Whenever I'm With You by Lydia Sharp

Author:Lydia Sharp
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2016-08-15T04:00:00+00:00

When the boys come back, Vicki and I are practically comatose. Wrapped in our plush blanket and with our bellies full, we didn’t stand a chance against the built-up exhaustion of the day. We pulled the mattress closer to the fire and had to squish together for us both to fit on it. This is the warmest, most relaxed I’ve felt since we left the lodge. Kai brushes a chilled thumb across my cheek, stirring me awake.

“I still can’t believe you’re here,” he says. “I just needed to touch you, make sure you’re really real.”

“I’m really real.” My lips stretch with a sleepy smile.

He and Hunter drop their armloads of sticks and logs into the corner, and Vicki sits up. Kai adds more logs to the fire, then strips off his coat and boots. Hunter does the same. And then they both huddle in on either side of us, Kai next to me and Hunter next to Vicki. We have to all sleep together to stay warm, and I don’t mind, but I wonder if Hunter does. He made it clear that getting close to someone, physically or otherwise, is nowhere on his agenda. Tonight, though, he doesn’t have a choice.

I lean against Kai and goose bumps prickle me everywhere. He’s cold from outside. This is the first time I’ve ever had to warm him up, and I like that he needs me. Even just for this one small thing, in this one small moment.

Vicki strikes up a one-sided conversation with Hunter, to which he gives her nods and “mm-hms” the few times she pauses. The air is much more relaxed now than it was before. We can’t go anywhere until the storm passes, and with our new plan in place, there’s nothing left to debate. I turn to face Kai so my back is toward Vicki, letting her words fall into the background.

I pull the rock necklace out from under my collar and rub my thumb over our etched initials. “I haven’t taken it off since you gave it to me.”

“I still got mine on, too,” he says, smiling. “That’s how it works. My dad always wore his whenever he left. My mom still wears hers.”

“I noticed.” The necklace is doing its job. It’s been a constant reminder of him.

“You know what I missed the most while we were apart?” he asks. “Talking to you.”

“Then talk to me now. What have you been doing the last three days? Did you see anything interesting?”

“Yeah. Every time I saw something cool, I wanted tell you about it … Where do I even start?” He tells me about birds and other creatures, how awesome it is to see and hear them up close, and about sleeping under the stars one night, how small it made his day-to-day problems seem. He tells me about being the most exhausted he’s ever been, but at the same time feeling the best he’s ever felt. Every step is both tiring and energizing. And stopping at the

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