Girl off the Grid

by Jillian Dodd

  “This trip is nothing like what I was expecting.” She laughs through her tears. “All you have to do is look at what I packed. I thought I would be staying in five-star luxury beach resorts the whole time.”

  I laugh with her, running my hands down her arms then holding her hands. “Just hang in there. Think about all the amazing memories, good and bad, we are going to have from this trip. Besides, you have me here,” I say, because I don’t want her to leave, and it has nothing to do with my assignment.

  “You? Sometimes I don’t even think you like me.”

  I give her hands a squeeze. “I like you just fine.” Probably too much for my own good.

  “Does that mean you might stay here with me? Just until I fall asleep?” She looks up at me through long, wet lashes.

  “Uh,” I say, trying not to fidget. How am I supposed to lie down with her and let her just sleep? But I also can’t leave. “Sure,” I finally say. “I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

  “Thank you,” she says, giving me a hug, which is when I notice she has on my t-shirt and nothing else.

  I swallow hard as she lies down on top of her sleeping bag, scooting over to the edge, and then pats it.

  “Lie here. And can you turn off the flashlight? Once I’m asleep, I won’t notice if it comes back on. Sorry to be so demanding.” She lies on her side, exposing a bare thigh. “I really appreciate you rescuing me from the killer lizard,” she says with a little grin.

  I lie down flat on my back, keeping a safe distance between us, and glue my eyes to the ceiling. Why the hell did I agree to this? Camille rolls on her side, facing away from me.

  “Goodnight,” she says over her shoulder.

  “Goodnight,” I say back, feeling anything but tired. Every nerve in my body is completely aware of her presence. Please let her fall asleep quickly so I can get the heck out of here.

  A long while later, when she is breathing deeply, she rolls over and puts her head on my shoulder. Her hair is unbraided and splayed across her shoulders. She looks peaceful and . . . beautiful.

  I don’t want to wake her, so I close my eyes for just a moment.

  DAY FIVE

  Camille

  I’m comfortable. Back home in my soft bed. When I went on my trip, I swear, I didn’t get a good night’s sleep—wait a minute. Feeling groggy, I slowly open my eyes, seeing only a bare chest. To be more exact, I’m lying on the bare chest. I sigh. I must be dreaming. And it’s a pretty good dream, come to think of it. I close my eyes, enjoying the dream while it lasts. I’m sure it’s one of those dreams where you think you’re awake, but you’re not.

  All of the sudden, an arm wraps around my waist, causing me to completely wake up. Holy crap. It’s not a dream. I study the bare chest, my eyes slowly drifting up toward a handsome face. Adam? Oh, my gosh! Why am I practically lying on top of him? My cheeks get all hot and flushed. How did this happen? But then I remember him saving me from the lizard. I survey the situation. Okay, so my arm is wrapped around him, and my leg is hooked over his. I am basically plastered against him. He must have fallen asleep. Was he not wearing a shirt last night either? I hadn’t even noticed, probably because I was a blubbering mess crying in the corner. What should I do? I don’t want him to wake up and find me on top of him, but I’m afraid if I move I’ll wake him up anyway. I feel his chest rising and falling underneath me, and he is extremely warm. Lying here with him actually feels really nice. I haven’t slept this good—possibly ever.

  But I’m going to have to chance it. I slowly lift my head off his chest. When he doesn’t move, I delicately lift my arm off him then untangle our legs. My only problem is his hand is wrapped around my waist. I take a deep breath and gently relocate his hand to the floor, which will allow me to sit up. I’m just ready to start inching upward when he stirs, causing me to immediately freeze. His eyes flutter, and he stretches out his long body. I watch his muscles tighten as he stretches. Have I ever noticed how good looking Adam is? His hair is still a floppy mess, but it’s adorable, and he is quite lean and cut.

  I don’t want him to wake up and find me sitting here, staring at him, so I poke him in the chest. His eyes fly open, and he leans up on his elbow, causing his whole core to tighten, which momentarily distracts me.

  “Are you checking me out?” he says in a sexy, raspy morning voice.

