Page 81 of Reluctant Chemistry

“I know we haven’t talked much about our relationship…”

CeCe mentally braced herself. What if he wanted to kiss her? Or worse, suggested they have sex, here in the hut, on an already smelly mattress, with an outside toilet and rain that wouldn’t let up?Surely not.

“Anyway, I’ve been thinking,” he continued, “and I’d like to be free to see other people.”

CeCe heaved a silent sigh of relief. Was now the best time to tell him about Luka? But then, what would she say? That she had this guy who she’d hooked up with a couple of times: her bit of fun that didn’t want to have fun anymore? “Okay.”

He shifted in the bunk below her. “Actually, there’s this woman I’ve met, an archaeologist, but I wanted to talk to you first. I’d still like us to hang out sometimes, but… Anyway, to tell you the truth, I get the feeling you’re way out of my league.”

“That’s not true,”she said gently. “But you don’t have to explain. I understand. I’ve kind of met someone as well.”

“Okay, good. That’s good. I mean, I knew you’d understand, but that’s good, really good.”

Good.“Night night.”

Minutes passed.

“CeCe?”

What this time?“Yes.”

“Are you still okay about heading to Ferguson Hut tomorrow? It seems a shame to turn back when we’re so close.”

The wordsshameandfoolishcompeted in her thoughts. CeCe didn’t want to carry on, not with the weather so unpredictable. And yet, she also didn’t want to disappoint Nick. “Shall we decide in the morning? See what the weather’s doing.”

“Good plan. The hut’s an easy stroll from here. Shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours.”

Apprehensive, CeCe lay awake for some time, fighting with the lumpy mattress, the racket of the rain, and her thoughts in equal measure.Once she’d been able to sleep anywhere, but looking back, that had been when Anna was alive, when life made more sense. And as was often the case in times of solitude, she thought of Luka—mainly with regret but also with the occasional smile. In her mind, she likened him to a spool of thread, one that sat at the bottom of her mending kit with the unruly loose end.

The uneven fray at the end of a knot.

She eventually drifted off just before dawn, and it was after eight when Nick woke her.

The rain hadn’t eased, and from her position on the top bunk, CeCe watched while he shuffled around the cabin—lighting the fire, making porridge. And as she fought to extract herself from her warm sleeping bag, all she could think about was a hot shower and how she longed to go home.

With the rain unrelenting, they stayed put, playing cards, reading, and drinking cups of tea until the sun finally peeked through the clouds around noon.

Earlier, they’d decided to head back as soon as the weather permitted, with CeCe being the main instigator of said plan. But now, with warmth on their faces and heavy cloud drifting eastward, Nick seemed to have other ideas.

“I think we’ve seen the last of that rain,” he said as they stood on the hut’s steps. “Why don’t we carry on for a bit and see how we go? The waterfalls are spectacular after—”

“Nick.” She tightened her hands into fists at her sides. “We agreed. I’m tired and hardly slept last night. I shouldn’t have come. I’m only holding you back.”

“No, you’re not, and it’s an easy trek from here. Mostly flat. We’ll be there in a couple of hours.”

CeCe adjusted the straps digging into her shoulders, looked at Nick and sighed, his enthusiasm and too-broad smile starting to get on her nerves. He’d had all the right words back in Clifton Falls, but now they were out in the bush, she doubted those survival skills he’d boasted about.

“Come on, where’s your sense of adventure,” he coaxed. “You can do this. And if it’s too much, we’ll turn back. It’s all downhill from this point.”

“I’m not sure.”

“Hey, no pressure. We’ve got heaps of time. And if we hunker down at Ferguson tonight, we can stroll back here in the morning, have lunch and be home by dinner time. I’ll look after you.”

Still unconvinced, she turned and looked back in the direction they’d come, then the other way as she tried to tuck the rain and lumpy mattress away in the back of her mind. Nick was right: according to the map, the walking was easier on this leg of the track, and—encouraged by the sun’s warmth—CeCe let his enthusiasm carry her away.

“Okay.” As soon as the word left her mouth, her stomach churned. Spending another night in a hut had lost its appeal big time, but she wanted to be a good sport.

This time, Nick’s ‘couple of hours’ almost proved a reality, but as they neared their destination, with native bush to one side and a short but sheer drop to a swift river on the other, the track narrowed dramatically.

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