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A wide smirk appeared on my face as I focused on steering the boat while studying the picture she presented with her wild hair and angry eyes.
“What’s so funny?” she asked blowing off steam as the questions kept tumbling out of her lips. “I made it quite clear, Raymond Tucker that I don’t want to have anything to do with you. What is your deal?”
“My deal is you Sophie.” My eyes burned into hers with such intensity that she froze.
“You drive me crazy,” I growled, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her hair, stealing glances over every inch of her delectable body while maintaining my focus on the view ahead. “For some reason, I can’t get you out of my mind. And it’s driving me crazy. You drive me crazy.” I repeated emphatically.
My admission effectively shut her up, and she kept a reasonable distance from me for the rest of the boat ride. After a few hours, I noticed with a frown that the weather had changed. A faint chilly wind was blowing and dark clouds gathered overhead.
“Oh my goodness, is that what I think it is?” She shrieked pointing at the dark clouds circling above us. I nodded grimly, faced with the unlikely consequences of my ill-timed outing. We were headed into the middle of a dangerous storm, a severe tropical cyclone.
I swore sharply. Damn Malibu weather! None of the weather reports were accurate ever! And we were a long way from the beach.
The sharp edge of the storm was gaining in on us slowly as a huge funnel of wind circled dangerously close to us. I began steering the boat away but I wasn’t sure which way to go. The water was becoming increasingly more choppy. I squinted as the rain drops darted at my eyes. Within seconds we were going nearly sideways with the giant waves of water.
“Grab something!” I yelled at Sophie as a spray of water drenched us suddenly. Fear gripped me as I stared at her drenched form, resolve hardened my features. I would get us out of this storm one way or another.
“There!” Sophie shouted, pointing towards the left of the storm. “I see something. Like an island.”
A small secluded island a few meters away from where we were. Swiftly I steered the boat which struggled through the foamy bubbles of water and the powerful strength of nature as it pounded us fiercely on all sides. A sudden rush of water came bearing down on us with such speed that I slipped. Finding myself falling, snatched by the wild fury of the storm, I was thrown out of the boat. I flung over the side into the unforgiving chilly water. I could no longer see anything else, the world was a long wall of water on all sides.
Sophie! I thought with a panicked look as I looked around desperately for her. My heart pounded so fiercely that I thought it would explode. Finally, I spied her hands as she struggled above the influx of the water. I swam over to her in quick strokes and grabbed her hands just as she was falling off.
Our boat was being torn apart by the infuriated storm. I quickly grabbed a plank floating nearby and pushed Sophie to it, holding her afloat. She was barely conscious by this time, teeth chattering, and hands cold.
“I’m sorry.” I whispered desperately as I held on to her tightly. Slowly I began to swim, heading for the island which was now just a few strokes away. Despite the barraging force of the water, I pushed ahead holding onto Sophie tightly. We’re so close to shore now, I was about to make one final stroke when a wall of water came crashing down pulling us under.
Sophie,I thought and closed my eyes as the darkness enveloped me.
* * *
I was having a terrible dream.Sophie was being pursued in the dark by a nameless monster. I tried to reach and help her, but I was held back by invisible bonds. I struggled against the bonds but they wouldn’t give. The thing was almost on her, gaining strength, then she fell to the ground eyes wide with terror and screamed.
“Sophie!!” I yelled hoarsely as I struggled.
“Raymond. It’s okay. I’m here.” Someone was shaking me awake. I struggled with the invincible bonds holding me back.
“Raymond, I’m fine. Wake up, you’re having a bad dream.”
My eyes opened wildly.
“It’s okay. It’s okay I’m here.” It was Sophie, she was showering me with kisses and holding me close to her.
“Sophie,” I groaned softly, crushing her to my body. “I’m so sorry. I’m really sorry.”
“Stop it, you didn’t cause the storm. It’s okay, we survived and that’s what matters.”
Soon our feverish kisses of assurance developed to something more, something urgent. She was splayed over my lap, seeking comfort from my lips, and I grabbed onto her like a lifeline. We just sat there for a few minutes in silence, her head on my chest.
I told her again how sorry I was. That nothing happened with that woman. How I thought I could go find somebody else easily, but realized I didn’t want to. I felt uncomfortable being close to another woman and stopped it before it began.
“I saw you kissing her in the car though. Like, Isawyou nuzzling up to her,” she replied with pursed lips and a focused stare.
“I wasn’t though. She was struggling with her seatbelt. That was it! I wouldn’t have even had her in my car except she couldn’t get a taxi out of the area.”
She looked at my face and then touched my hair, stroking it gently. I think she was considering everything I was telling her while taking inventory of how she felt, because something was changing. The air was charged with a sensual energy.
I touched her arms as I sat there quietly with her. We just looked at each other, touching gently as we were in each other’s presence for the first time closely in a while. The pain and loneliness of our separation seemed to be waning as we continued to be there. It was turning into a solace, and the breeze felt warmer as the time passed.
