Page 52 of Day

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Leon

“Take the helm,” I called over to a sweater-and-leggings-with-boots-clad Lilith.

“That’s the steering wheel, right?” She wobbled over to the wheel. She was not much of a boat girl, but maybe she’d get the hang of it soon.

“Yep. Now keep her steady.” I went below to grab us something to drink, trusting she wouldn’t do something stupid and kill us.

We’d been out on the bay for an hour now in a boat that Phillip had borrowed for us. Slowly creeping toward the island, we would veer off soon so they wouldn’t think we were coming for them. Scout and get them used to our craft was the plan.

She looked confident at the wheel with her cute captain’s hat on.  Her sweater said I love Seamen on it, and all I could do was shake my head. She was something else.

“Thank you.” She smiled as I handed her a bottle of Orange Crush, her favorite. She wasn’t much of a drinker if she could help it, so orange soda was her little guilty pleasure. I took a sip of my own, wanting to stay as sober as I could, and sat back on the cushions so she could keep driving.

“I can see why you like the water. It’s so peaceful.” Her big sunglasses covered her eyes completely, but I knew she was just taking everything in. The scenery was beautiful.   Especially with her in it.

There wasn’t even a wiggle of her hips while she steered; I’m guessing that meant she was just calm. The water did that to me, too.

“How are you feeling about us, Star?” she asked randomly.  Meanwhile my eyes were on my boots instead of looking at her like I had been.

“I’m enjoying us.”

I was; Lilith was great, and we were getting to know each other better. But I still didn’t know if I wanted to be married.

“Only a week left,” she commented, and I’d thought about that too. Come Friday, we could get our marriage annulled, and I didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know what I wanted.

There wasn’t any more I could say on the subject right now. We were having fun. I liked it and wanted it to keep going, but marriage was a different ballgame.

She didn’t push me further on the topic and never gave me any inclination that it bothered her, but she was still a woman, despite being a badass, and she had feelings somewhere in there.

We looked around the island as best as we could without looking like we were scouting. Lilith saw the fence in the water. Every once in a while, when the little waves would roll over, you would get a little glimmer of the metal reflecting. Two towers were stationed on each end of the island, and there was at least one guard in each.  But for the most part, it was completely covered in rocks and trees. If I didn’t know differently, I wouldn’t have thought there was anything on it.

After sailing around the area for another hour and a half, I pulled us back up to the dock, and got the boat all tied up.

“Ready to go?” I asked Lilith while jumping off and turning to see if she needed help to step onto the dock. She didn’t.

“Yep. Kinda hungry though.” She smiled, and then started walking toward the Jeep. Guess we were getting food.

The next few days went on in about the same way. We chatted here and there while sailing in the bay. Yesterday we didn’t even really talk. We were just enjoying the wind and the water, even in the chilly air.

But despite neither of us acknowledging it, there was a new rift between us. She had been all over me, but now she was working every night at the club, barely taking the time to see me. I knew it was because of her question about us and how I felt. I wished I could tell her what she wanted to hear, but I couldn’t right now. I don’t know what I needed, or what would make me feel that absolute need to stay married to her like I did when we said our vows that night. I still couldn’t remember everything, just a few bits here and there. I wanted to feel what I did that night, but instead I was just happy to date her until then.

I guess we could stay married and date until either I knew I wanted to stay married or not, then get divorced if I didn’t, but that didn’t seem fair to her.

“We got some action,” Lilith called out from the bow of the boat, and I realized I had just been staring at her and not the island.

Emanuel’s boat was leaving. Now we could see where the gate was in the underwater fence.

I turned the boat slightly so it looked like we were catching the wind more for speed and not heading straight toward them.

Lilith’s body relaxed more on the railing, making things look casual as we passed the boat’s path.

No one was on the boat except the driver, but we couldn’t make out who it was. It didn’t look like Emanuel, but I wasn’t completely confident to cross him off the list.

“Wanna head back in?” I asked her, and she nodded her head no. Maybe she wanted more sail time. I was all right with that.  She smiled in the sun while the wind whipped her long hair around behind her head. When she saw that I was staring at her, she uncurled her body from the railing and walked over to me with her sea legs moving strong.