Page 25 of The Hitchhiker in Panama
“Ready?”
“Ready!”
We both clicked our headlamps off at the same time. I could barely see a thing, the inky blackness of the jungle surrounding me. I reached a hand out into the darkness.
“Right here.” Eivind stepped closer, and my palm rested on his chest. We stayed still as our eyes adjusted. There were sounds all around me: insects talking into the night, the occasional far-off call of a bird, Eivind’s breathing and my own. I could barely make out the path stretching ahead and behind us, and the sky full of stars overhead was hidden by the giant leaves of the jungle, a negative space of shadows. Here, without the heat and noise of the crowds, I breathed more deeply, inhaling the woodsy smell.
Eivind took another step toward me and his hand came up to my waist. We were so close, and his thumb slipping between the waistband of my shorts and the hem of my T-shirt electrified me. I’d heard that when you were deprived of one of your senses, the others became heightened.
So what would it feel like to kiss Eivind in the dark?
His nose touched mine, his lips a breath away from my own.
“Don’t kiss me,” I whispered.
Eivind stopped and swallowed thickly. “Why not?”
“If we kiss, you’ll kick me off the boat.”
“What?” Eivind took a small step back.
“I mean . . .” Ugh. How could I explain it? The alcohol made my mind stutter. “I don’t want to join the boat with some drama or baggage already. Like, this is the whole reason I came to Panama, and if this doesn’t work out, I’ve risked a lot of money for nothing.”
“It will not be drama.” He smoothed some of my hair back behind my ears. “A kiss doesn’t have to mean drama.”
I poked his stomach, then let my hands linger. Distraction! “Come on, Eivind. You know sleeping together always comes with some form of drama or another.”
“Sleeping together? I thought we were just kissing,” he teased as he grabbed my hand.
I felt myself blush, invisible in the darkness, and pulled my hand away. “You know what I mean.”
“Yes, I know. And you are right: we do not really need more drama.”
“Wait, what?Moredrama?”
“Oh.” Eivind winced. “Well . . . Jonas and Elayna . . . sometimes . . .”
“Mm-hmm. See, more drama!” I poked his stomach again and controlled myself enough this time not to feel him up.
He laughed. “All right, all right, I will not kiss you.”
“Thank you.”
“That may be the first time I have ever been thanked fornotkissing.” He tugged me to his side and pointed us back in the direction of the marina. “Now, let’s take this non-kissing girl to bed so she can sleep!”
Eleven
The next morning, I was nestled into my cabin onSilver Liningwhen a voice that didn’t belong to Edith or Peter came from the salon. Propped up with pillows, I sat reclined against the slanted wall of my cabin, reading. A few moments passed before someone knocked on my door.
“Come in,” I called.
The door opened, and Eivind’s head poked into my cabin. “Hallo.”He grinned at me.
“Hey,” I said. “Welcome to my humble abode.” I gestured my arms wide to take in the room.
Eivind chuckled, stepped in, and closed the door behind him. He sat on the edge of my bed and swung his bare feet up so he sat across from me, leaning on the other side. I grabbed another pillow and tossed it to him.
“Thank you.” He supported his back and rested his hand on my feet, which were crossed at the ankles. Eivind’s legs were too long, and he had to bend his knees, pressing his toes into the wall next to me.
