“He was.”
“How long ago did you end the relationship?”
“About six months ago. But please, I really don’t want to?—”
I was cut off by shouts up ahead. Picking up speed, I scrambled to catch up to the remainder of our group, not noticing they had fanned out and were avoiding something on the path. As I was about to take another step, strong hands grasped my hips and pulled me aside.
“Don’t move,” Liam said from behind me, his hands lingering with a squeeze for a moment before letting go.
“What?”
He pointed in front of me. “Quicksand.”
I hadn’t even noticed. Hadn’t paid attention and was about to step right in it. Right next to where Aaric was struggling, the muck up to his knees.
“Umm, can someone help me please?” he asked, voice panicked as he tried yanking one of his feet out which only caused him to sink faster.
“You can’t move around like that. It’ll make it worse,” said Ivan.
Aaric stopped, breathing heavily, but he was still sinking, the muck now reaching mid-thigh. “Help! What do I do?”
“Remain calm,” Rosenshield urged.
“Get me sticks and branches,” Ivan said to the rest of us, then to Aaric, “Stay still and hold tight. We’ll get you out in a minute.”
Aaric groaned. “Am I going to get sucked under?”
Bending over to gather several fallen limbs, I said, “It’s probably not deep enough to pull you under, Aaric. The biggest risk is you succumbing to the elements because you’re stuck there. Or perhaps being injured by the pressure and force of the sand.”
“Oh gods!” Aaric said. “Hurry.”
Liam knelt beside me, helping me lift a long branch. “Your lessons don’t really bring calm to the chaos, sunshine,” he murmured.
“What?”
“First with the jungle cat, now the quicksand. Giving facts while we’re in the middle of peril isn’t exactly helpful.”
“Oh. Oh gods, I’m sorry. You’re right. I wasn’t thinking.” I stood and looked at Aaric. “Don’t worry, Aaric. You’re going to be just fine.”
He gave me a wan smile.
“Hand the branches to me,” Ivan said, laying them downbehind Aaric.
Still embarrassed by my faux pas, I said to Liam, “I didn’t mean to scare him. I thought I was helping by explaining how it actually worked. I feel terrible that I upset people.”
Liam’s hand moved to the back of my arm as he stood beside me, watching Ivan coach Aaric through how to lean back on the debris and slowly wiggle his legs out.
“It didn’t upset me,” he whispered, his thumb slipping beneath my rolled up sleeve and stroking my flesh. “I actually think it’s quite endearing.”
Heat radiated from that point of contact. “Is that so?”
“There are a lot of things I’m learning about you that I find endearing, sunshine,” he said, squeezing my arm gently before letting go.
Cheers interrupted the moment as Ivan helped Aaric pull the last of himself out from the muddy trap. Aaric collapsed to the solid ground with relief and exhaustion.
I was comforted by the fact that my student was safe, but I couldn’t get Liam’s words out of my head.
Endearing? No one had ever called me endearing before.
