Page 40

Suddenly, Raja embraced me. He buried his face in my chest and wrapped his arms around my waist. The tight, anxious feeling in my chest melted away as I hugged him back.

“I’m so glad you were there,” he muttered. “I don’t know if I could have saved her on my own…”

“Shh.” I stroked his hair, hoping to calm him down. “It’s okay now. Everyone is safe.”

He nodded. I could have sworn I heard him sniffle, as if he was crying.

We stayed like that for a while, just embracing each other. Finally he pulled away and wiped his eyes on his forearm.

“Anyway,” he mumbled, “I want to lay down on the beach for a bit.”

“Of course.”

Raja sighed and stretched out on the towel. His skin and damp hair glistened in the sunlight. I could almost imagine his leopard contentedly yawing and curling up like a housecat in a sunbeam.

“This is nice,” he murmured. He patted the second beach towel next to him. “Come sit with me.”

I stretched my legs over the warm sand. We sat in calm silence, listening to the gentle waves and seagull cries. It was a perfect moment - one I knew I would remember for the rest of my life. I glanced at Raja, who was completely at peace. I wanted him to be happy and safe like this forever.

It was a foolish idea - no matter how well we were getting along, this fake relationship was only temporary. Raja had no intention of pursuing a real relationship, and that made my heart ache.

The truth was, I was falling for him. But I couldn’t tell him. From the beginning, he had made it clear he wasn’t interested. If I was smart, I would get out now to stop torturing myself and wasting his time. But I couldn’t do that, either - he pulled me towards him like a magnet. The thought of never seeing him again was dreadful.

What was I supposed to do?

I glanced away from Raja, focusing my attention on the beach.

Out of the blue, an unnerving sensation sent a cold chill down my spine. I turned around to scan the thick brush and forest a few hundred meters behind the beach.

It almost felt like we were being watched.

I stared into the thicket, waiting for a flash of movement. But nothing came. I chalked it up to my heightened anxiety about Raja and left it at that.

Suddenly, Raja’s serene face turned into a deep frown. The corners of his mouth turned down in a slight grimace and he threw his forearm over his eyes. He let out a muffled groan of pain.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” he muttered. “I just feel weird all of a sudden…”

“Weird how?”

He shook his head, obviously in discomfort. “It’s like a hot cramping feeling…”

I stood immediately. “Let’s go back to the cabin.”

He nodded without argument. I gathered up our things and let Raja lean on me for support as we returned to the cabin.