I do my best to keep my eyes above his neck, but the tent in the thin cotton shorts he’s wearing is so large, I can see it even though I’m not looking at it directly. He drops his gaze and flushes from cheeks to chest. He folds his hands over himself.
“You were supposed to wake up early to run,” I say, my voice pitched high.
“You said you didn’t like to wake up alone, so I didn’t set my alarm,” he replies, far more flustered. His hair looks so floppy and soft, at odds with his rigid posture and tight voice. “You told me to sleep up here.”
“Okay, let’s calm down for a second,” I say, not sounding calm at all. “It’s not a big deal.”
George looks at me like I’ve suggested he throw himself from the balcony. “I was spooning you!”
I wince. “Actually, you were kind ofgrindingme.”
He covers his face with his hands.
“Uh, George. You’re still…” I gesture to his shorts. “You might want to…”
“Shit.” He spins around.
“It’s fine. It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve seen your morning wood,” I say as he heads to the dresser and pulls out a black tank top.
“For fuck’s sake,” he mutters, then peers at me over his shoulder, his eyes wide. “Was I talking in my sleep?”
Frankie. Sweetheart.
“Other than the lecture you gave on mangrove deforestation? No.”
His shoulders sag with relief, and he pulls the shirt over his head.
“I’m going for a run,” he says, not meeting my eyes. “After that, we’re having breakfast in the main lodge. Meet me there at ten. You’ll need your energy today.” His voice is clipped.
“Are you all right?”
He takes a pair of shorts out of the drawer, still not looking at me. “I’m mortified. I just need some space.”
The last time George told me he needed space, I didn’t see him for six months.
“Don’t be embarrassed. I think this was my doing.”
Finally, he looks at me.
“I was having a…suggestivedream about you. Aboutus. And I think I maybe nudged closer to you in my sleep, and you put your arm around me, and…”
George doesn’t move. “You had a sex dream about me?”
“It’s not a big deal,” I say again, trying to convince us both. “You have a body. I have a body. Sometimes bodies just want things.”
“Sometimes bodies just want things?” he says slowly.
“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “And it’s been a while for me, so it’s possible I’m slightly hornier than usual.”
His brows skyrocket.
“You’re slightly hornier than usual,” he repeats, his voice strangled.
Oh no. I think I’ve broken George.
“Sorry.Thatwas an overshare. You don’t need to know about the status of my sex drive. All I’m trying to say is that if anyone is to blame, it’s me, and there’s no need for you to be embarrassed. We’re both adults. Let’s pretend none of this happened.”
He takes a deep breath. “Okay.”
