Under the Lights | j.b

Za Big Fight

"Do you need any help with that?" I asked hopefully. 

Justin shook his head in response and I slumped. 

His back was towards me as he worked to put up our tent, but I didn't need to see his face to know that he was angry. 

The muscles in his shoulders were clenched tight and everything about his posture seemed rigid. 

Almost as if he was facing me, I could picture his face so clearly. Taut jaw, steely eyes, and his lips, they'd be pursed in disapproval. 

Justin hadn't said a word to me since he left the water. Instead he had ignored me to focus on setting up our camping area. 

Despite his cold mood, I couldn't stop watching as he moved. The water had long since dried off his body, the droplets of moisture were now replaced with sweat as he worked under the burning sun. 

Everything about him was so damn sexy and if i'm being honest, I wanted nothing more than to jump him. 

But I couldn't.

Because that's what had gotten us in this mess in the first place. 

Thinking about it left me unsettled, I hated the silence. The two metres between us felt like fifteen.

Needing to ease the tension, I blurted the first thing that came to mind. "I swear to God I thought it was a crocodile!"

"Of course you did," Despite his words, Justin's tone indicated that he didn't believe me.

"Why would I lie?" I pressed.

Justin didn't pay me any attention and continued pulling pieces of the tent from the duffel bag they were stored in. "I don't know, you tell me why you felt the need to lie about  crocodiles being in the gorge."

"There are crocodiles in the gorge." I said matter of factly.

Justin turned so fast I'm surprised he didn't snap his neck. "What?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I attempted to give off a look of innocence. "Maybe fresh water sharks too."

Justin's eyes narrowed and he slowly rose from where he was crouched near our pile of things.

"Sasha," he said incredulously, "I'm starting to think this entire birthday present was just a ruse to bring me to outback so I could convientally be murdered by an alligator.. '

"They're called crocodiles here"

"Or a jellyfish." Justin ignored me and continued with his spiel.

I shook my head. "There are no jellyfish in freshwater." 

"Or a shark." He emphasised.

"Don't be ridiculous, fresh water sharks aren't nearly strong enough to kill you. Although," I continued thoughtfully, "the probably could bite into an artery which could cause you to bleed to death."

Justin stared incredulously. "You really are trying to kill me."

I scoffed, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I think you're the one that's trying to kill me."

Justin tensed again. "The fuck?" 

"It's true!" I pushed, "You just, I don't know it's like you make me sex crazy." 

"I'm the one that makes you sex crazy?" Justin exclaimed. "You freak out every time I touch you!" 

"I didn't know boulders and crocodiles could look so alike! I thought I saw it blink!" I breathed out heavily, remembering the anxiety I felt when I thought the eerie looking rock was carnivorous beast. "When else have I "freaked out"?" I made sure to include air quotes because suddenly I was 13 and lame again.