The rest as they say is history, it's been six months since that night and Owen and I have become best friends. I have bonded with the whole team and work is going brilliantly. Everything runs smoothly and I make sure all the paperwork gets done and filed or sent off on time and I have learnt everything I need to about working with live prehistoric creatures, including how to shoot a tranquiliser gun, and a real one, and use a knife. I spent every night for two months sleeping in Owen's trailer until the nightmares stopped and I spend my free time either chilling out with the guys working on my bike, or Owen's bike or exploring, it is perfect.
Of course, I am completely head over heels in love with him but I can cope with that as long as we are friends, as long as nothing changes. Barry knows of course, he cornered me a couple of months ago and told me to tell him but I refused. Life was good as friends and that is how it will stay.
The day is clear and warm already and it was only 6am and I was once again grateful for the fact that the raptors were away from the main resort and not an attraction. It was peak holiday season and the island was swarming with tourists but over here it was business as usual with visitors a rarity. A thought which strikes me as I begin climbing the stairs to the office I shared with Owen and notice the black coupe parked next to My bike which Owen had caught a lift on with me this morning.
I freeze outside the office door as I hear the voices inside and panic instantly builds in me as I wonder how I can back away without being caught.
"Claire you can't be serious," Owen is saying incredulously and I could hear the slight frustration in his tone too.
"Of course I am, I want to give us another go," she purrs and I feel suddenly sick, of course I had known that I never had a chance with Owen, he was… perfect and I was anything but, still though, while he was single I could dream and the thought of watching him with someone else, being with someone else made me feel ill.
"We never had a go to start with Claire, it was one date, one terrible date and I think we would both be better off keeping our options open and well away from that idea again," I can almost hear the smirk that I can imagine is plastered across his face and her indignant one staring back.
"It's not like there are any other options Owen," she replies and he laughs loudly at that,
"You're not the only woman in the park Claire, not even the only one working on this project,"
"You can't honestly mean Taylor," it is her turn to laugh although there is little mirth in it and I can feel my blood becoming thick in my veins as I listen to her derisive tone.
"What's wrong with her?" he asks genuine curiosity in his own voice and she laughs again.
"She's barely even a woman Owen, hardly your type anyway, the girls a mess. Way too curvy, quiet, almost painfully shy and pathetic and plain as they come too. You know as well as I do that you would never look twice at a girl like that…" a sound behind me startles me and I spin around to see Barry staring at me with sympathy painted across his features and I shake my head at him, feeling the burning humiliation and hurt already plastered across my face, the door opening causes me to spin again and now I am face to face with Claire and Owen. Right now would be a really great time for the ground to open up and swallow me, or maybe just throw me into the raptor pit.
"Tay…" Owen starts immediately but I don't even look at him the hurt is too much and I know it's not him, he can't help not being attracted to someone like me it was just really embarrassing to have it confirmed so instead I shake my head at them both just as I had to Barry seconds before.
"Here are the notes you wanted," I say quietly, praying that my voice stayed steady as I shove a folder at the two of them not caring which one took it before turning and moving quickly past Barry and down the stairs.
"T," Owen starts again, his nickname for me making me shudder slightly despite myself.
"It's okay Owen," I reply, "I just need to make sure the girls get fed properly Charlie is starting her new medication today and I need to check it all," and then I move off again and towards the pit where I rest my burning face against the bars as soon as I am out of sight and breathe shakily.
Two hours later and I am watching carefully as Owen works at training the girls with his clicker and commands, I sigh as I continue to make notes as it was my job to do and try very hard not to think about the fact that Owen had been avoiding me ever since Claire had left. It made my heart ache and my vision blur and I am just thinking about how I can possibly resolve the situation when a high-pitched squealing and shouting makes me flinch and I spin to see a pig rushing towards the foliage.
Suddenly, a thud draws my attention away from the pig and my heart stops as I see the new guy laying on the ground in the middle of the pit. Without thinking, before I can really comprehend what I am doing I have hit the button and am rolling under the gate and rushing towards him only to freeze as I see the four raptors circle us. Barry's voice is screaming something at me but I can't hear anything over the blood pounding in my ears, this was a really bad idea! Probably the worst I had ever had, no, definitely the worst I had ever had!
"Calm down," the voice and those two words somehow penetrate my foggy mind and I glance up to see Owen now standing in front of me and the boy as he talks to the raptors.
