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“I think we have the hiking trail we want.” He took his eyes off the road for a second to glance at her. “Do you want to see one more spot? It’s spectacular during sunset.”
“What is it?”
“Have you seen Star Wars?”
“I beg your pardon?” she said with an affronted stare. “How could you even ask that?”
“Sorry. Sorry. So you must know what Tatooine is.”
She rolled her eyes and didn’t grace him with a response.
“Well, they filmed the Tatooine scenes for A New Hope and Return of the Jedi here in Death Valley. The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes is probably the most recognizable of the locations.”
“Shut. Up.” She swiveled toward him and said in a near shout, “Are you bloody serious? Yes! I want to see Tatooine.”
The sand dunes rose and fell in endless waves against the backdrop of the jagged, rocky hills and the bright orange-and-yellow sky. It was freaking Tatooine.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” she said as she jumped out of his car. She took off in a run, not waiting to see if Colin was following her. Every person to themselves. They were on Tatooine, for God’s sake.
She was out of breath by the time she reached the top of the first hill. But she got to enjoy the view of Colin climbing the hill with his backpack filled with their supplies. Always prepared. When he reached the top, he handed her a water bottle.
“Drink, you nut. We’re literally in a desert. Don’t let the cool air fool you.”
“Yes, sir.” She winked at him and chugged at her water. She actually was very thirsty after the climb. “Let’s keep going.”
They were sandy and sweaty by the time they returned to the car, but Jihae didn’t mind it one bit. That had been glorious. They even got a nice couple to take a picture of them together. It was the only one she had and it made her heart clench because she’d cherish it when this was all over.
They drove back to the hotel in serene silence, taking in the surroundings and the changing colors of the sunset. When they reached their rooms, Colin turned to her and bowed formally.
“May I take you out to dinner tonight?”
She giggled coyly into her hand and replied in her poshest British accent. “That would be an absolute pleasure.”
“Excellent. I have reservations for seven. Is that enough time for you to rest and get ready?”
“Sure, as long as we take some alone time and take separate showers.”
Colin laughed, dropping his silly formality. “I guess I could bear to stand an hour and a half on my own.”
Jihae, on the other hand, felt a twinge of regret at not getting to spend every minute with him, but she needed to rest a bit. More importantly, she wanted to surprise him with the new dress she’d brought. She wanted to look beautiful for him.
“I’ll see you soon,” she said.
Their gazes held until she closed her door. Despite her best intentions, she was tempted to fling open the door and say Just kidding. Of course I want to shower with you.
After taking a shower alone, she sat down on her lonely king bed and switched on the TV, mostly for the commercials. She grabbed the brush she’d set down on the nightstand and methodically brushed out her hair. When her feet and legs felt a little less tired, she got up to blow-dry her hair. She planned on wearing it down for Colin. It went against the Princess Jihae rules, but they were far from home. No one was going to capture a picture of her and post it on social media out here.
Once her hair fell like dark satin down her back, she took time with her makeup, painting her eyes with dramatic colors. She kept her blush to a minimum and applied a deep pink lip stain to her lips.
She withdrew her dress from the garment bag and stepped into it. It was a rich, emerald-colored strapless dress with a fitted top and a tulip skirt that fell halfway down her thighs. She chose clear, crystal-dotted heels to complete the outfit. The mirror told her it had been worth the effort to dress up for Colin. She was still her, but she looked more like the fun, vibrant person she could be with Colin. It was an amazing feeling to see her outside appearance match the person she was inside. She couldn’t wait to see the expression on Colin’s face.
A quick glance at the clock told her she’d made it with five minutes to spare. She waited patiently for one more minute, then grabbed her clutch and headed out the door. There was no rule that a man had to pick up the woman, right?
When she knocked smartly on his door, she heard him walking toward it. She was holding on to the doorframe with one hand, arm raised high above her head, and leaning into it in her best Hollywood-bombshell pose. She felt a little silly but it was fun, and she wanted to have a bit of fun tonight.
“I... You...” Colin stared slack-jawed at her. His eyes heated as they traveled down her body then back up to her face. “Hell.”
“Hmm. I was fishing for a compliment. But I’ll take ‘I... You... Hell,’ I guess.”
