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I started off after the girls. Fuck Jas. With all of the anxiety I’d been experiencing over the past thirty-six hours, he should have been grateful. I met the group by the water, immediately greeting them—some—and handing out bracelets. Chelsea was sweet as usual, hugging me as she took a shot of us with her phone.
“Oh, whaddup, Shi-Shi,” Tanya’s husband, Antoine, acknowledged me.
“Hey! These are my best friends, Corinne, Shizu, and Becky,” I explained, not exactly knowing how to feel around Jas’ family.
Our connection hadn’t exactly been solidified yet. Some seemed afraid to interact with me and I knew it was because of Austin’s celebrity status. I hoped that we could get to know each other here in St. Vincent. Well, some of them.
Tanya didn’t look me in the eyes when mumbling thanks. In fact, the woman didn’t say thank you, she hummed, “Mmmhmmm,” taking two bracelets from me and handing one over to her husband. The driver handed out life vests and made sure they were correctly secured on. Chelsea helped with getting them all to sign waivers, including Jas and my girlfriends, before we all waded through the warm water near the shore for the banana boats awaiting us.
We were on the boats for a good four minutes before the other one with Chelsea and a few others from their family skipped the water then flipped into the air. Ours followed seconds later, discarding us into the ocean. The sound of the speed boat’s motor changed drastically as my body submerged. Before I could gather my bearings, I could feel a reverse pull, bringing me back up to the surface before I was expecting to be. It was weird, but I didn’t fight against the force. The screams, and some laughter, were eardrum-piercing. When I surfaced, I tried doing a wellness check. Panic set in when I realized Jas couldn’t possibly know how to swim and my pulse banged in my throat.Oh, no… My head whipped around, taking inventory. Tanya and Antoine were fighting the water.
“The fuck!” Tanya screamed while Antoine quietly struggled for security. “Get ya big ass off of me! You gone kill both us!”
Just as I was about to swim over to help, my vest was yanked behind me. It was Jas. He was pulling me towards him.
“Man!” he shouted behind me, a firm grip on my torso while floating in the water. “Grab Twan!”
“Are you okay?” I was still frantic.
His eyes fell to me, dripping brows drawn tight. Then a smooth smile opened on his face. “That shit was lit.”
“Come on, Shi-Shi!” Becky called from a few yards away. “The jet skis are right over there!”
“Are you okay?” I asked Jas again, turning to face him.
“Yeah. I’m good.” He laughed, arms flaying with natural ease. “I wanna do that shit again!”
He was okay. Jas was safe and…happy. Quickly, I performed a headcount and wellness check for the entire group. Then it dawned on me.
“How did you find me so fast?”
“I sat next to you on the boat.”
“You landed next to me, too? Did you pull me up from the water like I can’t swim?”
“You were down there for too long.” He heaved, but not as much as I was.
I was still annoyed with Jas for his lack of communication over the past few days.Peeved!So the next words out of my mouth were without care. “Too long? I’ve been swimming in the ocean several times a year, every year since out ofPull-Ups. What about you, my G?” I screamed at him.
Then I was really out of breath, eye-fighting with Jas. I couldn’t hear anything but the combined sounds of our heavy breathing, and even that shit irritated me. His lips were full and his mocha skin glistened under the overzealous sun. I could’ve caved. Could have reached over and tasted the sea salt on his lips, the lips I’d been craving for days. Then I remembered I gave up thugs twenty-five minutes ago.
“C’mon, bad ass,” he growled then swam off in the direction of the jet skis awaiting us.
“Damn. This shit good as hell.” Myron stuffed his mouth with more food, hardly chewing in between. “Let me taste that fried lobster,” he requested, chomping his food.
“Damn!” his baby’s moms—one of them—Sheema, chirped. “I gave you my fuckin’ corn on the cob already. Can I have something to myself? I might as well brought the baby out here, sharing my food and shit.”
Myron’s jaw paused and he looked at Sheema. “It ain’t like you paid for it.”
Sheema whipped her neck. “Nigga, you ain’t pay for none of this shit neither!”
“Man, just cut me a little piece,” Myron demanded as I cut into my blackened chicken. “I ain’t never had no fried lobster.”
“It’s tempura,” Chelsea schooled from across the picnic table. I couldn’t believe my family was breaking bread on a remote island, on the damn beach. Everybody was safe and we were chilling by the water, enjoying nature. “I know it’s fried, but it’s the frying technique. Remember those sushi rolls of mine you had when we were at Aunt Pat’s?” Myron nodded. “Those were shrimp tempura. Same technique.”
“Oh! With the long, breaded tail coming out?” Myron asked. Chelsea hummed in the affirmative. “Those shits was little, but good as fuck.”
“Everything good as fuck to you.” Man mumbled, “Greedy ass,” before biting into his chicken leg.
