“Awesome, man. Well, I hope to see you out here on St. George Island a lot more often then. No better place to reboot.”
“I'd like that, too. Say, Trev, I'm here with some friends, and we were wondering if you could take us out in the boat for a little snorkeling. Now, I'm not gonna ask for any discounts – I want to support your business as a friend. So just let me know what you'd usually charge for four people, and I'll pay right now, and then we won't mention the cost again at all. If anyone asks…you owed me a favor. Deal?”
He nodded with a grin. “Sounds good, man. Thanks, I appreciate that. Usually when friends drop by, they want the whole half price thing or whatever. And, I'm happy to do that, of course, but it does cost me money to take the boat out.”
“Like I said, I'm supporting you as a friend. Just charge my card full price and then we'll forget about the whole money thing.”
I handed him my card and he made the transaction. I smiled, then went out and brought the others in so that they could pick out masks, flippers, and snorkels that fit properly. Another 15 minutes later, when we were all suited up and ready to go, Trevor led us a short distance to where his boat was waiting.
It did something to me to see how excited Eryn was about the trip. She had this huge, beautiful grin plastered across her face the whole time.
“All right everyone, you all ready for a great afternoon?” Trevor asked as he started the boat's motor up.
“Hell yeah!” we all replied.
“I'm gonna take y'all out to the best spot I know where I can almost guarantee you'll see tons of fish and turtles. Maybe some dolphins will even swim by if we're real lucky.”
“Let's go, Trev!” shouted John, punching his fist in the air. “I wanna see me some turtles!”
We all laughed at his enthusiasm. I could, however, see the quiet excitement radiating from Eryn's beautiful face, and that alone made all the money I'd spent on the afternoon worth it.
Trevor drove us out about a mile offshore before he dropped the anchor. He gave us all a few basic tips and helped Eryn a little more than the rest of us since it was her first time. Then, he proceeded to tell us about our location.
“This spot is where plenty of fish congregate since the boats don't usually come out this way. For that reason, the water is nice and still, and the visibility is generally excellent. I'll let you guys explore on your own. Just don't drift too far from the boat. But if you do, don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on everyone.
“By the way, it'll probably be better if you go off in pairs. That way if one person spots something cool, at least there'll be one other person to see it, too. And, you can keep up with one another.”
“I'll go with Eryn since she’s the least experienced, and you and Leena can go together,” I said to John before anyone else could make any suggestions.
“Sounds good to me, man,” he replied. “Ladies, you cool with that?”
“We are,” they both said.
I took Eryn's hand in mine and immediately felt an intense energy surging between us. I couldn't help but wonder if she felt it, too. I glanced up and our eyes met. We held each other's gaze for a few moments, a few moments that felt as if they went on far longer than they actually did.
“Ready?” I managed to force through a tightened throat.
She nodded.
“Let's jump in,” I suggested, our eyes still locked.
“I’d like that,” she responded with a smile that melted everything in me.
We put on our masks and placed our snorkels in our mouths, and then jumped into the clear water. We swam alongside each other, shooting glances and smiles in each other's direction probably far more often than we should have.
It was amazing. There were brightly-colored fish swimming everywhere, and I could see that Eryn's eyes were alive with wonder. She kept excitedly grabbing my hand and pointing out every new type of fish she saw.
After about half an hour, I saw two, large shapes drifting toward us. I grabbed Eryn's hand and pointed through the clear blue water as the sea turtles approached. She moved closer to me, grabbing hold of my arm until she realized the large shapes weren’t a threat. We both watched in silent awe as they lazily drifted past us, these two, big, peaceful reptiles. It was a moment I knew I'd never forget.
Eventually, we all returned to the boat and stripped our gear off. Everyone was still excited and talking non-stop about the various things they'd spotted underwater. As we talked, Trevor drove us back to the dock. We hung out, had a few snacks and a drink at his place, and watched the sun set.
I found myself stealing glances at the woman sitting next to me. Her laugh was infectious and seeing her joking and laughing with Leena was a side I knew I’d have never seen in practice. Every time she smiled, I wanted nothing more than to pull her close to me.
Knowing it wasn’t a possibility was hell. For the first time in my life, I felt like I had met someone who was real. Someone down to earth. Someone genuine. And, she was beyond my reach. To put it in laymen’s terms — it sucked.
When the sun had set and the dark began to settle, we said our goodbyes as John and I parted ways with Eryn and Leena. As we were walking away, I turned and shot one more glance over my shoulder and found Eryn doing the same. We gave each other one final smile and a wave, and that was that.
Chapter Nine