I may have rewatched the video a few times, getting drunk off the sound.
The drone footage Doug took of the forest transforming into the sea switches onto the screen, plays for a few seconds, and then the screen goes dark. I still need to add our footage from Townsville of the wallabies grazing in the grass and the cockatoos hanging out on the median of the highway.
“That’s all I have so far.”
I haven’t found the courage to open the recording at the creek—not when it’s still headlining in my mind.
“It’s incredible.” She squeezes my shoulder, and my pulse skitters. “But I think I have something better.”
The smile she offers me transforms her beauty into something magnificent, and I’m suspended in time.
“Oh?”
“No more work,” she declares. Her eyes sparkle with excitement, and the sight is breathtaking. “Pack your things, we’re going on an adventure.”
“Right now?”
“Get moving.” She pushes me toward my luggage. “We’re in a time crunch.”
Eyeing her, I shove my things into my bag. Her fingers twitch, and I know it’s killing her to let me crumple shirts and toss in toiletries without any organization or structure, but I admire her strength because she says nothing, only tracks me while I pack.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Nope.”
“Are Doug and Molly coming?”
“Also no. Thought we could ditch those two the way they always ditch us. I got them bus tickets to meet us in Cairns tonight and a reservation at a fancy restaurant while we meet our friends. They’re quite happy about the arrangement.”
I huff a laugh. “I’m sure they are. I’m ready.”
It’s pitch black as we sneak out of the hotel and into the SUV we rented. Already, it’s warm, the air wrapping around me like a sticky blanket.
“I’m driving,” she whispers. She stops at the door, studying the step into the truck. “Hold these.”
Sofía shoves three separate bags into my hands, opens the car door, takes a few steps backward, and then launches herself into the driver’s seat, gripping the center console to pull herself up. A few adjustments to the seat and mirrors, and she’s settled herself in nicely.
“Oh, this is weird,” she says when she reaches in the wrong direction for the seat belt.
With a small laugh, I put everything in my hold in the back seat. A thrill runs through me at the adventure.
“Will you tell me where we’re going now?”
The engine revs to life, and she offers me a mischievous look—one I’ve never seen from her but will consume my thoughts forever. She’s magnificent at all times, but there’s something special about her when she lets go a little.
“Nope.”
With that, she backs out of the parking spot at a snail’s pace.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?” I ask after five minutes of going forty kilometers in a sixty-limit area.
Her knuckles are white on the steering wheel, and she leans her head forward to get closer to the windshield.
“You haven’t slept,” she says. “Get some rest. It’s a three-hour drive.”
Is there a kind way to tell her there’s no chance I’m going to fall asleep while she’s behind the wheel? Her words hold a level of confidence, but her body language isn’t telling the same story.
“Pull over,” I demand, and her head snaps to me before she refocuses on the road, pulling off into a gas station. “Out.”
