Chapter 4
I have a bottle of tequila in one hand, my shoes in the other.
Water sloshes around my ankles as I stroll through the surf and step after step, my feet sink away into the soft sand.
Aside from a few colourful lights on the boardwalk, the moon is the only source of light, suspended up above like a massive silver ball casting its mysterious glow onto the sea waves.
We can hear the music from the club we just left behind echo in the distance.
Elias’s fingers skim my arm when he reaches for the bottle and he takes a sip. Grabbing tequila from a late-night convenience store was a stroke of genius.
Who was that woman earlier? I ask him curiously. I watch his Adam’s apple bob up and down when he swallows a bit more of the clear liquid. The question sounds a bit naive, as if one of the options on the table is that he might know her from a passionate night of playing chess.
He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and looks over to me with a sparkle in his eyes. She was a blind date my brother set me up on a few months ago, he answers, shaking his head. I think we might have very different views on how well that date went.
A silence falls between us. Not the awkward kind of silence that makes me word-vomit like I’m battling verbal salmonella poisoning, but the kind of silence that makes me appreciate the soft rush of the waves and the gentle breeze even more.
I take in Elias from the corner of my eye.
He has an angular jawline and a small scar on his chin, almost but not quite hidden by his stubble.
I let my gaze glide down his muscular arms and linger on the tattoo again.
He said it was a map, but I don’t recognize it as any particular country.
I can make out a few ships and some rocks, though.
Each image is accompanied by numbers and letters I’m unable to read.
They’re coordinates, Elias explains, answering my unasked questions for the second time tonight. I got my tattoo artist to design a tattoo of my most impressive dives, including their coordinates. That’s what the small print is all about.
He holds up his arm so I can get a closer look.
There’s a surprising amount of detail in the tiny images of his underwater accomplishments.
I’m not always a huge fan of tattoos, but this one is quite beautiful.
Intrigued, I trace a finger along the fine lines.
The thin hairs on his arm perk up as a shiver passes through his body.
Feeling busted, I drop my hand back down to my side.
It’s beautiful, I answer in reply to his questioning stare.
The side of his mouth quirks up. It started with a dive I went on with some friends in Australia, he says with a shrug.
We spotted a discus fish. He points at the drawing on his arm.
So we all decided to get one tattooed to commemorate our dive.
In my case, things kind of got a bit out of hand from there.
What will you do once you fill up your arm? I wonder out loud.
Elias chuckles. I’ll count myself lucky if I can rack up enough memorable dives to fill my arm.
But if I ever do, I’m not planning to dedicate any extra skin to the cause.
He absent-mindedly rubs his tattooed arm.
It’s not really my ambition to be a walking ocean chart for the marines.
He grimaces. Plus, tattoos kind of hurt.
His admission makes me laugh. Teasing, I kick a splash of water his way. What’s the most beautiful dive you’ve ever done? I take the tequila bottle back from Elias and have a sip. The liquid burns a little on the way down and creates a deliciously lazy sensation throughout my body.
Elias tousles his hair and his face settles into a thoughtful expression. He bites his lower lip and I eagerly observe how his front teeth sink into the tender skin just a little.
It’s gotta be the one I did in Australia.
He strokes his chin and gets a dreamy look in his eyes.
The marine life there was probably more diverse than anything I’ve ever seen.
Although Es Vedrà is pretty incredible, too.
It might not have the same bright colours as the coral reef and it doesn’t have a cool shipwreck, but I don’t know.
.. There’s something kind of magical about that place.
Es Vedrà? I ask curiously.
It’s a small island—a huge rock, really—right off the coast. Part of the Cala d’Hort conservation area, he explains.
It’s full of rare plants and animal species you won’t find anywhere else.
They say it’s one of the most magnetic points on earth.
I suppose that’s what inspired all the myths and legends.
Myths?
He grins. Which one do you want to hear first? The UFO one? Or the one about the goddess Tanit?
I blink a few times. There’s admittedly quite a bit of alcohol working its way through my system, but I doubt it’s enough to make me buy into made up stories about little green men or fertility goddesses. Tell me your favourite one, I say with a shrug.
He breaks into an enormous smile. I was hoping you would say that, he says, wiggling his eyebrows. My favourite myth is that the Es Vedrà rock formation is rumoured to contain remnants of the city of Atlantis. Some locals even believe it could be the very top of the sunken city.
I quirk the corner of my mouth skeptically and give his shoulder a playful shove. I lift the tequila bottle up to my face and attempt to read the label through squinted eyes. Do you think the distillery added hallucinogens to this batch?
Elias throws his head back in a deep laugh. Touché, he grins. I’m planning to dive at Es Vedrà again soon. Might spot some unusual fish there. How long are you staying in Ibiza? Maybe you’d like to join me?
I bite my lip. It would be fantastic to go full Sherlock and hunt for Nemo, but I’m so busy with restaurant stuff that I don’t really have time for distractions of the gorgeous diver variety. Let alone a gorgeous diver who makes my insides go wonky just by looking at me.
