Islanders

by Brandon Enns

  Within minutes, he located a sea turtle. At first, the turtle kept paddling away from him, so Stefan afforded Mr. Turtle his privacy. After about twenty minutes of admiring the variations of angelfish, the yellows and blues, he moved in closer, the sea turtle receptive of his company as if saying, “Yeah, fine. Just a few seconds. Then piss off.”

  Walking back on to shore, he spotted Bruce watching him through the trees. Stefan waved, and he waved back.

  ***

  Trevor Miller could no longer hold it in. He sprung out of his padded seat like he had been shot, scrambling toward the edge of the boat. After a couple of dry heaves, the vomit sprung from his chest, erupting down into the water with a gentle splash. A comforting hand stroked his back, but in the background there was good-natured laughter.

  "We're almost there," his girlfriend Erin assured him. Feeling the nausea partly subside for a moment, he squinted back at Erin. She was bent over with him, the sun too bright behind her.

  Even though they had been dating for almost two years, Trevor was not thrilled about committing to a formal trip as a couple. He had been on the fence about Erin for almost a year now; wrestling with the notion of breaking up, fearing that marriage was firmly in her mind. At times there was maybe something there, other times there wasn't a single spark to start a fire. It was a pretty big surprise that she was the one pushing for the vacation, somewhat passively that is. Mentioning anything more than once meant it was important to her. This trip…it wasn't for the fun of it, it was to put a title on their relationship, amp it up to the next level, bridging the gap between dating and engagement.

  She continued to stroke his back while the others laughed. He arched his back for round two.

  Ashton McEwen, Trevor's friend who hailed from California, couldn't get enough of Trevor's misery. "Ride those waves, brother!" Ashton rose to his feet and was immediately felt up by his girlfriend, Skye. She fondled his package while admiring his gleaming six-pack. Somehow he always appeared oiled. Maybe he was. Ashton was a skinny kind of ripped, rocking the long black hair down to his shoulders. He rushed over to Trevor with a fresh cold beer. He dangled it in front of his face while he was still ready to purge overboard. "For what ails ya."

  Trevor grunted and lifted himself up hesitantly, uncertain if he needed to vomit one more time. Ashton was beaming ear to ear. "Sea legs, dude." He shook his head. "How am I supposed to go scuba diving and surfing without a spotter? We gotta rock the buddy system, bro. Looks like Aquaman won't be shredding any crests." He took a gulp of the beer. "Pukey here will be knocked out in the soup." Ashton laughed and looked over at Skye, who was enjoying her Corona. She spread her legs to entice him back over. "Should I get you a ginger ale, man?"

  "I'm good, Hollywood. I have this strange feeling that you're all talk. And you live in New York now. NEW YORK, BRA!"

  "Why are you like this?"

  Trevor spit once more and rose.

  "Where we at?"

  Trevor looked out over the water, the island sitting in the close distance. He glanced at Erin, who appeared edgy but excited. "Relax, Erin."

  "What?"

  "It's going to be fine, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do," said Trevor.

  "I wanna do lots of things."

  Skye piped up, having just finished caressing her breast when Trevor and Erin weren't looking, "I wanna do lots of things too..."

  "Yes, we know." Trevor's words were stark. Skye laughed it off and blew him a kiss.

  Trevor hadn't seen his cousin Stefan in over a year. They were best friends when they were children. They had a lot in common due to the fact that they both had the benefits of fatherly, prosperous guidance and resources. As they both settled into their twenties, they grew apart. Stefan had become different; a little strange for Trevor's liking. It was hard to place, but it was a quiet confidence that had developed; like he saw himself as a life coach who had all the answers for only fifty-nine bucks a month. All you’d need was your laptop and a mellow attitude. He was somewhat...cultish? Trevor also wasn't fond of how Stefan went around him and contacted the rest of the crew about the trip, essentially trapping him in a corner with the inability to say no. However, Trevor was burnt out and, after some consideration, he decided it would be good to recharge—even if it meant adding relationship pressure.

  "Oh my God, Skye!"

