I looked up at him, somewhere between wary and hopeful. “Yeah?”

“Would you like to go for a walk in the garden?” He paused and then added, “With me.”

I stood up faster and more eagerly than what was probably prudent, and slung my bag over my shoulder as a grin cut across my face. This was a friendly gesture, I told myself. He was just being polite, but I couldn’t stop the racing in my heart when I answered.

“I’d love to.”

Chapter 9

The first three weeks of the survey flew by, and after travelling for days on end all over southern Ethiopia, I was more than a little in love.

Like my parents, I’d been completely charmed by this country’s boundless beauty. My eyes couldn’t get enough of the sprawling coffee fields and mountain ranges. The people, especially, had been amazing. Ethiopians were brimming with humor and hospitality. Every village we stopped in, people were always smiling or wanting to practice their English with me.

But the best parts were the times with Elias. Despite my attempts to keep a professional distance, I’d gotten more and more pulled in by him. Every single thing I learned about the man made me want him more. After that night when we’d ended up working together and took a walk in the garden, something had changed with us. Even when we were on different teams—and we’d had to be a few times until Sam made amends with Mr. Dawit—we’d reconnect in the evenings. Sometimes it could be a quick catch-up to plan what new book we’d listen to—Ari and Dante had been the first of many. At times we went on a stroll before bed, but it seemed like my days in Ethiopia were not complete without Elias.

We’d been together almost every day of the trip, and as we drove up to my guesthouse in Addis, I felt completely unprepared to spend the next few on my own. I didn’t even know if he’d be driving me for the next trip south, or if he’d be on one of the other vehicles with a different team. I should’ve probably been concerned by the level of dread I was feeling about not seeing someone who was essentially a work-related acquaintance. And yet I was too preoccupied with the idea that this could be goodbye to care.

Once we arrived at the guesthouse, Elias killed the ignition, and turned that heart-stopping smile on me. “We made it.”

I looked at him and I wondered if it was the ill-advised crush making me see things, but I thought he seemed a little regretful that our trip was coming to an end.