3. Lucky
Lucky
By the time they made port, Lucky had a plan.
It wasn’t a very smart plan. In fact, it was a very dumb plan and probably crossed half a million boundaries, but it was a plan nonetheless.
He talked his throat raw and somehow, Antonio never stopped asking thoughtful questions.
Nor did he seem annoyed, irritated, or bothered.
It was strange.
It was magical.
While Antonio untied the boats, Lucky went to speak with the harbor master.
He made sure to text his dad, letting him know what happened and who saved the day.
At the end, he included a quick note that he might be out late and tried to ignore the heat in his face.
His father’s emoji riddled message didn’t help.
The wish for him to enjoy his night followed by an eggplant emoji almost made him expire on the spot.
“Your Turtle Top is safely docked. I took the liberty of locking her down while you spoke to the harbor master. Will they be sending a mechanic around for you?” Antonio met him on the dock.
“No, I’ll come out with dad in a few days to work on it.
She’ll sit pretty until then.” Lucky smiled, pushing his sunglasses to sit atop his head.
They doubled as a headband, keeping his thoroughly dried curls from his face.
Without the rush of wind, Lucky was able to appreciate the warmth of Antonio’s voice. He really was a handsome alpha…
“Then I suppose this is where we part ways.” He hoped he wasn’t hallucinating the hint of reluctance in Antonio’s words.
“Actually,” Lucky smiled, cautiously hopeful, “I was hoping you’d let me buy you a drink, as a thank you. There is a pretty good bar near here, they’ve got great appetizers too.” He put his hand on his hip, painfully aware that he was still in his swimsuit.
He genuinely couldn’t remember the last time he’d asked someone out on a date.
Classmates asked him out sometimes, and even a few strangers asked to get drinks during conferences or other work and school events.
Taking initiative like this was rare. But he really wanted to, and he strongly believed in taking chances.
Antonio took his own sunglasses off, slipping them into the collar of his shirt. His smile was wide, easy, with the kind of charm that eased the nerves stiffening Lucky’s spine. “Depends… Will there be more animal facts?”
After three hours of back and forth about rays, Lucky could hardly believe the man still wanted to hear him talk about animals. He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. “I think I can conjure up a few more.”
“Then, your car or mine?”
They took Antonio’s car.
Lucky changed into a loose-fitting t-shirt and a flowy pale purple skort that matched the flowers on his sandals.
Antonio followed his instructions to the bar, a little place down the beach from the marina with an outdoor section overlooking the water.
They claimed a high-top table. Lucky didn’t feel like fighting for space at the packed bar and the normal tables felt too formal for just drinks.
Just drinks.
Just drinks.
He really hoped it didn’t stop at just drinks.
Antonio ordered a glass of Albarino wine and Lucky wavered back and forth over the cocktail menu before settling on a mixed drink with rum, pineapple, and orange juice. Hunger set in almost as soon as he sat down. The sandwiches from earlier were certainly not enough.
“I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” Antonio hummed while scanning the paper menu.
“I had some sandwiches after the swim but I’m starving.” He forced himself to look at the menu instead of Antonio’s fingers wrapped loosely around the stem of his wine glass. “It all looks delicious.”
“Everything sounds good when you’re hungry.” Antonio agreed.
Conversation over the menu flowed. They went back and forth over a few items before settling on a couple different things to share.
Shrimp ceviche with chips, fried shrimp, goat cheese with bread and olives, and a charred octopus with spicy sauce that Lucky was certain was the best thing he’d ever had.
“Thank you again for coming to my rescue.” Lucky smiled, sipping his drink. It was refreshing and sweet after the couple of beers he’d gladly helped himself to on the boat.
“Barely a rescue.” Antonio smiled, “But I’m glad I was in the area when you called.”
“I hope I didn’t interrupt any plans for your day off.
” He hadn’t really thought about it. The search and rescue team was always doing something.
Training, tourist rescue, assisting with fires or car accidents…
Chances to rest, relax, or see friends were probably rare. And here he was, monopolizing the man.
Antonio snorted, lifting his wine glass to take a sip. “No. My only plan was soaking up sunlight and drinking enough to not want another sip for the rest of the week.” He leaned in, “This is a vast improvement.”
Lucky swallowed tightly as Antonio selected a chip, eating it casually, licking the salt and juices from the ceviche off his fingers.
“A vast improvement indeed…” He took another sip of his drink, trying to keep the flush from his cheeks in vain.
“You must have tons of funny rescue stories. Do you have a favorite weird tourist rescue?”
“Mm, I have a few. For a weird one though…” Antonio’s eyes flicked up as he considered the question.
