Page 10 of The Storm Boys Series Collection

His eyes cut to mine. “Nah, it’s okay. Been a long day.”

So we walked back to camp. Barely fifty metres really, but it was through the scrub. When our tents came into view, my stomach began to tighten. Knots and butterflies, nerves and anticipation.

“Well, goodnight,” Norah said, heading for her tent. “See you all bright and early.”

Derek and I stopped. He glanced at his tent, then at me. For the longest moment, we stared at each other.

“Derek, I...”

“See you tomorrow,” he said, turning and disappearing into his tent, the zippered door a finality in the silence.

I stood there for a second, trying to catch my breath. And it was only day one...

Yeah, we were definitely gonna have to talk.

CHAPTER FOUR

DEREK

Christ,this was a bad idea.

When it was just me and him, the air between us crackled with tension. He had to be able to feel it. I wasn’t imagining it. The way he looked at me, hot and familiar, but guarded now. Like he’d moved on and it was too late. Like he was sorry, but it was too late.

He’d mentioned the storm-chasing guy. The one who would come and stay with him.

I should have known he’d find someone new. I mean, Paul was a great guy. Handsome, funny, hard-working. He was running his own successful business. He was living his dream, and he’d never looked happier.

Who wouldn’t want him?

I was pissed that Norah had joined us, but as I lay there staring at the tent ceiling, I was probably glad she had.

Because the second we were alone, Paul was about to tell me that it was good to see me, but... It was good to catch up, but... He was glad I was doing okay, but...

I didn’t want to hear it.

My heart wasn’t up for that.

Not on day one.

Day two wasn’t shaping up to be much better.

We had a breakfast of bacon-and-egg sandwiches, coffee, and juice. Paul packed up our lunches, stacked everything into his Cruiser, and off we went again.

Our first stop was driving into the wetlands to a birdwatching spot, and it was pretty good. I wished I’d brought my smaller telescope from home, though there were binoculars for tourists to use. There was a flourish of different birds to see, and it wasn’t even the wet season.

It wasn’t what I’d come here to do, but it was interesting and good to see at least once. I liked listening to Paul talk about things he was passionate about.

It was a good reminder that he’d spent years learning his trade and that he was different to the Paul I used to know.

A good reminder, yes. Painful, but good.

After that, we drove along some bumpy path until the track basically ended with a turning circle and what was probably supposed to be a parking bay. “We walk from here,” Paul said.

And walk we did.

It was a warm day and a touch humid, though Marit and Kari were sweating and flushed; Norah was red in the face. Paul kept an eye on her, and she kept saying she was fine; she just wasn’t used to hiking in tropical climates. And that was probably true. Every place she’d talked about hiking before was colder.

“Don’t worry about me,” she said, drinking her water. “If the elevation and steepness of Machu Picchu didn’t kill me, Kakadu won’t either.”

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