The cool water of the lake tickling the gravel is beckoning me for some reason. I approach the edge and kick off my trainers and socks before stepping in.
‘Be careful of the eels,’ Elliot warns behind me.
My head spins back to him with an incredulous laugh. ‘Shut up.’
The water feels like a balm as it cocoons my aching feet, and I bite my lip to keep my sigh of relief at bay. I don’t venture far, just so the water envelopes my ankles, when the sound of Elliot’s shoes hits the gravel behind me.
He wades through the water towards me in silence, before appearing next to me.Veryclose next to me.
I look at him with a start, and wonder if this is the moment where he might –
‘What the–’ I yelp as without warning, my feet are swept off the ground and I’m in Elliot’s arms as he starts to make his way further into the lake in even, slow strides. I desperately wrap my arms around his neck and scowl at him in protest.
‘What are you doing?’ I demand.
‘I’m taking you to see the eels.’
‘I don’t want to see the fucking eels!’
‘Too bad. I’m proving a point. They were over here,’ he says confidently.
‘Unhandme,’ I object. ‘This jacket is hand-wash only, you freak.’
‘I’ve got you, princess,’ he murmur. ‘You might want to stop wriggling or Iwilldrop you.’
I follow orders, tightening my iron grip around his neck with a pout.
He’s almost knee-deep when we edge through the willow tree’s falling branches, exposing the dark expanse of the lake. The water looks pitch-black.
‘Yes, perfect,’ I jibe. ‘Good conditions for eel-spotting.’
He gives me a look, which is somehow even more alluring than usual when his face is so close to mine.
‘Well, we failed.’ I wrap my arms more tightly around his neck. ‘Take me back to shore now. I demand it.’
‘Oh, man,’ he groans. ‘My arms are just sotired, Nora. It’s been a long weekend.’
He huffs an exaggerated sigh and begins to slowly lower me towards the lake’s surface.
I yelp and launch myself upward so that my hands are desperately clinging onto his perfect hair, my knees almost up by his shoulders. He grins with a roll of his eyes.
‘You scoundrel,’ I hiss.
His eyes are alight, as if this is very entertaining. ‘Never been called a scoundrel before.’
‘I’ve got more words in my arsenal if my ass touches this water,’ I joke, as he pulls me closer.
‘I’m not going to drop you,’ he murmurs into my ear, his voice reaching the low and velvety pitch that I love. The fairy lights illuminate the blue of his eyes with hundreds of golden flecks, like they both contain their own collection of stars.
It doesn’t even occur to me to say anything but the truth. ‘I know.’
His expression turns dark as he takes a deep breath, his gaze never leaving mine. Heat instantly pools in my belly.
‘We’re a little exposed here,’ he says, his voice gravelly.
He swiftly turns on his heel and carries me back through the curtain of leaves, wasting no time when we reach dry land by gently placing me on my feet next to the willow tree trunk. His hands never leave my body; I can feel them lingering around my waist as the rough bark rubs against my back through my jacket. The sheer size of the tree is, thankfully, hiding us from view; carving out a private space just for us.
And for what feels like the millionth time this weekend, we’re eye to eye. Except there’s no reason to stop this time. No reason to walk away. I lean my head back against the tree to take him in, my breath stalling before shakily releasing. Our breaths mingle together, his nose almost brushing against mine, and I think I nearly burn into cinders on the spot.
