Chapter 2

Mia should've known Cindy wouldn't let things stay tense for long.

"You can't sit inside all day," she'd said that morning, hands on her hips, smile sweet but completely unmovable. "Lane needs to check the south fence line, and you're going with him."

Mia blinked. "I'm... what?"

"It'll be good for you," Cindy added. "Fresh air. And Lane could use the company."

From the doorway, Lane let out a quiet huff.

"Pretty sure I'll survive on my own. Ma."

Cindy shot him a look. "You'll take her."

Lane's jaw tightened slightly. "Mum-,"

"You'll take her," she repeated, softer this time, but somehow more final.

Silence.

Then Lane pushed off the wall. "Fine."

Mia crossed her arms. "I didn't agree to this."

Cindy smiled. "You don't have to agree. Just be ready in five."

And just like that-

Mia found herself standing outside beside his Ute, wondering how her life had taken such a sharp, unfortunate turn.

"This is unbelievable," she muttered.

Lane opened the driver's door. "You getting in or what?"

She hesitated. "I don't even know where we're going."

"Fence line," he said simply.

"That explains nothing."

He looked at her then, one brow slightly raised. "It's a fence," he said. "We check it."

Mia stared at him. "You're joking."

He didn't smile.

Mia exhaled sharply and climbed into the passenger seat. The door shut harder than necessary. The engine roared to life. And just like that-they were alone.

The drive was quiet.

Not comfortable.

Just... Quiet.

Mia stared out the window, watching the property stretch endlessly around them. Fields, trees, open sky that felt too big, too exposed.

Lane didn't try to fill the silence.

Didn't glance at her.

Didn't seem to care.

Which, for some reason, was more irritating than if he had.

"Do you always act like this?" she said finally.

His eyes stayed on the road. "Like what?"

"Like you'd rather be anywhere else."

A beat.

Then, "I could ask you the same thing."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Difference is, I actually would rather be anywhere else."

That got the smallest reaction-a flicker of amusement.

"Yeah," he said. "That's obvious."

She turned to him. "You don't have to be rude about it."

"I'm not being rude," he said. "Just honest."

"Right," she muttered. "Because those are definitely the same thing."

The Ute slowed as he turned onto a narrower dirt track, the ground rougher now, the ride bumpier.

Mia grabbed the handle above the door. "Do people actually drive on this?"

"Yeah," he said. "People who live here."

She shot him a look. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Little bit."

Mia scoffed, turning back to the window.

Unbelievable.

They stopped in the middle of nowhere.

At least, that's what it felt like.

Lane cut the engine and stepped out without a word.

Mia stayed put.

"Are you serious?" She called after him. "You're just going to leave me here?"

He glanced back over his shoulder. "You coming?"

She looked around-at the empty land, the silence, the fact that there was quite literally nowhere else to go.

"...I hate this place," she muttered, climbing out.

The ground was uneven under her shoes, the air warmer out here, and the quiet heavier.

Lane had already made his way to the fence line, crouching slightly to inspect something.

Mia walked over slowly, arms crossed. "Well,' she said. "Is the fence okay, or should I be deeply concerned?"

He didn't look up. "Wires loose."

She blinked. "That's it?"

"That's it."

Mia let out a breath. "So, we drove all the way out here for-what-five minutes?"

Lane finally stood, turning to face her.

"This is the job," he said.

She shook her head. "I don't get it."

"Don't get what?"

"This," she gestured around them. "Why you'd choose this. Every day. It's just... empty."

His expression shifted slightly.

Not angry.

Not defensive.

Just... different.

"It's not empty," he said.

Mia frowned. "There's literally nothing here."

"There's land," he replied. "Work. Quiet."

"That's exactly my point."

Lane studied her for a moment. "You need noise to feel like something's happening," he said.

"And you don't?"

He shook his head once. "No."

Mia crossed her arms tighter. "That sounds boring."

A small smirk tugged at his mouth. "Only if you don't know what you're looking at."

There was something in the way he said it- calm, certain- that caught her off guard.

