“Yeah,” she said, but there was hesitation there. “Can we talk?”
Now it was my turn to hesitate. “Sure…”
She waved a hand beside her, drawing me toward the side of the hut where she’d been standing at the window, but continued until we were several yards away from the huts, barely able to see them in the distance. I wondered exactly what she could see while she tried to pull me from sleep…what I looked like in a fit of sleep. Could she even see in clearly? Did she want to? Why was she here? What did she think of me? I didn’t know anymore. I cringed at the thought, keeping pace with her. “You’re scaring me,” I said. “Is something wrong?”
She stopped when we were far enough away I assumed no one could hear us, no longer shaded by the awning, but hidden from the huts by a group of palm trees. In our hideaway, nothing else existed. No one else. We couldn’t see the huts. Couldn’t see the ocean. The cluster of palm trees and shadows provided the perfect cover from the rest of the world, but not each other. In the dim moonlight, I could make out her face finally, the slight bump of her nose, the long eyelashes, the perfect bottom lip.
The worry.
I couldn’t focus on anything else, because all I could see was the worry in her expression. Something was definitely wrong.
“It’s about Emily.”
The statement shocked me, and I let out a slight sigh of relief. “What about her?” Had she noticed the connection between Emily and Brad, too?
“Something’s…off about her. Have you noticed?” She wrapped her arms around herself as the wind picked up. “I’m worried she’s up to something.”
“What do you mean?” I resisted the urge to reach out and hold her, keep her warm. A droplet of rain hit my cheek, but I ignored it. Above us, I could hear the gentle lull of rain beginning to hit the tree leaves that were providing us shelter. I should’ve been concerned about getting caught in the storm, but my only worry was Laura.
“I just…I don’t think she invited us here for the reasons she said she did.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, wiping away a raindrop from her forehead.
“What reason could there be?” She was talking about Emily and Brad…she had to be. Emily wanted Brad, that much was obvious, but would he ever act on it? I swallowed, my throat dry at the thought. He’d be an idiot.
“I don’t… I don’t know,” she said, raising her voice slightly above a whisper as the wind picked up again. “I just have a strange feeling about her. I don’t think we can trust her.”
I nodded, still not quite sure what she was saying. “Is this about her and Brad?”
She was still, watching me closely. “What about her and Brad?”
“What did Brad say when you told him?” I asked, trying to change the subject. Maybe I was way off.
“I haven’t told him… I wanted to talk to you first.” She looked down, her bare feet kicking the sand. My stomach lurched at her words. She’d chosen to come to me first. I was the one she’d thought of. The one she trusted.
“Why me?”
She cocked her head to the side, giving me a knowing look. “You’re my best friend, Nick…” She paused, her hand unfolding from where it had been wrapped around herself and reaching for my arm. “And you never act like I’m crazy for telling you things that might be crazy.”
“It’s not crazy,” I said, though I still wasn’t sure what we were talking about. Her palm spread warmth through my arm instantly. “I just—I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about. Do you think she’s dangerous? Or do you think she’s not serious about Andy?” Do you think she’s in love with your husband?
“I don’t—” The wind picked up and cut off her sentence, and she buried her face in my chest to block the sand that blew through the air. I wrapped my arms around her, afraid I’d never be able to let go, and prayed the wind would keep up. Let it blow forever if that was what it would take to keep us there. Together.
Eventually—all too soon—it died down, and she stepped back. “It’s probably nothing,” she said finally, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t have woken you up.”
“Hey,” I reached for her, lifting her chin so she had no choice but to look at me. She seemed fragile, so shaken up, and I wanted terribly to understand what had happened to bring her to such a state. “You can always come to me. You know that.”
She nodded, moving a piece of hair from her mouth as the wind whipped it around. “I do know.” Her smile brightened, but there was a sadness still hidden in the depths of her eyes. “You’ll always love me, won’t you?”
“Always,” I promised, because it was true, but not just in the way she meant.
“Are you okay, Nick?” she asked. “I mean, not just now, but…in general. Are things with Megan okay?”
My jaw tightened, and I pulled my hand away from hers, probably too quickly. “Things are great. Why do you ask?”
“I’m glad to hear it,” she said, her hand brushing my arm again. We were a mesh of skin bumping against each other in a confined space, hot breath, and frozen time. So close I could smell her skin, yet unable to breathe her in. The darkness surrounded us, giving way to thoughts I normally wouldn’t let surface. “I want you to be happy. You know that, don’t you?” She touched my arm again, my body and mind at war as our skin met.
I didn’t dare pull away, but I stared at her, ice filling my veins. “What are you doing, Laura?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, her hand not leaving the underside of my forearm.
“Why are you asking about Megan? Why are you looking at me like that?” It was
