Wash (15 page)

After Anto snapped the picture, he
jumped back down and handed Jake the camera.

Jake glanced down at the digital
image. “It’s good.”

“
Great,” I said. “Let’s
go.”

As I took a step away, another twig
snapped. The beasts lifted their heads and snorted. I instinctively
grabbed Jake’s arm, and he protectively moved me behind
him.

Suddenly, there was a pounding of
hooves, but when I peered around Jake, I was relieved to see them
running off to the left.

I turned around, with my nerves still
on edge, only to see a lioness bolting out of the tall grass. I
backed up slowly, but to my surprise, she ignored us and made her
way to some thicker vegetation, where a dead animal was waiting for
her to feast upon. I couldn’t even make out what kind of animal it
had once been, but its insides were strewn about.

Jake grabbed my arm and led me to the
right.

Wide-eyed, I glanced over my shoulder
to make sure the lioness wasn’t following us, and I was thankful
she wasn’t. The last thing I wanted was to end up like that dead
animal.

We
made it back safely to our vehicle and sped off. I hung on as
we continued the bumpy ride over rocks, brush, and fallen branches.
Everything was so beautiful and I couldn’t stop staring up at the
indigo sky dotted with the most fluffy, white clouds. It was the
prettiest sky I’d ever seen. I never took time out like this for
myself, and it was nothing short of amazing. After a few minutes,
Anto slowed down.

“
Look ahead!” he
pointed.

I stared at the magnificent elephants
through my binoculars and watched the old matriarchs lead the way
as their precious families and young calves lumbered right behind
them on the green and brown earth. Suddenly, a blur caught my eye.
An ostrich sped past us going so fast, I swear it could have been
mistaken for a road runner.

“
Get a picture!” Jake
said.

I snapped, but I was sure it was
nothing more than a blur.

“
Did you get it?” he
asked.

When I glanced down at the view
finder, I was pleasantly surprised. “I sure did!”

Jake shot me the biggest grin ever as
the wind whipped through his hair.

Chapter 10

On the way to our camp, we saw more
lions feeding on a buffalo carcass. Looking through my binoculars,
I even caught a glimpse of six white rhinos and one black one with
her baby. I watched a leopard drinking at a waterhole, only to be
chased away by an angry herd of elephants, and I also saw a wild
pack of dogs with at least ten pups. We saw lots of giraffe,
hippos, and antelope. Every time I saw a new animal, my excitement
grew. Our African safari was, by far, one of the most incredible
experiences of my life, and I made sure to document everything with
my camera.

When we set up camp, I realized that
Jake and I would be forced to share a tent; we were informed that
if we separated, it would break the requirements of the will. Since
we didn’t want to risk being disqualified, we had to play by the
rules. Jake wanted to sleep under the stars, but our guide was
against that, because it wasn’t safe at all. I actually had to
agree with Anto; as much as Jake was on my nerves, I didn’t want
him to get eaten by a lion or bitten by a malaria-carrying
mosquito.

After dinner, we sat by the fire and
chatted with Anto. He had been a tracker for twenty years, and he
had the best stories to share by the fireside. We listened
anxiously and hung on his every word. The black sky twinkled with
billions of glittering stars, a breathtakingly dazzling
display.

After a while,
I excused myself and sat
down in front of our camp to watch an approaching lightning storm.
Black clouds drifted in the sky as bright flashes of light lit up
the golden grasslands. We were serenaded by the natural sounds of
the wildlife around us. The little slice of African wilderness
truly touched my heart and soul. Just being out there in the bush,
practically alone with my thoughts, was a life-changing time for
me.

After about an hour, Jake approached.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“
Yes. Everything I dreamt
of and more.”

“
I’d love to spend another
week in Africa.”

“
I know, but we don’t have
that kind of time. It’s so peaceful and serene here, though. I
could just sit here for hours with my thoughts.”

“
Being with you is just as
magical for me as Africa,” he said. “I’ve never stopped thinking
about you, Ashly, not once. I’ve wondered what you’ve been up to
all these years.”

“
Well, you didn’t just
ditch out on me, Jake. You also left your friends and family. You
didn’t bother calling or emailing them, either, and they didn’t
know if you were dead or alive. You just dropped off the face of
the Earth.”

“
I was just…ashamed.” He
paused for a minute, then continued, “I actually came home a couple
times, but you were so busy with school.”

“
I didn’t know you came
back.”

“
Only a handful of people
knew. I know you’ve always loved fashion and photography, so I’m
glad you’ve been able to combine your two passions into a career.”
A smirk grew across his lips. “I remember how long you used to
spend choosing your outfit, fixing your hair, and putting on
makeup.”

“
Well, I had to look good.
After all, you were the hottest guy in school. I had to make sure
your attention didn’t stray.”

“
My attention? Ashly,
you’ve always taken my breath away.”

I smiled. “Thank you,
Jake.”

“
How much longer do you
plan on being a fashion photographer and journalist?”

“
I’m kind of sinking trying
to do that while running my own business. Like that old movie,
something’s gotta give. When my business takes off, as I hope it
will, I’ll have to quit my job. But I also wanna start my own
fashion magazine, so my journalism skills will come in
handy.”

“
You’re so smart and
talented. If anybody can do it, you can.”

“
Thanks for the vote of
confidence.”

He smiled. “Anytime. You know, I
remember a few of our photo sessions. Didn’t that one, uh…risqué
one of me win first place in one of your photo shows? It had a
black background, and I was looking down.”

I cleared my throat and looked away.
“You weren’t naked, Jake. You were covering yourself with your
hands, and it was a sensual photo. Nobody knew it was you because I
shadowed your face.”

