“I know her,” I replied.
“Everyone knows her. She releases one book every ten years, writes on a typewriter and hates modern technology. She’s lived here for a while too.”
“That’s amazing. This town is really . . . weird,” I said.
He smiled. “You don’t know the half of it. Wait until the spring festival. Which is coming up soon.”
“Why?” I was curious now.
“Well, if you plan to stick around, you’ll see.”
That sounded like a question. Was he asking me if I was planning on sticking around? Was I?
I looked at Harun; he was sleeping happily on the blanket that Mark had put down for him. He looked completely content to stay exactly where he was. And we would be staying for a while until he recovered fully, but when he was better . . .Was I going to leave?I’d desperately wanted to leave only a few days ago, and now I wasn’t so sure.
“I don’t think I could get used to the dry heat here, though,” I said, fanning myself. “I can’t even imagine what it’s like here in summer.”
“It can get brutal in summer. And I’m from Australia. I know hot weather.” He paused and watched me for a while, as if concocting a plan in his head. “Want to cool down?” He had a mischievous grin on his face.
“Sure.”
“Come.” He stood up and started walking off the veranda.
“As long as it doesn’t involve nudity!” I said.
He laughed. “Funny you should say that, sometimes it does, but I’ll spare you that.”
“Thanks.” This conversation seemed to be getting a little flirtier. Or at least, that’s how it felt to me.
“Come on,” Mark called as he walked into his sandy garden.
I followed him slightly tentatively; I wasn’t sure what was about to happen. He made his way over to a small rusted tap in the succulent bed and looked at me.
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
“I’m going to turn on the sprinkler and then run through it.”
I laughed. “Seriously, you do that?”
“Often.”
“Okay. I’m ready,” I said, preparing myself for the shower of water.
“Okay . . .” Mark turned the tap on and a sprinkler sprang to life. The water was still warm from the hot day, but soon it was cool and refreshing. I laughed as it rushed over me.
“When last did you run through a sprinkler?” Mark shouted, running and jumping over the gushing water.
I burst out laughing. “I can’t remember. Maybe never.” I copied him and ran directly at the sprinkler and then jumped over it, wetting myself entirely.
I stopped running and stood there, letting the cool water rush over me. I looked up at the night sky, it was incredible. Like someone had thrown silver glitter across a black canvas. I looked back down and found Mark standing right in front of me. The water was dripping down his face, and he was smiling. Smiling so much that water was pooling in the corners of his mouth. And suddenly, I wanted to kiss him so badly. Kiss that water off his lips . . .
And so I did.
CHAPTER 41
And he kissed me right back.
The kiss was hot under the cool water. But it was slow and soft, unlike the water that was falling fast and heavy on us. I wrapped my arms around him and we pulled each other closer as our lips and tongues met for the first time. It was electric. Shocks and tingles flew between our mouths in a way I’d never experienced before.
