Chapter Ten
CHAPTER TEN
Oscar
“Shit, do you have a plaster? I think my trainers have rubbed.” We were halfway down a steep, narrow trail under the shade of thick trees as we explored the native forest of Kalōpā State Park, and every step I took was already agony.
I’d stopped walking once I realised going any further wasn’t going to work, and I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead as I bent down to rummage through my bag. I’d thought this was one activity I was fully prepared for, but apparently not. My travel first aid kit was still sitting on the suite’s bathroom counter from where I’d emptied my bag to repack it, and I’d forgotten to put it back.
“Maybe,” Ilias said. He’d been walking ahead of me and was farther down the trail, but at my question he turned and walked back towards me. “Didn’t you bring any?”
“No.” I pulled off my trainer and noticed blood was already seeping into my sock. Bastard trainers. They’d never done this before, and now it was like they were trying to eat through the back of my feet. “I left them in the suite by mistake. But I’ve never had any problems with these trainers before.”
“Yeah, but they’re not exactly hiking boots,” Ilias said. “You had the itinerary before we left London. You could have bought some.”
“You’re not one to talk.” I gestured to his expensive-looking black trainers and raised my eyebrow. “Do you have a plaster or not?”
Ilias opened the small bag he was carrying, which seemed to be ninety percent camera equipment, a small bag of dried mango, and a tiny bottle of sunscreen, and peered inside.
“You’re in luck,” he said. “I have two.”
“Can I have both of them?” I asked. Ilias shot me a look. “Please.”
“Here you go.”
“Thanks,” I said as I took the plasters.
“Next time, remember to check everything before we leave,” Ilias said with a teasing smile. “You owe me two plasters.”
“I’m sure I can make it up to you.” I carefully pulled the backing off the plaster and stuck it over the raw skin.
“Do you need anything else?”
“Do you have anything else?” I asked as I pulled a second pair of socks out of my bag so I could double them up and protect my ankles. “Are you suddenly Mary Poppins with an unlimited bag?”
“No, but I’d love that. It would make life so much easier.” He grinned and took a swig from the bottle of water he was holding in his other hand. “You know, I was just thinking about that yesterday. Have you suddenly developed mind-reading powers?”
“If I had, do you think I’d be reading your mind?” I re-laced my trainer and reached for my other foot. That ankle wasn’t nearly as bad, but I put a plaster on it as a precaution before doubling up my sock.
“How rude, and after I just saved your underprepared ass!”
“You can’t call yourself prepared,” I said as I zipped up my bag. “You’re just lucky. Do you actually have anything else useful in there? Or is it just snacks, sun cream, and lenses?”
“Your pasty ass will be thanking me when you start to burn.”
“I have my own. And you’ll burn too.”
Ilias shrugged. “Mediterranean complexion. I’ll be gorgeously bronzed while you look like a fucking lobster.”
“Don’t be a twat.”
“Just because you know I’m right doesn’t make me a twat.” He shot me another of his smirks and turned to head back down the trail. I pretended not to notice the way his shorts wrapped around his thighs.
Instead, I focused on putting one foot in front of the other and on the lush rainforest around me. This was the first of two hikes we were doing this week—the second would be on Friday when we’d head to Papakōlea’s green sand beach—although the hotel had promised us there were other trails that were easy to explore if we wanted to do more.
I’d been excited to get off the beaten track and explore the native forest where most of the plant species were on the island before it was discovered and settled by the first Polynesians. But something about spending the day with Ilias, without any guides or scheduled activities, had made me nervous. It felt like something had changed between us last night under the stars on Mauna Kea.
Maybe it was because I’d been more open with him than I had been with anyone in years. Maybe it was because he’d shared something deeply personal with me. Maybe it was because we’d both opened up about painful parts of our pasts. Or maybe it was a combination of all that and more.
Whatever the reason, the night had left me feeling emotionally drained and completely buzzing, and I’d lain awake for hours staring at the ceiling with Ilias wrapped around me while I tried to figure out what I was feeling.
But all I’d done was go round and round in circles.
“Come on!” Ilias called from farther down the path. “You’re so slow.” He was balanced on the root of a tree, looking perfectly poised as a breeze rippled through his hair and fragments of sunlight played across his face.
“I’m not slow. I’m setting a leisurely pace.”
Ilias snorted. “I don’t think there’s a difference.”
“Do you always just go rushing off?” I asked, trying to keep a note of irritation out of my voice.
“Again, not rushing. I’m just enjoying myself. Aren’t you?”
“I am, but I get the feeling we hike differently. I bet you’re one of those people who just wants to reach the top as fast as possible like it’s some sort of competition.” I’d been hiking with a few people like that, and I’d hated every second of it. What was the point of spending the day somewhere picturesque if you didn’t stop to enjoy the view?
“There you go with the judging again,” Ilias said. “Just because I’m faster than you, doesn’t mean I want to get to the end as fast as possible. Although… when we head to Papakōlea I might rush a little just because I’ve never seen a green sand beach before.”
“That’s…” I thought for a second, ducking under a low-hanging branch and brushing away some insects. “Okay, that’s fair enough.”