Mia looked around again. The same field. The same sky.

But for a second-

It didn't feel quite as empty.

She frowned slightly, pushing the thought away.

"No," she said. "Still boring."

Lane let out a quiet laugh under his breath. And somehow- that annoyed her more.

"What?" she said.

"Nothing."

"Say it."

He stepped closer, then-not rushed, not aggressive. Just... closing the distance. Mia's breath caught slightly before she could stop it.

"You're not going to last here," he said, quieter now.

Her chin lifted. "You've said that."

"Yeah," he replied. "Because you're already looking for reasons to hate it."

"I don't have to look," she shot back. "They're everywhere."

Another step closer.

Not enough to touch.

But enough that she noticed.

"You haven't even tried," he said.

Mia held her ground. "Maybe I don't want to."

His gaze dropped briefly-to her lips, then back to her eyes.

Something shifted.

Subtle.

But undeniable.

"Then why stay?" he asked.

The question lingered. Closer now. Heavier. Mia swallowed.

"Because I said I would," she said.

His head tilted slightly. "Just to prove me wrong?"

"... Yes."

A pause.

Then- a slow, knowing look.

"That's not a good enough reason."

Her heart picked up, just slightly.

"It is for me."

For a moment, neither of them moved. The air felt different out here. Warmer. Closer. Complicated.

Then Lane stepped back. Just like that.

"Come on," he said, turning away as if nothing had happened. "We're not done yet."

Mia stood there for a second longer than she should have.

Annoyed.

Confused.

And far too aware of the fact that- for a split second- she hadn't wanted him to step away.

"Yeah," she muttered, following after him. "Wouldn't want to miss all the excitement."

But as she walked beside him, stealing a glance, she hoped he didn't notice- Mia realised something she wasn't ready to admit.

This place might not be what she expected.

And neither was Lane.

They walked the fence line in silence after that. Not the same silence as before.

This one felt... thinner. Like something had shifted just enough that it couldn't quite settle back into what it was.

Lane moved ahead of her, easy and familiar, like his body already knew where to step without thinking. He checked the posts as he went, tugging at wire, scanning the ground, occasionally crouching to fix something Mia wouldn't have noticed.

Mia followed. Carefully at first.

The ground wasn't kind to her shoes-too soft in some places, too uneven in others. A small rock rolled under her foot, and she caught herself with a quiet curse.

Lane didn't turn round. But his voice carried back to her anyway.

"Watch where you're stepping."

"I am," she replied, brushing dirt off her hands.

A beat.

"Doesn't look like it."

Mia narrowed her eyes at his back. "You could at least pretend to be helpful."

"I am being helpful."

"You're not even looking at me."

"Don't need to."

That irritated her more than it should have. She quickened her pace, closing the distance between them. "You don't know everything, you know."

Lane stopped suddenly.

Mia barely caught herself before walking straight into him.

"Careful," he said, glancing down at her-too close again."

She stepped back quickly. "Maybe give some warning next time."

He ignored that, nodding toward the fence.

"Hold this."

He handed her the loose wire without waiting for her to agree.

Mia stared at it like it might bite her. "You want me to do what with this?"

"Just hold it tight."

"No."

A pause.

"... Are you sure?"

Lane's mouth twitched. "Mia."

"Fine," she muttered, gripping the wire.

It was rough against her hands, colder than she expected. She held it awkwardly at first, then tighter when it shifted.

"Like that," he said, already working at the post, pulling something from his pocket-pliers, she realised.

For a minute, neither of them spoke.

Just the quiet sounds of metal, movement, the faint rustle of wind through dry grass.

Mia watched him despite herself. The way he worked was... efficient. No wasted movement. No hesitation. Like he'd done this a thousand times-and probably had.

There was dirt on his hand, his focus fixed entirely on what he was doing.

It wasn't showy.

It wasn't impressive in the way city things were.

But it was... something.

"Okay," he said after a moment. "You can let go."

Mia released the wire quickly, flexing her fingers. "That's it?"

