Page 111 of Never With You
“It feels like it.” I blink a few times, making sure no mud gets into my eyes.
Nate nods to something behind me. I glance over my shoulder. Lauren stands back from the action with a frown plastered to her face. She tiptoes out of the mud, berating Isaac for trying to get her to participate.
“I don’t understand why Isaac broke up with you.” Nate glances at me as he keeps covering the elephant with mud. “You’re way more fun than Lauren.”
I eye him, grateful for the little ways he tries to build me up, especially when it comes to Isaac. Despite being over our relationship, his words still wielded so much power over me. Even just a few days ago, I was pretending to thrive and faking relationships to regain the confidence he took from me. But the last few days, I forgot that he existed. Nate has built me up to a point where what Isaac says no longer controls me. I can be confident in who I am. The good, the bad, the fun, the uptight. I just need to find the right guy who appreciates all those sides of me and isn’t scared of them.
My gaze travels to Nate.
Something’s telling me it could be him.
But that’s not how this is supposed to go.
The guy who’s supposed to appreciate—whodoesappreciate—all the different sides of me is Mr. International.
My heart could do well to remember that.
* * *
“I can’t believeyou dunked me in that disgusting pond,” I say to Nate as we walk back to the pavilion where the showers are.
“Oh, it wasn’tthatbad.”
It really wasn’t, if you count having Nate’s arms wrapped around my torso, but I’m not telling him that.
“I was trying to help get some of the mud out of your hair.”
I shoot him a pointed look. “A couple elephants pooped in that water.”
“I’d hardly call that poop. Their diet is mostly bananas and oats, and the workers scooped the feces right up.”
“I thought you said it wasn’t feces.”
“I was lying. It totally is.”
I laugh, pushing hard against his shoulder.
He returns the favor by wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me in the air for one flirty second before putting my feet back on the ground.
When we get to the pavilion, all the showers are taken by people in our group. The first wave of guests—the ones too old or too afraid to get in the questionable water to bathe the elephants—have already showered and changed.
Mud and water drip from our arms, leaving brown streaks down our skin.
I glance at my swimsuit, a dark sports bra top paired with high-waisted bottoms. “I’m glad I chose black today; otherwise, my swimsuit might have been ruined.”
Nate grimaces. “I don’t care if I wash off all the mud. I’m never wearing this swimsuit again.”
I laugh as someone comes out of one of the showers.
“This one’s open,” he says, walking past us.
The outdoor showers are lined up in a row, wooden stalls with half-doors that aren’t completely private, just enough to rinse off.
“Ladies first.” Nate sweeps his arm out in front of me.
“We’re kind of in a hurry to get to the bus. Do you want to just share?” I offer. “We’ll be wearing our swimsuits, so?—”
“Okay.” He walks past me, pushing the wood door open.
