body contacts with Ronald. It made him laugh harder.
"What are you doing" he said.
"Creating boundaries of course" she replied. "Do not cross" she warned.
"Alright ma'am, have a good night's sleep" he told her.
"You too"
Deep into the night, she woke up to heavy breathing sounds. It was Ronald. Ronald was burning up with fever, his skin damp with sweat. In his sleep, he was muttering something unintelligible, his face contorted with fear. Lila put a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him awake. "Ronald, wake up. You're having a bad dream."
At first, he didn't respond, lost in the depths of his nightmare. But then his eyes snapped open, and he let out a gasp, his body shaking. "What's wrong?" Lila asked, concern evident in her voice. "I...I can't remember," he stammered, struggling to catch his breath.
It was clear that Ronald was not well. Lila's concern deepened as she considered what to do. She knew she needed to get him some help. She grabbed the blanket she used in dividing the bed and wrapped it around him, trying to get him warm.
"I think you caught a cold from staying outside for too long" Lila said.
"I….I get this a…a lot. I have a lot of allergies" he managed to say still shivering.
"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you" she assured him.
"You need to rest your head but I can't find anything for you to rest your head on" She told him.
There was no alternative, so she carefully raised his head and placed it on her chest. Wrapping her hands around him, she could feel his warm breath on her chest.
It gave him a sense of security and assurance. He held on to her tightly throughout the night, eventually drifting off into a peaceful sleep without any nightmares.