For the rest of the journey the pair remained silent, Jacob watching Olivia, mesmerized at the sights before them. Her eyes, so deeply blue in the daytime, had now become almost haunting in the darkness, and her skin glowed milky white in the moonlight. He wasn’t sure which view was more beautiful, and for the briefest of seconds he had the overwhelming urge to reach out his hand to hers.
… the utterly selfish and careless human being that I know you to be.
His dad’s words came out of nowhere, a sucker punch tothe gut. Jacob snatched his hand into his lap and held it close to his body. What the hell was he doing? Who did he think he was? Some loveable rogue from a romance novel, sailing around at sunset with a pretty girl he could just reach for?
‘Are you all right?’ Olivia’s voice dragged him back to reality. ‘You look strange all of a sudden.’
‘Do I?’ He feigned surprise, slightly embarrassed that she’d been looking at him. ‘Probably just a little bit of seasickness, that’s all.’ He shuffled away from her, hoping physical space would help settle him.
‘Well, don’t worry, we’re nearly back on dry land.’
‘Good.’ He shifted another inch, his mind still spinning with thoughts. ‘That’s good.’
Less than ten minutes later, the boat pulled up at the jetty. The moon was now at its full height in the sky, bringing with it a chorus of blinking stars and making the lake look even more enchanting. With the last few flashes of cameras, the passengers began to disembark, both Olivia and Jacob moving in silence, maintaining a good distance between them.
‘Are you feeling any better?’ Olivia asked, as the pair finally touched down on solid ground.
‘A little.’
‘Whenever we felt nauseous growing up, my dad would give us ginger beer. I don’t know if it did anything, but it tasted good all the same!’
‘My dad would have probably given me a slap and told me to get on with it.’ The words tumbled out of his mouth, much to Olivia’s horror.
‘Would he really?’ She stopped walking.
Jacob tried to force a laugh but found he was too weary to muster it. ‘Yeah, he isn’t a very nice guy.’
‘I’m sorry.’ And the look on her face told him she was.
‘Thanks, but it’s OK. I’m just happy I didn’t turn out too badly, given he contributed to 50 per cent of my make-up.’
Olivia reached for him, her hand landing softly on the top of his arm.
‘I think you turned out great.’
The smile on her face made his stomach flip.
‘I mean, annoying and arrogant at times, but still great.’ She shrugged, releasing her hand and continuing to walk.
‘I think my charm must be rubbing off on you. That’s probably the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.’
‘That’s not true!’
‘It is!’ He grinned. ‘But I’m not complaining, I’ll take any compliment I can get. I don’t imagine you give them out lightly.’
‘Too right.’ She looked away shyly, as she so often did.
Silence fell over them again as they made their way through the slightly quieter streets. He didn’t know where they were headed, and he was sure she didn’t either, but the thought of bringing the evening to a close made a terrible sadness come over him.
‘You fancy getting some dinner? I think we could both do with a little more than a supermarket picnic for sustenance?’
Olivia looked at her watch, and instantly he knew what her answer would be.
‘I would love to, but I should be heading back. I have an early train tomorrow and I still need to pack.’
‘Ah, I see.’
Ask her to stay.
