Chapter 8
Mark was trying to remain optimistic, but the sun was setting, and he hadn’t seen any signs of civilization except for the occasional jet flying high overhead, too far away for jumping up and down and waving to get their attention to be worth the effort.
Even with as little knowledge and understanding of nature as he possessed, he was also thinking the terrain looked familiar.
It didn’t help that Terry seemed to grow more subdued as well, and Mark took his usual straightforward approach.
“Is anything wrong?” he asked.
Terry stopped, and then he let out a sigh.
“I hate to say it, but this is where we started this morning,” he said, pointing to footprints that headed off into the trees.
“We’ve circled the entire island, and we seem to be the only ones here.
” He looked at Mark searchingly. “That doesn’t mean we’re not going to be rescued, you know.
It just means we’re going to have to work for it. ”
“Guess it’s a good thing I’m a workaholic.
” Mark kept his tone light, but he meant what he’d said.
He hadn’t built his own business from the ground up by shying away from challenges.
“Okay, so we have food, water, and shelter for the night. Seems like we’re set.
Let’s go back to the shack, and we can come up with a new plan for tomorrow. ”
Terry looked at him with a mixture of approval and relief.
“Thank goodness you’re practical,” he said.
“I was almost afraid to say anything for fear you were reaching your limit on positive mental attitude. Not that I would blame you if you had. But I agree with you 100%. When we get back to the shack, I’m going to see if I can at least build us a fire. ”
Mark smiled wryly. “I’m putting off the nervous breakdown until after we’re rescued. It won’t do either of us any good if I fall apart before then.” He rested his hand on Terry’s shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. “Keep being honest with me, okay? I’ll find a way to handle it.”
“Okay,” Terry agreed. He put his hand on top of Mark’s as though savoring the contact.
“So my honest opinion is that we will be rescued. It might take a few days, but we’re in an inhabited island chain, not lost in the middle of the Pacific.
We need to bring attention to our location.
But for now, let’s get back before it’s dark.
I don’t think the goats are going to be happy, but they’ll just have to deal with it. ”
“They should be grateful we’re not turning them into stew,” Mark said as he gave Terry’s shoulder another brief squeeze before letting go.
He wasn’t thrilled by the thought of not being rescued for several days, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
For once, he was in a situation where he had little control over what happened, but he could help Terry rather than be a hindrance.
He wondered if his family had been informed he was missing and if they were worried.
He knew Felicia would be if she knew. If she hadn’t been notified, she wouldn’t be concerned yet, because she’d forbidden him from contacting her or any of his other employees or clients while he was on board the ship.
“So that means I can contact them while I’m in port?” he’d asked, partially joking and partially not joking, and she had rolled her eyes so hard, she probably saw the back of her own skull.
“Trust you to find the loophole,” she’d said, rubbing her forehead as if he’d given her a headache. “The answer is no. No contact means no contact until you get back to Atlanta. We can handle it, I promise.”
Which was true. There were several people on the team with the skill, knowledge, and experience to handle any problems that might pop up while he was away.
As much as he liked to think he was indispensable, he wasn’t.
He just hadn’t let go of his tight grip on the reins enough to let his employees prove their full capabilities yet.
But now he’d been forced to let go, and he was going to keep his grip nice and loose once he was home.
He followed Terry back to the shack, and they dropped off their bananas and coconuts before heading back to the tiny spring. The goats dispersed at the sight of them, and Mark could have sworn he saw some of them giving him and Terry dirty looks as they trotted away from the shack.
“At least it’s not raining tonight,” he called after them, but the only response he got was a bleat that sounded like goat profanity.
“They’re not going to like the fire one bit, I suspect,” Terry observed, then shrugged and pulled out the coconuts they’d drained the milk from. “Here, let’s fill these, it’s easier than making a leaf cup. Then we can wash up a bit, if you’d like. I know I could use it!”
