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‘Dig your foot in like a mountain climber,’ Caleb said.

‘How are you so good at everything? Seriously, I’ve not seen you do anything badly! It’s kind of infuriating.’

‘Yes, you have.’

‘Like, what?’

‘Emails. Didn’t you say I looked like an idiot answering those?’ He chuckled. ‘I know that’s why you took a picture of me. You always used to joke that I typed on a keyboard like I was trying to stab it with my fingers.’

She thought back to the ‘secret’ photo she’d taken of him and felt ashamed of herself. She’d never really understood him back then or the real struggles he was facing. She’d been academic, while he’d struggled with learning. Yes, she’d had her own teenage dramas, but so had he.

They crested the top of the dune. Below them, the lights of the film set blazed like a beacon in a sea of darkness. Many of the lights were currently being extinguished as the crew began to break up the set and put away the tents and equipment.

‘I should probably get back and help with the medic tent,’ she said guiltily. She knew it was silly, but the incident with the snake the other day had reminded her of how different they were. If she’d seen it first, she would have run full pelt back to camp, while Caleb had carried on! They really were complete opposites in every way.

‘We’ll go back in a minute,’ Caleb reassured her.

‘Erm, great view,’ she said, not sure what he’d expected her to appreciate from up here, considering it was so dark.

‘We’re not there yet,’ he said, and they began to descend the other side of the dune. It was a lot easier climbing down than up, but also frightening, as their bodies shifted and slid most of the way down. She had an even greater appreciation of Caleb’s talent when she remembered he’d done this while carrying another person. Not only that, but he’d done it while pretending to be exhausted and wounded, too!

They skittered down into the belly of the wave. Sound seemed to disappear and only the light of their torch illuminated a small pool around their feet. Caleb swung the lamp, checking for any dangers like snakes or scorpions; she was sure he only did it for her benefit, but she appreciated it anyway.

‘You ready?’

‘Tell me you’re not going to make me climb another one?’ The next dune was slightly smaller than the previous one, but she still couldn’t face another climb anytime soon.

Caleb grinned and then cut out the light. Hannah blinked. ‘I’m not sure I like this,’ she said, feeling like a girl at a Halloween party, taken away from her friends and pushed into the haunted house.

The desert seemed to whisper and sigh with relief as the wind caressed and cooled Big Red. Slowly, her vision adjusted to the darkness, and she could see the haunting beauty of the land.

‘Look up,’ he said, and turned her in his arms, winding them around her in a hugging embrace.

Her breath hitched as she tilted her face up towards the night sky. The dark blanket above was heavily laden with millions of stars, each sparkling in a sweeping constellation. The black wasn’t black; it seemed to be an ever-shifting palette of dark violets and blues. A carpet of sparkling light. All at once, her body became both lighter and heavier, the expanse above their heads overwhelmingly beautiful, reminding her of how small and precious her existence in this universe was.

‘Look!’ she gasped. A shooting star streaked across the sky, possibly landing thousands of miles away or burning away to nothing but glittering dust in the atmosphere. However, to Hannah, it would always belong to them. ‘Did you see it?’

‘Yes.’ A kiss brushed the top of her head, and relief washed through her.

In awe of life’s beauty, she whispered her confession. ‘I took that photo of you because I think you’re wonderful.’

His arms tightened around her, and he turned her back to face him. She didn’t regret admitting the truth, because when his mouth pressed against hers, she saw another full constellation of stars burst into light behind her eyes.

Chapter Thirty-One

They walked back into camp as most of the crew were climbing into the jeeps to be taken back to Birdsville.

Emma was stood by the medic tent, and Hannah hurried forward. ‘Sorry, I’ll get this broken down now.’

‘No need, security will be using it tonight,’ said Emma with a weary expression.

‘Oh?’ Caleb had a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach, and out of habit, he glanced around at the other remaining vehicles, which included the two luxury trailers for the lead actors.

‘Yeah,’ said Emma with a sigh. She’d refused to talk about what Lucas had said about her at Bianca’s party, and he couldn’t blame her. ‘Lucas and Bianca are exhausted from filming. They’ve decided to stay in their trailers for the rest of the night rather than drive back to Birdsville. They’ll still catch the flight tomorrow though, so it’s not much of a change to the itinerary. Will your medications be alright overnight, Hannah?’

‘If the generator keeps running, then yes.’

‘Best move them into Lucas’s trailer to be on the safe side – he’s got a big fridge freezer in there. We promised Birdsville medical they could keep anything we didn’t use, and after getting their doctor to check on Katie earlier, it might be best to keep them sweet.’