Page 82 of In Your Wake

There’s always existed this intense charge between us, which I think is normal for two people with such a strong bond. That doesn’t mean I’m not terrified by my willingness to throw all my excuses away and surrender to the sheer thrill of this moment.

My extremities are on fire. Tiny sparks dance all over my skin. With her wrapped in my arms, everything seems a little less daunting. And the scary thing is that she knows how broken I am, but wants me, anyway. She’s always seen me as I am. And that’s probably why I’m so scared to be with her now.

Her warm breath skates across my lips when she brings her sweet mouth up to mine, but then someone screeches and we break apart.

“What the fuck was that?” Max blurts.

“Nothing,” Spencer answers far off, and I can hear someone, probably Bethany, giggling, likely the victim of one of Spencer’s unrelenting tickle attacks. “Sorry! Go back to sleep.”

I sit up, staring ahead. It’s pitch black in the tent.

“Mitch?” Maxine asks, her fingertips softly brushing against my lower back. “Come back to me.”

Something’s not right. I rub my chest with my knuckles, the pressure behind my ribs too much. I force in a deep breath, but nothing helps.

The spell is broken.

I look over my shoulder at her. “What are we doing?”

She frowns. “Letting go?”

I bite my lip, shaking my head, suddenly desperate to escape this tent, which no longer feels like a sanctuary, but a nylon prison. I pull my pants on, forgoing my shirt—my skin’s boiling, anyway.

“Where are you going?”

“I need some air.”

I round the tent and head deeper into the woods, far enough until I find a good tree. The chill helps my simmering frustration fade, along with the lingering confusion, but I perk up when I hear a noise behind me. I finish taking a leak, tuck myself away, and stay still, listening.

Something is walking through the woods, breaking branches. It’s getting closer and now I wish I had a light with me.

“Don’t come any closer,” I say gruffly, hoping to scare away whatever little rascal is coming my way. I squint, making something out in the meager moonlight moving through the trees. All I can do is freeze and wait.

Max

The sound of the tent’s zipper being forcefully shut makes me squeeze my eyes together. I lie back, hoping for sleep to swallow me whole, only it never comes.

After a while, I accept that I won’t be able to let this go. Blame it on my OCD, or my ruthless need to have closure, but now that I’ve opened this door with Mitch, I need to walk through it. I’d be better off staying here, feigning sleep so that we won’t have to talk about it when he comes back.

Only, I’m too fucking impatient.

With a huff, I slip my shoes on, then notice that my hair is loose. Mitchell must have untied my braids. And for some reason, knowing that makes me all warm and tingly inside. Knowing he tucked me in makes me feel protected. Safe.

I wander into the woods, hoping he hasn’t gone too far. It takes my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkness, but eventually I make out the trees and wind through them cautiously, knowing Mitch is out there somewhere. I sense him, like a sailor can sense when land is near.

Eventually, I spot him by a massive pine tree, his chest pale in the minimal moonlight. A branch cracks beneath my feet, but in the peaceful night, it echoes like thunder.

“Don’t come any closer,” he warns.

“Or what?” I ask, my stomach plummeting.

“Max? Jesus, I thought you were a bear.”

I try not to laugh. “A bear?”

“Or a skunk.” His face is in the shadows, but I hear his smile. “Why are you out here? It’s freezing.”

I gesture toward him. “Says the guy without a shirt.”