Warning: the following is more than likely offensive or ridiculous. Proceed at your own risk.
The fog was clearing in my head, reason and awareness of my surroundings gradually returning.
My body was warm, but not sweaty. Thomas’s, against my left side, was warm and dry, too. Lovely.
“What are you staring at?” I demanded with a grin, but used only peripheral vision.
“Eleven months? Why?”
I tried to look inscrutable. “Are you complaining?”
“No, not at all. I just can’t figure it out.”
“Well, that’s just a part of my mysterious past. Think about something else.”
Then I gave Thomas something else to think about.
Twenty minutes later I climbed the steps into the wheelhouse and took the Hagen Daz out of the ice bucket he’d put it in. There were clean spoons by the sink. I felt a little full of myself and kind of like I was filled with helium as I floated back down the steps to the bunk and Thomas.
He looked pleasantly taken aback as I straddled him and began to spoon feed him ice cream. I got my share, too.
I later awoke to find Thomas staring at me.
“What? Is something wrong?” I asked. Thomas smiled a little smile, the expression in his eyes warm.
“No,” he said, “nothing wrong at all. Go back to sleep.” And he kissed the side of my head and curled himself around me.
The next time I awoke, the sun was up. I had to pee desperately and quietly climbed the steps to use the tiny little closet of a bathroom. I returned just as quietly, not wanting to wake Thomas up. He looked very appealing and masculine. I hadn’t asked Lauren how often they came to Pelican. I stared for a moment. He looked vulnerable in sleep, the cockiness and ego temporarily at rest. Well…I was tempted to climb back in. I was guessing it was about 4:00 a.m., but then I spied the alarm clock next to the bunk.
Crap! It was 6:00 a.m.
I didn’t have to feel weird or awkward or try to come up with any conversation at all. I silently and frantically climbed into my clothes and then crept up the stairs. I tip-toed across the deck and tried to get off the boat without too much motion.
I slid over the bullrail, onto the dock, and quietly made my way through the harbor, very aware of the eyes that watched me from wheelhouses, bait sheds, and docks. “Nosy, effing men,” I muttered to myself.
As I came up the ramp I came face-to-face with Enrico and Creepy Bill. Silently, both smiled knowingly at me. Behind the slight sneer Enrico’s eyes looked pained. Bill’s eyes were colder than ever. I felt chilled and anxious, not to mention awkward, but hurried past to the bunkhouse. I felt those cold eyes on me until I rounded a bend, out of sight.
I opened the door to our room to find no Joy. “Shit!” I shouted and turned around and sprinted up the stairs, then down the boardwalk.
As I said before, there are no alternative routes in Pelican. You either walk this way or that way. There was little chance that Bill and Enrico had already passed.
I took a deep breath, tried to ignore them without looking silly as I walked past. I had to glance over at them casually (yeah, right) in order to pull it off.
“Forget something?” Bill called mockingly, stepping aside to allow entrance to the harbor.
“Yeah,” I said, breezing past, “my roommate.”
I knocked on the door to Sam’s cabin, but received no answer.
I knocked again. “Go away!” Joy’s voice yelled.
“I am not going away,” I yelled back. “Get your butt in gear so we can get to work on time.”
“I’m not going,” she responded petulantly.
“What do you mean you’re not going?” I felt incredulous and outraged at the same time.
The door opened and Sam gave me his gap-toothed grin and kissed me smack on the mouth.
“Morning, doll,” he twinkled at me. Not kidding, he did twinkle. “Can I walk you to the cafeteria?”
I glanced down at last night’s clothes.
“Oh,” Sam grinned again. “May I escort you home so you can change?”
I tried to look past him to find my wayward roommate.
“Joy, come on,” I wheedled.
“Look, hon,” she came to the door in beautiful disarray, clothed only in a large t-shirt. “I repeat, ‘I’m not going’”. She said this slowly to her idiot roommate. “I’ll stop by later and explain. Now you come here,” she said to Sam, grabbing him and kissing him deeply, lingering on his lips. “You be a good boy and I’ll see you at lunch.”
Sam grinned lasciviously at Joy. “Uh-uh. You’ll see me at 10:00 break.”
I rolled my eyes and started to drift away in shock.
Sam walked me to the bunkhouse, friendly arm around my shoulders. Talk, talk, talk. I didn’t register a word. Yeah, I knew how great Joy was. She’d been my Joy. Now she was Sam’s. God that sucked. I felt lost.
Posted by: |