Or maybe it does. Who knows, maybe I'll actually put together a volume on the wild beauty of Öland in winter?
No, I didn't really lie. Or did I?
"Do you have a fear of heights?" Sky asks.
Quickly, I reach for my camera. "I'm fine," I reply softly, capturing the breathtaking scenery. I photograph a flock of seagulls soaring through the air, screeching, and the steep cliffs where the spray breaks.
On the third picture, Sky's hair blows into my lens. The red shade provides a striking contrast to the snowy white landscape and the pale gray sky.
Instead of asking her to step aside, I snap the photo with a grin. "I guess rule number one no longer applies."
"What rule?" Sky leans over the railing, savoring the wind against her face.
I lower the camera. "No photos of you."
She turns to me in slow motion. Our eyes meet, and even though the air out here at the end of the island is as clear as anywhere else, I feel like I'm not getting enough oxygen.
"Why?" Confusion is clearly visible on her face.
With wobbly legs, I step closer to her and show her the last photo on my camera's display. The stray light is so intense that I have to shield the screen from the brightness and press close to Sky so she can see anything.
"Well, I'm afraid I have to confiscate this picture," she says with an amused smirk.
"Should I delete it right away?" My finger hovers over the Delete button. Her answer doesn't matter at all, has no significance whatsoever. Still, my heart rate accelerates as if this were somehow important.
Suddenly, her fingers are on mine. Tender and warm. Almost imperceptibly, they glide over my skin, leaving an intense tingling sensation in their wake.
She lifts her eyes and shakes her head. "It's yours."
That's all she says. Just those little words, yet the observation deck beneath my feet suddenly seems to tremble.
I put the camera away. "Okay," I say hoarsely.
"You know what?" She keeps looking at me, drawing me in, refusing to let me go.
I lean in a bit closer to her; her breath grazes my cheek. "What?"
The delicate vein in her neck pulses. She nibbles on her lower lip. "Take another one."
I can't stop staring at her lips. Can't control my movements any longer and lose control of my mind. "Another what?"
"Another photo." Her face comes closer. "Of both of us," her mouth whispers, and suddenly, all the questions in my head revolve around those lips.
How do they taste? What do they feel like? How would they react if I kissed them?
"We should..." Sky says more, maybe, but I don't hear it. There's only my own heartbeat dominating the soundscape.
As if in a trance, we get closer to each other. I smell her delicate scent, see the slightly parted lips and the pink-tinted cheeks.
Just a small fraction of an inch, and our noses will touch. Her chest vibrates.
A jolt runs through my body, tearing Sky and me apart.
"Excuse me," a male voice rumbles.
I whirl around. Who was that?
Confused, I look into a weathered face. "I need to get through," the man says. He pushes past Sky, who immediately ducks to the side and tucks her hair behind her face. We both watch him go. I have no idea what's going on in her mind, but I hardly understand what almost happened just now. All I know is that there's now at least one step of distance between Sky and me. And that's a good thing.
"We should go," she mutters. "I still have work to do."
I nod, then I gesture toward the door leading into the lighthouse interior. "After you."
For a fleeting moment, she lets me see the sheer panic in her eyes. Then she marches off robotically, and I sense all too clearly that she's not alone in her fear of what we were about to do.