It didn’t take long for them to fill several of the coconuts, then Terry placed them aside and handed Mark his bandana. “Your turn for first bath this time. Hand over your clothes and don’t argue.”
“Yes, sir,” Mark said, trying to sound meek, but he wasn’t inclined to argue that time. He felt grungy from the sand and sweat buildup after walking all day, and the mosquito and sand flea bites were itching as well. He hoped washing off would help at least a little.
The cool water felt good on his sun-heated skin, and he ended up cupping handfuls of water to sluice over himself as well as scrubbing down with the bandana. By the time he’d finished, Terry was ready and waiting with his rinsed-out shirt and swim shoes, and Mark accepted them gratefully.
“I feel much better,” he said as he pulled his shirt over his head. “Now it’s your turn.”
He tugged his shirt into place, and then he held out his hands and made a little “gimme” motion.
Terry stripped down without protest and handed over his clothes.
“Thanks,” he murmured as he stepped to the rivulet.
“I would almost sell my soul for a shower at this point. And some soap. And a toothbrush.” He looked back over his shoulder and winked at Mark.
“How hedonistic does a tube of toothpaste sound right now?”
“Sounds like the purest luxury,” Mark said, trying not to think about how the inside of his mouth felt.
Instead, he focused on washing Terry’s clothes, using a rock as a makeshift washboard, but he allowed himself the indulgence of peeking at Terry, half-naked and within touching distance.
Something about Terry called to him and made him want to learn more about Terry, to talk to him…
to touch him. Not that they could do much touching while they were on the island.
Well, they could, but he wouldn’t be able to stop worrying about sand, bugs, and bad breath long enough to enjoy it.
Once he’d gotten Terry’s clothes as clean as possible under the circumstances, he draped Terry’s shirt over his forearm and held Terry’s shoes in his other hand, imitating the stance of a gentleman’s valet while he waited for Terry to finish washing up.
It didn’t take long for Terry to finish up, and he accepted his clothes back with a smile. He reached out to gently ghost his fingers over Mark’s cheek. “Thank you. Now, if you’re up for it, shall we eat some more bananas while I teach you how to start a fire?”
The light touch sent a shiver rippling through Mark’s body, and he cleared his throat so his voice wouldn’t come out as an awkward squeak.
“Sure, let’s give it a try.”
“Great!” Terry grinned and grabbed Mark’s hand to pull him back toward the shack. “We still have a little daylight, thankfully.”
The goats had come back, but they wandered off with many protests as Terry barged into the clearing in front of the shack. “I noticed last time there was something like a firepit here at some point. That makes it easier, we just have to clear back the vines and we’ll be set.”
They set to work, with Terry using his knife to cut back some of the thicker vegetation.
Soon they had cleared the area where a circle of stones had been constructed in the past. Terry looked at the sticks and brush they had cleared, selecting a straight, sturdy branch and gathering some of the dried coconut husks.
He crouched down, putting another, larger stick into the pit, with a pile of the rough husk fibers at one end of it.
He rubbed the first stick along the second one rapidly, toward the tinder.
It took several minutes, but Mark saw a wisp of smoke rise from the coconut fiber, and Terry gave a satisfied chuckle. He leaned over and blew on the tinder, and a small flame sprang up. “We have fire!”
“Holy shit!” Mark boggled at the tiny fire while Terry coaxed it to grow with gentle breaths and more fiber, being careful not to smother it. “You did it!”
He watched as Terry fed the fire until it was stable, and somehow, the sight of the fire crackling in the old stone fire pit made him feel safer and their situation feel much less frightening.
“You really did it!” He grabbed Terry’s shoulder and jostled it out of pure excitement, grinning like a loon and not giving a single fuck about it.
Terry smiled at his antics, but returned the jostling.
“Well at least now we know we can build a signal fire on the beach. Tomorrow, we can do that plus a big HELP sign so if any planes pass over, they might see one or the other or both. I don’t know if they will, but that’s what happens in the movies. ”
“We’ll be warm tonight, too. But if you still want to snuggle….” Mark waggled his eyebrows.
