He nods slowly, then asks, “Twins?”
“Yeah,” I confirm quietly. “Kev and I were twins. But now it's just me.” I finish the statement with a broad smile, signaling the end of that depressing conversation.
He casts an indecipherable look my way but ultimately says, “Come on, I want to show you something.” He nods his head toward the exit. “I don’t want to spend my entire fucking day in this shitty bar.”
Valid. So, I pick up his drink and finish it off.
Whiskey. Gross.
“You’re really rude,” Enzo observes, standing up and looking down at me with an unimpressed quirk to his brow.
He’s so fucking tall. Like, he has a solid foot on me.
“And you’re a mammoth,” I retort.
The bartender—who finally relented and told me his name is Austin—snatches the glasses while passing by without a glance, even as Enzo fishes out his wallet to slip out some bills and slap them down on the bar to cover our tab.
“You’re annoying.”
Not the first time I’ve heard that one.
“Does that mean you’re canceling our date?” I ask, a hint of hope in my tone. As much as I need Enzo to take me home—I always hate what comes after.
“It’s not a date. But, no, if you want out, then leave by yourself like a big girl.”
God, he’s mean. Why do I like it?
“Whatever. Let me just get the money for—”
“You put any money out and I’ll shove it down your throat,” he warns, his voice deepening dangerously.
My eyes snap to him, round with shock.
“Jesus, if you want to be a gentleman, just say that. Weirdo.”
He ignores me, and brushes past, heading toward the exit without a backward glance. The dickhead just assumes that I’ll follow him.
Well.
He's right.
I’ve never been one to possess self-control. I hop off the barstool and hurry after him, my flip-flops clacking against the sticky floor as I work to catch up to him.
“I appreciate your unreasonably fast pace,” I pant as we emerge into the hot Australian sun. I squint, the blaring light stabbing at my sensitive eyes. “Doesn’t waste any time. I like that. I’m a busy woman, you know?”
I’m already sweating, his long legs eating up an ungodly amount of space far quicker than my little legs can handle.
“Somehow, I doubt that.”
Chapter 3
Sawyer
“Why do people say the universe makes them feel small but never say that about waterfalls?”
“Probably because they feel waterfalls can be conquered. But no one will ever conquer the universe.”
I jut out my bottom lip, considering his response. “The ocean hasn’t been conquered. People don’t say that about them, either.”
He scoffs. “Those people have never been in the middle of the ocean then.”
Fishing out his wallet, Enzo tosses it on the ground before reaching behind his head, grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling it off. My mouth dries as he drops the material to the wet rock, wondering how he can make it so a stone retains moisture better than me.
He's only wearing black swim shorts, leaving far too many inches of skin exposed. Every muscle that shouldn’t be physically possible to exist… well, exists. My knees are seconds away from crashing to the rock.
“Please put your shirt back on,” I beg.
He brushes past me without listening to my very reasonable request and dives headfirst into the massive diving hole before us. His skin barely touched mine, yet it still feels like electricity is dancing across my body.
If I jump in now, I’ll die via electrocution.
“You could've hit your head!” I shout above the thundering rush of water as soon as his head pops up from the aqua surface. He ignores me and swims toward the waterfall, his tanned back glistening beneath the sunlight.
Really, I’m not even sure why he invited me.
But I’m glad for it, because now that his muscles are no longer visible, I can properly appreciate the view.
It’s breathtaking. A small alcove surrounded by cliffs and bright green plant life that bleed into the sparkling blue depths. Straight ahead is a massive waterfall, the force of it vibrating my bones. Vines crawl up hundreds of feet of rock, and I'm deeply considering grabbing onto one and testing my Tarzan skills. I've always wanted to swing from a vine and jump into water. Be one with nature and shit.
Enzo turns to look at me, and my heart stops for a very brief moment.
“You coming in?”