Hennie flies past me as we rejoin the group and goes straight for Elliot, securing her arm through his before jovially skipping around him. Something delightfully warm melts in my insides as I watch them dance together and a reluctant smile reaches his lips. I yelp as an arm unceremoniously wraps around mine and before I know it feel myself being swung around and around with considerable speed. I can tell from the velocity alone thatit’s Josh – I’m still learning that this man does not do things by halves.
I spot Elliot moving towards me with a wicked look in his eye as Josh promptly lets go. I can’t control my grin as he tightly loops his arm through my own and begins to spin us on the spot, moving faster and faster until I splutter with laughter.
‘I warned you,’ he says, his eyes alight.
Letting go to switch from our right arms to our left, I briefly let myself enjoy what it feels like to cling to his body so tightly as we whirl around again.
33
Eventually, after plenty of dancing, I need a break. The heat in the tent has reached stifling levels and I’m definitely feeling the effects. Even the tops of Elliot’s cheekbones have flushed a light pink – I dread to think how horribly red I must be. If there are any mirrors in this tent I will have to simply smash them.
I follow Elliot as he gestures towards the bar, the image of Ham somehow spinning five girls around at once imprinted in my mind. The others are still heavily invested in the music and dancing and show no signs of stopping, leaving us alone once again.
He huffs a breath as he leans back against the bar, regarding me.
‘You were right.’
‘Sure.’ I pause. ‘About what, this time?’
‘The serotonin,’ he says. ‘What drink do you want? You should try the Vincent if you have a craving for adrenaline.’
I shoot him a look. ‘Who’s trying to kill who now?’
He shrugs, his lips twitching.
‘Pass,’ I reply. ‘I’ll have a Cameron again. Thanks.’
‘I’ll join you. I still can’t really feel my mouth.’
Not long after, we leave the bar with our drinks and Elliot gestures to the parting in the tent’s canvas. I nod gratefully in response, desperate for some fresh air.
Outside, there’s a small, undecorated garden with a few logs to sit on, surrounded by greenery and thick bushes. As they’re all taken, I amble over to the trunk of a huge oak tree and fling myself onto the ground in front of it. Elliot follows suit and sits down with much more grace. Without a word, he holds his cup out to mine and I clink my drink against it.
I take a slow sip, grateful for the feel of the ice against my lips. As I sigh and lean my head back against the tree, I feel Elliot’s eyes catch on me.
‘You still thinking about the clue?’ he asks.
With everything that’s happened over the last forty-eight hours, my mind is still scrambling to get a firm grasp on a single event that has happened. The image of Elliot’s mouth on mine flashes in my mind again, much louder than all the other memories.
‘Yeah,’ I say reluctantly. ‘I suppose.’
‘I’m sorry that we got so close to winning.’
‘We haven’t lost yet,’ I say haughtily, cutting him a glance.
He looks suitably rebuked. ‘No. You’re right. But speaking of Queen Ego…’ He nods at my backpack, our drumstick’s temporary home, with a somber expression. ‘Time’s running out, and we’ve yet to figure out who’s keeping that.’
I let my body slump forward. ‘How do we even figure that out now? We’re both still here after nearly two days. How do we even decide at this point?’
He smiles sadly and shakes his head. ‘I don’t know.’
The reality of our impending decision and Elliot’s departure weighs heavily on me. I take him in before forcing my gaze away,ignoring the twinge in my chest at the idea that soon we’ll be separated for good.
Finding no way to respond, I take a greedy slurp of my drink. An unexpected burst of heat blooms at the back of my throat as I swallow, leading me to splutter and cough until dregs of the drink are spilling out my mouth. Elliot is immediately beside himself, leaning forward with a loud, guttural laugh. I turn away from him and wheeze with cackles as the coughs keep coming.
He laughs harder, trying to crawl towards me to actually check if I’m alright.
I wave my arm at him before finally croaking, ‘Fuckoff.’
