Arizona Skies: The Muse

by S. Cruz

  “Time to head back,” I said, taking over keeping an eye on the time since John wasn’t there. We walked back toward the strip of restaurants, sitting down at one of the huts as we waited for the guys. We heard them before we saw them, rounding a corner by a bunch of flowered bushes. They were talking and laughing as they came into view. Jesse came over and pulled me into his arms. “That was awesome,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “Let’s go swimming with the dolphins this afternoon.”

  “Jesse, I didn’t bring my swimsuit,” I said.

  “I’ll buy you one right after lunch,” he said. How could I say no to that face as he looked at me with sad puppy-dog eyes?

  “All right,” I conceded. “Shelly, will you take pictures?” I wanted our experience to be forever on paper for me to look at.

  “Sure, I might even get in myself,” she said, letting Scott sit down, then perching on his lap.

  “Liza, how about you; you up for a swim with the dolphins?” Keith asked her with a big smile.

  “Sure, let’s all go. It’s pretty hot out here; I could use a swim. But we need to get swimsuits first—none of us brought them with us,” she said.

  “OK, we eat, get the girls suits, and go back to the beach. Afterward we have to head straight back to the ship by five, or they leave us behind,” John said, taking over his manager job again.

  “Yes, sir,” Shelly said, saluting him. We got an assortment of island foods to share and sat under the shade of the hut to eat.

  “I know where to find swimsuits,” Liza said. “We passed it on our way back here.”

  “OK, you lead the way,” Keith said, taking her hand.

  We each picked out a swimsuit. I picked a two-piece that had a little more coverage in case a dolphin decided to undo one of the ties on a string bikini—that would be embarrassing. Jesse just laughed at me, grabbing colorful beach towels for each of us, and we were off. There were changing rooms with lockers for our stuff. I locked up my belongings, putting the band with the key around my wrist as we headed for the beach. There was a man there who gave us instructions; then we swam out near the dolphins.

  The dolphins swam pretty close to shore, so we didn’t have to swim out very far. They were not afraid of us as we treaded water, waiting for them to approach us. They swam right up to us, touching their bodies with ours. Shelly stayed behind to take pictures; then she and Liza traded places, so Liza could take some pictures of her. The dolphins were friendly; it seemed like they liked to pose for pictures, staying still in the water for us. We got some great shots frolicking in the water with them. I was glad I decided to do it; it was fun. I couldn’t stop smiling as we swam around.

  We had about two hours with the dolphins before we had to head back to the ship. The guys were playing tonight, and I wanted to have time to take a shower and dress up before dinner. We went to our rooms and agreed to meet at six o’clock as usual.

  Jesse

  Today was an awesome day. My friends did rib Bailey a little, Knowing I'd spent the night with her. I couldn't hide my satisfied grin when I went back to my room. Scott of course had to follow me into my room as I started to let my feeling pour out to him. It felt good to get everything out in the open, he just listened like the good friend he’s always been. I told him how fantastic sex was with her. He was being the friend I needed at that moment. He was right I needed to write my feelings down; another song was brewing in my head. We’ve been friends for a long time and been thru a lot together, he knows me better than anyone. Only Scott and I knew she was a virgin, I’d sworn him to secrecy. Of course, with my history, when I didn’t come back to my room last night, they’d all know that we’d had sex. I could see their knowing grins already; I wondered how Bailey was going to react when they all smiled at her. She was new to this and I hoped that none of them would make any embarrassing remarks.

  “Dude, we all know you’ve got it bad for her. Shit, it’s written all over your face; every time you look at her, you light up like a fucking Christmas tree,” Scott said.

  “Thanks, Scott, very eloquently put.” I chuckled at his euphemisms.

  “Thanks, I’ve got a lot more,” he smiled.

  I laughed, “Believe me; I know.”

  “It’s good to see you this excited about something again,” he said.

  “Not something, someone,” I corrected him.

