I looked at Josh with what must have been both shock and joy in equal measure. ‘I am happy – right now, I am. And this feels right, you know? I want to be this person all the time. I’ve missed being this person.’

He wrapped his arms around me again and held me in a hug.

‘I want you to sleep in my cabin tonight.’ I pulled back from the hug and looked at him. God, his eyes are beautiful. ‘We don’t have to do anything,’ he added, as if trying to reassure me. ‘I just want to be close to you, to sleep next to you.’

‘Okay.’

‘Really?’ He seemed surprised.

I laughed. ‘Yes really, handsome American boy.’ He smiled, but with a look that said, ‘Handsome American boy?’

‘It’s what I call you in my head,’ I replied, hoping I didn’t sound ridiculous.

‘I like it.’ With that, he kissed me on top of my head and stood up, pulling me with him. ‘C’mon, sexy Australian girl, let’s go to bed.’

Chapter Eight

When I woke the next morning, it was to sunlight filtering through the ceiling hatch and dancing across my eyelids. Glorious. I stretched luxuriously. I had slept so well! My bed partner stirred beside me as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I reached for my water bottle and took a quick swig. Morning breath can be a bitch.

‘Good morning.’

I swallowed, then rolled onto my side and propped my head on my hand. ‘Good morning.’

‘Sleep well?’

‘So well. You?’

‘I slept well too.’ He was smiling and I smiled back.

You may not believe this, but we didn’t do anything. I mean, he did kiss me goodnight – rather chastely, I’d like to add – but then we fell asleep. Besides, even if things had got a little hot and heavy, there was no way I was going to have sex on a boat with paper-thin walls and five other people on it! It would have been too embarrassing. I was already wondering how I would explain to Hannah why I hadn’t slept in our cabin.

My thoughts turned to the sleeping part of the night. Usually, sleeping next to someone new meant I barely slept at all. Instead, I’d sort of doze, waking up at the slightest noise or movement, hyper conscious of the other person in the bed. It wasn’t like that with Josh. It felt normal.

‘I liked sleeping next to you,’ I said looking at the sky through the ceiling hatch. ‘It was nice.’

‘Nice?’

‘Yeah. Nice.’

‘Okay.’

‘What’s wrong with nice?’

‘Nothing. Nice is good.’