Chapter 33
Vincent
It’s morning here. Daylight bleeds through the canopy. Ari’s laying in my arms tracing the ink on my arm with her fingertips, slow and curious like she’s studying a map.
“This one,” she says, her voice soft. “The one that looks like a knife.”
“It’s a knife,” I deadpan, which makes her laugh.
“Why a knife?”
“Cuz I cut bitches off.”
“Vincent.” She gives me that look, the one I call the schoolteacher look in my head.
“My bad,” I say. “No reason, really. Just liked it.”
Her fingers trace a series of numbers. “And this one?”
“My son’s birthday.”
She traces my cousin’s face. “Who is this?”
“My little cousin Yara. She passed.”
“I’m sorry.”
She waits for a beat, then drags her finger down to the compass on my chest. “I like this one.”
“That’s the only one I regret.”
Her gaze flickers up to mine. “Why?”
“I got it to symbolize always knowing where I’m going. But it was bullshit. I ain’t never been sure of where I’m going.”
Her hand stills right over my heart. “And now you have absolutely no clue where you are.”
“Ain’t that some shit?” I say, then we both burst out laughing.
Gotta laugh to keep from crying.
Neither one of us has mentioned the plane since it flew by yesterday. It lowkey feels like we’re avoiding it the way you would avoid moving too much if you were standing on top of a frozen lake with cracks in it. One more little disturbance and the bottom drops out from under you.
It’s quiet for a moment, just the sound of the waves. She leans in, pressing her lips to the edge of the compass. That’s all it takes. Now my hand is on her ass and hers is on my dick. She only has to pump my shit twice and I’m ready.
We climb out and assume the position. I slide into her from behind, and it feels just as good now as it did the first time. Actually, it feels better. It’s like her pussy is molding itself to the shape of my dick.
“Where’s your head at, baby girl?”
Her knuckles are white where she’s gripping the edge of the platform. “I don’t know,” she moans. “Frustrated, a little. Mmmm.”
“Yeah. Same.”
I slide in and out so easily. She so fuckin’ wet. Always, every single fuckin’ time, her pussy is perfect. It feels perfect. It tastes perfect.
“Somebody’ll come for us,” I murmur. “Right now, you cum for me.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Mmm. Nah. Don’t do that,” I warn.
She giggles. “You don’t like that, Daddy?”
“You gon’ fuck around and make me beat yo shit out the frame. Keep playin’ wit me.”
“Do it,” she teases, bouncing her ass in a circle. “Beat it up, Daddy.”
I slide my fingers over her scalp and fist her hair, snatching her head back so her arch gets deeper. I smile when she yells out, cuz she ain’t talkin’ that shit now.
Matter of fact, she don’t say no more words again while I’m tearin’ her shit up. There’s plenty of noise, but not a single word.
Then somewhere far off in the distance, thunder rolls.
“Aight, girl. You heard that. You on the clock. Cum on this dick.”
I grab her hand and guide it between her legs. “Play wit it, bae. Rub one out for me.”
Over and over, I serve her long, deep strokes as the thunder rolls closer, making this feel just a little more urgent.
“You be playin’ with your pussy a lot, don’t you?”
She manages a sound that’s half laugh, half moan.
“I’m sayin’, you wasn’t fuckin’ Lucas, but you got needs, right?”
“Vincent!”
“Mm. Yeah, whatever you do at home that gets you off, do that shit now.”
She takes a deep breath and brings her other hand around the front, easing it under her t-shirt.
That’s better. That helps me picture it easier. I see shorty laid up in her bed naked, one hand on her pussy, the other one tweaking her nipple. She probably got a rose, too. She seems like the type.
She don’t need none of that shit now, though. Not when she got a real nigga around.
I feel her freeze, her body going stiff. I let go at the same time, busting deep, holding her body against mine while I empty the whole clip.
The rain starts with a few fat drops, hitting us hard, snapping us out of the bliss of the sex we just had.
We go to work immediately, packing up what’s out, making sure everything that needs to stay dry is secured under the platform.
I tuck the firewood away on the other side of the shelter.
Ari’s securing the clothes. She’s faster now, knowing exactly what to do. We both are.
I put out the poncho. I set it up to catch the water and funnel it into bottles once it’s full. I didn’t think I’d need it this soon, but I’m glad I got it.
Just when we climb back into the shelter, the rain starts pouring down and the sky goes almost nighttime dark. The wind kicks up, blowing so hard the shelter sways a little bit.
Ari presses close to me. I pull her into my arms, and we lay together under the storm.
“Does any of this ever feel normal to you?” she says.
“Yeah. Sometimes. It’s been days when I woke up next to you and forgot where we were. Or I forget sometimes that we’re stuck. I be plannin’ dates and shit.”
She laughs. “I know what you mean. It’s weird.”
“But lowkey cool, right?”
She smiles. “Right.”
The storm rages outside while we lay around the shelter, limbs tangled. I’m surprised it’s lasting this long. Night comes, and the rain keeps lingering.
I kiss on Ari, just makin’ out, just to pass the time.
She eventually falls asleep, and I’m still kissing her neck, her shoulder, her ear.
I can’t get enough of this woman, and being stuck like this with her just drives that shit home.
If it was any other woman, hell, even if it was Shemari, my fuckin’ fiancée, I would have been bored by now.
But with Ari, I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be and this is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.
She wakes up, looking out of the shelter with a frown on her face.
“It’s still raining?”
“Yeah. Go back to sleep if you want.”
“Shit.” She sighs. “I should have grabbed something to eat before I packed everything.”
“It’s all good, I can fish in the rain.”
“Yeah, but you can’t start a fire.”
“Fuck. Didn’t think about that.”
I reach for her hand, lacing my fingers through hers. “It’ll stop soon.”
But as the hours drag on and the rain keeps pounding the island, I start to wonder how true that is.