me the deeply personal fact that his mother died. I lift my hands and pick off the tiny shards stuck to my skin. “Fear of smells,” I say, my focus on my palms. “I mean, it can’t just be me, right? You did smell the waft of stink that blew past us?”
He slaps his knee and chuckles. “Right. We’re in Rotorua.” He looks at me like that should explain everything, but it explains nothing. I roll my hand as if to say, carry on. “Rotorua,” he says emphatically. “Didn’t you read up on New Zealand before you left?” I shake my head, and he frowns. “Anyway, Rotorua is sometimes called the Sulfur City. This place is like a geothermal hotbed with geysers and mud baths. You really didn’t read a guidebook or anything before you booked your ticket?”
I brush the remaining dirt from my hands on my skirt. “I kind of left in a rush.”
He pulls back to study me. “Define rush.”
“Rushed like, I packed a bag, took a cab, and threw a dart at the departure board to choose my destination. Metaphorically, of course. There wasn’t like an actual dart.”
“Thanks for clarifying that. I’m pretty sure if it were an actual dart you’d still be sitting in a windowless room at the airport being grilled under hot lights after a week of no sleep. Back to this sudden departure of yours—did it have something to do with your tendency to invite disaster?”
I didn’t realize I was this transparent. Or maybe it’s Sam. He seems able to read me so easily. As much as I hate talking about this stuff, it’s nice to have someone to confide in besides my mother. “Something? More like everything. Let’s just say I thought university would be a fresh start. A brand new me. It was anything but.” I grab the lip balm from my purse, his gaze seeming to follow the movement as I apply a layer. “Actually,” I add, “probably not everything.” I snap the cap back on, press my lips together, and put the balm away. “I have no idea what I want to do, you know, career-wise. I registered for U of T because it’s the way of things: school, university, job, married, two-point-five kids.” I shrug. “I didn’t put much thought into it at the time, and it seemed pointless without any direction.”
He stares at me so hard, I look down. He clears his throat. “Yeah, I get that. I delayed going back to school this year for the same reason. Rethinking my career path.” After a beat, he jerks his head away, slaps his hands together, and holds them up to the sky. “Well, Canada, today is your lucky day. Know why?” When I roll my eyes for what feels like the millionth time, he lowers his lips to my ear. “Because you and I are gonna forget all that future crap and live in the now. It’s now my life’s mission to help you chase down and conquer every phobia on your list.” He jumps to his feet and tilts his head toward the hostel. “Let’s check if they have beds. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”
When I don’t move, he grabs my hand and yanks me up. He leans in close, the peppermint on his breath erasing the memory of the Sulfur City’s aroma. “Tomorrow, Canada, we chase the crazy.”
I nearly choke. Chase the crazy? My crazy? In front of Hot Guy and all of New Zealand? I stumble after him, head spinning and panic rising, as I try to figure out how I ended up traveling with my worst nightmare.
Nine
Sam
Either this was a kick-ass idea or Nina’s going to kill me. I’ve been planning it since we started tackling her phobias. We’ve made good progress, too. Over the past four days, we’ve conquered just as many fears. Her consecotaleophobia was easy—fear of chopsticks. The hardest, hands down, was her katsaridaphobia—fear of cockroaches. That one sucked, even for me. I’m just hoping I didn’t go too far with this stunt.
I read about these evenings in my guidebook. Aside from the sulfur smell, Rotorua is a cool place, kind of the cultural center of New Zealand. Tonight we get to experience native Maori rituals, from their traditional songs and dances, to their hangi—a meal cooked on hot stones in the ground.
As we wait with thirty-odd people outside one of the sacred meetinghouses for the performance to start, Nina leans closer. “This was a great