Chapter 5
The bunk bed mattress was so thin Anya could feel its springs prodding her as she lay in bed reading.
It was designed to support a child, not an adult who’d spent the last eight months hunched over a cheap laptop drafting Facebook posts about gay rights.
Every time Anya shifted to a new position, the mattress springs would squeak and groan.
And every time she moved (every single time), she’d hear a corresponding sound from across the room.
Whether he was doing it consciously or not, when Anya moved, so did Gabe.
Was she keeping him awake? She didn’t think so—his breath had gotten heavy within a few minutes of getting into bed.
It made her feel weird to know how his breath sounded when he was asleep; it was too intimate or something, like she’d seen him in his underwear.
Which she guessed she basically had earlier that afternoon by the pool.
Ugh, she wished she didn’t know about the curls of light brown hair that sprinkled across his chest and trailed down below his stomach.
She didn’t want to think about him at all, let alone share a room with him, much less be aware of the low rumbling sound he made in the back of his throat when he rolled over, one knee bent, so she could see his thick thigh poking out from beneath his blankets.
She was exhausted after barely having slept last night and traveling all day, and the bed she was supposed to share with Simone was so soft and comfortable.
It made her furious that she was here with Gabe instead, and it was even more annoying that he was apparently so completely unbothered by this situation that he could fall asleep instantly.
She guessed Gabe didn’t care that he’d made her feel like the worst, least likable version of herself back in Ohio—the kid who was only ever invited to birthday parties because someone’s parents forced them to include her.
It wasn’t surprising that a golden boy like him (a starting shortstop at Stanford who graduated cum laude, Anya had once discovered during a shameful night of online stalking) thought so little of a geek like her, but it still stung.
Which made her feel weak, and young somehow—like she hadn’t grown up since middle school.
Being in this tiny bunk bed didn’t help that feeling.
Anya turned over again, rather louder than necessary, half hoping she’d wake him. He moved too, but his breath stayed heavy. She felt like an asshole—and also weirdly disappointed.
She tried to focus on her book, but her eyes hurt, and so did her body.
She turned off the little reading light clipped to her bunk bed, and in the darkness the moonlit jungle outside the window took on a soft green glow.
She imagined nighttime creatures scurrying through the lush tropical plants, soft sloths and shiny lizards.
Were there lizards here, or did they only live in the desert?
She wasn’t sure; maybe Gabe could explain in his dumb not-Attenborough voice.
She thought about the whispery flaps of moth wings, the gentle sounds, back and forth, and it wasn’t long until she slipped into a deep sleep.
“Hey.”
Anya shot awake at the noise. Gabe was crouched right next to her bed. It was still dark, not morning yet. How long had she been asleep?
“What is it?” she hissed. She felt clenched and panicked, but he looked totally calm.
“It’s the gorillas,” he said, his voice low like the rumbles she’d heard him make earlier.
“Are you doing a bit right now?” she groused. “I was sleeping.”
“Anya, I’m serious,” he said gravely. “They’re coming to kill us.”
“They’re toys,” Anya protested. “Go back to sleep.”
“I can’t. I have to save you.”
That was when Anya heard a growl—dark and menacing—and her whole body filled with terror.
“Should we run?” she whispered.
“There’s no time. We have to hide.”
“Where?” Anya sat up in bed and pulled the sheets to her chest. He put a finger over his lips: Shh.
He reached down to pull her out of bed; she felt awed by how handsome he looked in the moonlight. His hand encircled hers and they were moving, swiftly and noiselessly, through a door next to Anya’s bed. It was pitch-dark inside.
“Is this a closet?” she asked. “Why didn’t I notice it before?”
“We’ll be safe here,” Gabe reassured her—but then they heard a thump outside the door, and he pressed her against the closet’s back wall. She could feel the hard planes of his body mashed against her chest, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer.
“Gabe,” she moaned softly, and he let out another one of those rumbling groans. His fingers were in her hair, and then he leaned down to drag his tongue along her neck, and then—
—
“And then what?!” Simone practically screeched.
“And then Jill dropped all those pans in the kitchen and I woke up,” Anya said matter-of-factly.
Anya and Simone were lying on big towels on Caracas Beach—a crescent-shaped cove on the island’s southern coast protected by tall trees on every side, which made it feel completely private.
The rest of the group was there, but most were swimming in the ocean or off looking for shells, so Simone and Anya had taken the opportunity to “relax in the sun” (i.e.
, gossip about their respective nights).
