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I mentally rewind through everything that happened…the way he looked up at me, eyes wide and pitched black with hunger, right before it was overtaken by stark, cold fear.
He didn’t seem so young then. He didn’tfeelyoung…
I squeeze my eyes shut, and whip around, pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger.
Fuckfuckfuck, this can’t be happening. This is a nightmare. Wake up now! Wake up!
A laugh rings out from far away. Leaves rustle.
I crack open an eye, bracing myself.
Get it the fuck together.
Roughly clearing my throat, I shake the mental images away. “We should probably start heading back. It’s already six,” I rush out gruffly.
He whips his head toward me at the same time I turn around, and I can’t help but feel like he forgot I was here. It’s like that first day on the beach all over again, when he looked right through me, confusion crinkling his chocolate brown eyes. Like he’s trying to recall how he got here.
He gulps, and my eyes drop to where his Adam’s apple ripples with the movement.
Something sizzles in my chest, tightening my jeans.
Jesus, I’m gonna be sick.
He all but shoves the water bottle at me, the water sloshing inside, and this time he’s the one to whip around.
Staring at his back, I blindly hook the canister to my backpack. My mouth opens, but the words stay trapped in the back of my throat.
I don’t know what to say to make this better. For either of us.
I’m not even sure what I’m surprised by more, the fact Skyler got hard against me, his reaction to it, or the most baffling, fucked up thing of all—
I got hard too.
Did he notice?I wonder.
At this point, I sincerely doubt it. Otherwise he probably wouldn’t be freaking out so much. So much so, he doesn’t even notice how badlyI’mfreaking out.
Maybe I should tell him…
Are you an idiot? What difference would it make? He’s a fucking teenager! And it’s not as if you’re—
I release a harsh breath and shake my head, putting all thoughts other than what’s ahead behind me. Waving him back toward the trees, I mutter, “Come on.”
My steps plod angrily through the dirt and grass.
Skyler, quiet as a ghost, follows.
CHAPTERELEVEN
Nolan
It feels like the sun is setting faster than normal.
Dark, dense jungle surrounds us on all sides.
I’m nottooworried. While this is a sharp contrast to my woods and mountains back home in Vermont, I’ve always felt more confident and more myself out in nature.
Skyler hasn’t said a word since we abandoned the resort side. Then again, neither have I.