  “We’re all pleased that you found that little brown eyed beauty. I can’t believe that we both fell for out-of-towners and best friends to boot,” he said. “I wish they didn’t live so fucking far away.”

  I knew I was gushing about this girl, but I didn’t care. He listened with none of his usual goofball antics. I got the feeling he understood every word I was saying, because he said he was feeling the same way about Shelly. It was nice, best friends confiding in one another, something we hadn’t done in a long time. I was so hell bent on self-destruction. I’d closed myself off from the people that cared about me, my friends!

  “Bailey opened up something in me last night,” I confessed.

  “Yeah, what’s that?” Scott asked.

  “I’m not sure I can explain it. Suddenly I feel young and lighthearted again. The world is exciting, and I look forward to every day that she’s in it,” I said, looking up at him.

  “You know, Jess that sounds like love to me, man” Scott said with a smirk. The more I talked, the more I realized this had to be love. Was that even possible after only a couple days?

  The connection was obvious from the first moment I laid eyes on her. I figured I’d find out what the attraction was and be done with it. But the more I was around her; the more I wanted to be with her, day and night. She was like a drug to me; I was hooked on her beauty and sweetness.

  Then after we made love, I couldn’t let her go. I lay there looking at her, touching her, remembering what had just happened. Who am I? Where did Jesse Greene go? I was confused, totally unnerved, but happy at the same time.

  “Scott, I actually made love to her! I didn’t fuck her; I never realized there was a difference until last night!”

  “Yeah, man, and it’s so much better when your heart is involved,” he said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

  That’s it; he’s right; my heart was truly in it. Yeah, and now I want that experience over and over again. I kept replaying last night in my mind; I’d never felt so happy before. I wanted to please her; never once did I consider my own selfish needs. “I fucking don’t recognize myself anymore Scott!” I said in desperation.

  “Man, oh man, the mighty Jesse Greene has fallen for a doe-eyed goddess,” Scott said, patting my back.

  “You should talk; you fell for this petite, blond force of nature,” I smirked at him.

  “Yeah, she is that and much more. I can hardly keep up with her. She has more spunk in that little body than you and I put together,” he laughed.

  “You got your hands full with that one,” I said, smiling as I remembered how I had scared her that morning. “Listen, Scott, I’ll appreciate it if you don’t blabber this conversation to the rest of the guys. I’d like to retain what little dignity I have,” I said.

  “No worries, man, this talk stays just between us. Although the guys already know you’ve lost your heart to Bailey,” he advised me.

  “Oh really, but they don’t need to hear my confessions about my feelings. I’ll put all that in my songs, OK, man?”

  “You got it, dude!” Scott said, getting up from my bed to go get ready for breakfast. “See you soon, Jess,” he said, leaving my room. “Oh and good talk. I’m glad you’re happy man.”

  “See yah, buddy. Thanks.”

  I went to my notebook and wrote down my feelings. She opened up something in me and now I was furiously writing about this all-consuming love for a woman. I shut the notebook and got myself ready for our day ashore, needing my feet on terra firma for a while. Waiting in the dining hall for my beauty to walk through the door, I half listened to Scott crack jokes, our serious moment
forgotten.

  Every time the door opened, I held my breath, hoping it was her. When I heard laughter and she stepped through laughing with Shelly, that smile blew me away. She looked like any angel in white as she looked at me. This smile crossed my face as I held open my arms for her. I needed confirmation that what we had last night was real and not my overactive imagination. Those brown eyes looked up at me, and I melted, it was real Jesse, I said to myself as I led her to our table. The guys did not disappoint and did a little ribbing for a while. I reassured her that I didn’t tell them that we’d had sex, but they knew me too well and I couldn’t deny it with this big smile plastered all over my face. John raised his eyebrows to me and gave me his big I know how you’re feeling smile. I held Bailey’s hand tight as we laughed it off and they finally let it go.