He wasn’t usually this forward with someone he’d met mere days ago, but he wasn’t the same person who’d boarded the cruise ship, either.
Despite the dire circumstances, he felt freer to ditch all the masks and adherence to social conventions and be himself on a deeper, purer level than he ever had been before.
Which apparently involved delivering corny pickup lines.
“Oh, I want to snuggle,” Terry replied as he fed small sticks into the fire.
He grinned at Mark over the flames, which lent a devilish cast to his features.
“Over and above the body warmth, I enjoyed it more than I probably should have. And the fire stays out here, while we should stay inside like last night. There isn’t much of a roof, but what there is should help protect us from rain and wind, and in case any of the goats go chupacabra on us in the middle of the night. ”
“It was nice,” Mark admitted, slanting a shy smile at Terry.
He’d enjoyed the comfort and security of having someone to cuddle up to, and it was one thing he’d missed most about Ryan after they broke up.
He’d reverted to hugging a pillow as he had in the days before he shared a bed, but it wasn’t remotely the same.
“I’m glad you think so.” Terry carefully piled on more sticks before bracketing the fire with some larger chunks of driftwood. “There, that should last for a bit. I’m afraid it’s bananas and coconut for dinner, but tomorrow I’ll try to get us some fish for breakfast.”
“I’m fine with bananas and coconuts,” Mark said as he scooted closer to the fire. His clothes were still wet enough that he was getting chilly now that the sun was going down, and he welcomed the fire’s warmth. “I don’t think you should expend unnecessary energy.”
“We probably need the protein, but I won’t waste a lot of time at it,” Terry promised. “If there aren’t any basically right there, I won’t overdo, I promise.” He rose to his feet. “Besides, maybe we’ll get lucky and someone will spot the smoke from this fire and we’ll be rescued by morning.”
A tiny sliver of hope curled through Mark at the thought, but he didn’t dwell on it. The likelihood of anyone passing by overnight and spotting the smoke and stopping to investigate seemed like a long shot. But it was nice to think about.
“Okay, as long as you promise not to overdo it.” He glanced up at Terry. “Maybe you could show me what to do, and we can both try for fish? Or I could look for crabs.”
He wanted to do something, because sitting back and waiting wasn’t in his nature, and he wanted to be useful, not just a lump on the sand that Terry had to take care of.
Terry tilted his head to the side, considering the question.
“Clams might be easier, since you can spot the air holes. But if you really want an experience, we can look for conch in the shallows. That’s a real Bahamian speciality.
But if you’re up for it, sure! We could also see if there are any chickens a little further inland.
They’re scattered throughout the islands. ”
“I’m up for it,” Mark said with an eager nod. He liked the thought of contributing to their food supply. They weren’t on the ship, and Terry wasn’t a server, and besides, hunting for clams and conch could be another new experience that he never expected to have.
“I guess we should get some sleep,” Terry said, offering Mark his hand. “Unless you want to sit up and talk for a while. I don’t know how tired you’re feeling.”
Mark clasped Terry’s hand and climbed to his feet.
The longer he sat by the fire, the more he felt fatigue seeping into his bones.
He kept himself in decent shape, but running on a treadmill in a climate-controlled gym with a bottle of water nestled in the cup holder was a far different scenario than walking around an island in the Bahamian heat without a water supply handy.
“Pretty tired,” he admitted. “I don’t think I’ll have much trouble getting to sleep tonight.”
“Yeah, me too,” Terry admitted. “And tomorrow will be a busy day.”
Their bed of palm fronds and banana leaves was still intact, which was a relief because Mark half-suspected the goats might have decided it was an easy lunch.
He wasn’t sure whether it was exhaustion or familiarity that made lying down beside Terry far less awkward than it had been the night before.
As soon as Terry shifted to lie on his side, Mark snuggled back against him and released a slow sigh as he closed his eyes.
His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was to marvel at how well they fit together.