When the food arrives, we grab chopsticks and dive in.
‘Get up to anything interesting this morning?’ he asks, dipping a gyoza into a vinegar sauce.
‘I went ziplining,’ I reply, trying the tempura. It immediately goes back on the plate. ‘Holy shit, this is red hot. I’d let it cool for a few days.’
He watches in amusement as I fan my mouth. ‘Ziplining? But I thought you didn’t like heights?’
‘Oh, I don’t,’ I reply. ‘But Mia asked me and, well, I’m saying yes to new things, remember?’
‘Ah, of course.’
‘And Mia is quite forceful. I caved under the pressure.’
‘It’s fun, right?’ he says, mixing some wasabi into his soy sauce bowl. ‘I went on the first day. Shame it’s over so quickly.’
‘If by fun you mean terrifying, then sure. I think I’m still in shock. One day I’ll be able to work through the trauma and talk about it.’
‘It’ll be an entertaining story for your work colleagues. Bit of danger on the high seas.’
I giggle. ‘Yeah, they might get a kick out of it.’
‘Are you back at work next week, or do you have further adventures planned?’
‘I still have another week off,’ I reply. ‘Wish I’d taken a month off, but my boss would’ve had a breakdown. What about you? Still taking a break?’
‘Yeah,’ he replies. ‘Still weighing up my options.’
‘Don’t you want tosaila ship any more?’
He grins. ‘I’m not sure. I can’t imagine doing anything else, but I feel like I need to do something different. It’s just been a confusing time. I won’t bore you with the details.’
‘You wouldn’t bore me,’ I reply, ‘but I understand.’
I want to tell him that divorce will mess with anyone’s head but what the hell do I know about divorce? I’ve never even been engaged, unless you count Billy Cole in primary school who gave me a jelly ring from his pick ’n’ mix.
‘It’s hard to picture you as a captain,’ I tell him, trying the tempura again. Luckily it doesn’t melt the skin from my tongue. ‘You seem too laid-back.’
‘When I put on the uniform, I’m a powerful presence,’ he replies. ‘I command the sea and everything in it. The fish fear me.’
‘I’m sure,’ I reply, laughing as I picture him in his white uniform.
I wish I hadn’t pictured him in his white uniform. Is my face red? I feel like my face is red. Jesus, calm down, Sophie, this isn’t yourAn Officer and a Gentlemanmoment.
‘I think I’ll go back to the pool later,’ I say, moving the conversation away from men in uniform. I don’t even find men in uniform that interesting but right now, it’s hotter than that fucking tempura.
‘I might see you there,’ he replies. ‘I’m having a massage at three thirty then I intend to pass out on a sun lounger.’
‘Sounds good,’ I reply. ‘Maybe catch you later.’
Great, I think as we leave the restaurant. Ellis in his uniform. Ellis getting a massage. Ellis half naked in his swim shorts. Where is this coming from? I must be overheating.
Chapter 43
I take myself up to the adult pool again, snagging a sun lounger near the bar. It’s the perfect spot. Close to the water and I can get to the bar and back before someone steals my space. I haven’t seen Ellis, which is perhaps a good thing. I didn’t come here to lust over someone unavailable. I could do that at home on Instagram. He’s made it perfectly clear that he’s not looking for anything, which I appreciate, but it doesn’t stop me from quietly thirsting over him.
My music choice for today is Ludovico Einaudi. I want to be soothed. I want to be at peace. I find that classical music provides a very low risk of me becoming so relaxed that I forget where I am and start singing along to Barbra Streisand. In my defence, her Bee Gees era is tremendous.
‘Hi, sorry to bother you. Is this sunbed free?’
