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“Us two?” I played stupid, reaching for the fins in my size and slipping them carefully on. I wiggled my toes slightly. These would work. I put the other size down back in the bag.
“You’re just friends?”
I gave a slight shrug. “It’s complicated.”
There was a slight furrow of her brows.
“Complicated,” she mused aloud, then glanced down the deck of the boat.
I leaned forward, glancing through the other duffel bag she’d pulled out. Assorted goggles and other items.
She leaned forward, rummaging through them.
“Try these…” She held out a pair of oversized goggles. “There’s some smaller ones, but I think those will give you the best view so you can take advantage of having the camera with you.”
“Thanks.”
She nodded, reaching for her clipboard, making a note or two.
I slid the goggles carefully over the bun I’d slipped my hair into and adjusted them around my eyes. They pinched just a little, but I had a feeling that would ebb.
Lucas laughed as he came over.
“Like the new look, Abs.” He ruffled the top of my head as he dropped down beside me. He leaned forward, grabbing a pair of fins for himself and sliding them on. “We’ll drop anchor soon and take a first dive…”
Dominique smiled.
“How do those fit?” she asked him, leaning forward. She rummaged through the bag. “These might be a bit better…” She held out a darker pair. “And the goggles and everything are in this one…”
***
“You ever snorkel before?” Terry, the guy Lucas had been talking to earlier, asked as he held my hand. I was standing near the ladder, ready to climb down into that beautiful clear water. Lucas had happily gone in first after another member of the crew had taken a quick dive.
“Not like this.” I motioned to the water. “More lake, less ocean.”
“Go slow, enjoy. There’s no time limit. If you feel tired, come back. You can go back in later. You have the boat for the day, and we’re docked here for the afternoon for you guys. Also, if you want to feed the fish, they tend to like a little banana here and there.”
“Seriously?” I laughed. That sounded crazy.
“Seriously. We have a few on board if you want to try later. But right now, your boyfriend said you’re probably more interested in photos and the sunken boats.” He motioned out to the water, going on about how far away they were.
I was about to correct him on boyfriend then thought better of it. “Thanks.”
With that, I maneuvered onto the ladder and slowly lowered myself down into the water. Lucas was waiting about ten feet away.
“All set?” he called, smiling at me.
“All set.” I had my camera, latched to my wrist, secured in the little case while we swam.
I dove into the beautiful warm water, catching up to him easily, and together, we swam forward. I had a feeling he knew where we were going and I was just along for the ride. It was beautiful gliding through the crystal-clear warm water. The fish were there, a few at first, then more as we went a little deeper. Small and tiny up to the size of my hand swam by, some hurriedly speeding away as we invaded their space. Multicolored, solid color, they were beautiful, and for a while, I just let myself enjoy it, gliding through the water, the sun streaming through overhead, just taking in the whole experience. And Lucas ahead of me, always looking back, giving a thumbs up.
I did the same, and we kept going. I finally took out my camera, taking some photos of the sunlight streaming down through water, the fish, even Lucas up ahead.
I took a few dozen of the school of fish that seemed to circle around him, getting close and going away, as if playing their own little game, and put the camera back and kept going, catching up to him easily. He motioned further ahead, and I could see a few more people up near what I guessed was going to be the submerged boat.
He motioned that way, and I nodded, following behind him, closing the space between us.
It didn’t take too long to reach it. The people who were there waved and I waved back, moving slowly around, exploring the area. It was amazing to see something just sort of sitting there out of nowhere in the water.