  I bring my eyes back to his. “Of course not. I’m just trying to figure out why you’re still in my tent,” I say, the pitch of my voice sounding higher than expected.

  He gives me a laugh. “I must have fallen asleep.”

  “I didn’t ask you to sleep with me.” A blush instantly spreads over my cheeks as I realize what I just said. “Um, I didn’t mean like sleep with me, I meant sleep with me, as in the same bed. Well, on the same bed. Or sleeping bag. Whatever. You get my point.”

  Adam rubs his eyes and smirks. Dang, he looks cute. “Well, you took so long to fall asleep, I must have dozed off, too. It wasn’t my intention to stay, trust me.”

  I raise my eyebrows at him and fold my arms across my chest. “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?”

  “It just means that you’re the one who had a freak-out in the middle of the night. I was happy in my tent until I heard you scream,” he says, sitting up and taking his comfortable chest with him.

  “So, I may have had a little meltdown—”

  “That was little?”

  “Trust me, it was. But, honestly, I think it was for the best. Apparently, I had a lot of emotions stirring that needed to be released. Now I can refocus on my assignment.”

  “It’s good you feel refocused. I think everyone has a breakdown at some point when they’re traveling to an exotic place. There is a lot of stimulation, challenges, and adventures. Sometimes even if you’re happy about it, it can still be overwhelming.”

  I narrow my eyes at him, wondering why he’s suddenly being so understanding. “Except you haven’t had a breakdown. You’re the most collected person I’ve ever met.”

  “It just comes with practice. I’ve been on a lot more of these trips than you, but even now certain things get to me.”

  “Like what?” I say sarcastically.

  “Sometimes to get a great shot, I have to go places or do things that can be scary. On one of my first paying assignments, I was tasked with getting photos of a Guatemalan forest and its wildlife for an online travel site. I was really nervous and feeling completely out of my comfort zone. Even though I had been to similar places with my family, this time I was alone. I didn’t have my dad giving me advice or my mum somewhere in the background. For the first time, I doubted myself and worried if I screwed up it would ruin my career. I was accompanied by a local naturalist who took me out to the forest, but my pictures were horrible. On day three of my four-day trip, the naturalist took me to a lookout over the forest and made me just sit there. I think he could tell I was having a hard time, and he kept pacing in front of me, which did nothing to calm my nerves,” he says with a faint smile.

  “But then he sat down next to me and said, What do you see? At first I was like, I’m seeing what you’re seeing, obviously. But he just kept repeating it, and so finally I told him that I saw a blue bird. He pointed toward the bird and said to me, At this moment, you are the only one who is seeing what you see. Even if I’m looking directly at the same bird, my observations and interpretation of it will be different than yours. This place. This beauty. You have the ability to share this with the world. I’ve seen your work. I know the emotion in it. Whatever doubt is going on in your head, turn it off. You’re here for a reason. To share emotion, feelings, moments, and experiences. That’s what your focus needs to be. Stop trying to force yourself to take good photos and just focus on what you see. At that moment, everything just clicked into place for me, but those first few days were probably some of the hardest of my life.”

  “Wow,” I say, completely captivated by his story. “I never would have thought you could doubt yourself like that.�
�� I smile sweetly at him. I’m really touched. “Thank you for sharing something so personal with me.” I put my hand on top of his. His eyes focus on the floor for a minute and then come back up to meet mine.

  “I just wanted you to know that I understand how you’re feeling.”

  “How I was feeling,” I correct him. “Thank you for cheering me up. I’m going to stop complaining about every little thing. I’m lucky to be here, lucky to have gotten this job, and lucky to have been teamed up with you.”

  He gives me the kind of smile that makes me melt as he leaves. “Alright. Well, we probably should get ready and head down for breakfast.” I see that the sun is shining brightly, so I stick my head out of the tent to enjoy the warmth on my face.

  I hear giggles from a group of girls who walk by, openly gawking at shirtless Adam. Not that I blame them.

  “I think you’ve got fans,” I say dryly.

  “Jealous?” he asks, grinning at me. He so loves that they were checking him out.

