Page 10

CHAPTER 10

ALKA

I spit the mouthwash into the sink and rinse it out while I gather the remnants left in my mouth for another spit. Grabbing the hand towel as I turn off the sink, I dry my mouth and hands and stare at my reflection. My hair looks neat but not too neat since there’s going to be a constant wind on the boat. That’s fine.

Leaning forward, I examine my face. Did I miss stragglers of stubble? I run my hand over my neck and around my jaw. Nah. Seems okay.

I take a step back and look at myself. Ugh. Is this really what I’m wearing on a date? Wait. No, this isn’t a date. It just feels like one.

For the past ten days, Ruby and I have just hung out on the beach. We move to the shade of the trees by the bungalow if it gets too hot or stick our feet in the water to cool down. Sometimes, we wander to find food if we get hungry.

But we haven’t gone anywhere together intentionally. Not for an experience. Not planned.

Today is the first time. We’re going on a glass-bottomed boat tour around the Isle of Kala island chain. It’s not really a date. We didn’t make plans as if it were one. But with the way the butterflies wildly dance in my stomach and my heart won’t stop racing in anticipation, it feels like a date.

And I’m wearing gym shorts and a tee. I scowl at my reflection.

We’re going on a boat , I argue with myself. Not a fancy boat. There will be other people there—tourists. This isn’t a date. Not really.

I spritz myself with some cologne just in case then leave the bathroom. I grab my sneakers and a pair of socks from the drawer on my way into the living area. Our bungalow is what one might call a tiny house. There’s a small bedroom and bathroom, then a combined living area with a tiny kitchenette, two-person table, and a couch.

It’s not as small as I’m making it sound. There’s plenty of room for the two of us. In reality, we don’t often spend a lot of time inside. We’re on a tropical island filled with hot gay men and an eighty-page book of things to do. At the absolute very least, we like to guy watch and admire all the pretty bodies we’re surrounded by.

Oscar’s on the couch when I come out. He looks up when I enter and gives me a smile. I sit with him, closer than necessary, just so I can touch him, and he moves his legs to give me room.

As I lean forward to put on my socks and sneakers, I ask, “Do I look okay?”

“You look gorgeous.”

I sigh. I should be asking someone who isn’t biased. I squint at him over my shoulder as I move on to my left foot.

Oscar chuckles. “What’s wrong with what you’re wearing?”

“I’m not sure if this is a date, and I think I look underdressed for any kind of date. Even one on a boat with other people surrounding us.”

“I really don’t think he’s going to judge you on what you’re wearing. He’ll likely not notice at all.”

I frown. “I’m not sure if that’s comforting.”

“What did Ruby wear yesterday, love? ”

My fingers pause as I think about it. “Uh…” I don’t know what he wore. Pulling the knot in my laces tight, I sit up to look at him. Oscar’s smiling, of course. He knows I don’t know. “Not cool.”

He chuckles. “Have fun.”

I lean forward to kiss him and pause with my lips hovering over his. “What’re you going to do this afternoon?”

Oscar holds up his word puzzles book. “Relaxing.”

Frowning, I sit back. “Do you want me to cancel?”

“Not at all,” he says and grips the front of my shirt to pull me back into him. My mouth lands on his, and I sigh. “Go.”

“I’ve been spending a lot of time with Ruby,” I hedge.

“I think it feels like more time than you think it is. Two to three hours each day is actually very little time, love. That means I get you for twenty-one hours. Go have fun.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Go.”

I nod and kiss him again. “Love you.”

“I love you. Have fun. I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

The nice thing about not needing a wallet or telephone is that my pockets are always empty and I’m never in danger of leaving something behind. That doesn’t stop me from patting my pockets and then looking around every time I leave the bungalow. It’s a habit that doesn’t die easily. I’m not even sure I want to get out of the habit since I’ll be returning to the real world far too soon.

Ruby is down at the beach where I always meet him. Right in front of my bungalow. As I walk to him, I make a mental note to look at what he’s wearing today so I can report back that I did, in fact, notice. Whether I remember is another story entirely.

I’m relieved that he’s wearing much the same thing I am. His shorts are a little shorter and his tee is actually sleeveless, but he’s definitely dressed similarly, for which I’m grateful.

