Chapter 6 #2
Her words hit a little too close to home.
I’m not old yet. I’m decades away from retirement.
How have I gotten so stuck already? There’s no potential for growth at my job.
There’s hardly enough wiggle room in the budget for me to take a break, never mind getting a raise.
It’s like I’ve been waiting for a ring on my finger to start my real life—but what would have changed?
We’d still be the same people and my passport would still be blank.
Before I can find some way to voice my thoughts and join the conversation, Steven pads down the dock.
He’s barefoot, shirtless, and looking like a Greek God in a sunbeam.
He shakes his golden hair out like a lion’s mane and I feel my body viscerally respond.
I want to move toward him, touch his warm skin, run my fingers through that mop of hair.
Tingles spread from my stomach all the way down to my curled toes.
“Good morning. Ready for an awesome dive?” Our cheers are a little subdued. I must not be the only one feeling a little anxious.
“It’s a lot to remember,” Nancy admits, tapping her fingers on the cover of her training manual.
“That’s why we’re doing this together,” Steven assures her. I like this comforting side of him. “Before we gear up, let’s go over the hand signals again. This is the only way for us to communicate underwater, so it’s important that we’re all on the same page.”
Steven seems different today. He’s clearly in his element out on the water.
After giving us the dive brief, we disperse to pull on our wetsuits and arrange our gear, but I can’t look away from him for long.
He’s at home with the dive crew, slapping the shoulder of the captain and speaking to him in casual Indonesian.
I don’t understand a word beyond hello, please, and thank you, but I’m thoroughly impressed.
My heart races with anticipation as Eva and I rinse our masks and look out over the water.
By the end of the day, we’ll be certified divers, and tomorrow we’ll fly home to New York like it never happened.
This can’t be where my adventure ends. I’ll have to find some way to keep diving, to keep looking for new experiences that make me feel this excited to be alive.
“Ready for buddy checks?” Steven’s gravelly voice, so close behind me, makes me jump. When I turn, I bump hard into his shoulder.
“Oof,” I harrumph, nearly falling into the tanks. His arms shoot out to brace me, wrapping around my rib cage and pulling me to his chest. I gasp as I look up and his face is just inches from mine. The sexy stubble on his chin scrapes against my forehead and makes my thighs begin to warm.
“Sorry,” he grunts, releasing me abruptly as my hand shoots out for leverage on the table behind him.
Waves rock the boat from side to side, and our bodies roll against each other, soft and squishy through our wetsuits.
We manage to disentangle ourselves as the boat steadies.
He doesn’t instantly run away from me like he did two days ago, so I take that as a positive sign, even though my cheeks are red with embarrassment.
“Are you alright?” he asks gruffly, hands wrapped around my upper arms to hold me steady.
“Yeah.” I shrug, wishing desperately that I wasn’t wearing my wetsuit so I could feel the heat of his hands against my skin.
I shake my head, willing the dirty thoughts away even as I feel Eva’s eyes on us.
Steven is gorgeous. Smart. Perfect for an island fling.
But this is my last night, and he hasn’t shown any interest. Besides, what he’s given me is far better than any one night stand.
A new experience, a new skill, and a new way of looking at life.
I take a deep breath and turn to Eva whose face is red with suppressed laughter.
“Ready, buddy?” I ask, glaring daggers, warning her to keep her quiet.
“Mmhmm.” She presses her lips into a thin line to hold back her mirth as we pull on our gear.
“BCD,” I mumble and avoid her gaze so I won’t start laughing. We move in tandem to fill our jackets with air, testing the buoyancy control device that helps us float in the water.
“Weights,” Eva says next, tapping her pockets and belt to confirm they’re properly attached, not tangled, and easy to access in case of an emergency.
Steven watches the four of us silently as we prepare for the dive. When we’re finished, we give him the okay sign: index finger forming a circle with the thumb and the other three fingers up.
“Excellent. Grab your mask and fins, and let’s get in the water!” His smile is infectious. Where has this side of him been the last few days? The surly scowl is gone, replaced by a charming and boyish grin.
He steps up onto the side of the boat and takes another giant step out into open water. He pops back up like a balloon as his BCD inflates and swims backward from the vessel to clear the way for the next person.
“Are we doing this?” I ask Eva with a nervous smile behind my mask.
“We’re doing this!” She pumps her fist in the air and hops off the boat. I follow, holding my mask and regulator in place with one hand as I plunge into the crystal blue.
I take a deep breath of the cool, dry air from my tank and twirl in place.
There is so much to see. I swim toward Eva and Steven as we wait for Nick and Nancy to begin the dive.
On Steven’s signal, we all press the button that releases the air in our vests.
I smile around my regulator, rolling my lips to keep the water out, as we sink below the surface.
The visibility is incredible. We can see straight down to the bottom and spot massive schools of fish in the distance as if looking through glass.
I meet Eva’s eyes and they’re glittering with excitement.
We flash the OK sign at each other and I work to consciously slow down my breathing as we await Steven’s direction.
Underwater, he has full control. His competent presence is a comfort in this alien landscape. Steven points toward me and Eva and mimes dropping his regulator. As part of our test, we have to prove we know what to do.
I take a measured breath and then drop the mouthpiece that allows me to breathe underwater. It’s a scary feeling. If we were much deeper, we may not be able to reach the surface in time, so it’s important not to panic.
I let out air in a slow stream of bubbles as I reach for my vest and follow the hose down. I place it back between my teeth and press the button on the back, clearing out the water, and then take a shallow breath.
My heart rate slows as my lungs inflate with air again.
I turn toward Eva and I can see the smile in her eyes before she exhales a burst of bubbles.
Steven gives us the OK signal and then motions for everyone to follow him.
I think I see a flash of pride before he turns and the five of us descend toward the reef.