Gerald's POV
The river boat’s engine finally cut, and the silence that followed was thicker than the air. Humidity pressed against my skin like a second shirt the moment we stepped onto the wooden dock.
The eco-lodge sat a little bit half hidden in the green wall of the rainforest, its stilts rising out of the dark water, walkways vanishing into mist. We were going to spend four days here. No phones. No other guests. Just us.
“Christ, it’s wet,” Caz muttered, hauling a duffel onto his shoulder. Sweat already darkened the back of his shirt.
Melissa laughed, the sound bright and too loud in the quiet. “You wanted adventure, brother. Now you have it, quit complaining.”
“I'm not complaining,” he raised his hands exasperated. “I'm just pointing out a fact.”
“A fact nobody asked to he
