How To Lose Weight And Survive The Apocalypse

Chapter 14

I woke up early, sweating. It couldn't have been much past dawn, but it was already hot and the tent had turned into an oven in the bright morning sun.

Crawling out into the day, I yawned, feeling fatigue in every muscle and bone. Not only was I starting day three of my fast, but something had woken me during the night: a loud squealing sound that echoed through the bush. The haunting noise faded, but I couldn't drop off again, doomed to thrash in my sleeping bag, devising schemes to get Simon to his ex-wife's house and torturing myself by wondering what mental illness Rueben was sure to have diagnosed me with.

The camp was quiet; I appeared to be the only one awake. Often when I was starving myself, I'd wake up super-early, feeling weirdly wired.

In the strong sun, I stood still and sweated. The river that flowed gently past our site looked inviting. A swim was in order. My towel hung from the roof of my tent, so I grabbed it and my backpack with a change of clothes for afterwards. Feeling surprisingly optimistic, I left the camp and walked downstream.

Just around the corner, the bank eased from sharp to shallow, and the clear water pulsed against a small, sandy beach. Smiling to myself, I stripped out of my filthy work pants and sheep happens tee, then walked into the water in just my bra and thong.

The water was warm and welcome around my ankles and knees, and my feet sank pleasantly into the silty bottom. As I strode deeper, I gasped as the water met the heat of my thighs and belly. Staying safe, I knelt down and anchored myself, letting the river drag away all my filth without the risk of getting sucked away myself.

I splashed and swam in the shallows, scratching my scalp underwater and rubbing my face clean. I'd probably end up with a sun-burned butt thanks to my stupid thong, but feeling cleansed and renewed was worth it.

When I was wrinkled and clean, I stood and made my way back into shore. A faint dizziness had already begun to tug at me, and I held onto trees for balance as I reached for my towel.

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

Rueben, standing at the curve of the bank, dropped his bag and lifted his hands to shield his eyes. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to see anything!"

I snatched up my towel, wrapping it around me hastily and wishing it was bigger. As I stuffed my feet into my shoes, I said, "No, I'm sorry for you. Having to see that, that's traumatic for anyone. Okay, I'm covered, you're safe."

Hurriedly, I threw my backpack over my shoulder and prepared to flee.

He stopped me, not with his hands, but with his words. "Karla, I'm not sorry I saw you in your underwear. I'm a straight male and you're gorgeous. I'm sorry that I invaded your privacy."

"That's... I mean... I'm not..." A wave of dizziness, fierce and unstoppable as a tsunami rolled over me. I staggered, pitching forward and crashing heavily into a tree with my shoulder.

"Karla!"

Warm hands supported me, holding me by the elbows and keeping me from smashing into the ground. As the world swam back into focus, all I could feel was my face against Rueben's broad chest and my fingers clutching his tee.

"Are you okay?"

I turned my face up to his, expecting pity, maybe lingering disgust. Instead, his eyes glittered with concern, and something more. Desire? My thigh shifted against the fabric of his jeans. Yep. Definitely desire.

And then it didn't matter if I was fat, or that I'd come close to passing out in his arms like an idiot damsel. Lust roared through me – not just lust, but reciprocated lust. There were guys in the past, the ones from the dark clubs, who were the same. It wasn't love or like, but it was a form of connection, and I grasped it eagerly. "I'm better than okay," I said, before bringing my lips up to meet his, bold and needing his mouth on mine.