“It’s special, isn’t it?” Zac came and stood next to her, and she nodded, too overwhelmed by nature’s light show to feel anything but awe. The touch of his hand on her shoulder told her that he understood.

“Unforgettable.”

“Merry Christmas, Alix.” He put his arm round her, and they stood together, watching the sky.

“Merry Christmas.” And it was. Although she was hurting, she knew she’d remember it as a happy time. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t want to take it further. She wasn’t going to hold that against him. And he should know that, shouldn’t he? They’d had a good time. Life was too short for awkward moments.

“It’s cold.” Robyn finally packed up her camera. “We should go. You enjoy the last few moments while Erik and I clear up.”

Alix waited until they’d moved away and then turned to Zac.

“I’ve had the best time. This whole week. All of it. It’s been so much fun. I regret nothing.” She hugged him, feeling awkward not only because of the bulky clothing but because she rarely opened herself up this way. “I don’t want you to feel bad about anything, or awkward. There are no rules to say emotions have to be involved. We’re both independent adults. It’s all cool.”

He took a step back. His face was half-hidden by insulating layers. “What are you saying? Your emotions aren’t involved?”

“I was talking about you. I wanted to say it’s fine that you don’t want to take it any further.”

“Who said I didn’t want to take it further? You know how I feel, Alix. I thought I’d made that clear.”

She was confused. “You slept on the sofa. I assumed—”

“That’s why you’ve been behaving weirdly?”

“You’re the one behaving weirdly.” She looked into his eyes and saw confusion and hurt. “One minute we’re creating enough electricity to power the whole of Scandinavia, and the next you’re on the sofa.”

“I did that for you.”

“For me?” She shook her head. “Yet more confirmation that I will never understand relationships. Why is it good for me for you to sleep on the sofa?”

“I was giving you space. I was being thoughtful. I knew you had doubts, and I didn’t want you to feel compelled to share a bed with me.”

“Well, damn...” She bit her lip. “How was I supposed to know all that?”

“I thought it was obvious.”

“When it comes to relationships, nothing is obvious to me. So you slept on the sofa because you thought you were doing me a favor.” Why would he have thought that? She dismissed the question. It was a relief to know he could get things wrong, too. That it wasn’t just her.

“It felt like the right thing to do, but I’m rethinking that now. You don’t normally spend the whole night with a man, and you’ve been trapped in a cabin with me for days.” He stamped his feet to keep warm. “It was supposed to be a gesture. I assumed you’d stop me doing it.”