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“Thank you.” I smiled, ready to dig into whatever was waiting for us.
“My pleasure. If you need me, I’ll be over there.”
She pointed to a small trailer that wasn’t present hours prior. The steam emitting from the vents let me know that more food was being prepared inside. I had new reasons to thank her. Though I wouldn’t have minded utilizing the kitchen in the villa for dinner, it was a bonus that she had her own space.
“Bet,” Makai responded.
He rounded the table, our fingers still interlocked, and slid the chair in front of us backward. Our disconnection was inevitable but I still found myself unprepared. My hand fell by my side, in its rightful place, though it was a place that no longer appeased me. I lowered my body into the chair, ready to fill my stomach to the brim.
The level of comfort I experienced with Makai near left me baffled. The simple thought of digging into my food and not stopping until my plate was clean or my helping was gone didn’t make my cheeks burn with embarrassment or manifest any shame. When he was finally seated and the lids were removed, the fried crab bites with a creamy sauce drizzled on top captured my undivided attention.
I stretched my hand across the table, eager to meet his again. He accepted the invitation to praise the Lord with a bow of his head. I closed my eyes, softly sealing my lids.
“Dear God, thank You. The food before us, bless it. Bless us. Bless the hands that prepared it. Bless the hands as they continue to prepare the remainder of it. Bless this trip. Bless the couples who have joined us on this trip. Bless their union. Bless their children. Bless their families. Amen.”
“Amen.”
Makai was the first to pull away, leaving my fingers deserted in the center of the table. He lodged the corkscrew in the center of the cork and began twisting until it popped out. My mouth watered, but it was quite difficult to determine whether it was overproducing saliva due to my desire for the liquid he was pouring into my cup, him, or the food in front of me.
“You and that fucking eye problem.” He tittered.
“Sorry. I’m just having a hard time concealing my admiration for the man before me. I’ll try to control myself.”
With reddened cheeks and rolling eyes, I smiled.
“It’s cool because when it’s my turn to stare, I won’t give a fuck and I won’t stop until I’m good and ready.”
I grabbed the glass of wine he’d poured, watching in silence as he poured from the clear bottle that held brown liquor.
“No wine?”
“I ain’t never been into that shit. I prefer to drink less and feel more. Straight, not a small percentage.”
Nodding, I placed the glass on my lips and tilted it upward. The coolness tickled my tongue. The sweetness rested against it. The slight bitterness awakened it.
“Ummm,” I praised the perfect combination.
“Good?” Makai sipped from his glass.
“It’s perfect.”
After choosing the accurate utensil, I stabbed the crab cake, scooping up a nice portion and discarding it in my mouth.
“Wow,” I gasped, overwhelmed by the combustion happening inside my mouth.
“Yeah, this shit heat,” Makai agreed, chewing a helping of his own.
We meddled with the silence, both stuffing our faces and embracing the new, yet astounding flavors of the island dish. Though the silence stretched far beyond the three-minute mark, somehow my comfort wasn’t altered. It wasn’t until I was bombarded with words that I began to unleash them.
“Had someone told me that I would be here, on an island with the man that saved my graduation day from disaster, I would’ve assumed they were lying two days ago.”
“Now that you’re here,” Makai started, “are you happy you came?”
Pausing to share his penetrating gaze, I nodded. “I am. I’ve enjoyed my time here so far.”
“Even the time spent in the water after falling off that jet?” He laughed.
“Even then,” I admitted.
