I feel out of breath, even though all I’ve been doing is standing.
He runs a hand through his hair. ‘You said you had somewhere to be? Or, don’t tell me, I’m in your way again?’
There is nothing more annoying than someone who knows how good-looking they are. ‘Classic,’ I manage to murmur, glancing as his eye drops. ‘It must stink to need so many things to help you get used to being on the water.’
Hugh glares at me with venom. ‘Saltwater irritates my eyes.’
‘You irritate my eyes,’ I say, before pointedly scooting around him to leave the room.
I turn to see how my retort landed as I step out into the narrow hallway and catch Hugh’s eyes glued to my backside. He looks up and our eyes meet.Two can play this game,I think, before swaying my hips ever so slightly. Hugh’s eyes dart back to my waist. Electricity zaps through my body.
I turn and walk back down the hallway towards the steps upstairs. Halfway up the ladder, an ocean breeze ruffles my hair. I resolve to put Hugh, and his woodsy-smelling, strong-gluted, aquamarine-eyed body out of my mind. I’m here for one thing only.
When I come back on deck, Vanessa is handing out stinger suits, which we are wearing instead of wetsuits because the water is warm and there’s jellyfish. I’ve never been so thankful to squeeze myself into tight-fitting Lycra. I feel both protected from the sun and from comparison to Natalie and Pippa. Before I know it, they’re lining us up to assign buddies.
I realise too late that the couples are buddied up together and that means I’ll be left with Hugh. My eyes flicker to his face and, as if he could feel my gaze, his eyes immediately flick up, meeting mine. My stomach twists in what must be nerves. I don’t know how much longer I can pretend I don’t have a clue who he is, and buddying up for dives won’t help me do it.
Hugh’s mouth opens,- and I find myself terrified of what he’s about to say. Will he finally admit he knows who I am? Say he’s already going to be spending enough time with me in our room and he wants a different partner?
Thankfully, before he says anything, Miguel steps in and says, ‘I’ll take Millie for the first dive.’ I smile at him, and catch Pippa trying to hide her grin. Miguel offering to be my buddy leaves Hugh with Vanessa. Hugh’s mouth closes and falls back into a line. I feel so grateful to Miguel that I feel weak in the knees, which I try to convey to him in a s-mile, but I think I smile too big, because Miguel looks at me like I’m insane.
As soon as Miguel turns his gaze elsewhere, Pippa catches my eye and winks at me. ‘Oh stop,’ I whisper, elbowing her gently. Neither of us can stop grinning. We’re giddy with excitement, or nerves, I can’t tell which.
Miguel and Vanessa run through the equipment with the entire group, passing it out as they quickly refresh everyone’s memory. Everyone has their own buoyancy control device (BCD), which is a fancy, industrial grade life jacket, a weight belt, an oxygen tank, a regulator that you breathe in and out of, plus an emergency regulator in case the primary one breaks. We all have little computers that help measure how slow we need to ascend and descend, and gauges that tell us how much air we have.
I sit down at my assigned station. The crew has given us each a number and I have number six. Andrew on one side of me with number five and Hugh is on the other at station number seven. Hugh and Andrew slip their BCDs on easily, immediately starting to tug at their straps. Mine won’t unclip though, so I can’t get it on. Hugh raises his eyebrows at me but makes no move to help me out.
‘Ugh,’ I cry in frustration, after tugging at my buckle for the tenth time.
‘Here,’ Andrew says, leaning over, ‘want me to try?’
I nod.
He unclips it in one go.
‘Figures,’ I mutter.
Andrew laughs. ‘I’m sure you loosened it.’ He flashes me a smile that instantly puts me at ease.
‘Thanks.’
‘Don’t mention it.’ He smiles at me before turning his attention back to his equipment.
After I notch a weight belt around my hips to help me achieve a neutral buoyancy in the water, Miguel and I check each other’s set-up, as buddies are supposed to do. Miguel’s movements are steady and confident as he runs through the checklist. We each have enough air in our tank – about 200 PSI. Our BCDs work, inflating and deflating through a little hose with a red button, which will sink us down underwater and provide a flotation device in case we need it. We’re sitting so close that for the first time, I notice that Miguel’s eyes are flecked with gold. A lock of hair falls forward, escaping from behind his ear, and he tucks it back with a flourish before confirming that our regulators work. We take a test breath, our inhales and exhales sounding like Darth Vader. We check each other’s clips to make sure we’re safely secured into our life vests, and then we’re ready to take the plunge into the water.
‘You got this.’ Miguel smiles at me encouragingly. ‘I’ll be next to you the whole time.’
‘Thanks.’ I meet his eyes, and they are so bright and full of confidence that I glance away, wondering if he’ll see right through me and realise just how anxious I am.
We are all clustered on the front of the boat with our gear assembled. I take a sideways glance at Hugh, who is buddy-checking Vanessa, taking his time checking every buckle on her life jacket. Suddenly, I’m itching to get in the water, to beat him into the waves. Miguel is helping Derek though, so I am forced to wait on the aluminium bench and watch Hugh and Vanessa step into the ocean. I don’t even want to know how happy Hugh is that he’s beating me into the water. I swear I see a triumphant smile peek out at me from beneath his mask before he takes the plunge.
Andrew elbows me in the side. ‘How are you feeling?’ he asks me, beaming.
‘I’m excited,’ I respond, not wanting to acknowledge that my primary feeling is anxiety. I’m worried I’ll use up my air too fast, which Millie says is the number one way to spot a novice. And I’m worried I won’t find the fish.
‘Me too!’ Andrew hoots. ‘I cannot believe we get to do this – it’s going to be brilliant!’ He fist pumps the air and Pippa cackles.
‘You are so embarrassing,’ she says playfully, rolling her eyes.