"That's it."

She looked at the fence, then back at him.

"You make that look very underwhelming."

"It's a fence, not a magic trick."

She huffed a small laugh before she could stop herself.

Lane glanced at her.

Noticed. Didn't say anything about it, but something in his expression shifted just slightly.

"Come on," he said, starting forward again.

Mia fell into step beside him this time instead of trailing behind.

It wasn't deliberate.

It just... happened.

They walked a little further before Mia spoke again.

"So what happens if you don't check it?" she asked.

Lane shrugged. "Stock gets out."

"And then?"

"We go find it."

"That sounds... inconvenient."

"It is."

Mia glanced out across the land again. "How far can they go?"

"Far enough."

She tried to picture it-animals just... wandering off into all of this. No streets, no fences beyond what they built, no clear boundaries except distance.

It felt strange.

Uncontrolled.

"Has it happened before?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"And you just... go after them?"

"Yeah."

Mia shook her head slightly. "That sounds like a nightmare."

A small pause. "Sometimes," he admitted.

She looked at him then, a little surprised by the answer.

It wasn't defensive. Wasn't dismissive. Just... honest.

"You don't hate it?" she asked.

Lane glanced at her briefly. "No."

"Even when it's hard?"

"That's part of it."

Mia frowned slightly. "That doesn't make sense."

"It does," he said. "You just don't get it yet."

There it was again.

No if.

Yet.

Mia exhaled quietly, looking ahead.

The fence stretched on, the land rolling out in uneven waves of green and gold. The sky above them felt too big still-but maybe not as suffocating as it had earlier.

Or maybe she was just getting used to it.

"Do you ever leave?" she asked after a while.

Lane's steps slowed just slightly. "What do you mean?"

He didn't answer straight away. Mia glanced at him, catching the way his gaze had shifted out toward the distance- not focused, but not entirely here either.

"Not really," he said, finally.

She studied him for a second longer. "You've never been curious?"

Lane looked back at her. "And you think being here isn't experiencing something?"

Mia opened her mouth-then stopped. Because she didn't have a quick answer for that.

"... it's different," she said instead.

"Yeah," he agreed.

Another stretch of quiet settled between them. But this time, it didn't feel like something they were stuck inside. It felt like something they were... sharing.

Mia kicked lightly at a small rock in her path. "I still think I'm going to hate it."

"Probably," Lane said.

She glanced at him. "You're not even going to argue?"

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter what I think."

Mia frowned. "You seemed pretty confident before."

"I was."

"And now?"

A small pause.

Then, "Now you're still here."

Something about the way he said it, not challenging, not mocking, landed differently.

Quieter.

Mia looked away first. "Don't read into it," she muttered. "It's just the bet."

"Sure."

She shot him a look. "It is."

Lane's mouth curved slightly, but he didn't push it.

And for once-

Mia was glad he didn't.

They reached the end of the fence line not long after. Or at least, what Mia assumed was the end- because Lane stopped, resting his hand briefly against one of the posts before looking out over the land.

"Done," he said.

Mia exhaled. "Finally."

But she didn't move straight away. Her gaze followed his, out across the open stretch in front of them. The wind picked up slightly, brushing against her skin, tugging loose strands of her hair. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear something faint-birds, maybe.

Or animals.

It wasn't loud. Wasn't overwhelming. Just... there. Alive in a way she hadn't noticed before.

"You hear that?" Lane said quietly.

Mia stilled slightly. "Hear what?"

He didn't look at her. "Exactly."

She frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

A small pause. Then, softer- "It will."

Mia shook her head, but there was no real bite to it this time.

"Cryptic doesn't make you interesting, you know."

Lane let out a quiet breath that might've been a laugh. "Wasn't trying to."

Another small silence. Then Mia shifted her weight, glancing back the way they'd come.

"Do we just... go back now?"

"Yeah."

She nodded once. But as they turned and started walking, Mia realised she wasn't in a hurry to get there.

And that-

More than anything, was the part that unsettled her the most.