He awaits my response with a hopeful twinkle in his dark eyes. A twinkle I can’t really say no to.
That sounds like fun, I hear myself reply. As soon as the words have rolled off my tongue, a strange but wonderful feeling settles into my belly. Elias treats me to another one of his winning grins.
We’ve wandered so far from the club that we’re starting to hear music from the next club over.
For the hundredth time tonight, I lift the bottle of tequila to my mouth and drink until it’s almost empty.
I leave a few last sips for Elias, who follows my lead once I hand him the bottle.
From a distance, the beat of Camila Cabello’s Havana floats into our ears.
I love this song, I say, swaying my body gently to the rhythm of the music.
It sounds like summer to me. It’s the kind of song that makes me want to throw on a bikini, tie a beach umbrella to the roof of the car, and race to the beach.
Even rain coming down in buckets couldn’t stop me.
Elias lets his gaze drift along my body, then reaches out his hand. It’s an invitation.
I haven’t had a chance to dance yet tonight, he says, sounding playful.
I bite my lip and grin as I slide my hand into his. His fingertips feel slightly rough, likely the result of floating around in salt water on the regular.
Well, we can’t have that now, can we? I reply and Elias pulls me closer.
I feel the warmth of his body travel through the thin fabric of my dress as he slowly starts to dance.
His hips move smoothly and his hands glide carefully down my waist, stopping right above my butt.
I know this song by heart and with Elias dancing so perfectly to the rhythm, it almost seems like the speakers are really close to us instead of way over at the club.
His fingers press tightly into my lower back when he dips me and swings me to the left just as Camila reaches the half of my heart is in Havana line of the song.
A new tune takes over and my feet sync with his, moving faster and faster.
I can feel loose sand puff up around our feet as he swirls me around the beach.
Broken shells prick into the soles of my feet, but I don’t care.
Adrenaline is raging through my body and I’ve had enough alcohol to mutate into a fermenting grape, so it’s not like I can actually feel any pain.
One song turns into another and then another, and I’ve completely lost track of how long we’ve been dancing or which track is blasting through the speakers now.
Elias’s stubble gently scrapes my cheek and I can feel drops of sweat start to trickle down my back.
I lay my head down on his shoulder and take in his scent.
He smells like the sea. Not in a questionable way, like he’s been marinating in the dumpster behind a fish market, but briny and fresh. Like a warm day on the beach.
He sweeps a few strands of clingy hair from my face and I look up.
I can’t help but swallow when I notice his eyes.
They’re outsparkling the stars above us, his pupils so wide that only a tiny ring of his dark irises is still visible.
My eyes stray to his full lips that seem to be inching closer and closer to my face and my heart absolutely skips a beat.
Before I can stop myself, I press my mouth to his.
An unexpected wave of heat washes over me the moment his lips touch mine.
My breathing becomes rapid. His fingers twist into my dark hair, pulling me closer to him as he deepens our kiss.
I can still taste the tequila on his tongue.
He moves his lips skillfully over mine and I feel my cheeks flush.
I have no clue how long we’ve been standing here, entwined and swept up in a sensual dance of lips and hands, but when we finally untangle ourselves, we’re both out of breath.
Elias’s chest is heaving and he stares at me, wide-eyed.
My cheeks feel hot to the touch under my trembling fingers.
Behind my ribs, my heart is pounding and I feel so incredibly warm.
No, not warm. Hot. Scorching. It’s a blend of the alcohol with the dancing and then. .. that kiss.
Slowly, I loosen the bow that’s keeping my dress wrapped around my body. Elias’s eyes impossibly grow even wider as he watches what I’m doing.
Eva, what... I press a finger to his lips, then let my dress slip off of my shoulders and down to the ground.
I’m standing in front of him in nothing but a matching set of lace lingerie.
Lingerie from the sometimes I like to get a little sexy just for myself category.
On a scale of Pope to Playboy Bunny, it places me squarely at the bunny end of the scale.
His eyes trail over my shoulders to my breasts to my stomach and down my legs.
A shiver zips through my body under his intense gaze.
He swallows hard and the second he steps closer, I spin around and run straight toward the water, hoping the sea will cool me down.
Behind me, I hear Elias roar with laughter as soon as I—after a brief hesitation—dive fully into the water.
Holy shit, it’s cold! I shout, turning back to Elias with my body still crouched down under the surface.
In the meantime, he has ditched his shirt and is now running into the sea, no hesitation.
Water splashes up as he dips his head under water about a metre away from me.
When his face emerges, he shakes the water from his hair and flashes me a saucy look.
I thought you had very different intentions for a second there, he chuckles, flicking some water my way.
I laugh as I turn my head in an attempt to avoid the splash of water coming at me. When I stand up, my soaked bra leaves little to the imagination.
Elias dives back under and when he appears again, he’s right in front of me. Salt water runs down his cheeks in tiny ripples. He pushes the wet hair from my face and kisses me for the second—but definitely not last—time tonight.