Page 61 of Enchanted

“The ranger. He’s been working here for a decade now. Started right out of university. He loves it because he can fit his hours around being a dad.”

I blinked at him. “When did you find all of that out?”

“Just now.” He reached across me to flick the lock on the doors open. “People have a tendency to open up to me. Think it’s my trustworthy face.”

I’d thought of many adjectives to describe Rami’s face, but trustworthy hadn’t been one of them. It should’ve been, I realised. Why else would I have got in his car and basically run away with him?

I followed him outside onto the decking. To my right, there was a table, chairs, and an outside kitchen. Reclining loungers sat beside a quietly bubbling hot tub.

“It’s so peaceful,” I said, lifting my face to the darkening sky. “I bet we’ll be able to see countless stars in a few hours.”

“Far more than in London, that’s for sure. Shame we don’t have any swimwear with us for the hot tub. There’s a sauna and steam room too.”

I was about to suggest just going in in our underwear, but I bit it back. “Yeah. It’s a shame.”

Rami cleared his throat. “There are two double bedrooms, one upstairs and one down here. Let me know which you’d prefer. Tom said the bathrooms are stocked with brand-new toothbrushes and other toiletries. They’ve provided charging cables for us too. There’re even robes for us to throw on while we wash our clothes.”

“I’m sorry,” I said suddenly, shaking my head. “Because of me, you’re in the middle of nowhere without even a change of clothes.”

“Or—” He took a step closer to me. “—I’m in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do but spend time with you. Sounds pretty great to me.”

“You barely know me.”

His smile shone on his beautiful face. “Good thing we’ve got three days to rectify that.”

After a quiet dinner that Rami had arranged to have delivered without me even realising, I’d retired to my bedroom. Given he was the one paying for it all, I’d insisted Rami choose which room he took. He’d opted for the one on the ground floor, leaving me to take the one upstairs.

I tossed and turned for hours. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the scene I’d stumbled in on. A beautiful man, several years younger than myself, hopping desperately into a pair of jeans. His hair tousled like Dave had been running his hands through it. Pouty lips swollen from kisses. A faint blush that covered his chest and face.

He looked like me. A younger, healthier, more vibrant version of me. The boy I’d once been.

The boy Dave apparently wanted again.

I sat up with a sigh. It was no use. Sleep wasn’t coming anytime soon. Lying here waiting for it was going to drive me up the wall. My gaze snagged on the stars peeking through the curtains. We’d been right. There were so many more visible than in London.

I padded downstairs. Maybe a few hours thinking about the enormity of the universe would put my problems into perspective. At least I was here to experience this pain. It was better than the alternative I’d been expecting.

There was no sound from Rami’s room when I crept past. Disappointment twinged in my chest. It’d be nice to have company. I hadn’t felt like talking earlier, but I was starting to think I needed to.

Typical of me to only realise it when I was completely alone.

But I stepped outside to find I wasn’t alone. Rami wasn’t in his bedroom.

He was in the hot tub.

Steam rose from the surface, and the soft lights illuminated Rami’s thoughtful expression. He hadn’t heard me arrive, and he was sipping from a glass of wine as he stared at the sky.

Is he naked?

He certainly was from the waist up. Given I’d spent the best part of the previous three days staring at his chest through a lens, you’d think I’d be better prepared for the sight of him sprawled in the water. But I wasn’t.

I cleared my throat, not wanting to startle him. “Hi.”

His attention came to me immediately as he smiled. He did that so readily, like he was perpetually happy.

I used to be like that.

Maybe I could be again.