I nod. “Your wish is my command.”
We drive for another hour, leaving behind the small coastal towns and rusty signs, until the sun lowers on the horizon and we find the perfect spot near a cliff with a beach sheltered from the wind. My truck’s giant tires and four-wheel-drive let me take us to the sand, hidden away from view.
As soon as the truck has stopped, Perri jumps out and runs to the water, laughing as he takes his clothes off hurriedly and throws them on the sand. Stellan, more cautious, checks our surroundings for danger first.
“Are you coming?” he asks me at last.
My heart skips a beat as his lovely blue eyes land on me for an instant. It’s the first time he’s willingly looking at me since we kissed hours ago.
I shake my head regretfully. “No. I’ll stay here and keep watch. Have fun and be careful.”
He nods and joins Perri by the water. Desire sears a path through my body as both men get naked, their incredible bodies touched by the sunset. They’re both works of art. Perri, slim with delicate muscles, and Stellan, powerful and carved like a Greek god.
Perri waves at me before disappearing into the waves. When he emerges, he screams at the top of his lungs that the water is freezing. Climate change or not, the North Pacific ocean is still pretty cold this close to winter.
The pressure at the back of my skull intensifies. I always yearn for the sea, but seeing it from up close is another kind of torture. The monster in me wants to dive in the blue expanse and never come back. It’s safer if I don’t indulge.
I set up camp while keeping an eye on them. Perri’s sweet laugh echoes along the cliff as Stellan chases him underwater. I place the table and the camping wood-burning stove on the sand and start a fire with driftwood.
Eventually, I get distracted, and when I look up again, Perri is far away from the shore, his head barely visible above the water. I tense, and look for Stellan. I realize with horror that he’s even farther away at sea. He’s getting taken by the current.
Urgency takes a hold of me and I walk to the waves without hesitation and dive with all my clothes on. The sea’s embrace welcomes me like an old friend, and the monster in me stirs. The water is warmer than the river, and the salt wakes my tastebuds.
This is it… this is what I was made for…
My thoughts scatter, and I struggle to keep my wits. But one thing stays true:protect.
I reach Perri in record time.
“Damn, you’re fast,” he says as I startle him.
“Is Stellan okay?” I ask, looking for his head above water in the distance.
Perri hesitates for a moment, then says, “Oh no, he might be in danger. You should get him. Hurry.”
Panic rises like a wave. “Can you swim back?”
“Yes, no problem. I’ll be on the beach waiting for you.” He winks.
I dive once again.
I spent my life in the wastelands, and yet never needed to be taught how to swim. It came naturally to me, like breathing air or walking. The monster side of me is now fully awake, dangerous and restless. All my attention is focused on the task of saving Stellan.
I swim faster than I ever did, reaching him at sea in the matter of a minute, aided by the current. I emerge from the depths.
He curses. “Jesus, you scared me. Where did you come from?”
“I’ll bring you back to shore. Hold on to me,” I say.
He frowns. “What? Why? I can swim.”
I grit my teeth. “Hold on to me.”
He swims away from me, annoyed. “I’m fine. I’m a grown man, I can swim.”
True to his words, he’s already pushing against the current towards the shore. I might have misread the situation, and Perri set me up. Stellan’s fine.
As he puts distance between us, I’m left staring at the back of his head, his blonde hair appearing darker than it is when wet. Behind us, the sun is slowly being swallowed by the horizon. Perri stands on the beach, waiting for us.
