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I never get this right.
“C’mere. You shouldn’t be standing.”
I blink a couple times, then peek up through my lashes to find a large shadow waiting for me deeper in the cave.
Gulping, I step toward it.
A hand brushes mine, and then I feel him lower to the ground. He gives my hand a tug, letting me use him for balance so I avoid further injuring my leg.
I sense him taking off his waterlogged shoes, so I do the same. Followed by our socks.
It’s completely dark now, and despite how many times I blink, I can’t get my eyes to adjust. It must be so cloudy still, even the moon and stars are hidden. There’s not even any light coming from the island.
“Did I…did I say something wrong?” I hear myself say, my voice wavering.
A long, weighted moment passes, and then fingers bump and brush mine before curling over them and squeezing. “No. Sky, no, you said everything right.”
I frown into the dark, wishing I could see his expression.
There’s something in his voice…
Something I can’t decipher.
It has my pulse racing, and the hair at the nape of my neck standing on end.
Something metallic knocks off the rock, pulling me out of my thoughts. I hear water sloshing around, and a throat swallowing.
That’s when it hits me. “My backpack,” I whisper.
He grunts, handing me his canteen.
“Well, not that it was mine,” I quickly amend.
“Drink, Skyler,” he orders gruffly. So I do.
It’s kind of rough going down, bringing a newfound ache to my chest, but I take slow sips, just like I did in the hospital after having my stomach pumped.
“Shit,” he bites out.
“What?”
Squinting, and failing to make anything out, all I can do is rely on my sense of hearing as he shuffles around. Digging something out of his pocket, maybe?
“What are the chances that rice will help this?” he says dully.
Oh.His phone.
Chewing my lip, I shake my head. “I’m sor–”
“Jesus, don’t apologize,” he utters like it pains him. “It’s nothing. Just a fucking phone.”
Right.
“What about yours?” he asks after a moment.
“I didn’t bring it.”
“Well that’s good at least.”