  The day was fun; we did our separate things. I went scuba diving with the guys, enjoying their company and just having a great time. Scott was his usual comedian, doing somersaults under the water and making our guide very aggravated. He used hand gestures in ways that hadn’t been described as acceptable. Do you have any idea how hard it is to laugh when you have a breathing device in your mouth and you’re under the ocean? My stomach hurt as I tried to control my laughter. He just continued on, making fun of our guide and pretending to play the water guitar, his long, blond hair floating all around him. The man was a menace, but we all loved him.

  I’d convinced Bailey to go swimming with the dolphins after lunch. All the girls agreed to go. Since they weren’t prepared to go in the water, we took them shopping for swimsuits while we digested our lunch. Bailey was so cute, picking a suit with more coverage so the dolphins couldn’t pull off her suit and render her naked. I had to agree with her thinking, not wanting my friends or anyone on the island to see my woman without her clothes on. That was only for my eyes.

  We waited while the girls changed. Bailey was so excited as she walked toward the shore. I could see a little apprehension there as the man explained how to approach the dolphins; I knew she had never done anything like this before. I held her hand as we waded into the water. As we swam out closer to the dolphins, her eyes were darting everywhere. But when I convinced her to relax, she smiled and held out her hand to touch one of the animals.

  Almost like a small child, she pulled her hand in a couple times but finally got enough courage to actually feel their skin. Her smile was worth the price just to see her so happy.

  We treaded water as the dolphins swam right up to us, bobbing in the water. They stood up in the water, talking to us.

  “Jesse, they’re singing to us,” she said.

  “I think they are talking to you and telling you not to be afraid of them,” I said.

  “Look how beautiful they are,” she said, feeling one brave dolphin.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was flirting with my girlfriend,” I joked.

  “Jesse, don’t be ridiculous,” she taunted.

  “Look at Scott; he’s in a splashing contest with one of them,” I said, laughing at Scott being the fool. I could hear Shelly laughing on shore. She’d stayed behind to get some pictures for us. She was ready with that camera every time we were together; I’ll give her credit for that. Everyone stopped what they were doing to see Scott frog-diving and popping up with the dolphins; then he sprayed water out of his mouth at them. A couple of dolphins were copying him and spraying back. He swirled around, splashing water at all the dolphins as they surrounded him. It sounded like they were laughing at him—pretty much what we were all doing too. God, I loved that guy.

  “What a clown,” John said, laughing.

  “He’s all ours,” I said like a proud papa.

  “Never a dull moment with him around,” Keith laughed.

  “My turn to take pictures, Liza said swimming away. Scott, I’ll send Shelly out,” Liza yelled as she swam back to shore.

  “Now he’ll behave,” Bailey said.

  “Yeah, right, in what century?” I said.

  “He’s gonna have his hands full with her. He won’t be able to goof around,” Bailey said, watching Shelly take to the water like a fish.

  “Good point,” I said as she swam up to Scott and jumped on his back.

  “See, his hands are occupied,” Bailey said, smiling at them.

  We got back to enjoying the dolphins now that the show was over. I watched Bailey reach out as the dolphins swam back around us. She giggled as her hand brushed over their cool, smooth skin.

  She shrieked when the dolphins stood up out of the water and talked to her. She was beautiful, uncomplicated, so natural and brave.

  Shelly took some great shots of them surrounding her, lifting their bodies out of the water to dance playfully around my beautiful girlfriend. One swam between her legs, making her squeal in delight. I was jealous watching that dolphin between her legs, brushing up against my girl and making her squeal—that was my job.

  Bailey and Shelly were playing in the water like a couple of kids. It was fun to watch them, unguarded and real as they laughed and splashed around.

  Today was a beautiful moment I will never forget. Bailey was the best of everything I ever wanted in a woman.

  Bailey treaded water, smiling at me, aqua water all around her, with those big, brown eyes sparkling in the sunlight. That smile lit up my heart. I had to hold her in my arms, not wanting to be separated from her any further.