After a solid forty minutes of Simone extolling Kira’s virtues in and out of bed, she’d asked for a recap of Anya’s night, which was considerably shorter.
“You like Gabe so much.” Simone made goo-goo eyes at Anya. “You’re in love with him, I knew it.”
“Please.” Anya rolled her eyes dramatically. “You and Kira threw me out of my room. I knew exactly what you two were doing in there—”
“What we were doing was considerably more X-rated than your dream, but go on.”
“—and I was really annoyed about sharing a room with Gabe—”
“Wait, you’re not mad-mad, are you?” Simone looked at Anya with concern.
“Of course not!” Anya reassured her. “I’d do anything for you, sharing a weirdly decorated children’s room with a man I dislike is not a big deal.
I just mean, I was already having emotions about sharing a space with him, and then he was making dumb jokes about the toy gorillas, and all those noises while he slept, and I knew you and Kira were having sex, so obviously my subconscious whipped that all together into whatever that dream was. ”
Simone peered at Anya. “Babe, it’s a good thing you’re pretty because you are so, so stupid.”
Anya laughed and threaded her fingers through Simone’s. “You think I’m pretty.”
“The prettiest. But you blush real easy, so maybe don’t look over there because Gabe just took his shirt off.” Simone nodded toward the ocean, where Gabe and Kira were tossing a Frisbee as the waves lapped at their feet, looking like J.Crew models in the surf.
“Fuck off,” Anya sighed.
“Shan’t.” Simone grinned.
Kira noticed Simone and Anya looking over and turned to wave hello, which made her miss the Frisbee Gabe had thrown. The Frisbee sailed toward Anya and Simone, and Kira jogged over to retrieve it. Gabe trailed behind, looking considerably grumpier.
Kira gave Simone a goofy smile. “You guys having fun?”
“Definitely.” Simone beamed. “Anya was telling me about this very interesting dream she had last night.”
“Oh yeah?” Kira perked up. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” Anya gritted, shooting Simone a death look. “It was about these toy gorillas in our room coming to life.”
“Seriously?” Gabe laughed dismissively. Anya was inclined to glare at him, but he looked so ridiculously good towering over her in the glittering sunshine that she pointedly turned her back on him instead. As if he even cares whether I’m looking at him, she thought grimly.
“I was thinking about walking to that cliff to check out the view.” Kira pointed out a jutting rock formation at the far end of the beach. “You guys want to come?”
“Sure!” Simone agreed immediately.
“I’m okay, but thank you,” Anya said politely, wanting to give Simone and Kira some alone time. “Might take a nap after all my gorilla night terrors.”
“Gabe?” Kira asked.
“Nah, you guys go ahead, I’m gonna get something to eat,” he said. Anya respected that even if Gabe was a jerk to her, at least he was considerate of Kira.
“Cool,” Kira said. “See you guys in a bit.”
Kira leaned down to help Simone stand, reaching out her hand like Gabe had in Anya’s dream.
It made Anya’s stomach churn to think about the dream with Gabe standing so near, especially with them both in bathing suits.
As Kira and Simone started walking down the beach, Gabe settled onto the sand beside Anya.
His swim trunks today were chocolate brown with a bright white drawstring, and Anya hated that her mind automatically went to imagining untying it.
“So you really didn’t sleep well?” he asked. “Because of the gorillas?”
“We don’t have to do this,” Anya said tightly.
“Do what?”
“Small talk, whatever.” Anya waved her hand dismissively. “Just because our friends are hooking up doesn’t mean we have to pretend to like each other. You have your vacation, I’ll have mine. It’s fine.”
“Oh.” Gabe’s voice was quiet, and if Anya didn’t know better, she’d think he almost sounded hurt, which was ironic considering he was the one who’d hurt her in the first place.
But then he stood quickly, brushing sand off his legs, and his tone was back to normal.
“Sure, if that’s what you want. No problem. ”
Text message transcript: Simone Humphrey and Kira Liu
Simone [4:41pm]: Who are we sitting with at dinner tonight, your friend or mine?
Kira [4:42pm]: I can’t believe they’re still acting like this
Kira [4:42pm]: It’s been six days!! You’re sleeping in the same room!! Kiss and get it over with!!
Kira [4:42pm]: Speaking of…
Simone [4:42pm]: Ok horndog we had sex like twenty minutes ago
Simone [4:43pm]: For the third time today
Kira [4:43pm]: Not seeing your point
Simone [4:43pm]: Anyway I realllllly don’t think Anya’s kissing Gabe without some kind of divine intervention