Chapter 14 #2
Brooke could only be described as a savage eater.
Within seconds there was sauce running down her hands, a splotch on her pants and a dob on the end of her nose.
Instead of reaching for a napkin, JJ sat still, caught off guard at the adorableness of the situation happening next to her.
By all accounts she should be scrunching her nose up, not leaning back with a soft smile as Brooke completely annihilated her dinner with the enthusiasm of a wolf.
Yeah, tonight, she didn’t mind it one bit.
“What?” Brooke asked, catching her stare.
“Nothing. Glad you're enjoying it is all.”
JJ dabbed at the corner of her own mouth, not sure she could ever eat with such abandon. She took a clean bite of her burger without spilling a single crumb onto her plate.
Dinner a success, JJ cleaned everything as the sun began to dance on the edge of the ranges, casting the long expanse of rock in a glow of oranges and reds as vibrant as the sunset itself.
She threw another log on the fire, poking it around with a stick, then handed Brooke one of the thick woollen blankets.
The last of the light had clawed at the remaining warmth left from the day.
The cool, crisp air snaked its way around JJ’s ankles as she sunk into her own seat.
She spread her blanket over every possible inch of her body.
Minutes ticked by in silence as they soaked in the fast-changing landscape of the South Australian Flinders Ranges.
This is what JJ had needed: to be immersed in nature, sitting with such a deep and profound appreciation for her country—her home—and the traditional lands of the Adnyamathanha Aboriginal people.
Here, there were no walls waiting to be painted, no garden that needed watering.
Her senses were abuzz with the newness of her surroundings, filling her with energy that prickled under her skin.
Here she was, making memories instead of sitting at home with the same repeated evening routine. And Brooke had made that happen.
She closed her eyes.
Light wind played in the gums above them. A kookaburra laughed in the distance, then another answered, fainter across the gorge. The fire spat and crackled as the new log settled in over the coals.
This was living.
She opened her eyes and turned to Brooke. “Thank you for this.”
Brooke seemed far away before she met JJ’s gaze, a smile blooming. “You’re welcome.”
It wasn’t until they were settling in for the night that JJ noted the swag was even smaller up close than what it had appeared before. She stood next to it and called out to Brooke, who was checking their fire was completely out. “Are they sure this is a double swag?”
It was so narrow, her arms would touch the sides if she stretched out in the middle.
“I mean, there are two pillows, right?” Brooke called back.
“Yeah.” A shiver ran through her as a gust of wind rolled over the range. She pulled her hoodie over her head. Close quarters could be a good thing with this frigid night air.
Brooke joined her, rubbing her arms up and down. “You want left or right? Actually, maybe you should have the zipper side in case you need to pee.”
JJ went to protest, but Brooke wasn’t wrong. “Fine by me. After you then.”
Brooke pulled off her hiking boots in a haphazard pile and slipped into the swag. “It’s comfier than you’d think.” She shuffled over and patted the squeezy space next to her.
JJ gave herself a second, still not used to sharing a bed with someone. The car was fine. They’d been in their own sleeping bags. And their king bed at the station really was like a small island, but this… JJ swallowed. This was small. Confined.
JJ straightened Brooke’s boots, then placed hers next to them.
She crawled into the space and sunk into the sleeping bag.
Her butt smarted at the hard ground. She ignored it.
There was no way she was rolling onto her side this close to Brooke.
As it was, their bodies were now pressed together from their shoulders all the way down to their knees.
Tingles bloomed wherever they touched. JJ shuffled, trying to get her shoulders to fit down flat, but bumped into Brooke.
“Sorry,” she muttered. At least they were fully dressed, or this would’ve been even more awkward. She pulled her sleeves up, starting to overheat already.
“Shooting star!” Brooke gasped.
JJ had been so engrossed in the sleeping arrangements, she hadn’t taken in the night sky above them.
A few clouds hung above them, but they still had a clear view of the stars.
It felt closer to the universe here, each star a little brighter, the colours of the Milky Way on show like swirls of ethereal magic.
Backside beginning to ache, and not wanting to be rude and face away, JJ gave up and rolled onto her side, scooching as far back as she could against the swag.
She was so hard up against the edge, there’d be a JJ-sized imprint on the outside.
All the movement had her overheating again.
She sat up in a huff and pulled the hoodie off.
“Sorry, I sleep hot,” JJ said, flopping back down.
“Absolute cold frog here,” Brooke said, snuggling deeper into the sleeping bag and moving to the side to face JJ.
Though JJ had tried to give them space, Brooke’s spiced vanilla scent still crept onto her side. The smell was like a warm chai latte—comforting, homely.
“Happy if I close up the mesh?” JJ asked. It felt weird getting ready to sleep without doing her usual routine of brushing her teeth or washing her face. Being spontaneous was hard.
“Go ahead.” Brooke’s wine-laced breath was warm on JJ’s face, causing a knot to pull at her centre.
Okay, what was happening? The sensation settled low in her gut. Brooke was attractive, but the thought of something more? No. She’d never.
JJ sat up to zip their swag and reminded herself of everything she wanted in a woman. Brooke wasn’t it. She was messy—with her life and in person, and she was argumentative, and, well, just not who JJ was looking for.
By the time she’d wrangled the mesh screen shut, Brooke had shifted onto her back again. JJ breathed easier.
With mumbled goodnights, JJ forced her eyes shut and willed her body to relax.
She needed space from this pretty woman, stat.