Tears pricked my eyes, and I blinked rapidly, hoping to keep them from falling down my cheeks. “Of course I am. I hope they’re having fun. I wish my parents had mentioned that they’d spoken with Manu, though. It would make me feel better about them being able to reach us if they need us.”
“Maybe they just assumed we knew,” Brad offered. “Besides, it was the first time they’ve seen the girls since Christmas. It’s not like they stood much of a chance of getting a word in edgewise.” I smiled, thinking of the chaotic drop off, each of the girls relaying their entire previous six months to my parents in rapid succession. He squeezed my arm gently. “This is good for us. I know you’re not loving not having our phones, but this is what we wanted, right? A chance to reconnect. A chance to put down the phones and talk again. How long’s it been since we just laid in bed and talked like this?”
I buried my head deeper in the bend of his arm as he pressed a kiss to my forehead. He was right. It had been so long since we’d had a quiet moment to ourselves, so long since we’d had a day without interruptions from the girls, from work, from friends. Life had us swept up in the whirlwind, and it was easy to forget why I’d married Brad. Why we’d fallen in love in the first place. This island was bringing those reasons front and center—reminding me how good of a man I had. Reminding me of who we used to be. Before technology. Before kids. Before jobs. “It is nice,” I whispered, twisting a piece of his arm hair gently as I felt a tear glide down my cheek without warning.
Brad’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “We just have to enjoy ourselves while we’re here. It’ll be over before we know it… You’re, I mean, you are glad we came though, right? It’s been fun, hasn’t it?”
I swallowed, my throat tight because I could never tell him the truth. I had to lie—had to keep lying. It was the only way.
“It’s been the most fun. We deserved this.” I leaned up to him, pressing my lips to his and praying he wouldn’t see the tear on my cheek. He wrapped his other arm around me, groaning slightly as he adjusted, keeping his lips on mine.
I had to end the questions.
I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hide the truth.
Chapter Seventeen
Nick
The steady tick, tick, tick on the glass of the door startled me, but mostly because I was staring at the door and no one was there. I blinked with eyelids heavy from sleep and looked around. Had it been a dream? Had I imagined it? Outside was a vast ocean of darkness, hints of moonlight glinting off the sand just outside the hut.
Megan was asleep, curled up with her back to me, blissfully unaware of whatever noise I’d heard.
I waited for a moment longer.
Two.
Silence.
If I’d heard something, it may have been a bird, or some other beach critter. Whatever it was, it was gone. I closed my eyes, beginning to drift back to sleep almost immediately, when I heard it again.
Tick, tick, tick.
My eyes darted back open, staring around the dark room. I hadn’t imagined it, whatever that meant. Something was outside my hut making noise. But what?
My heartbeat picked up speed in my chest as I sat up from the bed, trying to force my eyes to pierce the darkness. I could see the white outline of the sliding glass door, but nothing beyond it. If someone was knocking on the door, I was sure I’d be able to see them, even just slightly, but there was nothing.
Only darkness.
I pulled on my sweatpants and T-shirt, walking across the hardwood floor as quietly as possible. I had nothing to protect myself with if someone was a danger to Megan or me. But who could it be? Who would want to hurt us? Who would be knocking on our door in the middle of the night? And why? Were we in danger?
I tried to force the ludicrous thought away. Of course we weren't. We were on an island with fewer than fifty other people total, and seven of them were my best friends. There was no place safer.
I reached for the door, pulling it open, and looked out. The wind had picked up, blowing sand across the moonlit beach, but there was no one on our porch. I took another step, looking to my left, down the row at the other huts.
Each was silent.
Dark.
Everyone was asleep but me.
I stared out at the ocean, feeling my chest tighten. It was almost scary at night, how dark and empty it was. It could swallow you whole, and no one would ever know.
“Hey,” a whispered voice called to my right, and I jumped, letting out a jolted scream that set my face ablaze. It echoed through the silent night, and I was sure others would wake because of it. I turned to face the person approaching me, trying to make out their shape in the darkness.
“Jesus Christ, you scared me,” I said, a hand on my chest as relief flooded me. “What the hell are you doing?” I looked back to where Megan was sleeping in the bed, relieved to see she hadn’t moved. Carefully, I slid the door back into place, moving toward my surprise guest.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Laura said, keeping her voice a low whisper. “I was at the window, and I thought you saw me.”
“No, I didn’t…” I could finally make out her face in the moonlight, just flashes of shadows and hints of light. I knew it was her—by her scent on the wind, the lilt of her voice, and the way my heart was speeding up as she drew nearer. “What are you doing? Are you
