Page 19 of Blind Sin

His shoulders slump in visible relief. “Thanks man.”

I don’t tell him that I’m doing it for me. I can’t exactly stay in my room for the next two weeks, but I don’t want to have to play nice around Lauren and Luce either.

Dacre picks up my plate. “Are you going to come to the main house for meals or am I going to be your slave for the next two weeks?”

I lay back on the bed, palming my head in my hands. “It’s about fucking time you did some work, you lazy fucker.”

“Yeah, because trying to figure out what to do to get away from Waldgrave, finishing up the last semester of Uni and looking through all the shit Letterman has sent me, not to mention stopping Mercier falling and accidentally sticking his dick in Lauren isn’t enough.

“You can never be two careful when it comes to falling hazards,” I quip, feeling better now I’ve got an excuse to get off the island and away from this pressure cooker.

Dacre gives his head an exasperated shake and heads out with my plate, closing my door behind him.

12

LAUREN

Ilay out on the beach as Lucy swims in the sea. She’s tried everything to get me to go in with her, but I remember how my feet felt like they were being sucked out from beneath me and so I’ve elected to soak up the sun instead. Not that Lauren has allowed me out in the actual sun. My skin is ridiculously sensitive, which is why I’m sunbathing under a huge straw parasol with strict instructions to stay under it and not go out in the direct sun for more than a couple of minutes at a time. I strain my ears for the sound of a boat, but all I can hear is the sound of the waves lapping and a couple of birds chirping from a nearby tree. It’s so hot and I’m bundled head to in clothes to protect my skin. Lauren won’t even let me wear a sundress lest I burn. I feel like I’m about to boil over and consider heading back into the air-conditioned house, but Lauren doesn’t like me being alone with Alexander and Nolan, either. At least neither of us has to worry about Josh. He left before dawn and hasn’t come back.

The scorching sun beats down, turning the beach into an oven. I lay there, limbs sprawled on the burning sand, the heat seeping into every inch of my body. The air feels thick, suffocating, and my breaths are shallow gasps. Sweat trickles down my neck, tracing a damp trail along my spine. The sand beneath me radiates heat like a furnace, and I can feel its scalding touch through the thin fabric of my beach towel. A dull throb pulses in my temples, and my head feels heavy, as if weighed down by the relentless pressure of the sun. My pulse quickens, and a sense of nausea washes over me.

“Hey, I’ve brought you a cocktail,” Nolan says, a hint of playfulness in his voice. “Mango and some shit. It might have a bit of rum in it... Fuck, what happened to you?”“

“I'm not feeling...” I utter the words before desperation creeps into my voice. Panicking, I reach out to Nolan, attempting to steady myself. However, the dizziness tightens its grip, and I feel myself losing control, teetering on the edge of consciousness. Everything spins, and I succumb to the disorienting sensation, my body lurching forward involuntarily.

“Shit!” He falls to the sand next to me, the mango cocktail spilling on the sand. “Dacre. Get your ass out here.”

My eyes flutter closed as Nolan picks me up into his arms. I let my head fall against his naked chest as he begins to run.

We come to an abrupt stop and my eyelids feel too heavy to open to find out where Nolan has brought me. “Quick,” He shouts out. “Get her clothes off. She’s burning up!” I don’t even bother trying to fight it as two sets of hands start ripping off my clothes.

“Get some water,” Nolan yells. “There’s a pitcher of iced water in the fridge. Go!”

I don’t even know who he’s talking to. He called for Alexander, but it could be my sister... It might even be Josh. I hope it’s Josh. I don’t know why, but I need him here with me.

“Lauren! Wake up,” Nolan beseeches as he strokes the side of my face and clutches me close to him. Shit. How long have you been out in the sun?”

I can’t answer. I can barely open my eyes.

“Lauren! Fuck!”

I sense myself being lifted again, the world spinning as Nolan stands, only to have us both fall. With a sudden splash, I'm submerged in water. Cool water envelopes me, shocking my senses. Panic tightens its grip as I flail, searching for solid ground, but there's only the disorienting weightlessness of the water.

My heart races, a frenzied rhythm as I kick towards the surface, desperation driving my movements. The need for air claws at my chest as firm hands close around me, pulling me upward. Gasping for air, I break through the surface, clinging to Nolan. The taste of chlorine fills my mouth.

Gasping for air, I begin to splutter and cough, expelling the unwelcome water from my lungs. “You’re fine, Lauren, Nolan says, cradling me to him. “I jumped into the pool with you to cool you down.” He runs his hand down my arm and brings my fingers to the edge of the pool which I grip onto with one hand, not letting go of Nolan with the other. “Breathe! I won’t let go of you. You’re safe.”

I do as he says, trying to get my racing heart under control.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Alexander is back within a minute. “Is she okay?” He sounds as panicked as I feel. “Here’s the water.”

Nolan guides my hand from the edge of the pool to a cold glass, and I gulp down the iced water. Alexander refills it as the dizziness retreats. Reality hits—I'm nearly naked in Nolan's arms, his bare chest against mine. I cling to him, feeling safe against him.

Nolan makes to heave me up onto the edge of the pool but I can’t let go of him. “Lauren. We can’t stay in the pool all day. Do you feel better?”

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