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‘No. I see it too. What the fuck?’ Ben’s more prosaic take on the world snapped Aleksey back, and so he took Ben’s arm and dragged him to the water.
They waded into the bioluminescence of the warm tidal flow which swirled around them, trailed behind them, and then, when they emerged to eat, coated their bodies and made them glow blue in the warm night air for a brief moment, a tiny passage of beauty carried from one world to another.
That night they made love on the beach under the stars.
Lean, hungry, elemental in their bearded, filthy state, they took turns on each other, drawing power from this rawness to be entirely unrestrained. It didn’t seem to matter what they did, rolling, heaving, forcing legs higher, thrusting, they just went where the passion took them with no regard for consequence.
And then they lay in the aftermath of orgasms, tingling, breathing deeply, touching.
When the morning light came, Ben knew he’d been dreaming Aleksey’s dreams. He could not separate himself now, his own thoughts, see this man as apart from him: his wounded warrior no more.
Aleksey was not lying beside him and he sat up when he heard a splash.
Ben stood and went down to the edge of the water.
Aleksey surfaced from the deep water below the cove’s low headland, his golden-grey hair streaming, and swiftly climbed the rocks up to the swing. He ignored that and stood with his back to the water, toes right on the edge. He saw Ben and grinned and gave a small gesture to the sea behind him. Ben folded his arms and nodded that he was watching, and Aleksey arched away from the land in a perfect backwards dive into the deep channel.
He’d apparently been practising forhours, and bethecouldn’t do it.
* * *
ChapterFifty-Five
They spied the boat coming for them from their new lookout point. They’d set up this small observation dugout above one of the eastern coves.
They took turns with the telescope, lying on their bellies under dense shrubbery in a shallow hollow they’d scooped away.
Aleksey grinned when he saw it and handed the telescope to Ben. ‘I believe I win. I told you he would be with them.’
Ben put the instrument to his eye. After a moment he laughed softly. ‘He can barely see over the deck.’
A very small skipper was proudly steering a motor launch into the bay. Even from this distance, Aleksey could see the expression of deep concentration on Miles Toogood’s face. He didn’t approve of doing anything risky.
The dogs, who had no concept whatsoever of stealthy observation, spotted the craft and began barking and tearing around to find suitable presents to offer to their rescuers.
Ben and Aleksey extricated themselves from their makeshift redoubt and strode down to the dock to welcome them too.
It was time.
Aleksey felt the old man wanted to get back to his dreams.
For some reason, there was considerable consternation after the boat bumped the dock and lines were thrown and Squeezy and Tim aided Miles out of the cockpit. The boy just stood gaping at him and then turned a similar astonishment to Ben. ‘Oh, gosh,’ was all he could apparently conclude about their appearance.
Tim’s mouth just hung slightly open until he strode up to them and without even pausing to adjust his glasses began shouting, ‘We thought you were dead! What the fuck’s happened to you? Look at you! Who did this to you? Have you been…mauled by something? Cannibals again! What! For fuck’s sake! Look at the state of you both! You look…absolutely disgusting!’
Aleksey began to laugh. ‘Thank you.’
‘Where’s the boat? Why didn’t you meet—?’
Gripped in a sudden headlock by his boyfriend, Tim finally pushed up his glasses and admitted defeat.
Squeezy just gave Aleksey a quick nod of amusement. ‘Crusoe. I like it.’
Miles appeared still completely speechless in dismay at the handmade fur shorts and rabbit-bone necklaces. Aleksey took this uncharacteristic silence as an indication of just how bad things had gotten, and decided to cheer him up. ‘Would you like to see my telescope?’
Miles recovered. ‘Oh, nautical flags! It’s a code, do you see? Oh, look, M for my name is the Scottish flag, isn’t that a strange coincidence? Did you know that Admiral Nelson sentEngland expects that every man will do his dutyto his fleet on the eve of Trafalgar? Isn’t that a splendid message? It must have taken a lot of flags though. It’s a pity they’re scratched.’ He put it to his eye. ‘Oh! Red squirrels! Did you know that red squirrels have lived in England for over ten thousand years? Oh, I can see you too, but you’re too close really. Why are you so dirty? You do smell horrible. Why are you wearing fur pants? Are they itchy? I got my Day Skipper Qualification! But they won’t let me actually have it properly until I’m sixteen, which is jolly unfair really. Can I go and see the lighthouse? Have you got in yet? I told Granny, and she said she was sure you would have. I saw Muckle Flugga on Unst when I was sailing, but that’s only sixty-three feet high and ours is eighty-nine! I have some really good ideas about how we can get in if you’re still stuck. Did you know…?’ He drifted away, apparently quite happy to address his questions to the dogs, who followed him obsequiously in the hopes of being fed treats that might, if the boy had not changed too much since they had last been together, contain a bit of sugar.
Aleksey felt the moron’s eyes upon him and when he glanced across saw him studying his leg. The scars were deep divots where the traction rods had been, but these were now just reddish hollows on golden-brown muscle. He’d genuinely not thought about his leg for days, and for a moment felt a deep sense of confusion and disorientation about this neglect. The accident and its aftermath had consumed his life for six months. He felt guilty, as if he’d forgotten an old friend upon meeting more interesting companions.