Ruby looks up as I stand over him. He smiles and my heart jumps. He’s so beautiful. I offer him my hands and pull him to his feet. Because I can’t help myself, I lean in and place a soft kiss on his lips.

“Hey,” he says, smiling still.

I think we’re both going to look like the Joker since our smiles rarely fade the entire time we’re together. Hell, most nights, I’m smiling for hours after we’ve gone our separate ways.

“Everything okay?” Ruby asks.

“Yeah. Why?”

“I don’t know. You look a little tense. Your shoulders are tense.”

I mentally force my shoulders to relax and laugh when I realize he’s right. They’re totally tense. “Sorry. I feel a little guilty for leaving Oscar home.”

“Oh,” Ruby says and takes a step back. “We don’t have to?—”

I pull him closer again. “It’s fine. He pointed out that you and I aren’t actually spending all day together even though it feels like much longer than it is. He’s not wrong. I’m not sure why I feel guilty about him staying in. We do our own thing all the time.”

“Are you sure?”

I squeeze his hands. “Positive. I’m really excited for this. I’ve been eyeing this excursion for ages, but for some reason, I’ve never been on it.”

“It sounds awesome,” Ruby says, and we start walking down the beach toward the docks.

“I think it’s going to be the highlighted excursion on this trip. Then again, I don’t go on a lot of excursions, so it’s not hard to take the top spot.”

He laughs quietly. “Why?”

I shrug. “I don’t know, really. The world is so busy around us when we’re back home that I think by the time we get here to unwind, we just want to relax. No schedules to abide by. No travel necessary. No interaction with others if we choose not to. I think we enjoy the peace and island time slowing us down for a while. It feels like we just catch our breath right before we need to go home.”

Ruby nods. “Sounds about right.”

We get to the dock and follow the signs. There’s a young man at the gate with a handheld phone scanner. We watch as he holds it up to someone’s rubber bracelet. The beep has him pulling it back and watching the screen. He looks up at the three men with a smile. “Welcome aboard. Make yourselves comfortable.”

They climb on and head to the left beyond the captain sitting behind the wheel.

The man looks at us with a big smile. He has long, straggly hair that falls around his face and brushes his collar. There’s something youthful in his face. His shirt has the name Cash embroidered onto it.

“Hi,” he greets as we step forward.

“Hi,” Ruby and I say together. I hold my wristband out to be scanned since I secured our tickets.

His machine beeps, and he studies the screen for a minute. “Welcome aboard, Mr. Lennon. Make yourselves comfortable.”

I incline my head in thanks, and we step on. Behind us, he greets the next person in the same way.

“I’m guessing those devices give them our entire profile, huh?” Ruby asks as he glances back at Cash.

“They do. It’s why we don’t need to carry around ID. They can verify our identities when they pull it up on their screens after scanning our bracelets. It prevents people from using someone else’s and whatever other trouble they could get up to under the pretense of being someone else.”

“The technology they have is really kind of cool. They’re very advanced.”

“Oscar comes back all the time telling me about something else he’s seen,” I say, smiling. “It sounds like Kala is always upgrading their technology to make staying here easier and even more hassle free. ”

“It’s a pretty cool place, though I admit I haven’t explored a whole lot of it.”

“Hello, can y’all hear me?”

We turn to face Cash as he speaks into a mic. He’s moved away from the gate, having secured it shut. We’re slowly drifting away from the dock now.

“Hi,” Cash says, giving us all a big smile as he looks around. There’s a dozen of us on board, though I suspect the vessel can hold three or four times that since there’s a floor beneath the first. “My name is Cash.” He points to his chest where this name is. “This is my partner and captain, Onyx. Welcome to the Peeking Peter where we’re going to be looking under the ocean’s skirt for the next ninety minutes.”

“Peeking Peter,” someone repeats. There’s quiet laughter all around.

“Safety first. This boat is equipped with three life rafts able to hold a dozen people each. They can be found at each end of the boat under the middle benches, two in the back and one in the front. There are forty-five life jackets, which can be found stowed under the seats. You are not required to wear one, but if you’d like to, please feel free to help yourself.”

A few of the guys pull up one of the benches and start poking around through the life jackets as Cash continues.

