Caught Between Read Online Free Page B

stumbled back to the hostel and kicked off her shoes before falling into the small, hard bed. Everything will make sense tomorrow, she reassured herself.
    At 3:30 in the morning.
    ***
    The new girl's not here.
    It was the first thought that occurred to Luke when he arrived on the patio, his waterpipe in hand. The moment he crossed the sliding doors, his eyes scanned around for her. Was that disappointment he felt? He frowned. Maybe a little.
    Kneeling on the concrete, he began putting together his hoo kah. He really wanted a cigarette, but Liz had been harassing him to quit every summer for years now, so waterpipes were a decent alternative. Plus, smoking the hookahs was a social activity, and a way for the supervisors to get to know the new volunteers. The volunteer he really wanted to get to know, however, wasn't here.
    Marya Helwe.
    He sprinkled the strawberry-scented tobacco in the clay bowl, then covered it with foil. He fitted the bowl to the hookah stem, poked holes in the foil, and lit the coals with his lighter. He took a deep drag on the hose as the door opened and Liz stepped out, smiling at him.
    She beckoned to the new volunteers, asking them to join them at the hookah. Liz was a pro at this -- she'd been coming to Jordan with Dr. Ducharme for many years now, since her freshman year in college. She helped pull chairs up around the waterpipe, introducing herself to the new, timid faces.
    "I've brought individual mouthpieces, she we don't share germs," she told them with a laugh, tossing her auburn dreads over her shoulder.
    Tentatively, they passed the hose around, Liz talking animatedly to each new volunteer in turn. Luke was content to simply watch and listen; the truth was, these people didn't interest him much. Archaeologist, in general, was a boring lot. Introverts, most of them, and he was no exception. Liz leaned into him as she talked, occasionally touching his arm. He wasn't stupid -- he knew what she was doing.
    Marking her territory.
    It made him want to smile. Liz wasn't his girlfriend, but he enjoyed their summer dalliances. He didn't really mind that she "claimed" him each summer, ensuring that any wide-eyed coeds stayed away from him. Unfortunately for Liz, Marya wasn't here tonight to see the show. Oh, he knew Liz was threatened by the new girl -- a petite, dark-haired, golden-skinned Syrian-American girl with enormous black eyes. Just my type. And she was feisty, too. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning every time he thought about how she'd dealt with crabby old Ducharme.
    Talk faded; people began to wander off to bed. Luke sprinkled more tobacco into the pipe, lit some fresh coals. Liz curled up in her chair and rested her head on his shoulder.
    "When do you meet with them?" she asked him softly.
    He let the smoke coil from his lips before answering. "Tomo rrow night." His gut tightened with anxiety at the thought. Not now. Don't think about that now.
    She didn't say anything for a long moment. Then, "You set that whole thing up, didn't you?"
    "What whole thing?"
    She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. "You asked Ducharme to be that new chick's field supervisor."
    He could hear the hard edge to her voice, the jealousy. "So what?" he asked nonchalantly. "Come on, Liz. You know nothing will happen."
    "But you're attracted to her," she demanded, a tremor in her voice.
    Luke chuckled. "Whatever. She's cute. She's a kid." He passed the hose to her and met her eyes with casual indifference. "She reminds me of people from my past. That's all."
    Liz didn't say much after that, but she indicated she'd forgiven him when she began playing with his hair. The sensation of her fingers rubbing his scalp made him drowsy and aroused him, just a little. She knew this. With her breath hot on his ear, she asked, "Can I visit you tonight?"
    "Yeah," he said, sitting up. He put out the coals and took the waterpipe apart. Liz had already gone back to her room by the time he