Page 80 of Reluctant Chemistry
CeCe thought back to the night Luka visited her eighteen months before. “When did they start seeing each other?”
“Officially, just before Tayla and I got married. She chased him for weeks before that though, so they were casual for a while.”
“And he came to visit me not long after?”
“Yeah. I think he needed to get a few things off his chest.” Mitch shut his laptop and slotted it into a messenger bag. “Anyway, maybe space is a good idea. Luka’s a great guy, but he’s an over thinker, which can be to his detriment at times.”
CeCe nodded. “Yes, I get that. What I don’t get are his mixed messages.” She stood. “I’d better go. I need to spend a few hours in the lab tonight. Jay’s coming out to give me a hand.”
“Yeah, I’m calling it a day too.We’re going to Tayla’s parents’ for dinner.” Mitch followed her out the door and locked it behind him. “How’s the Kombi coming along?”
“Leaching cash from the exhaust pipe every time I turn my back. But I’m sure it will be worth it in the end.”
38
Catch Me
CeCe stared out through the living room window to the western hill line, a shadow of unease washing over her. Light rain hugged the ranges, the sky overcast with only the occasional patch of blue. She checked the weather app on her phone again. The cold front was moving in from the east faster than earlier forecast.
She thought of Luka, having to fly in conditions just like these. They’d not seen one another since that day at the loft. According to Tayla, he’d gone down to Queenstown to visit his sister, but he hadn’t bothered telling CeCe. She reached for the blue butterfly around her neck and held it for a moment, still struggling to get her head around what happened between them after he’d stayed the night. She unclasped the chain and put it on the sideboard.
Pushing wayward thoughts and her fears aside, CeCe watched as Nick pulled up in his SUV. She’d managed to keep him in the friend zone, and for that, she was thankful. In all honesty, she couldn’t imagine what a relationship with him would be like.Bland?
As for having sex with him, she didn’t even want to go there in her mind, let alone in person.
CeCe opened the door and smiled at Nick as he entered the loft. He offered the palm of his hand. Resting in its center was a crystal the size of a large egg. “Good morning. This is for you.”
She took the stone and ran her fingers along the ridge. With its white base and dark honey top, it reminded her of a castle sitting high on a hill. “Wow, it’s beautiful. What’s it called?”
He followed her inside. “Citrine Quartz. It promotes creativity and imagination and purges toxins from the environment.”
“Gosh, you sound more like some new-age guru than a scientist.” She placed the stone on the sideboard, next to a vase of daphne and her blue butterfly.
“Even scientists have much to learn. Are you ready to go?”
“Yep.” She glanced out the window again. “But what’s the weather doing? The forecast isn’t great.”
“Don’t worry. We’re only going for two nights, and it’s an easy three hours to the hut. If anything comes of it, we’ll hunker down until it blows over.”
“Maybe we should postpone. We can always go another weekend.”
“Nah, I’ve been up there half a dozen times now. I’ll look after you.”
* * *
The drive to the national park boundary took under two hours, and as they neared the spot where they’d leave his SUV, CeCe’s unease intensified. Because, despite loving the great outdoors, she was more of a jog-along-the-beach slash surfer-girl.
They traversed the first part of the track without incident, the rain holding off until the hut came into view. Nick’s idea of an easy walk didn’t match her own. After three hours, her feet ached, and all she wanted was a cup of coffee and a hot bath spiked with a few drops of lavender oil.
As the rain pelted the iron roof with thunderous intent, they played Scrabble, her enthusiasm no match for Nick’s. They’d never spent the night together before, and being confined to the small hut—with its wooden bunk beds, potbelly stove, and basic cooking facilities—had her longing for her cozy home above the packing shed and the warmth of her feather quilt.
Her sense of adventure missing in action lately, CeCe heated the curry she’d prepared the night before, and they ate by dull light, the rain still enthusiastic outside. Apart from the two of them, the hut was empty—not surprising given the atrocious weather conditions. And as the evening darkened into nighttime, Nick talked nonstop, his attempt at ‘conversation’ way over her head and so boring it almost hurt her to listen to.Not once did he ask how her business was going or anything else about her life.
At one point, he reminded her of a nutty professor, and she found herself smiling at his silly joke that wasn’t even funny. By the time she lay on the top bunk, wrapped up in her sleeping bag with her towel as a pillow, she knew there’d be no other weekends away in the wilderness with Nick the geologist.
Just as she was drifting off into an uncomfortable sleep, she heard, “CeCe?”
“Yes.”
