Page 70 of The King Contract
Maybe we’re both just horny. The contract states we wouldn’t do anything sexual with anyone else, and as Noah’s said already, it’s natural for us to want to have sex because we’re pretending all the time.
I came into the tent to do my skincare routine and Noah joined me moments later, saying most people were eating leftovers and going to bed early. The activities of the day, plus the excessive drinking the night before, had wiped everyone—which is apparently standard practice on this camping trip.
Now, Noah is lying on the blow-up mattress, shirtless, watching as I carry out each step.
“Noah, you were the most popular guy at school,” I remind him.
“Who minded his own business.”
“Maybe, but minding your own business meant you didn’t get to know many people.” I seal the bottle in my hand and fan my face to dry it off.
Noah frowns. “You’re making me sound like an asshole.”
“Well, if the shoe fits.”
He playfully kicks me with his foot. “I was a teenage boy. Give me a break.”
I laugh, squirting a blob of moisturiser into my hand. “You remember the hot girls, I suppose. The minute I mentioned Grace Coleman you nearly fell over.”
“That’s not fair,” he protests. “She dated my brother.”
I laugh again, before staring down at the bottles of face care in front of me. “Can I tell you a secret?”
Noah’s eyes gleam. “Always.”
“You might not like it.”
He wiggles his eyebrows. “Even better.”
I hold up the bottle of cream in my hand. “I only started using this recently, after watching one of Sofia’s videos.”
Noah doesn’t get angry at the mention of Sofia’s name. He smiles softly and nods as if he understands. “That woman could convince people to sell their souls to the devil and thank her for it. She’s good at what she does.”
“She’s right too.” I pack the bottle away. “How have I waited this long to take care of my skin?”
“Because you’ve been busy doing other things,” he suggests. “Like running a business and studying to become an ass-kicking pharmacist. What happened with that, by the way?”
I shuffle onto the mattress and cross my legs. “There’s no dramatic story or interesting turn of events. I spent four years studying for my degree, aced my subjects and got my qualification.”
“And?” Noah tilts his head, his brow creasing.
“I didn’t want to do it anymore,” I admit. “I think I knew halfway through it wasn’t for me. I’d gaze at pictures in my textbooks and get more excited about the way photos were taken than the content itself, but I was already halfway through and figured I should finish. Get my piece of paper.”
“Always good to have a piece of paper, and there’s nothing wrong with changing your mind.”
“Yeah, I know,” I sigh. “It’s embarrassing, I guess, but I was so determined for so long, I didn’t even explore other opportunities. I did so well in biology and chemistry, I fixated on those fields. I thought I wanted to go into clinical trials, but to be honest, the content wasn’t exciting to me.”
It was a naïve dream. Pharmacy and health science are crucial parts of the health system and having my experience and knowledge was somewhat helpful when Donna got sick, but it didn’t ignite a fire in me like I thought it would. It was dry and dull and even though I can smash through textbooks and understand chemical formulas, standing in a lab or a pharmacy all day was not what I wanted.
“Once I realised it wasn’t for me, I was too proud to change degrees,” I admit. “It felt like failure, and I don’t like failing.”
“Realising you don’t like something and switching to something else is not failure,” Noah points out.
“I didn’t say it was logical. It was my headspace at the time.”
Noah nods. “What’ve you been doing since your degree?”
“I wish I could tell you I took control of my life and tried everything I could to see what I liked.” I dip my head. “But I worked in pharmacies despite hating it. I had to make money, and my university debts wouldn’t pay themselves. Eventually, I got up the nerve to quit and moved to Hamilton Island to work in a bar. It was so great, basking in the sun and swimming on my days off was magical. That’s where I was when we found out Donna was sick.”