  I roll my eyes dramatically. “Oh, please. As if! Now, put on a shirt or something.”

  “Can’t. You’re wearing it.” He winks at me then goes into his tent as a blush spreads across my face.

  Adam

  After I change, pack up, and brush my teeth, I walk down toward the kitchen.

  Diego greets me with a Good morning.

  “Did you already eat? How was it?” I ask enthusiastically. I’m starving.

  “It was good, eggs and fresh fruit. Coffee, too, if you want. I was awake early.” He points in the opposite direction. “I’m headed down to start loading up the bus.”

  “I’ll eat quickly then come down and help you. I’m excited to get on the road. Was Camille down here yet? Hopefully she was. She can take forever to get ready. I’ve never seen anyone who could stuff so much into one little backpack.”

  Diego gives me a knowing grin. “Camille isn’t at breakfast yet, but I figure you would already know that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Not that it’s any of my business, but I saw you leaving her tent this morning,” he says innocently, but his eyes are bright with excitement.

  “It isn’t like that,” I counter, sounding defensive. “There was a lizard in her tent. She screamed, so I had to check on her.”

  “Oh, there was a lizard, was there? I see,” Diego says, grinning at me. “How gallant of you to help her.”

  I roll my eyes at his ridiculous comment. “She was hiding in the corner of her tent in tears. You wouldn’t believe the meltdown I had to endure. Seriously, there isn’t anything going on between us,” I say, trying to convince him as much as myself.

  Diego puts his hands in the air. “Hey, I was just saying.”

  I’m eating my eggs when I spot Camille coming down the hill toward me. Well, not to me, specifically—that’s just silly—but toward the kitchen area. She messes with my hair as she walks past me to the food line. I check my watch and see that we’re supposed to leave in just five minutes, but she doesn’t seem to be in any rush. She puts some fruit on her plate and happily chats with the server. He’s grinning at her and possibly flirting a little. I keep an eye on them, just watching out for her well-being. It’s not like I’m jealous or anything. Once he’s poured her coffee, she bounds in my direction and sits next to me.

  “How’s your breakfast?”

  “Uh, good. I was hungry.” I point at my plate. “On my second helping.”

  “I’m sure hiking up the volcano will require a lot of fuel. Are you so excited? Have you ever seen a volcano? I mean, it sounds so crazy.”

  “It is kind of crazy to think you can walk on a volcano, but it’s really just a mountain with an incredible view. I expect to get some great photos.”

  “And I can’t wait to get to the hotel and shower. If you are going to take lots of photos, I need to look good,” she says, stopping to take a sip of steaming coffee. She sets the coffee on the ground then places her hand on my arm. “I meant to tell you last night, thank you for letting me use some of your wet wipes. I don’t know how you thought to bring them. It’s brilliant, really. And it felt so good to get some of that grime off my body before bed.”

  I give her a quick once-over, thinking those wet wipes were lucky.

  “Uh, yeah. You’re welcome,” I say awkwardly. Why do I feel awkward? Nothing happened. “Are you hungry?” I ask, focusing on her barely touched plate of fruit.

  “Not really. But I’m loving this coffee. Mhm.” She closes her eyes and sighs in an almost seductive way. What is wrong with me? It’s like Diego planted some stupid idea in my head and now sleeping with her is all I can think about. “Do you drink coffee?”

  “Yeah, on occasion. I prefer tea, though.”

  “How very British of you,” she says in a mock-British accent.

  “Oh yes, we Brits do love our tea time,” I say in the most old lady British voice I can muster up, leaving Camille in a fit of giggles. “Well, if you’re done then we better head to the bus. Diego is ready to get on the road.”

  “Me, too,” she says, finishing up her drink. She grabs my hand and says, “Let’s go!”

  I follow dutifully, not at all minding the way her hand feels in mine. I should tell her what Diego saw, but I don’t want her to feel embarrassed. Thankfully, before we get there, she drops my hand to take a picture.

