Two squirrels leap out of the fallen tree and run away.
I bury my face in my hands. “Unbelievable. I think I need a minute.”
“I can’t decide if I feel like we’re the luckiest people in the world,” he says, “or the unluckiest.”
There’s a thudding sound, and I jump and grab Elliot. I think another tree is about to fall, but I quickly realize it’s different. Rhythmic.
Elliot’s eyes get wide as the noise grows louder. “It’s a helicopter,” he whispers as we each ease back.
The second he says it, I know it’s true. “Oh my god! Oh! Oh!”
“Helicopter!” Elliot yells as he tries to jump through the branches, but falls back on his butt. He cups his hands over his crotch and tries to jump again. “Helicopter!” he yells.
Crazed, I start breaking branches, nakedly pushing my way through the fallen tree and out toward the shore where we can be seen. “Wait! Wait!” I yell helplessly, but it’s no use. The branches are slowing us down too much.
The noise reverberates like thunder, and the shadow of the aircraft passes directly over us.
“No!” Elliot yells as it passes.
“It will be back,” I say, frantically scrambling over the trunk as I continue forward. “They saw our signal fires and came to rescue us. They won’t leave the island!”
The sound of the helicopter fades as we force our way out, desperate.
“They’ll be back,” I say again through gasping breath. When we emerge, Elliot and I are both scratched all over our bare skin, and we run toward the water.
The helicopter flies away from the island, shrinking into the distance as it crosses the sea.
“Come back,” I gasp. “Come back!”
Elliot picks up a rock and throws it in the direction of the helicopter before falling to his knees. “We’re right here!”
I collapse next to him, sweat pouring down my chest. “It’s gone. I can’t believe it. The search party came for us, and now they’re gone.”
My head is spinning. We just nearly died, and now this.
I look at Elliot. If I hadn’t grabbed him, that tree would have squashed him. He’d likely be dead, and I’d be all alone.
The helicopter is gone. We missed our chance.
It’s more than I can process at once.
Elliot throws his arms around my shoulders. “Hank. That was our ride.” He looks up to me with watery eyes. “And you saved my life. Fuck.”
“Fuck,” I agree.
My veins are spiked with adrenaline, and I pull Elliot into a proper embrace.
“Thank god neither of us got hit by that tree,” I say.
Elliot strokes the back of my head. “Thanks to you,” he says, and a tremble goes through me.
Our bodies move together. Our faces are only inches apart. Elliot reaches up and gently touches my cheek, and it’s only when his erection bumps into mine that I realize I’m rock hard.
I let out a shaky breath, but neither of us step back. Instead, after a moment, Elliot gives his weight to me, his legs between mine.
My heart is pounding. There’s no innuendo this time. Just the heat of both of our bodies and a strong, primal urge to kiss him, beating from within like the waves on the beach.
Like the urge to live.
This time, I don’t resist.
I pull Elliot to me, lost in the delirious moment. His mouth crashes against mine, and his hard body is like a shock of pleasure. We grope, hands on each other’s sides, as we kiss desperately beside the ocean.
“Hank,” Elliot gasps under his breath, his lips at my lips.
Something works through my brain, reason returning. I pull my lips back with a grunt.
“Elliot,” I answer, and force myself to step back, breaking the spell.
