Once Upon an Island

“Isla? Are you alright?”

“Did you call out? Alert Rick before you jumped?” I ask tersely.

He stares at me, apparently trying to work out my question.

“I’m fine, I can swim,” I say. “Did you shout out? You know, something like ‘man overboard!’ Did you alert anyone?”

I look past him at the sailboat. It’s moving fast, my stomach drops when I realize it’s already twenty meters away. I can’t see Rick at the helm, which means he can’t see me.

Declan’s brow furrows. And I watch as the importance of what I’m saying slowly sinks in.

“No one knows we’re out here.”

“Right,” I say.

“They don’t know to turn around.”

“Exactly,” I say.

“They couldn’t see the platform from the deck. They won’t realize we’re overboard until—”

“Until someone looks for us and realizes we’re gone.”

He stares at me.

I tread water, keeping my head above the surface.

“Do you think they’ll…?”

I shake my head no.

“But will they…”

I keep shaking my head.

“You really wanted to spend another night with me, didn’t you?”

He frowns at my ill-timed joke.

“In the sea? No.”

As we stare at each other, the sailboat glides farther away, and the sun dips below the water.

It’s night, and once again, we’re alone together.