  Lyrics were dancing around in my head, just waiting for me to put them on paper. We played in the ocean, splashing each other and laughing as the dolphins interacted with us. Everyone was having fun as the afternoon flew by. What a glorious day in paradise. But all good things have to come to an end. John motioned it was time to go, realizing that we had to return to the ship, and our time in paradise was over. But thanks to Shelly and Liza, we’d have pictures to remind us of our fun in the sun.

  We had to perform tonight. Bailey promised to be there sitting down front, so I had her to sing to. Performing was second nature to me, but to have that beauty looking up at me made every song I sang feel personal.

  She was my muse, my inspiration, and I’d never be the same again.

  Life was exciting again; loving was profound; no words could ever express the feelings I had inside me.

  Finally, I felt complete!

  Nine

  Bailey

  Tonight I chose to wear my emerald-green dress. I loved the color. It had a high neckline with cut-out sleeves and dipped low in the back. The neckline was trimmed in rhinestones with a thin rhinestone belt. The dip in the back was also trimmed in rhinestones which caught the light when I moved. The dress was tight and short. I paired it with my usual silver jewelry and heels. Shelly bounded into my room dressed in a fitted gold lamé dress that showed off her curves.

  She did my hair with a slight curl at the bottom; then she twisted the sides back and hooked them with my silver butterfly clip. A few long strands fell forward around my face—she was a hair genius. I put dark-green eye shadow on, which really made my brown eyes pop. We examined each other and Shelly took pictures. I looked through the pictures on her camera while she finished her makeup; they were stunning. Shelly tucked the camera in her purse for some shots of the band tonight. Now that we knew she was prepared.

  “Jesse wants copies of all these pictures,” I told her.

  “I know; so does Scott. We’ll stop by the photo shop on our last day and have copies made,” she said.

  “Shelly, these are really good; is there anything you can’t do?”

  “Nope, I’m amazing,” she said, grabbing her bag and walking out my door. She was right, sometimes she is amazing.

  When we got to the restaurant, standing in the usual spot were Scott and Jesse. Jesse was dressed in his black jeans with a fitted blue shirt, looking positively dreamy. His smile lit up the room as we walked in. I would never get tired of seeing those dimples.

  “Bailey, my God, you look hot tonight,” he said, walking around me. “That color loo
ks fantastic on you.” He kissed my cheek.

  “See, Bails, I know what I’m talking about,” Shelly said reminding me how she practically begged me to spend the money to buy this dress. Scott swooped in and picked her up to carry her across the room. She giggled as everyone looked at them, but those two didn’t seem to mind being the center of attention. Liza wandered in behind us dressed in black, looking beautiful. She found us immediately, probably because Scott had Shelly squealing as he nibbled her neck, pretending to be a vampire. She was giggling and kicking her feet as he held her up in the air. They really were cute together, loud but cute. She smiled at me, her eyes sparkling blue in the lights of the restaurant. She was happy, and that made me happy too.

  Keith got up to pull out Liza’s chair for her. Such a gentleman, I thought. Of course, Jesse was a gentleman too, making sure I was comfortable before claiming his seat next to me.

  “Did you have fun today?” Jesse asked me.

  “I had so much fun, thank you,” I said, drinking my water.

  The guys were all pumped up about tonight’s performance. Jesse told me they always got that way before they hit the stage. It was clear that they all enjoyed playing their music and performing. I didn’t see any signs of stage fright at all.

  “You said that you’ve been together since high school; did you all graduate the same year?” I asked.

  “No, John and Keith were two years ahead of us. The lead guitar and singer of their band left to go to college. Scott and I were recruited in our sophomore year after John discovered us in our high-school talent contest. Our parents weren’t too enthused when John booked us in some bars after he graduated; we were only seventeen. But he promised our parents he’d personally keep an eye on us, so they reluctantly agreed. We were allowed to perform with their permission, with strict orders—no alcohol,” he said.

  “When did you start writing songs?”

  “In my junior year, I started writing after this girl I’d dated dumped me for a football jock. I was devastated and had to do something constructive, so I wrote my feelings down on paper, and the rest is history,” he smiled.