Turning Back by Katia Rose

Author:Katia Rose [Rose, Katia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-02-03T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Kennedy

Idon’t know how long I lie awake, staring up at the nylon fabric above my head. The tent I’m sharing with Trish smells a little musty, like it’s been sitting in storage for too long. Even with a bed roll under my sleeping bag, I can feel the hard, bumpy texture of the forest floor, but that’s not what’s keeping me from sleep.

I can’t sleep because I’m pretty sure Trish can’t sleep either. I’ve been lying on my back since I wormed my way into my sleeping bag after we finished a long day of adventuring with dinner and a bonfire, but Trish tosses and turns every few minutes. Her eyes have been closed each time I’ve stolen a glance at her, but her breathing has yet to even out.

She’s so close, close enough that I could reach over and sweep her hair off her forehead, close enough that it would only take a little shuffle and a tilt of my head to bring the tips of our noses together.

If she were any other woman I liked, I’d be pulling a move on her. I’d whisper her name and ask if she’s still awake. I’d shift even closer so we wouldn’t ‘wake anyone up’ with our murmured words.

I’d time it just right and then ask if I could kiss her.

Only she’s not any other woman. She’s Trish, and every reason I have to stay away from her still stands, whether we’re on different sides of the country or a foot apart in a tent, so I stay frozen on my back, my pulse surging every time she moves.

The minutes tick by, and I fall into what feels like a waking dream. I hear the lapping waves slapping the sides of the canoe, and my arms twitch at the muscle memory of digging my paddle into the water again and again and again.

I hear the flap of wings in my ears, and I replay the moment the huge, silvery blue bird swooped over our heads, almost close enough to reach up and touch. My heart seems to skip a beat just like it did out on the lake, and my chest swells with an emotion I can’t put a name to.

When I was a kid, my parents never would have taken me canoeing just because. When we did things as a family, we needed a reason. We needed a goal. We needed something to feel proud of at the end of the day. That’s what I was taught to value.

I don’t know how to explain the way the sight of a bird filled me with more satisfaction than the entire past year of my career.

“Are you awake?”

My eyes fly open, and I suck in a sharp breath at the sound of Trish’s voice.

“Yes,” I whisper back. “Are you?”

“No, I’m sleep talking,” she deadpans.

I don’t know how this woman can fill me with the simultaneous urge to laugh and roll my eyes as often as she does.

“Ha ha,” I deadpan right back.

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