If I were the kind of person who dated seriously (which I am certainly not) I might almost be having ideas about him.
18
JAKE
As I walk over to the dining tent for breakfast, I wonder if I might be slightly delirious from tiredness. Or from something.
I don’t think I’ve ever revised my opinion of someone so strongly from meeting them to… well, to having mind-blowing sex with them.
It’s fair to say that when I met Freya I couldn’t stand her.
It’s also fair to say that now I… well, right now, I’m missing her, because she isn’t next to me. Even though I’m going to see her in a few minutes’ time.
Thatmightjust be a hangover from the out-of-this-world sex.
But the sex wouldn’t havebeenso good if there hadn’t been some kind of emotional connection between us.
As in, she’s very beautiful, obviously, but there are other beautiful women. Although few with such a stunning smile. But her smile isn’t the point. The point is how much fun she is. Her sarcasm. Her humour. The way she laughs. How extremely nice she is. How much I love her writing.Herbasically. All of her.Thatwas why the sex was so good. It was because it was withher, not just a beautiful woman.
‘Jake. Where’s Freya?’ Sonja’s right in front of me, wearing her usual gimlet-eyed look.
‘She’s on her way. She was just a little tired after yesterday but she’ll be here any minute.’
‘Good to hear. I wouldn’t like to think of her missing breakfast and having to confront her fear of heights on an empty stomach.’
‘Same,’ I agree. ‘Fingers crossed she arrives on time.’ I wonder whether Sonja is going to ask for breakfast to be cleared away early just to spite Freya.
I take an enormous pile of food from the buffet so I can save some for Freya if necessary. I catch Sonja looking at me and my plate, so, when she does finally turn her back, I fill a couple of rolls with ham and cheese, wrap them in napkins and sneak them into my pockets.
True to form, Sonja waits for Freya to arrive and then immediately claps her hands and tells everyone that breakfast is over.
‘It’s okay,’ I whisper. ‘Got you some food.’
We slip behind some trees for me to hand over the food and for Freya to scoff it as fast as she can. I kiss her a couple of times on the forehead as she does so, because apparently I can’t resist.
‘Jake. Freya,’ calls Sonja. That woman iseverywhere. ‘Time for the treetop activity.’
‘I feel like a teenager round the back of the sheds at school smoking,’ says Freya, her mouth full.
‘I know. I genuinely feel like we’re committing a serious misdemeanour right now. It’s like we’ve strayed into someBig Brotherworld run by Sonja.’
‘Jake. Freya.’ Sonja’s openly yelling now.
‘I’m done,’ Freya says.
I look at her and laugh. ‘There’s alotof evidence of your crime,’ I tell her.
‘What?’
‘Crumbs, everywhere.’ I wipe them away for her carefully with my fingers, and then can’t resist kissing her everywhere that I touched.
She’s wrapping her arms round my neck when Sonja goes incredible full throttle on the yelling.
‘Oh. We should go,’ Freya says.
‘Yep,’ I agree.
‘Where have you two been?’ asks Sonja.