“
Sensual, huh? Well, I’d
like to retake that shot.”

A chill shot down my spine. “Are you
serious?”

A sexy grin spread over his face, and
his eyes sparkled with mischief. “Dead serious.”

I met his gaze, and our eyes locked
for a minute. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how anyone
could be so damn handsome. My breath froze as I imagined what he
looked like naked, in his grown-up body.

He shifted his stance. “Look at you, a
blushing beauty,” he mocked.

“
That’s only because it’s
so hot out here,” I said, fanning myself. “And the answer to your
question is no. I’m not retaking the shot.”

“
But I think I can bring a
lot more to the picture now—you know, in an artsy sort of
way.”

“
Is that just your fancy,
humble way of saying it’ll be better because you’re so buff
now?”

He smiled. “I wasn’t aware that you’d
noticed.”

“
Right,” I said. “You’d
have to strip down to recreate that photo, and I think there are a
lot of things we need to leave in the past, Jake.”

“
I can’t make that kind of
promise,” he said, slowly walking away.

* * *

That night, I decided it was best to
sleep in my clothes; the African bush, in a tent, with Jake didn’t
exactly call for a silk nightie. After I checked the sleeping bag
for creepy-crawlies, I slipped inside it and made myself cozy. I
also made sure I was on the other side of the tent, so Jake
wouldn’t get any ideas.

Jake turned off the lantern. “Today
has been amazing.”

“
I can’t argue with that,”
I said, snuggling into my pillow. “It’s not exactly some glitzy,
five-star hotel, but this is pretty awesome, everything we talked
about and more. There’s something magical about Africa,” I
said.

“
Right, it can’t be
experienced in some fancy resort or from the safety of a
Jeep.”

“
Definitely.”

“
Ashly…” Jake
said.

“
Yes?” I said over the
chorus of zillions of nocturnal insects buzzing and humming in the
air.

“
There’s a question I’ve
been dying to ask you.”

“
Do I still load my burger
with tons of mustard? Yes.”

He laughed.

I smirked in the darkness. “Do you
still drown your eggs in ketchup?”

“
Yep,” he said, his tone
serious, “but that wasn’t the question.”

“
Just trying to keep the
situation light.”

“
Do you think you’ll ever
really want to get married again?” he asked.

“
Can’t we just talk about
condiments?”

“
Come on,
Ashly.”

“
We had such a good day.
Why ruin it with all this? Like I said, the past is the
past.”

“
I just need to
know.”

I let out a sigh. “Sure, someday. I
didn’t before because…well, it didn’t exactly turn out like I hoped
the first time around. If anyone proposed to me again and I
accepted, I’d just go to the justice of the peace. Inviting all
those people to my wedding and then being stood up like that is
something I can’t go through again.” I gazed in his direction, even
though I couldn’t see anything in the darkness. “I never bothered
to ask. Are you married…or have you even been married?”

“
Like I told you before, I
made a stupid mistake with you, and I regret it every day. No woman
has ever been able to fill the void. So no. I’m not married, and I
don’t plan to be. Without you, I don’t see the point.”

“
So there’s nobody special
to share all that money with?”

“
No, nobody. My last
serious relationship ended a year ago.”

“
Well, I hope you don’t
think just because we’re both single and have a past together…” I
paused. “Just know I’m not available, Jake—not to you. I never will
be again.”

“
You’re still
bitter.”

“
What do you expect? Damn
straight I’m bitter. I don’t think I’ll ever get over
it.”

“
I didn’t mean to stir all
this up, Ashly. I’m sorry. I just want to say I’m glad we’re
friends…and that I really enjoy being out here with you, even if
you are still angry with me and hardly speak to me without being
cold and distant.”

“
I’m not sure what you
expect from me, Jake. All things considered, it’s taking everything
in me for me to be civil with you.”

“
You’re still as beautiful
as I remember.”

I was growing sick of his flattery,
which wasn’t really getting him anywhere but deeper down on my shit
list. “Goodnight, Jake,” I said, then turned over in a
huff.

“
Goodnight,
Ashly.”

And with that, I closed my eyes and
tried to fall asleep.

It was little use to try and get some
rest, for as beautiful as Africa was during the day, it was very
noisy at night. The tent flapped all night and kept waking me up.
And then those nocturnal birds Anto told me about were super loud
with their distinctive and characteristic calls. Anto had called
them Fiery-necked Night Jars.

Then the hairs on my neck
stood straight up when a lion’s roar echoed in the night.
It started out with a few deep, long roars. I
listened intently as the roars ended up turning into a series of
shorter ones, and for thirty minutes, lions prowled outside our
tents. When I managed the courage to look outside, I saw the
shadows of at least ten animals.

“
Don’t worry. They don’t
want us,” Jake whispered over the squawking and chirping of the
birds outside. Then he pointed at a spot in the distance, where
several lionesses were tearing into an unfortunate
bushbuck.

I could only snuggle down into my
sleeping bag like some terrified caterpillar, my heart beating a
petrified symphony in my chest. I was excited that they were so
close, but scared at the same time. “Can’t they find someplace else
to enjoy their midnight snack?” I joked.

“
This is what nature’s all
about,” Jake responded. “Wow! Life on safari doesn’t get much
better than this.” Jake looked at me, then back out around us, his
eyes wide. “Isn’t this amazing?”

Before I could answer, a hyena whooped
in the distance, making me gasp.

“
A little jumpy?” he
whispered, wearing a big smile.

“
Jake, there are
meat-eaters out there, giant cats on the prowl and striped,
laughing dogs. Pardon me for being a little on edge.”