“Your long list of don’t do’s is first. Yes, this list is curated from actions that people have done in the past. Do not stand on the rails. Do not climb over the rails. Do not stand on the benches or, furthermore, jump from the benches. Do not go near the captain while he’s operating the boat—or any other time since he’s a happily married man.”

We look at Onyx. He smirks, his eyes briefly flicking to Cash before he focuses on maneuvering the boat away from the docks and other vessels on the water.

“Do not try to take someone else’s partner while on the boat. No sex on my boat. Keep your hands out of your pants and anyone else’s pants. You may, however, squeeze an ass cheek as long as you have permission to do so. We all love a nice ass. This trip is rated PG-13. If you can’t handle that, we will return you to the dock.” He pauses and looks around.

I grin, leaning in closer to Ruby. My heart skips when he lets his body weight rest against my side so I wrap my arm around his waist.

“No smoking, no drinking, no eating unless you share with me, no pets, no licking the windows or the rails or the captain or me! Keep your tongues to yourself.”

“Wow,” someone says.

“Yes. This is why warning labels are so long. We have to address things people have done in the past that they hadn’t been told not to do,” Cash deadpans, then he breaks out into a smile. “Okay, on to the good stuff. This cruise is ninety minutes. We’ll be navigating around the islands and visiting some prime locations. You will see stingrays, sea turtles, shipwrecks, reefs, colorful fish, and clear water. You may see a shark or two. While it’s unlikely, there is also the chance that you might see a whale. We have in the past, and while we’re not directly on a migratory route, nor is it that time of year, we’ve been surprised before. You may see the occasional dolphin or pods of dolphins. You will not see sea monsters nor prehistoric sea animals. This isn’t that kind of tour.”

“It’s wild, the things people expect,” someone to our right murmurs.

Cash nods in agreement. “You’re free to head below deck at any time. Once we’re away from Anapos, the majority of our time on the Peeking Peter will be below deck. By the way, this is the time when I inform you that every inch of this ship is being recorded. Do not worry . These feeds are not connected to the internet in any way. These private feeds serve as a safety means for you and us alike. For security reasons, we keep them for up to three months. Yes, they record voices as well. No plotting murder, please. Also, we’ve signed NDAs just like you, so whatever secrets you have, they’re safe. Lastly, we see more than a hundred people a day. We’re not going to remember you once you step off our boat, so your secrets are triple safe. I promise, you’re not memorable. I’m in love with my husband, and I’ve yet to see anyone who holds even a third of the appeal that he does. You’re all just blurs and blobs. Not sorry.”

Ruby laughs. “I like him.”

Quiet laughter surrounds us. Onyx shakes his head, his lazy smile not fading as he navigates the ship.

“Now, everyone head below deck. It’s time to peek under the skirt of the ocean. Yes, we’re going to see some big things. We’re also going to see some small things. There is something here for everyone’s kink, uh, preferences. Hurry up. Hold on to the handrails, or I’m going to list the reasons why you need to hang onto the handrails, and you don’t want to be the cause of that.”

“I want to be his friend,” someone says behind us.

I nod in agreement.

The lower deck is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. There are floor-to-ceiling glass panels that flow into the glass panels on the floor. The lights are a soft blue.

“Which side is the best?” Ruby asks Cash as we pass.

“They’re both equally stunning,” Cash says and makes a pointed look to his left. “Beautiful views everywhere.”

Ruby smiles. “Thanks.”

Cash grins.

We find a spot in front of a large window that’s just wide enough for us to stand in front of. I wrap my arm around Ruby’s waist again as we see our first fish swim by. It’s nothing exciting as far as fish go except that it’s swimming at eye level, and that’s pretty fucking cool.

“Okay, I’m going to bore you for a bit while Daddy… uh, Captain Onyx brings us around the top of the island chain,” Cash says.

“Cash…” Onyx’s voice flows down the steps in warning.

Cash’s smile widens. “Hundreds of thousands of millions of years ago, the Earth was a hellish place with volcanoes and shit,” he begins.

“I think this is going to be a history lesson I’ll enjoy,” I mutter.

Ruby’s body shakes in a silent chuckle as he watches out the window. My heart soars as he leans his head against my shoulder. I mean to listen to Cash, but I can’t hear anything over the pulse of my blood in my ears.