"Go," I hiss at the boy who looks at me with wide terrified eyes, "now," I add and he scrambles back and through the gate. Sweat is beading on my forehead even more rapidly than normal and I can feel it trickling down my spine as panic spikes through every nerve.
"On my count," Owen whispers and when I don't respond his hand reaches for mine and squeezes it, causing my attention to turn to him.
"I…" no other words will make their way out of my throat and so I nod.
"Barry, close the gate," Owen shouts and for a moment time seems to be frozen as we stand side by side facing off with these ancient killing machines, then quicker than I have time to grasp he is throwing me to the ground and we are rolling under the gate where he lands on top of me and I flinch as I hear the four beasts slam into the gate behind us hissing and squealing. I'm not quite sure how I avoid vomiting all over the floor as my entire body reacts to the adrenalin that is thrumming through it.
"Magnificent," a voice murmurs and Owen is on his feet in a second standing before the man who had spoken as he walks away and as I get my breathing back under control I recognise him as the man who wanted to use the raptors for some military thing, a thought that made me shudder in disgust.
"What the hell were you thinking T?" Owen is standing in front of me again pulling me up roughly his eyes checking me for injury.
"I… I don't know," I mutter gazing at the ground fixedly,
"You could have been killed," he says now and I look up at him briefly before staring at the ground once more.
"I know," is all I say and my voice is small even to my own ears,
"Why the fuck do it then? What was it some kind of punishment for earlier?" he explodes and I feel anger and hurt pulse through me so suddenly I almost feel faint as I stare back at him, meeting his eye for the first time and refusing to back down this time despite the burning humiliation I can feel in my cheeks as I remember the conversation I had overheard.
"I did it because it was the right thing to do, I couldn't just let him die," I say fiercely, "it has nothing to do with you and Claire and whatever you get up to in your free time," I finish, turning away before he can see the tears that are already prickling in the corners of my eyes.
"We… what? Taylor wait," his hand is on my arm pulling me back round to face him and I can do nothing but stare at his chest trying to hold back the tears that I so desperately wanted to cry. Tears of fear, of relief, of hurt, I didn't know which maybe all three either way I was overloading on emotion in a way I hadn't since my parents died and I didn't like it.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, "I shouldn't have said anything, it's not my business," I add and he sighs heavily through his nose before gripping my arm more tightly and pulling me up the stairs behind him and into the office carefully shutting out prying eyes and ears.
Once the office door is closed the air seems suddenly too cold, the air-conditioning causing a shiver to rush through me and my breathing sounds too loud in the silence that now surrounding us as I wait for him to speak.
"It is your business T and just so you know nothing ever has happened and nothing ever will between Claire and I," he says quietly after we have sat in silence for a while and I nod, ducking my head as I feel tears begin to make their way down my face as the adrenaline wore off and the shaking set in.
"Sorry," I say after a moment, not knowing what else to say and fully aware that it made no sense.
"You know when we first met I would have gladly thrown you in there with them," he says and I give a weak chuckle at his attempt to lighten the mood. Suddenly, I am pulled up into his arms my face buried against his shoulder as one of his arms holds me firmly around the waist the other against my head, fingers stroking through the strands of hair that had fallen from the braid it was in. He takes a deep breath and as I feel it against my temple it sends a shudder through me, "but today, when I saw you down there… I can't remember the last time I was that scared," he says and I shake my head against his shoulder a little as I pull myself together and move away slightly so I can peer up into his face, shocked when I see the truth in his eyes.
"But… why?" I ask in bewilderment and he smirks a little as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear before letting his hand rest gently against my check an action that causes my breath to stutter.
"You only heard half of the conversation T," he whispers and I try to glance away from him but for some reason I can't. "You are definitely my type T; you are brave and kind and selfless. You are able to keep me in check and you are more beautiful than you know," he murmurs and I can barely breathe now, my heart in my throat as he pulls me forward slightly, his lips barely brushing mine and my whole body responding to him instantly and as he deepens the kiss I moan a little and he pulls me even closer to him, groaning and pulling away to rest his forehead against mine as his phone rings. My breathing is still irregular and I can't really follow the conversation the blood once again pumping in my ears. I can't believe this is happening, I had lusted after this man, fallen for this man and pined for him for months now and I had thought that it was going to go on, unrequited, forever. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that he would return any of those feelings.