Page 86 of Cloudy With a Chance of Bad Decisions
“Don’t you worry about them,” Alex said, as though he could read mymind. “You just pay attention to me, okay?” It wasn’t a suggestion, it was a command. I nodded jerkily. “Good boy,” Alex said for the second time that afternoon. “The only person you need to pay attention to is me. I’m going to take such good care of you.”
“O-okay.” More warmth settled over me, helping to ease some of the frigidity in my limbs as Alex directed me onto the next step. It was hard to do so backward, but I wasn’t ready to look away from the snake yet.
“One more,” Alex urged, predictable as always. “Squeeze my hand. That’s right. There you go. Lift that pretty foot up—yep. Perfect. Damn, look at those sexy legs go,” he was teasing, and it worked.
A startled laugh escaped me.
“Well, that was gorgeous. You have such a pretty laugh, you know that, right, Blondie? The prettiest. Like an angel or some shit. Okay, there we go. Now settle your weight. Damn, you’re so good at following orders.”
“Shut up.” I didn’t want him to shut up. I didn’t want him to stop. Everything was so much easier and better when he was talking to me.
“One more,” Alex promised, ignoring my reprimand. “Where’s that cute foot—ah! Hell yeah. Okay. Back we go. Back it up—” I glanced down, and he waggled his eyebrows at me. I laughed again. “Last one.” Alex urged as I settled. “Then we’re home free.”
He was soaked, water up to his belly. His white t-shirt was totally transparent. His eyes were the same crystalline blue as the creek below. Alex’s reflection rippled, dotted sunlight painting him like a god of mercy.
I lifted my leg up, stepping back just as I had the previous times. I strangled his hand tight, tight, tight with my own. And then—because even with Alex’s help, I was apparently incapable of escaping unscathed—my equilibrium shifted. Distantly, I recognized that I’d missed the step but…it didn’t hit me what that meant till cool wind whipped my cheeks and my body smacked the water with a distinct splash.
Snakes.
I should’ve been thinking about how cold the water was, or the fact that I was drenched—or all the diseases I could get from getting my wound wet with unfiltered water—but instead, the only thing I could think about wassnakes.
As I scrambled to figure out which way was up, all I could do was panic.
I hated myself a little then, but…that feeling wasn’t new.
Before I could accidentally drown myself in the shallows, strong familiar fingers wrapped around my wrists, dragging me up, up, up. It wasn’t far, but it felt like miles and miles of endless water.
When my head popped free, my eardrums were clogged. I spluttered, and my blurry gaze met the glacial blue of Alex’s dark-rimmed eyes. He looked tired—something I hadn’t noticed until now—like he’d had as rough of a night as I had.
“I’ve got you,” he promised like he had last night. “Up you get.”
Part of me wanted him to carry me away from all of this. Rescue me like a damsel in distress so I didn’t have to think about how humiliated I was about to be—or the fact that the snake was still slithering away behind us, possibly coming closer.
But the other part of me recognized how helpless I already felt. Weak in the face of my own short-comings. All I had left was my pride, and even that was as flimsy as a rubber-necked dog toy.
Alex slung my arm around his broad shoulder and bodily dragged me out of the water and up the steep bank. The silt was slippery beneath my feet, covered in algae and muck. I tried not to think about things like leptospirosis or giardiasis—both waterborne diseases—as Alex murmured reassurances in my ear until our feet hit solid dirt.
Water dribbled cold down the back of my legs as my shorts clung to my thighs. I could breathe some better now. Maybe because we were away from the snake? Or maybe because Alex was a solid, protective wall of heat against my body.
“You guys okay?” Roderick hollered, but I ignored him, my face red, my hands shaking. “George? You good?” He sounded stressed, which was cute—but unnecessary. Mostly.
Embarrassed, embarrassed, embarrassed.
I’d looked like an idiot, pinwheeling my arms like that, nearly drowning in the shallows. Quaking, I didn’t reply, too cold to do anything but let my teeth chatter.
Alex would do the talking if I stayed quiet. Again, it was strange that I trusted him so much, and so quickly. It didn’t make sense. But I couldn’t seem to stop, even after acknowledging how strange my reaction to him was. As much as he pushed me, I just…couldn’t believe that he would hurt me.
Besides, if I opened my mouth, I’d start swearing. Or crying. Both?
“We’re fine!” Alex called. “We’re gonna head back. Get some dry clothes. Maybe find some lunch before you fuckers return and eat it all.” He sounded way too cheerful for a guy who had just been dunked in ice water. He gave Joe and the rest of the party a jaunty wave. “See you later!”
I knew he was doing this for my sake. And as the crowd laughed at his joke and Roderick flipped him the bird, no one looked at me. Alex had officially stolen their attention. To save me. Again.
“George—” Joe growled in question. I looked up at him, touched when I realized he was concerned. “Should I come?” He glanced toward Alex, a silent question. I still wasn’t sure how much of the matchmaking he’d been involved in—maybe not as much as Mom, if he was offering to accompany us.
“You keep going. I’m fine.” I was surprised the words came out loud enough he’d be able to hear over the babbling creek. He nodded, a knowing glint in his eyes.
I was not going back with Alex because I wanted to be alone with him, dammit.
