AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That’s fair. Not my best example, maybe.
“Well, or say you were scared of something less freaky. Like kittens or chocolate buttons. Or, I dunno… a certain gardener…”
Eden’s soft laugh is the best sound I’ve ever heard. She peers up at each of the banana trees, examining them closely before checking them off the list. “Are you going to throw me in a K-Kai Akana tank? I told you before, I’m n-not scared.”
And those are the sweetest words to my ears. Still: “You are nervous around me, though.”
Eden shrugs, blushing prettily as she steps past me back onto the path. I follow, reluctant to get back on the path where Jeremiah can see us from where he’s crouching by the stream collecting samples.
Not that Eden and I are doing anything worth looking at. But still.
I like the illusion of privacy.
“So maybe if we spend more time together, you’ll be less nervous around me.”
Eden nibbles on her bottom lip, and she won’t meet my eye as she wanders down the stone path, then steps off again to inspect an açaí palm. I follow, throat tight.
“I don’t think that w-will help,” she says at last, and my heart sinks before she adds: “We could try, though.”
My heart floats back up again like a helium balloon. And—the tips of Eden’s ears have turned pink. Huh. That’s interesting.
But… why won’t it help?
And why exactly is this girl nervous around me, anyway?
Are they… you know. The good kind of nerves?
“Eden,” I say slowly, checking over my shoulder to make sure there’s no sign of Jeremiah. The path is empty behind us and we’re surrounded on all sides by thick, tangled foliage. Overhead, trees loom and vines dangle and birds flit from branch to branch as sunshine sparkles through fogged glass. It’s like we’re in our own private universe. “Are you up for a quick experiment?”
She hums, idly checking off another box with the stubby pencil.
I stroll around to face her head on, waiting until she glances up at me to smile. Those mist-gray eyes widen.
“Does this make you nervous?” I say, my own heart thumping against my ribs. “When I look at you?”
Eden shrugs, but her cheeks are bright pink.
“Well, what about when I talk to you? Is that it?”
She’s not the only one with a belly full of snakes right now if so—and I sound hoarse, like the words are scraping my throat on their way out. Eden inhales sharply and shakes her head. Her grip is tight on the clipboard.
“How about now?” My boots thud against the dirt as I step forward once… twice… moving slowly so Eden can back away if she needs. But my sweet, shy undergrad raises her chin and waits for me to get closer, visibly nervous but defiant.
I know that glint in her eyes—it’s like me heading out on the waves each morning on my board. It says: screw you, brain. Some things are worth fighting for.
“Eden,” I say softly, navy t-shirt sticking to my damp back. The air is so hot and thick in this greenhouse, and the stream sloshes nearby over mossy pebbles. “Can I touch you?”
Probably shouldn’t. She’s a student, after all, and though I’m no lecturer, I bet if I flicked through the employee handbook gathering dust in a drawer at home, I’d find a section warning me away from this.
But I don’t care. A job is just a job, you know?
This is Eden. This is more important.
She darts a glance over my shoulder, checking the path behind me for signs of her classmate. And when she looks back at me and gives that tiny nod… man alive, I could crash to my knees.
“Okay,” I say instead, like this is a totally normal conversation. A completely reasonable experiment for me to run. “Does this make you nervous?”
My palm settles on her shoulder, holding lightly to her slender body. Barely touching her at all, especially when you take the thin layer of her t-shirt into consideration.