  Erin's face was beet red, and Trevor turned to see what the fuss was about. Skye's top was off, and she was oiling her already tanned body. Based on the lovely tinge of orange, it was likely a fake bake she had been working on back home. "What? You should be doing the same, pasty bitch." She released a cackling, playful laugh. "Come help me?" taunted Skye.

  "Yeah, right," Erin scoffed and laughed.

  Trevor glanced back at the guy driving the boat. Arnie was his name. He seemed strung out, bloodshot eyes. Trevor slid over to chat. "So, you work for Stefan then?"

  Arnie twitched at the startling sound of his voice. His mind had been elsewhere, possibly in another dimension based on how distant his eyes looked. "Oh, yeah— Well, sort of. More just transit. Part-time caretaker when he's gone. Basically house sitting."

  "Where do you live?"

  "Inland."

  "And what do you do there?"

  Arnie's T-shirt had pit stains that expanded so far it was just one big stain. "What do I do?"

  "Yeah, you know...for a living."

  "Oh, I get by. Surf quite a bit."

  "You're sponsored then?"

  He narrowed his brow at Trevor. "No. Not sponsored." His eyes seemed to focus back in. "You wanna know what I do for money? Well, I work at a burger joint on Ambergris from time to time. Help with scuba lessons on the mainland. We gather up a few resorts at once, typically for a lesson, use a pool over a Starline Resort. There's a really cool bar out on the water at Blackadore. You should check it out sometime. I bartend there on occasion, and I help Stefan out here." His eyes remained on the island up ahead.

  "Wow, and all these places just let you work random hours?"

  "Whenever I wanna help out. Stefan more or less makes commands. All good by me." Arnie looked at him like he was the crazy one.

  Trevor didn't like the guy. He was a sketchy hippie driving a boat while probably stoned, endangering all of them. How could Stefan be stupid enough to trust this loser? "Hey man, some hash for the group? Share a joint?" Trevor asked.

  "No, man. I'm not one for drugs. Clouds my head." Arnie’s answer seemed sincere enough, despite his appearance.

  "Yeah, I suppose it does. You know how to take this thing in safely?"

  Arnie smiled. "Drive it till we touch sand. Then you get off."

  Asshole. "Well, thanks for the ride."

  "Don't mention it."

  The view seemed astounding for the girls, only satisfactory for Trevor. After all, he'd already seen and been to many places around the world, most involving five-star beachside resorts.

  His sea legs were still wobbly, but as soon as the boat touched sand he was cured of any nausea, and was now in need of something carbonated and sugary to replenish. An energy bar would have been nice too. The sight of Stefan with his arms spread wide on shore, jackass grin consuming his face, bothered Trevor unexpectedly.

  The girls were oohing and aahing over the surroundings as Stefan announced, "Welcome! To my island!" Easy, moneybags. Daddy couldn't just get you a pony?

  Erin and Skye were still transfixed as Stefan gave them a hand off the boat and into the shallow water.

  The vibrant colors around Erin made her gray eyes and pale skin stand out. Trevor liked her smile. It was refreshing to see her genuinely excited, putting him in an improved mood.

  She ran her hand through her sun-dried blonde hair, unable to contain herself as she did an awkward half skip through the water.

  Skye shook her ass at Ashton as she stepped into the water. She was absolutely shredded, also petite like Erin. Tattoos were everywhere; on her leg, arm, and back. One was a dream catcher, anot
her was something likely profound in another language, and the other was hard to tell really, probably something sexual in nature.

  "This is crazy beautiful," said Skye.

  "The water..." Erin said.

  "Ladies...For seven days, this belongs to you. I am simply at your service."

  "Such a gentleman." Skye openly eye-banged Stefan. Ashton didn’t notice as he unloaded luggage.

  Ashton turned with luggage in hand. "Don't worry, babe, we got this."

  Arnie poked his head out where Stefan could see him. "Arnold! Come out for a drink. I'll bring a cooler out."

  "No, sorry I—I've got plans inland."

  "Plans? You live in Belize. Why make plans?"

  "Maybe I got a hot date waiting for me?”

  “And maybe Scarlet Johansson is waiting for me in my Jacuzzi filled with Cool Whip.”

  “Don’t joke…I should really get going though."

  "You sure?"