  “Alright, you two,” Diego says as we get loaded up. “It’s about a five-hour drive to La Fortuna, where we will be staying for two nights. It’s conveniently located at the base of the Arenal Volcano. It’s a great area with hiking, hot springs, zip-lining, and farms, all of which we will get to experience over the next few days.” Camille’s eyes widen with excitement, putting a smile on my face. “Once we get to the hotel, we’re going to unpack and then we will head straight out.”

  “Wait!” she exclaims. “I thought we got to shower before our hike?”

  “We’ll be meeting the Johnsons for lunch before our hike, and we are on a schedule, so it will depend on how fast we get there.”

  “Let’s get there fast,” she pleads.

  “I’ll do what I can. It’s going to be a long afternoon, so try to rest on the drive up there, especially since you probably didn’t get much sleep last night.” I cringe, but Camille doesn’t seem to notice Diego’s smirk.

  I pull a book out of my backpack, but keep it on my lap as I watch the landscape change from the wetlands we were in to drier ground. The plants get greener with a more countryside view. It reminds me of home, except everything is a lusher shade of green. I lean my head against the window and close my eyes for a minute.

  I wake up with a start when Camille slides into the seat next to me, bumping me awake.

  “What’s up?”

  “Apparently I am,” I say, rubbing my eyes. “What do you want now?”

  “I’m bored, Adam. And a little hungry. Do you have any more of those granola bars?” She bites her lower lip and peers up through her eyelashes at me. It’s bloody sexy.

  “Camille, we just ate. Why didn’t you eat more for breakfast?” I ask in a scolding tone, mostly because I need her to stop gnawing on her lip. If she doesn’t, I might have to kiss her. “We aren’t even halfway there yet.”

  “I wasn’t in the mood for eggs. Pleasseeeee,” she drawls annoyingly.

  “Fine.” I give her an eye roll and grab a bar from my backpack. “But,” I say, holding the granola bar hostage above her head, “you have to make sure you eat enough for lunch. Even if you aren’t hungry, because you’re going to need the energy for hiking.” When did I start sounding like my father?

  “Okay, okay!” she says, while reaching up for it. She grabs it from my hand, rips open the package, then sinks her teeth into it, moaning. “Mmm.”

  Oh, for goodness sake, it’s like she’s purposefully trying to tease me.

  “So, Diego,” I say quickly. “Tell us more about this volcano.” Anything to get me to stop listening to her moan.

  �
�Well, the Arenal Volcano is located in the northern lowlands, and up until 2010 was Costa Rica’s most active volcano. It started erupting in 1968, letting out lava and ash. The area is gorgeous, surrounded by mountains and lakes where people love to hike and fish.”

  “I’m so excited to hike to the top of a mountain,” Camille interjects. “I bet the view is going to be breathtaking!”

  Diego smiles back at her in the rearview mirror and continues, “The volcano was formed around seven thousand years ago. It is alive, but sleeping.”

  “And hopefully it stays that way during our visit,” I joke morbidly, earning me a swat from Camille.

  “The hot springs we’ll visit are a result of the volcano’s geothermal activity.”

  “Oh, the hot springs! I absolutely can’t wait. I bet it will be like going to the spa.” Camille beams.

  “I’m pretty excited about that, too,” I agree, thinking about seeing her in a bikini again. “It will be nice to get a chance to relax and unwind.”

  “I completely agree,” she says, nodding. “So, Diego, you’re coming on the hike with us today, right?”

  “Yes, we are going to meet up with Manuel and the Johnson family. I know the area fairly well, but Manuel is the expert. The volcano intrigues him, and he’s well-read on the subject.”

  “Do you have to go through some type of training course before you can become a guide?” she asks him.

  “Yeah, you do, but they like to hire people who already have local knowledge about the land. We also have to enjoy the outdoors and be proficient at all the excursions we take you on.”

  “Is it hard being away from your wife though? Her name is Mariam, right?”

  “Yes, Mariam. It is hard to be apart, but she knows I love what I do. Fortunately, I’m not always out on tours. I work in the office, as well, and work with trainees. But I enjoy leading them the best,” he says, beaming. You can really tell he has a passion for what he does.