I threw the tripod behind me. The clank echoed through the tower as I stepped in front of him and shoved my face right intohis. “That was reckless. You could’ve died!” My heart pounded, but as he glanced up, the fear coloring his eyes red, something in me broke. All the tension suddenly vanished, leaving my muscles weak. My head sank forward against his wet shoulder, my arms slinging around him as if they needed to make sure that he wouldn’t run away again. “You really scared me there. Don’t ever do that again.”
“I’m sorry?—”
“No. Fuck.I’msorry. I should’ve called things off way earlier, should’ve noticed the danger,” I said, pulling him close. “All that matters is that you’re safe.”
“As if it was your fault.” He wrapped his arms around my back, resting his chin on my collarbone. “Thanks for saving me. Really. I don’t even know how I can ever repay you.”
“There is nothing to repay,” I uttered, lifting my head. His eyes met mine. They lured me in, making me want to stare at them forever. His lower lip trembled. Our faces were so close that his mouth, which I wanted to taste so often again in the last days, was within reach. But this wasn’t the time. “We need to keep moving,” I said. “Go back up there, change into some dry clothes, and call for help.”
Slowly, the reality that this was only the beginning of the night sank in. He blinked twice, swallowed, then nodded as his gaze wandered to the stairs. I took a step back, and just then, he reached for my hand and grabbed it.
“It’s probably too much to ask, but…” He pinned his gaze to the floor.
I stared at his hand holding onto me. “But what?”
He swallowed again, his face tightening. “Can you hold my hand on our way up? I’m afraid I’ll faint if you don’t.”
His words spread through my body, sending warm tingles to every single one of my limbs. Asking for this and showingthis vulnerable side must have cost him a lot of willpower. It certainly would have if it were me.
A smile broke out on my face that somehow felt unsuitable, but I couldn’t stop it. Because there was only one answer to his request. “Of course I will.”
I shovedthe door to the clock room into its lock as if this would keep the storm out. The rain pelted against the clock-shaped windows, warning us that we were trapped and on our own.
My feet and the hems of my pants were wet; the rest thankfully stayed dry enough that with a quick wipe and some fresh socks, I should easily make it through the night. Theo, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. He was already trembling as he stripped off his jacket, revealing the sweater that was soaked except for a tiny patch in the middle.
“I get it now why you wanted me to bring spare clothes.” He chuckled, turning his back to me and pulling off his sweater. “Not that it matters. They would’ve washed away with my backpack anyway.”
“It’s okay. I have enough for both of us,” I said, rummaging through my backpack.
“Why am I not surprised?”
I turned to Theo and found him still standing there, shivering in his wet pants, shoes, and shirt. Strands of his hair hung low above his forehead, nearly reaching his eyes. His shirt clung to him, revealing his chest. The patches of hair on his body created a pattern on the fabric, leaving little to the imagination. I rushed over with the towel, shirt, pants, underwear, and socks that I had packed for such an occasion.
“Come on, take off all your clothes or you’ll catch a cold.”
“You want to see me strip again that badly, huh?”
“I want you tolivethat badly,” I replied, handing him the towel and clothes.
He took the pile and put it on the little bench behind him, pausing briefly. “Thank you for taking such good care of me.” He slid his fingers under his shirt and lifted it. This time, he did not turn away, almost as if he wanted to put on a show to compensate me for all the trouble.
Quickly, I flicked around to give him some privacy. My heart was pounding so hard that I had to distract myself. I checked my phone, trying to see if I could call for help, but as I had feared, I didn’t have a signal. Before I could ask him if he had better luck—which was unlikely since his phone was either in his lost backpack or underwater with him—his chuckle rippled through me.
“You know you can watch, if you want. After all, it’s a photographer’s job to always watch.”
“Funny,” I said, keeping my eyes on the wall. “I won’t peek, I promise.”
“It’s not like you haven’t seen everything already.”
“True.” I chuckled but still didn’t move.
Even if he was sincere and what he said to me over the last few days was actual flirting and not just playful banter, this wasn’t the time to act on it. Not while he was still wet, his body cooling down with each passing second.
His belt clanked as he unbuckled it. He shuffled around, his soaked jeans slapping against the floor as if they were three times their usual weight.
“Okay, I hate to ask you for another favor, but I kinda have to.”
“What is it?”
