Chapter 7
Terry opened his eyes, and for a moment, he didn’t recognize where he was. There was light streaming in through gaps overhead, and he could hear bleating outside. And even stranger, a warm body was snuggled up against him, which hadn’t happened in longer than he cared to remember.
Then the events of the previous day trickled back into his caffeine-deprived brain, and he lifted his head enough to confirm that it was Mark sleeping peacefully in his arms.
A goofy smile curved his lips, but he couldn’t help it.
Mark's face was relaxed, the lines of stress on his face gone.
He looked younger, somehow, and Terry was glad.
Mark carried a lot of stress around, and as stupid as it seemed, maybe their unintentional little adventure would do Mark some good.
Mortal peril seemed to have a way of putting things in perspective.
Over and above that, Terry couldn’t deny that Mark felt right, somehow, nestled back against him.
Of course, the attraction Terry felt had been there from the start, but now he was in danger of catching feelings, which would likely lead to pain in the long run.
But he felt protective of Mark, and somehow the old adage that once you saved someone’s life, you were responsible for them forever wouldn’t leave his mind.
It was silly, maybe. No, it was definitely silly, but it was still a feeling he couldn’t quite shake.
First, of course, he had to finish the “saving,” since he didn’t think Mark was cut out for life as a beach bum.
But Mark didn’t seem to be an early riser, so Terry was content to enjoy the closeness for however long it lasted.
In far too short a time they would be back in civilization, and Mark might decide, despite what he’d said the previous night, that putting dolphins, cruising, and Terry in the past would be easier in the long run.
Mark made a sleepy little noise and stretched — and then his eyes flew open and he looked around wildly. Relief suffused his face when he saw Terry, and he rolled over so he could lie facing him.
“Sorry, I forgot where I was for a second,” he said. “Good morning. If we’re doing room service, I’ll have the bananas and rainwater, please.”
Terry chuckled, both slightly surprised and quite pleased Mark was taking it all in stride.
Of course he had to distract himself from how appealing Mark was, all drowsy and warm.
He’d never wanted to lean in and kiss anyone as much as he wanted to kiss Mark in that moment, but he restrained himself by some reservoir of willpower he didn’t know he had.
“I woke up the same, like ‘huh, when did the ship put skylights in the crew quarters?’ But sir, yes sir, let it not be said that I let you suffer hunger or thirst. Can’t risk you leaving a bad review,” he teased.
“Considering you saved my life, I’d say that earns five stars for service.” Mark went quiet for a moment, and his expression turned somber. “Thank you,” he added. “I don’t think I’ve said that yet. But I’d be so fucked if I was in this situation alone. I might not have made it this far on my own.”
The praise made Terry smile, though he could feel his cheeks turning warm.
“You’re welcome, though I’m sure the dolphins would have saved you.
But I’m glad I could keep my promise. Well, mostly.
” He gestured at their surroundings. “I still need to get you back to civilization, but we’ll work on that today. ”
Mark’s answering smile was easy and warm. “I trust you.”
It was all Terry could do not to melt into a puddle of goo right there on the banana leaves. It wasn’t just Mark’s smile, which made his heart flutter already, but the fact that Mark was sincere about the trust.
Surely that might lead to something more, right?
Again Terry was tempted to kiss Mark, but somehow he contented himself with a nod.
“Thank you, that means a lot." He decided he’d better move before desire got the better of common sense. “So I’d better go get those bananas and find us some water. I’m hoping that there’s a small pond or stream around here somewhere.
The goats need water as much as we do, so there has to be something. ”
He got to his feet with a groan. “I never thought I’d miss my bunk on the ship, but palm fronds are a sub-par mattress.”
Mark climbed to his feet slowly and stretched with his hands braced on the small of his back, grimacing as he did so. “No kidding. I might have to deduct half a star for comfort.”
Terry snorted. “Guess we better get you back to civilization tonight before my score gets any lower.”
They stepped out of the shack, skirting the goats who had calmed down and were now more curious than scared, maybe since the human interlopers hadn’t made any moves to turn any of them into the goat barbecue that was popular on the islands.
Terry excused himself into the bushes, taking a few moments to relieve himself before returning to the shack.
