I shiver, just a little – I don’t know if it’s from being cold, tired, stressed or all of the above. Lockie reaches out and wraps an arm around me.
‘Better?’ he asks.
‘Yeah. Thanks.’
For a moment, I think about leaning in, about resting my head on his shoulder. But I don’t. I’m not brave enough yet – or willing to pretend I am either.
‘We can go back to bed soon,’ he says. ‘I’ll be your own personal hot-water bottle.’
‘My hero,’ I reply.
And for one strange, fleeting moment, it almost feels like everything might be okay.
It does make a difference, having him here, in the same boat (or not, as the case may be) with me. It almost makes me feel like it’s all going to be okay.
Almost.
24
Waking up between Ozzy and Lockie is like waking up between two sexy radiators.
Of course, it takes me a second to remember why my face is full of someone’s shoulder blade and why my legs appear to be wrapped around his.
I, walking cringe-fest that I am, have decided in my sleep that I should choose a man to attach myself to and I’ve done just that, I’ve picked a side and I’ve latched on to whoever was there.
For better or worse, it’s Lockie.
He’s in front of me, fast asleep, back pressed against my front like we’ve been together for ten years and sleep like this most nights. Behind me, Ozzy has done similar, he’s right up behind me, his body pressed against mine, his arm draped over me. And of course, my arm is over Lockie, resting against his abs.
It’s light but quiet – and thank God. This would look so, so bad if anyone were looking. Not only that, but if either of these two wake up, if they realise the position we’re in… oh God. How do I get myself out of this without waking either of them?
Okay. Okay. I need to not panic, for starters. There must be a way out of this. I just need the two of them to get up before they really realise the compromising position we’re in. Where’s the bloody storm when you need it?
I’ll try to move slowly, see if I can get either of them to stir, to naturally roll over without waking up. I only need one to budge, then I can edge away from the other.
Maybe I can escape one limb at a time, if I just…
Lockie shifts, not fully awake, just a sleepy stretch, and in the process his hand slides down and finds mine.
And now we’re holding hands – I couldn’t be more frozen in place if I tried. There is absolutely no getting out of this one, unless I opt for some kind of127 Hours-type manoeuvre – cutting off a limb, that is. Nothing else.
A blood-curdling scream rips through the air. Everyone bolts upright at once. We’re all on our feet before we know it, ready to run to the rescue.
Well, that did the trick.
Camilla shrieks again. We all hurry over to see what’s wrong. Honey and Tony are already trying to console her.
‘My lucky crystal!’ Camilla wails. ‘It’s gone.’
Tony squints at her.
‘Are you sure it was all that lucky?’ he asks sleepily, trying to lighten the mood. ‘Because, no offence, but we are all stranded on a deserted island.’
She shoots him a filthy look, but otherwise ignores him.
‘Someone took it while I was sleeping,’ she says. ‘I fell asleep holding it, and it’s gone. Someone must have taken it.’
‘Yeah, that’s definitely what happened,’ Tony says sarcastically. ‘They probably took it to the pawn shop on the other side of the island.’
