Obviously, Luke and I aren’t heretogether, but it doesn’t stop me from imagining us that way, stealing glances at him every so often, studying his face while he’s distracted. His profile is just as fucking beautiful as the rest of him, the sharp angles of his jawline very prominent, almost like he’s chiseled from stone. The contour of his face is so symmetrical, from his brows down to his Adam’s apple. It’s like an artist drew him up. If I could draw, I’d have a sketchpad full of his visage and the way the firelight casts shadows across his skin. God, what I wouldn’t give to trace that outline with my fingers. Or my mouth.
Fuck. That’s a dangerous thought. Horny and drunk is never a good combination. Horny and drunk while sitting around a campfire full of people who have no clue I’m lusting after one of them is worse.
Luke occasionally catches me looking at him throughout the night. He stares back at me silently each time, our eyes locked together. I know I should look away before he gets freaked out, but the alcohol in my system has made my brain fuzzy, and I’m unable to comply with that logic. Luke doesn’t seem to mind it, though, especially when he’s smiling at me likethat. Instant butterflies.
I’m dying to know what he thinks when he sees me, or if he’s feeling remotely close to how I do. Would it kill him to give me a sign already?
At one point, the conversations settle, and the fire dies down to just the embers. There’s a natural lull to the evening, and my tired brain secretly rejoices since it means I’ll be able to fall into that comfy bed soon.
“I think we’re going to call it a night,” Eric says as Liz yawns in his lap. It looks like he’d be in danger of carrying her to the tent if they stayed up much longer.
“Probably not a bad idea,” Ben agrees, giving Laura another one of those looks that seems to convey a litany of unspoken words, and she yawns as well. Except the growing smile on her face convinces me she’s not actually tired, and I have an idea of what they’re going to be doing when they get to their tent. Good for them.
Suddenly, my heart leaps out of my chest as the thought crosses my mind that going to bed means gettingintobed with Luke, and I snap upright in a panic. We’ve conveniently ignored what happened earlier in our tent and haven’t been alone since then to discuss it, but the memory of the two of us lying face to face comes rushing back.
A glance at Luke startles me to see he’s staring directly back at me. Is he thinking the same thing I am? It’s hard to decipher the look on his face in this dim lighting, but he doesn’t shy away as our eyes meet. This time, it feels like we hold each other’s gazefor an eternity before the round of ‘goodnights’ starts as people get up from the firepit.
Only Marcus and Tiff remain, but they look like they want to pack it in for the night, too. Marcus turns to me, his eyes asking a question, but I can’t even begin to imagine what he sees or where his hesitation stems from.
“Are you staying up?” he asks.
“I’m not tired yet,” I say quickly. It’s not exactly a lie anymore—not with how my heart is thrashing against my ribcage. “I might take a walk on the beach for a bit before going to bed.”
Marcus raises a single brow. “It’s pitch black out there.”
“It’s fine.” I wave a hand. “I’ve got a flashlight.”
“I’ll go with you,” Luke offers, his voice soft. “I’m not tired either.”
I snap my head back toward him and see the timid smile on his lips, and suddenly, my heart jumps at a possibility I don’t dare to utter. Am I reading into it yet again, or does it look like Luke is nervous, too? I turn back to Marcus and thank the gods that it’s too dark for him to see the flush on my cheeks.
“Okay. Well, still be careful.” He sighs like a burned-out parent. “We’re over an hour away from the closest hospital, remember?”
“Yes,Mom,” I scoff with a laugh. “I’m just going for a walk, not tree climbing.”
Tiff suddenly lets out a very pointed snort, giving me a peculiar up-and-down look with her eyes that I don’t know how to decipher. It throws me off balance.
“They’re grown,” she adds with a melodic laugh. “Let ‘em do what they want.”
“Fine, fine,” Marcus says. He groans as he picks himself up from his chair, then helps Tiff up from hers, the two of them still hand in hand. “Enjoy that, then. But I’m going to bed. Try notto break any bones till daylight, 'cause I’m not driving your ass anywhere at 3 a.m.”
“He’s right. Don’t be waking us up unless one of y’all are bleeding to death, or I’ll be pissed.” Tiff laughs. “Have a good night, boys.”
“Night, Tiff,” Luke and I reply together, and as we meet each other’s eyes again, we grin.
The night air is colder than I was expecting, and even though I’m still drunk enough to feel warm, as soon as we move away from the fire, I shiver like I’ve jumped into a pool after sitting in a hot tub all night. I grab a hoodie from the tent, throwing it on over my T-shirt, and then Luke and I head toward the beach.
Marcus was right. It’s pitch-black outside. The star-filled sky is perfectly clear, and even with the light of the moon’s reflective surface, it's still difficult to tell what’s on the ground. We keep our flashlights aimed at the sand, but we can only see a few feet in front of us. Combining the lack of visibility with the world spinning as much as it is from all the alcohol, maybe Marcus was right to worry about someone getting hurt. Still, we make it down the wooden stairs and onto the beach without incident, and we walk along the long shoreline without a plan about how far we want to go.
“Are you having fun so far?” I ask, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice. The sound of the water lapping up on the shore beside us is soothing, at least.
“I am,” Luke replies, and I can hear the smile in his voice. “I’m really glad you invited me.”
My cheeks warm. “Me too.”
“Your friends are pretty chill.Verystraight, but I can see why you like them.” Luke chuckles, the sound moving through melike a bolt of electricity, making me shiver. I brush my hand along my chest as if that might help settle my heart.
“What makes you say that?”
