Elliot nods and hooks his sharp gaze onto me again.
‘So… you want to head to a tent to sleep? Or another drink?’ I think he means for his voice to sound casual, but I sense a hint of discomfort.
‘So wearegoing to share a tent?’ I rest my free hand on my hip, quirking an eyebrow at him.
He looks at the Pulse tent again with great curiosity. ‘I mean… not if it makes you uncomfortable. Although I’m not sure how we’d deal with this,’ he says, gesturing to the drumstick. His raspy voice travels higher as he speaks, I note with amusement. Something in me softens.
‘That’s okay. I’m comfortable with it if you are?’ I ask, realising that I speak nothing but the truth. As much as it feels strange admitting it, the idea of sleeping in the same tent as Elliot doesn’t massively concern me. It’s not like we’re interested in each other likethat, so I don’t see why there should be any issues.
He hesitates while his eyes search my face.
‘I’m alright with it.’ His voice falls lower again, reaching its usual depth. ‘As long as you are. My tent is a four-man, so we would have plenty of space.’
I nod brightly, plastering a confident smile on my face as we start to make our way to the Light Tellers exit.
‘Wow, enormo-tent. It’ll just be like sleeping in the same room, right?’
Elliot scratches the back of his neck while he muses at my question. ‘Right.’
Our steps land perfectly in time with each other as we walk through the thinning crowds and honestly, I don’t really think about where we’re heading.
10
The sound of stuttering drums and thudding bass comes at us from all directions as we walk down a wide path towards the Red camping area, where Elliot & Co are camped.
I look up at the spotlights reaching into the night sky amongst flickering neon blue and green lasers. Swarms of people run past us at speed and saunter slowly sipping on cans. As the dark sky turns to total blackness, a fresh atmosphere of anticipation and giddiness grips the air around us. Shouts of excitement and searching calls of lost party members’ names blare past us as we walk past a gaggle of women smearing glitter across each others’ cheeks. One laughs so freely that her knees give way under her, but is immediately rescued from hitting the ground by a screaming companion.
It seems like the night is just starting to kick off for some people, but my legs ache desperately.
Elliot pauses next to a large illuminatedtoiletssign.
He heaves a sigh. ‘Sorry. Same system as before?’ he asks, pointing to the stick.
‘Oh… you mean, I let go?’
He shrugs and shoots me an expectant smile, already sensing my resistance.
‘But you don’t even have a bag to put it in?’ I note desperately. ‘Don’t make me go into how gross that is.’
He sighs again before sliding his hand through his dark locks thoughtfully. I can tell I’m testing his patience. He turns to me again, his features masked with something.
‘Alright,’ he says tightly. ‘How about I just go and you wait here with it?’
I freeze. He’s trusting me with the drumstickalonethis early into the agreement? Is he mad?
I must have this question written all over my face as he continues. ‘I get the sense that you’re not the kind of person to play dirty and win something by cheating.’
‘No, of course I’m not,’ I say honestly.
‘Yeah.’ He just nods to himself, looking lost in his thoughts. ‘Thought so.’
‘That’s a pretty risky assumption though,’ I point out.
He presses his lips together and looks down at the drumstick. ‘Hopefully I won’t regret it.’
Without hesitating, he lets go. His eyes meet mine in a collision of bright blue onto green, and they hold me in a cool grip as I feel my chest tighten ever so slightly.
I feel like I should say something reassuring, but he just walks away with surprising nonchalance. The drumstick is left in my hands alone.
