I gasp when I hit the button again. ‘Oh my God, they kissed,’ I whisper.
‘Did you not catch it?’
I shake my head.
‘Haven’t you been watching them this whole time?’
I’ve been watching you, I think instinctively, surprising myself.
‘Guess I must have just missed it,’ I say, biting my lip. It’s nippy now that the sun is no longer above us. I rub my arms to generate heat, but it does very little.
‘Here,’ Salman says. He unzips his fleece, revealing a white T-shirt underneath, and takes it off. His biceps strain against the sleeves of the shirt, and it makes my stomach flutter. He holds out the fleece to me. ‘Take it.’
‘No, it’s fine.’ I keep rubbing at my arms, hoping that’ll help me ignore the cold.
‘It’s obviously not, so just take it.’
But I don’t. Instead, I look at Samira and Akash, desperately wishing I was around that fire.
‘If you’re going to be stubborn,’ Salman mutters to himself before putting the fleece around my shoulders.
‘What are you doing?’ I say. His face is inches away from mine as he makes sure every inch of my upper body is covered.
‘What does it look like? I’m making sure you don’t die of hypothermia.’
I bark out a laugh. ‘It’s not cold enough for that.’
‘I know.’ His eyes are unwavering as they bore into mine. ‘But I want to take care of you. Will you let me do that?’
I feel something uncoil inside me as he drinks me in, his gaze never leaving mine. He pulls the fleece away from me momentarily so I can put my arms through the sleeves, and justwhen I think he’ll move away from me, his job done, he goes to zip it up.
‘Can I?’ he asks, tenderness in the two syllables.
Without thinking, I nod.
His hand moves towards the bottom of the fleece, which ends at the top of my thighs. I’m breathless as he slowly moves the zip upwards, taking his time as he makes the journey from my thighs all the way to the hollow of my throat. When he’s finished, he doesn’t let go of the zip; instead, his hand remains there, as if he physically cannot let go, and it makes my traitorous heart beat so fast I’m certain he can feel it. Especially when his knuckle grazes my skin where the zipper stops. Even with the cold air pecking my skin, all I can feel is his warmth.
‘It’s probably time for the guitarist to wrap up,’ I blurt out, quickly standing up so he has no choice but to let go of the zip – and the moment. ‘Wouldn’t want to have to pay him extra, you know. Don’t think Sadia would be too happy with that.’
As I walk towards the guitarist, Salman looks at me with a pained expression.
23
‘Do you want me to add your address as a stop to my ride?’ Salman asks as I tidy up the cabin. The rest of Akash and Samira’s date went off without a hitch. I mean, theydidburn the salmon they cooked together, but from all the laughing we heard and from the way they couldn’t stop making heart eyes at each other, I think it’s safe to say that they’ll be one of our successful matches.
‘No, it’s fine,’ I tell him as I fold the throws and shove them into a bag. ‘I’ll just take the bus home.’
‘The next one’s not for another hour, though.’
I frown and pull my phone from the back pocket of my shorts. I check the app and am annoyed to find that he’s right. It’s a Wednesday – but I guess we are out in the sticks.
‘Shit,’ I mutter to myself. I don’t really want to spend the next hour out here. At the same time, there’s no way I could sit in a taxi with Salman after the zip incident. Even though nothing actually happened, I can’t stop asking myself what the hell it was about. Logically, I know: it was the sign I’ve been waiting for that it’s not all in my head. That he feels the same way I do.
So why didn’t I lean in and kiss him? He wanted to, it was clear as day from the look in his eyes, and I know I wanted to but still I pulled away.
‘So, add you as a stop?’ He’s got his phone out, his fingers hovering above the screen, as if he’s ready to punch the letters in.
The temptation is strong. It’s been a longer day than usual,but can I risk sitting next to him in an enclosed space for so long? Nothing good will come of it. We broke up before, so why would we work now? At least the summer job will be over in a few weeks and we won’t have to see each other again.