  Arnie scrambled to check the boat for any luggage that might be left behind. He appeared to be in a hurry to leave.

  "You coming back midweek or just for their departure?" asked Stefan.

  "I'll let you know."

  Everyone got off the boat, and Arnie didn't hesitate to start pushing off. Stefan paid no attention to his yacht. "Cousin!"

  "What is this, forty acres?" asked Trevor.

  "Eighty-five. Ready for an adventure or what?"

  "As ready as I'll ever be," answered Trevor.

  He looked his cousin in the eyes. They got caught awkwardly between a handshake and a hug.

  "Good to see you. How's the firm?"

  "Busy."

  "Congrats, man, any new clients as of late?"

  "A few."

  "Any I'd know?"

  "Can't say. You know how it is."

  "Right. Of course."

  Trevor looked around at his surroundings. He tilted his head skyward, spotting a drone hovering high up in the air. It flew away out of sight. "Has your dad seen what he's invested in?" asked Trevor.

  Stefan smiled through the scorn. "Fortunately, he is not a shareholder."

  Trevor smiled wryly and slapped him on the back as he walked ahead of Stefan towards the inner part of the island.

  Stefan turned to the girls. "So! The tour, yeah?"

  ***

  Inside their duplex, Ashton opened up the beer fridge and his jaw dropped. It was stocked full with any brand of barley sodas one could think of. "Oh shit, dude!"

  Stefan laughed. "Open the cabinet up there."

  Ashton opened it to find every type of liquor on planet Earth. "I like you, man."

  "What does everyone think?" asked Stefan.

  "I think I'm really horny," said Skye.

  "Skye," Erin scolded.

  "Well, that might be my cue to let you guys get settled in."

  Erin slapped Skye on the shoulder.

  "We will have refreshments ready for you on the beach, along with some snorkel gear, and of course beersbee."

  "What's that?" Skye asked.

  "Oh my...I'll see you out there."

  Stefan left the two couples to their duplexes. Skye gave one look of seduction toward Ashton and they scampered off over to their side of the duplex, a trail of giggles and squeals following, leaving Erin and Trevor alone.

  Erin walked over to Trevor. She kissed him and he pulled away after a couple seconds. "Wine?"

  Chapter Three - Erin

  Almost two years and he still felt like a stranger much of the time. There was a side to him she could never access, and perhaps she never would.

  Erin had had opportunities to be with the “nice guys” in high school and college. But she wanted what the other girls had. You know the girls, the ones that rejected the nice boys with hopeful smiles and a distinct inability to maintain eye contact. Like swatting flies against the wall, it was. These girls, they could have absolutely any guy they wanted, and they'd always opt for the one with an edge; a very specific type of unpredictability often paired with stupidity. There was a reason for that; it was more fun. She loved when they'd complain about there never being any good men out there, saying they just wanted someone honest, sweet, and sincere. They didn’t. They weren't really tired of the charade. They loved the charade. It wasn’t self-sabotage. It was denial. She couldn't recall one that was honest about what they desired; well, except Skye. You didn't get more honest than Skye. But she didn’t grow up with Skye.

  Now, having had her gorgeous, rich, successful, intelligent, suave, charming boyfriend, she understood. It wasn't just that he cleaned up, he owned rooms. He was often arrogant and had enough wit to back it up. It also helped that sexy was an adjective that fell incredibly short in doing him justice. But with that wonderful package came a man who was disconnected, distant, aloof; something considered as attractive qualities in the beginning and tiresome somewhere in the middle, undoubtedly leading to an impending “abrupt” end. Then, on completely random occasions, he'd catch her off guard and stare forever into her eyes, making it all worthwhile. Yes, she was in his web and she was a hypocrite, but at least she was aware of it. Did that make it better?

  Leaning against the table watching Trevor distract himself with his cell phone, she could only think of one thing. I wonder how many women he slept with before me? During me?

  The sound of raspy moans and bedsprings echoed from the other duplex, increasing in pace. "She has no shame," Erin said.

  "Don't act so surprised." He was glued to his phone.

  She watched as his face shifted to frustration. "Well, that's terrific."

  "What?"

  "There's no service here."

  "Maybe go check with Stefan?"

