Tension coils tight once more, and we crest together this time, Salt arches with a cry, his hole milking me hard, pulsing around me as he’s coming again, and I flood the condom once more in a powerful release.
Only then do we collapse, gasping, bodies slick with sweat, hearts pounding in sync.
That moment, the afterglow, the post-orgasmic strange haze cuddles us, lullabies us, making it all dreamy and slightly unreal, delaying the moment when our eyes meet again and we become Salt and Eliano once more. Two guys in an uncertainsituation on a strange island, giving their bodies to each other for the first time.
As our breaths even out, I nuzzle his ear and whisper, "Thank you… that was divine."
Salt hums lazily, his arms pulling me close.
"Don’t need to thank me, it was a fair exchange. V for V, right?"
I chuckle. "Yeah, it was." Then I add, "But I’m glad it was with you."
Silence unfolds, and, to be honest, I don’t expect a response.
We drift off like that, tangled and sated, the world fading away.
***
I do not sleep for long. Something pulls me out of that shallow doze, some inner stir that nudges me awake, and I abruptly open my eyes.
For a moment I lie there in a blank, thoughtless space. I hear Salt’s deep, even breathing, his body relaxed and loose beside me, damp strands of hair scattered over his cheek, his neck, his shoulder. I feel the temptation to brush them away gently, but I do not do it, maybe more for my own sake.
I blink as awareness rushes back in, unpleasant and intrusive, slipping out of the darker corners of my mind. Unfortunately, I know I have to fight, at all costs, what is growing inside me, that desire for Salt and me to be something more than just a brief affair destined to end badly.
Salt’s behavior, his words, his expressions, the energy he carries around him, all make it painfully clear that for him this is only a stop along the way, and it brutally cuts into me. I should just give up hope, for my own good.
I sit up slowly and rub my face. Salt is still fast asleep. I carefully cover him with a blanket, then get to my feet.
I pull on my pants and a T-shirt and, after a moment of hesitation, decide to leave through the back door, the one that only opens with Salt’s access card. I find it lying on the kitchen counter, use it, and then slip quietly out of the unit.
Plain and simple, I need air. I want to tone down the rush of emotions, the excitement, and this foolish, persistent hope blooming inside me like a weed.
Today was my first time, after all, and I’m probably still under its silly charm, caught up in how special it felt to me.
But I simply… liked it a lot. Part of me is glad it happened with Salt. In some ways he is the perfect person, but in others he might be the absolute worst, because when he finally runs from the island, it will hit me over the head, three times over.
A potent thought pops into my mind.
Maybe… just maybe…I could convince him?
Talk him into changing his mind. It feels like some kind of path, though a rather fragile chance. If the right moment comes, I promise myself I will do everything I can to help him find another solution.
If Salt breaks the rules of the facility, we lose any chance of being together. I do not remember the precise details of the contract, but I am pretty sure that neither the Beta Activation Program nor Second Chance tolerates runaways. There is no ‘third’ chance.
I walk along the promenade, my thoughts erratic and tangled, and I’m so lost in them that I barely notice where I am going. Only then do I realize I have reached the area near the first modules, the ones closest to the cafeteria building. That is when I hear a faint sound, hardly audible, yet something about it draws my attention.
Carefully, I move between modules five and six, where thick bushes grow. I crouch low among them, almost on my knees, scanning the area, and something catches my eye.
Movement. Two bodies. Panting.
Behind module four, exactly what Salt mentioned to me earlier is happening.
Drax is there, fucking a beta pressed up against the wall.
The impulse to do something is strange, so I pull my phone from my pocket and start recording. I barely understand myself, but maybe this is a way to get proof of what is happening here?
The video is short. Within a minute of me starting to film, Drax finishes. He zips up his pants, all in silence. Then he turns and walks away without giving the beta a single glance, heading toward the cafeteria building. He passes behind several of the first modules, including the empty module number one, where Shane and Jeff lived.