“Ha! See? You’ll rush too.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You did in context,” Ilias said gleefully, skipping over some roots. He paused, gazing up at the canopy of trees shifting above us. Beyond them, the sky had started to turn grey as thick clouds began to roll in. “I think we’re about to get wet.”
“Looks like it.” I stopped and opened my bag, pulling out the lightweight, waterproof jacket I’d stashed inside. It was one of those that folded up inside its own little bag, and while it wasn’t the most fashionable thing on earth, it was light and practical. We’d been told the forest got a lot of rain due to its location, so it had made sense to shove it in my bag.
“I can’t believe you brought that but not plasters,” Ilias said as he watched me unfold the coat and sling it on.
“Did you bring one?” I asked.
“A coat?” Ilias shook his head and grinned. “No, I’m not afraid of a little rain.”
“You’re going to get soaked.”
“And? Does that matter? I can shower back at the hotel.”
“You’ll get cold,” I said as I began to walk again, plucking the map out of Ilias’s hand as I passed. “And I’m not going back early just because you forgot a coat.”
“Am I five or something? Seriously! Stop treating me like a fucking child. I’m a grown-ass man.”
“A grown-ass man throwing a temper tantrum.” I knew I was poking him and being an asshole, but I couldn’t stop myself. There was so much difference between carefree, snarky Ilias and the quiet, contemplative man from last night. The change had almost given me whiplash.
Then again, I was a different person today too, so I had no idea why I was making such a fuss. Was this some sort of ridiculous defence mechanism my brain had concocted to detach me from Ilias? Had it seen me starting to fall for him and decided it was time to put an end to that train of thought before it went anywhere?
“Fuck you!” Ilias snapped. “I—” But he didn’t get a chance to finish that sentence because, with a deep rumble of thunder the heavens opened, and water cascaded onto us. “Fuck, that’s cold!”
I hummed and nodded, not quite as smug as I’d been two minutes ago because although my jacket was waterproof, it only protected parts of me and there was now water running down the back of my neck and soaking into my shoes. Ilias looked at me and laughed, throwing his head back to the sky and twirling around, arms outstretched, on the narrow path. The rain dripped down his face and plastered his hair flat, but all I could see was the joy radiating from him.
“You were one of those kids that jumped in puddles, weren’t you?” I asked, unable to stop myself from smiling.
“And you weren’t?”
“Not really.”
“You haven’t lived until your wellies are full of water and squelching with every step,” Ilias said. “Come on, we still have a trail to finish!” He marched past me, the trail already starting to turn to mud under his feet. He took the map back and disappeared through the trees.
“Come on, slowpoke.”
I sighed and walked after him, knowing that no matter what I said or what I thought, I wasn’t going to win because Ilias’s joy was too powerful.
When we arrived back at our suite several hours later, we were still soaked to the skin.
The rain had eased off quickly, but by the time the sun had returned, the damage had been done, and Ilias and I squelched around the rest of the park, mud caking our feet and legs. The taxi driver who’d collected us had muttered something under his breath about tourists, and both Ilias and I had tipped him generously in an attempt to make up for the trouble.
Ilias kicked off his shoes as soon as he stepped through the door and began walking through the suite peeling off layers as he went until he was just in a pair of tight, black boxers that clung to his skin. I ignored the way my heart raced and bent down to unlace my shoes.
“You were wrong by the way,” Ilias said as he put his camera bag on the coffee table, lovingly checking over his equipment. “I didn’t get cold.”
He looked up at me from where he now sat on the floor.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to be an ass.”
“You’re forgiven.” Ilias grinned at me. “You know, if we were actually dating, this would be where we’d have extravagant make-up sex to cancel out our fight.”
“Were we fighting?” I asked as I tried to ignore the rest of his statement. Ilias might have been utterly gorgeous and full of sunshine and wry charm, but that didn’t mean I wanted to have sex with him.
At least… I didn’t think I did.
Acid rose in my throat as a feeling of panic started to set in. I was not going to be attracted to Ilias. Except I’d already admitted to myself that I wouldn’t mind if I was.
Everything I found out about Ilias drew me closer to him, and I was starting to want something I was so afraid I wasn’t allowed to have. Sure, Ilias flirted with me, but would he keep doing that if he knew a quick suck and fuck wasn’t in the cards? At least not for now.
“A minor disagreement still counts as a fight,” Ilias said. “At least it would if we wanted to have make-up sex.”
“If you’re that hard up, you can go and jerk off in the shower.”
“And you wouldn’t want to join me?” He winked as he spoke, and his tone was over-the-top flirtatious, so I knew he was joking. But there was a flash of seriousness behind his eyes that made me hesitate. And for a split second, I almost considered saying yes.
“No thanks,” I said, swallowing the rest of my words. “You go ahead.”
“Sure?” Ilias climbed off the floor and sauntered over to me. He waggled his eyebrows. “It’s big enough. And we’ve already shared a bath.”
“I’m sure.”
“Your loss.” He walked away from me towards the suite’s enormous bathroom, pausing in the doorway to look over his shoulder. “I had fun today. Just don’t forget your plasters next time.”
He grinned and kept on walking, leaving me standing in the middle of the suite caught in a hurricane of my own emotions.