“Yes, meaning goodbye, arrivederci, go away.” I accompany my explanation with a dramatic wave of my hand.
A laugh would be a good word to describe this exhale he makes, but he is him, and by now I’m sure he doesn’t possess a sense of humor.
“Farewell to you too.”
With that, he heads toward his shelter. A very dry shelter, most likely. And cozy. With a good roof.
I’m not jealous. I am not.
15
Ezra
I felt horror spiking in my blood when I heard her shriek through my deep sleep and the white noise of the ocean and rain. I thought she was getting eaten alive by a giant animal and rushed outside to help. And it wasn’t because I didn’t want to stay here alone, because quite honestly, I prefer solitude to her chatter. But the idea of her being hurt mademehurt. Maybe it’s some sort of newfound responsibility because I saved her life—God knows I’ve never been a knight in shining armor.
Weird thoughts.
Finding her losing a battle with a coconut because she was trying to pee deep in the jungle was funny. Why would she go so far? It’s only her, me, and the rain. The sound of it beating on the leaves is so loud, I can barely hear myself think. Who knew that the lack of the city could be just as loud as the big city itself?
I crawl back into my shelter and check the walls. As I expected, it’s holding against the elements just fine. We used to build small play structures and treehouses at our grandma’s farm, and using mud to glue things together was highly useful. I recall my recent wish about returning back to those times, thinking that I should be more careful about what I wish for since life might grant it.Do I feel as free as I expected to?
My brother would be proud of me if he saw me today. He’s always said that I’m no fun. Well, I’m plenty fun now. I’m living in the wild, by myself, and I’m not even checking my phone.
Granted it’s lost somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, but I actually can survive without one, despite what he might think.
The rain intensifies, but my conscience is clear. I offered Mae a shelter, and she refused. It’s on her now.
The morning brings the sun, and the jungle will dry out in an hour. I climb out of my shelter and stretch my body. The first day was a good workout building this shelter, but I can’t let my body, or my mind go stiff. Otherwise, I’ll go insane. I need to find something to do today.
Once I’m out, I glance at my neighbor’s place. It seems to be empty. I look around and don’t find her anywhere. I open a coconut and drink it, then go to take a swim in the water. It’s warm and very calm. Different sorts of fish are everywhere, curious about who’s in the water with them. I freeze, mesmerized by the variety of colors around me.
When was the last time I just stood and watched the world around me? This place is fucking beautiful.
I swim back and forth along the shore, not venturing into the deeper water because I don’t fancy one of my precious balls being eaten off by a hungry shark.
When I’m done, I go to the beach and check my neighbor’s shelter. Still empty. Where is she? It’s not like there are a lot of places to go around here, and if she was on a water run to the waterfall, she should be back by now.
Something pinches in the middle of my chest, like a little, annoying needle.Worry.It’s fucking worry. How pathetic and desperate am I becoming here?
I grab empty coconut halves and head toward the waterfall. If I don’t find her there, I’ll start scouting the island. It’s truly very small, and I’m sure I’ll find her eventually. I just hope a random wild coconut hasn’t fallen on her head, killing her before I can. Those suckers are heavy, and with the right speed, they can do some serious damage.
Feeling my steps picking up speed, I almost run into the opening of the waterfall.
She’s there. Her pink hair is floating in the water as she floats on her back with no bra. Or anything really. She’s splayed like a sea star, gazing into the sky. Her pointy nipples are staring there too, peeking from the water every time she moves.
I feel out of place. Like I’ve just walked in on someone doing something inappropriate. And naturally, I want to do inappropriate things too. Right away. So does my dick suddenly straining my pants.
I mentally shake my head, trying to figure out what sort of hold this woman has over my body. It’s been acting odd when she’s around. Every single time.
Not wanting to be caught staring, I turn around. Quickly. But apparently not quickly enough because she yelps and sinks into the water.
“What are you doing here?” she shrieks from the top of her lungs.
“I came to get some water.” I go with a half truth. No need for her to think I actually might care about her.
She rolls her eyes as she starts moving toward the shore,keeping her body under the water. Which doesn’t help much because I’m getting quite an eyeful. Of course, she notices this.
“Turn around!” she cries out, sinking deeper into the water.