  "Jesus, he should have said something if there isn't."

  "Think you could get by without it?" she said, devoid of any sassy tone.

  He ignored her, tapping away on keys, the clicking function annoyingly audible.

  "Should I get my books then?"

  "You don't need to study," he said with a half laugh.

  He had it in his hard head that she could just take a mental snapshot of her textbooks and she'd be good to go. This was not the case. She had to work hard like everybody else.

  A scowl was still lingering on her face. He finally looked up from his phone after the brief silence. "What? You can just do the whole photograph shot thing you do when you get home. Done."

  "Click. Done."

  He exhaled through his nose with a bleak smile. "I'm sorry. I'm glad we're here. Should be fun, right?"

  The moans from the other room were now tearing down the walls. Either she was incredibly dramatic, or Ashton was a god in the sheets.

  Trevor's dark brown eyes locked on hers. With one stare, her frustrations melted, while his beauty managed to mute the noisy neighbors. He rose to his feet and hovered over her. Her loins grew hot, the sexual pleas next door now adding to her own desires.

  She made a mocking sex face in rhythm with the sounds from next door. He remained serious.

  She wanted him to take her roughly, but she didn't know how to play the part. The warmth of his breath touched her cheek. Their lips touched. He pulled away slowly and she said something without thinking, a semi-nervous question to fill the silence. "Could you avoid work while we are here?"

  "If I don't do the work, the next guy will. I'm going to see about getting some Wi-Fi. Probably in Stefan's place. I'm sure he's all set up in that pretentious shack."

  "Okay."

  "I'll keep it to a minimum though, okay?"

  She put on her best fake smile. "Thanks."

  He gave her a peck on the cheek. They clanked their beers.

  ***

  Erin was partners with Stefan, Trevor with Skye. Ashton was out on the water trying to catch waves that clearly weren't coming.

  There were two posts about fifty feet apart, each with a glass bottle on top. The object of the game was simple. Knock the bottle off with a Frisbee, the other team has a chance to defend and catch
the bottle. First to three wins.

  Trevor was throwing the Frisbee harder with each toss. He snapped one straight for Erin, and it glanced off of her fingers and drilled her in the mouth.

  From both the shock and the humiliation, she could feel tears begin to sting. Ashton, walking in from his failed surf, consoled her first. She could hardly see through her blurred eyes that Trevor was walking over, in no particular hurry. "Shit, are you okay, Erin?" Stefan rested a hand on her back as she was keeled over. "No blood? Did it get your pearly whites?"

  Her voice was shaken. "No, I don't think so. I'm fine." She choked down the tears and cleared her throat, embarrassment converting over to anger.

  Finally, Trevor made his way over. "Sorry, E." She hated when he called her that. It was always in context of him downplaying a situation, often when he was being shitty.

  "I'm fine," she said coldly.

  He extended a hand to her wrist. "That's my girl."

  She ripped her arm away angrily. She couldn't help it.

  "Whoa. It was an accident."

  "Yeah. I said I'm fine."

  "Really? Cause you don't seem fine. Should we get some ice for your chin?"

  "No. I'm just going to take a break." She could feel the tears bubbling to the surface again.

  Stefan followed her as she stepped away. There was something about his face that was both odd and comforting. He was tall and slender, his dark hair similar to Trevor’s, but he had much less muscle definition, and a clean-shaven face. His eyes were kind.

  "I'd be a little ticked too," he whispered. "There's ice in your freezer and some hand towels to wrap it in in that first drawer on your kitchen island. I'll give you some ibuprofen at dinner if the swelling is bad." Stefan spoke with her quietly enough that the others continued on playing.

  "Thank you."

  Trevor stopped playing and asked one more time, "I'm really sorry. You're okay, Erin?"

  "Oh, God." She waved her hands casually. "I'm honestly fine," she said, shaking her head. "Sorry, just rattled me a bit. I'm going to take a dip." She smiled wide, feeling her already swollen lip pull tight against her teeth.

  Stefan called out, "Here." He tossed her some goggles.

  The colors of the fish were so bright. The coral, the fish, the sunlight reflecting off shallow blue water. It was all stunning. The taste of salt made her crave tequila.