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21
Nina laywith her head on Liam’s bare chest, her body still humming with pleasure. They’d gone to the movies earlier in the night, scarfing down hot dogs and popcorn and holding hands like teenagers in the dark. Nina had felt sixteen again, out on a Friday night with a guy who made her heart flutter, and they’d rushed back to her place and fallen into bed, laughing and undressing as they went, the mood changing from light-hearted to intense as he’d explored her like a newly discovered country with his hands andmouth.
“That was definitely better than a double feature,” shemurmured.
He kissed her head. “That was a doublefeature.”
“It’s always a double feature.” She looked up at him. “Luckyme.”
He touched his lips to hers. “Luckyme.”
Virginia jumped on the bed at their feet, and they both looked, waiting to see if she’d finally absolve Liam of her suspicion. She sniffed around their legs and jumpeddown.
Liam chuckled and Nina settled back into the crook of hisarm.
“It’s official: she hates me,” Liamsaid.
“She just needs to get used to you.” Nina kissed his chest. “Think you’ll stick around long enough for that tohappen?”
There was a long pause before he spoke. “Actually, I had something else inmind.”
She rolled onto her stomach and propped her chin in her hand to look at him. “Uh-oh. That doesn’t soundgood.”
“It’s not not good,” hesaid.
“Well, that clears thingsup.”
He smiled. “I’m going to South Africa for work thissummer.”
“SouthAfrica?”
“It’s for a book on the thirtieth anniversary of the end of Apartheid, a chance to document the changes in the country since then — and the things that haven’tchanged.”
“How long will you begone?”
“Four to six months,” hesaid.
“That’s not sobad.”
“I was thinking it could be good,” he said. “If you came with me, Imean.”
She sat up, oblivious to the sheet that fell from her body, exposing her naked torso. “You want me to come withyou?”
“I thought it would be a good opportunity for you to dig into yourphotography.”
“Is that why you’re asking me to go?” sheasked.
He reached for her arm and pulled her on top of him. “I’m asking you to go because I don’t want to be without you for even a week. But it would also be a good opportunity. The light in Africa is…” He sighed. “Like liquid gold. You’d loveit.”
She lay her cheek on his chest. She could see it: the two of them wandering Johannesburg and taking pictures, the desert stretched out beyond the sea, stepping through the door to another life, even if it wastemporary.
There would be logistical issues — what to do about her apartment, finding someone to take care of Virginia — but that’s not what made her hesitate. She and Liam had only been together again for the past two months. Things were good — better than good — but Nina couldn’t help feeling that part of why they were good was because she’d stayed true to her promise of not losing herself. Liam had his work and she had hers, plus her photography, something she was still hesitant to call work. She had her own place and her own friends. She looked forward to the time she spent with Liam, but her enjoyment felt healthy rather thanobsessive.
Was she ready to take such a big step with him? To test her independence and their relationship by being thrown together night and day in a foreign country where everything would be moreintense?
And there was something else: she hadn’t yet heard from Jason. She doubted the project at WFAI would be as exciting as jetting off to another continent for six months, but if she were invited to work on it, it would be hers, notLiam’s.
“I haven’t heard back from WFAI,” shesaid.
