I almost turned around and went back to my cottage, but sulking because Elias decided to pass up on another chance to be ignored by me would be next-level messy.

I walked over to the bar and ordered a beer, wanting to have a few minutes to myself before I joined the others at the table. Tsehay gestured at a chair between her and Abraham, but I held my hand up, letting her know I needed a moment.

I looked around the room as I sipped my beer. The dining room was its own building, designed in the same traditional style as the cabins. From the outside it looked like they had pushed three enormous beehives together. Inside it was long and wide, and smelled like the wood they used to make it. There were large windows running along the walls, and we could see the lamps lighting the paths to the rooms. They were open right now, and there were all kinds of sounds coming in.

The night was always buzzing with critters and animals serenading our evening meals. Crickets, cicadas, and the occasional hyena made for quite the symphony. Later, when everyone had gone to bed, packs of hyenas would start circling the property and would whoop all night. It was creepy as fuck, and when Elias first told me about it, I joked he’d have to sneak into my room and protect me while we were staying here. He just laughed and told me he’d buy me a flashlight.

I had it in my pocket right now, actually. The morning after he arrived I found a little red flashlight sitting on the passenger seat of the Cruiser, because even though I’d been acting like a complete asshole, he was still kind and kept his promises.

Remembering how easy things had been with us just a week ago and how shitty they felt now sank my mood even further. In an attempt to drag myself out of my funk, I tuned back into what was happening around me and focused my attention on the Ethiopian music coming in through the speakers. The woman’s voice was so melancholy, like her heart was breaking, and a guitar or some other string instrument was blending with her words, making it the perfect sorrowful companion. I closed my eyes to listen. Her singing was so beautiful I could have cried.

When it ended I opened my eyes and turned to see Tsehay standing next to me.

“That was beautiful and sounded really sad,” I told her.