“Ah, there was the time a tourist was reported missing after he had gone hiking. Our initial search was to follow the trail he took to ensure he wasn’t injured along it, then fan out from there.
We spent three days searching and were growing concerned that he had been injured and somehow fallen into a space we couldn’t uncover.
Shockingly, that wasn’t the case, he was simply walking in circles off the trail… ”
“Just walking in circles?” Lucky tilted his head. Paradise wasn’t a very large island. The forest and its many hiking trails that went all the way to the top of the ancient mountains were surrounded by bustling towns. “Why didn’t he just walk down, away from the mountain?”
“We never figured that one out. We were just glad the worst he suffered was some dehydration and heat sickness. At the hospital, he said he went to look at some flowers off the trail, lost sight of it, and just ended up wandering.” Antonio shrugged.
“To this day, I’m still confused because the area we found him wandering in was just between two major trails.
If he had simply called out at any point, he’d have been found quickly.
But that’s a mystery for others to solve. ”
“A mystery indeed.” Lucky hummed, helping himself to some fried shrimp.
“So, you gave me a wonderful lesson on our local ray population, but what animals are you particularly interested in studying?” It was a thoughtful question.
Lucky couldn’t shake the feeling that Antonio really did enjoy his rambling.
That was a new and novel experience, even his classmates got tired of him.
“Sea turtles. Specifically, our population of Leatherbacks.” He smiled, leaning forward, “You know, for a really long time, the population has been dwindling. Environmental factors, human interference, a whole host of stuff. But I want to see them flourish. To do that, we need to do better to protect their hatching grounds and ensure they can access the beaches without difficulty. Of course, the increase in orcas and the numerous tiger sharks pose their own issues but natural predation isn’t a concern. ”
“You’re so passionate about your interests.” Antonio praised, making Lucky’s cheeks feel hot. “When I was a child, I got to observe a Leatherback hatching. The babies were so small…”
“They are just the cutest! Unfortunately, many of them don’t make it to the water, but we are working to create a system. We can’t carry them to the ocean, but we can keep predators away and keep the beach clean so that the hatchlings have the best possible chance of survival.” Lucky explained.
In the lull between orders and refills being delivered, Lucky took a chance to glance around the bar. The lights were lower now, sunset had passed into twilight, and the local haunt was filled with groups of friends and couples out on dates. It was vibrant with an unmistakable intimacy.
All through his chatter, Antonio watched him with a warm expression. Those deep brown eyes never showed a hint of boredom. He looked genuinely interested and Lucky… Lucky wasn’t used to any of it.
“Have you always wanted to study ocean life?” Antonio asked, cutting through Lucky’s thoughts.
“There was a small amount of time where I wanted to be a veterinarian. We get lots of animals that have been injured by nets or propellers, so I thought I wanted to be the one to fix those injuries. As I got older though, I realized I wanted to try and prevent the injuries from happening in the first place.” He rubbed at the condensation on his glass.
“What about you, did you always know you were going to work in search and rescue?”
Antonio shook his head. “No, not at all. When I was little, my parents had strong opinions on what I would do. My mother wanted me to work in one of her family’s businesses but…
Things changed over time and I had the freedom to pursue my own interests.
I wanted to do more for the island, so I volunteered, gained skills, took classes and now…
Now, we have the search and rescue team. ”
“I think you’ve been very successful at it.” On a whim, Lucky reached across the table, resting his hand over Antonio’s. The alpha flipped his hand over, rubbing his thumb along Lucky’s knuckles.
“Is this where I admit I don’t do these things often?” Antonio asked, lips quirking up in a half smile that made Lucky’s heart thump against his ribs.
“Things?” Lucky echoed.
“Dates. Drinks.” Antonio brought Lucky’s hand up, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. “I keep thinking about how I don’t want this to end. It’s been the best day off I’ve had in a long while.”
Lucky squeezed Antonio’s hand. “Then… Why does it have to?” He leaned into the table, “I keep hoping you’ll ask me to go home with you.
But if that’s too forward…” They could spend several more hours talking and Lucky was certain he would have a fantastic time.
But Antonio was a handsome alpha, and Lucky felt no shame in how much he wanted to run his hands along the man’s muscular shoulders.
He wanted to kiss him from the moment he saw him smile.
Simple attraction. Easy, light, just a fun night with no expectations.
“I see…” Antonio’s eyes darkened, the honey brown turning rich with a hunger nothing on the menu was going to satisfy. Heat sparked under Lucky’s skin. “Would you like to come home with me, carino?”
Lucky nodded, eyes wide. “Yes… yes I really would.”