“Liv?” The zipper lowers an inch, and I jerk upright, clutching the sleeping bag to my chest. “It’s just me.”
“Deiss?” I yank down the zipper and am so grateful to see him that I grab him by the forearm, tugging him inside. It doesn’t occur to me until he falls on the ground next to me that this tent is called a single for a reason. I’ve been sleeping diagonally just so I can stretch my legs all the way out.
“Whoa.” Deiss pushes himself up and rearranges himself so that he’s in a sitting position in the tiny amount of space available. “If I’d known you’d be so excited to see me, I would’ve shown up the first night.”
I gape at his dim figure in the darkness, grateful. If I have to die, at least I won’t have to do so alone.
“What’s out there?” I whisper, barely able to get the words out. I’m not sure I want to hear the answer.
“We have visitors.” He leans forward, like he’s going to look out the tent flap, but I beat him to it. Only, rather than looking outside, I zip it up with shaking fingers, wishing I had a padlock on hand.
“Is it bulls?” I ask. “It is, isn’t it. It’s bulls.” Visions of horns ripping through my nylon house fill my mind. It will be like an Easter egg hunt for them, with me and my silk pajamas as the little milk chocolate surprise in the center.
“No,” he says reassuringly. “It’s just elephants. I think Thato must’ve forgotten to lock up some of the food.”
I stare at his shadowed face in disbelief. Clearly, elephants are not better. They have much longer, thicker legs. Even if they don’t attack the tents, which they could easily do with their tusks, there’s nothing to stop them from stepping on us.
“You can see them,” Deiss says, misinterpreting my disbelief. “The moon and the stars are pretty bright, so it’s lighter outside than it is in here. They were all around that tarp over the kitchen area when I came out. Hopefully, they’ll get whatever they smelled and keep moving.”
“I don’t want to see them.” I’m still panting. Strangely, this doesn’t seem to deliver any more oxygen. I gulp at the air, but the tent is too small. There’s no air left in it. “I want to get the hell out of here.”
“To where?” Deiss laughs. “We’re safer here than running around like a midnight snack.”
My eyes widen, and my fingers squeeze at my thighs. The dry, oxygenless air gets caught in my throat. I try to cough it out.
“Hey.” Deiss’s voice softens, and he leans toward me. His hand strokes my back. “Are you all right?”
No.
I think I’m having a panic attack. At the very least, I am very definitely panicking. I don’t want to get stomped on by an elephant. Thanks to the personal trainer I’ve only recently parted ways with, I haven’t been consuming any dairy. My bones probably have the consistency of old chalk.
I shake my head, unwilling to admit to any of this aloud. Not only is Deiss fine, but he left his tent for mine. He went outside, where the elephants are, because he knew I’d be scared. There is no way I’m confessing that the basic act of breathing is beyond my current capabilities.
“What can I do?” Deiss asks.
“I’m fine,” I say. But what I really want to say is, Make me forget where I am.
Deiss might be, I realize, the one person who actually is capable of making me forget where I am. He’s already done it once, on the boat. I could ask him to do it again.
“Distract me,” I blurt out.
“What?”
“Do what you did on the boat.”
He stills, as the meaning of my words sinks in. Something sparks through the air between us, a kind of heat, probably from my own embarrassment.
“You want—” Deiss’s voice has gone deep, making him sound like a stranger.
“I just wanted to be distracted.” I wave my hand. “Forget it. It was a dumb idea.”
“They’ll be gone soon,” he says gently.
There’s another loud clatter outside, and my heart leaps from my chest to my throat. I tense and peer at the flimsy top of the tent, my hand reaching for Deiss’s arm. I don’t realize I’ve made contact until his fingers come to rest over mine.
“We’re okay,” he says, gently trying to pry my hand loose.
I’m squeezing too hard, but I’m not sure I can stop. It’s his fault if he ends up with bruises; I’m meant to be alone in here. If Deiss had stayed in his own tent, I would’ve managed to present as cool and calm by morning. He’s peeked under a closed hood, and everyone knows that’s how you get burned by the engine.