The day was sunny, at least for the moment, though as Terry looked around he could see there were still threatening dark clouds on the horizon.
He cut some bananas off a nearby tree, laying them on some leaves before scouting around for water.
When he found it, he whooped in delight.
It wasn’t much, but a small, clear spring bubbled out from a rock formation behind the shack, making a rivulet from the goats were using.
They had nothing like a cup, of course, but Terry cut another banana leaf and curled it into a cone.
It took a little time, but he got it mostly filled with water and downed it.
It was cool rather than cold, but as far as he could tell it was pure.
He filled the leaf again before returning to the front of the shack.
“I heard you holler,” Mark said as he went to meet Terry. “Did you find a satellite phone?”
“I wish!” Terry chuckled. He thought that humor was Mark’s primary coping mechanism, which beat a lot of other things he could have done hands down.
In reply, he held up his improvised vessel.
“I have better than rainwater for us. There’s a little spring out back.
Sorry it’s not gourmet coffee, but it'll quench your thirst.”
“That’s perfect,” Mark said, his answering smile suffused with relief. “I was a little worried if we’d find drinkable water. I’ve read you can last longer without food than you can without water.”
“Water is critical,” Terry agreed with a nod as he offered Mark the leaf. “Here, drink up. We can get all we need, though washing might be a little problematic since it’s more a fast trickle than a flow.”
Mark accepted the leaf and downed the water with a gusty “Ahh!” He licked his lips to catch every last trace of water, and then he handed the leaf back to Terry.
“That’s the best water I’ve ever had in my life,” he said, giving Terry a grateful smile.
“It’s up there,” Terry agreed. “Come on back to the spring with me. I brought along a bandana, if you’d like a sponge bath to get the salt off and be less sticky.”
“God, yes,” Mark said fervently. “Lead the way.”
A few minutes later they were back at the “spring”.
Terry collected some banana leaves along the way to spread over the muddier places.
After putting them on the ground, he pulled out the red bandana he’d stuck in his pocket what felt like weeks ago and offered it to Mark.
“I can rinse out your shirt and your swim shoes while you wipe down. It won’t take them long to dry. ”
“I think we can put customer service on pause until we’re back on the ship, so why don’t you rinse off first? It’s your bandana,” Mark said.
Terry inclined his head. He was so used to putting others first in his customer service mindset that it was almost a shock to the system to have someone tell him to go ahead of them.
But it also told him so much about the kind of man Mark was deep down, where it mattered.
He smiled a little sheepishly. “Thanks. I guess you’re not the only one who can get a bit wrapped up in their job, huh? ”
“Glad to know I’m not alone.” Mark winked as he held out his hand. “Give me anything you want rinsed off.”
Terry didn’t hesitate to strip his shirt off and hand it over, and then he stepped out of his swim sandals.
He had no real body modesty to speak of, but he didn’t think Mark would appreciate him handing over his swim trunks as well.
“Thanks. Even getting the sand knocked off will feel so much better.”
He held the bandana under the trickle, soaking it before beginning to wipe himself down.
Mark squatted by the water downstream from him and began washing them as thoroughly as he could under the circumstances.
But Mark’s mind must not have been focused solely on his job, because Terry caught Mark glancing sidelong at him.
“Must feel really good,” Mark said, his cheeks flushing pink when he realized he was busted, and he turned his attention back to Terry’s shirt.
Terry kept his expression casual, but inside he was pumping a fist. Maybe his attraction wasn’t unreciprocated, which was encouraging.
He rinsed the bandana and wiped his chest and stomach in slow circles.
If Mark liked the show, Terry wasn’t averse to giving him more.
“Oh, it does. As much as I love the ocean, I also like being clean.”
Mark’s face grew redder, and he cleared his throat. “Yeah. Clean is good,” he mumbled.
“Clean is very good.” Terry agreed, and then he relented a bit. Torturing Mark further wasn’t fair, and besides, Terry wanted his opportunity to ogle Mark in turn. So he finished up, rinsed off the bandana well, and beckoned to Mark.
“Okay, your turn.”
Mark avoided making eye contact as he handed over Terry’s clothes and then took off his own shirt and swim shoes. He accepted the bandana with murmured thanks and started scrubbing himself down with single-minded intensity.