I looked up at his sculpted naked body. He was dripping wet, it was like looking up at David by Michelangelo.
“Do you live far from here?” Remy asked looking out onto the streets, “It doesn't look like this town has any taxis or trams this late at night.”
“I’m staying with a friend up there,” I pointed in the direction of the hill that was about an hour walk from where we were.
“Holy shit, that’s far," he said.
I noticed how Canadian he sounded.
“Don’t worry about me. I need a second but I can walk myself from here.”
It surprised me that Remy hadn’t noticed his watch was missing yet. I put on my shirt and tried to stand up to put my jeans on, but the sharp pain in my knee put me back down on my ass.
“Fuck!” I cried out.
What did I do to myself?
Remy kneeled down and rested his warm hand on my leg. He looked concerned.
“My motel is around the corner from here. I don’t want you to think it’s weird but you’re welcome to rest there tonight. It may be too much of a mission to bring you back to your friend’s place.”
I was hesitant. Remy was nice on the outside but I didn’t know him. He was a stranger, and I don't trust many people let alone strangers. But I looked back down at my leg, my knee had a cut on it with a bit of blood coming out. I had to admit defeat.
“Sure,” I said.
Remy helped me put my pants on. He was delicate but firm. He put his pants on too, but he used his t-shirt to tie it around my knee to stop the bleeding.
Then, he carried me back onto the boardwalk onto the empty streets. I could hear his steady slow breaths with my head on his chest. This man was so strong.
We arrived at the motel, above the door was a red neon sign that read Habitat 89. He swiped his key card and the light turned from red to green. He opened the door to the dingy lobby with all kinds of dark stains on the carpet.
There was a sign written with a red sharpie on a piece of lined paper ripped from a notebook on the receptionist’s desk. "Be back in 15 minutes."
We walked past the desk to a narrow hallway. The light at the end of it flickered like we were in a horror film. I closed my eyes and buried it deeper in Remy’s chest, and I felt his hand caress my back. Should I feel scared? Even if he did something to me, if I screamed, will anyone even hear me?
I opened my eyes a bit to study his face. He was hard to read, stoic. He had furrowed brows and slight lines extended from the corners of his eyes. He reminded me of someone but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly who.
We reached the end of the hallway, the flickering light had now completely dimmed to darkness. He swiped the same key and we entered his room where he had left the TV on. It was playing some French game show.
A black and white spotted dog was jumping at Remy’s feet trying to greet him.
“Hold on there, Pablo,” Remy said in a playful voice.
Remy lowered my body on the pink and teal flowery comforter that smelled of bleach.
“I didn’t know you had a dog,” I said.
“Well, now you do. I named my ship Dog and I, so it’s only fitting that I have one on board with me at all times.
“You mean he comes with you on all your trips?”
“Of course, he’s my co-pilot,” he said. Remy reached into a jar and gave me a dog treat. Pablo jumped up on the bed and tried to lick my face and I used the treat to try and fend him off.
Remy let out a deep laugh then he disappeared in the bathroom. He was so tall that he had to bend down to not hit the top of the door frame.
My heart raced not knowing what he might come back in the room with.
When he returned, he had a bucket in his hand.
“I’m going to go get some ice for your knee. Don’t hurt yourself again in here,” he smiled.
I pulled a tight smile on my face and nodded. Why was he so thoughtful? What did he want from me?
I pulled myself up to rest my head on the pillow. My clothes were still damp from the beach. In this position, my knee didn’t hurt as much. But soon after, the pain came back in waves like a pendulum swinging back and forth on a clock.
Remy came back with some ice that he put in a plastic bag.
“You’re going to need to strip out of your jeans for this to do anything,” he said.
I looked at him with hesitation.
“Don’t worry. I won’t try anything,” he said.
I unbuttoned my jeans and tried to slide them off. Naked and exposed, I wasn't wearing any underwear. Remy focused his eyes on my face, as he helped me shimmy out of my jeans. Then he draped them on the chair. He reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of athletic shorts and tossed them on me.
“Put these on,” he said.
I slipped the shorts on, they were way too big for me but they did the job. The shorts radiated Remy’s musky scent.
I put the bag of ice on my knee to cool down the pain.
“I’m going to shower,” Remy said. “Holler at me if you need anything, eh?”
I started laughing.
“What?” Remy asked. “Did I say something funny?”
I had to take a deep breath before I could speak.
“I thought it was a Canadian stereotype that everyone says eh.”
“Oh, I don’t even notice when I say it. You’ve never met a Canadian before?”
“I’ve met many, though mostly French Canadians.”
Remy stripped out of his shirt, in the light he was so much sexier than what I saw on the beach. Then he went into the bathroom leaving the door ajar before he took the rest of his clothes off.
From the crack of the door, I could see him getting naked and my cock hardened up watching him. There were sounds of running water in the shower. I couldn't see much after that. Steam filled the bathroom and escaped through the door.
The calming sounds of running water and the light from the TV made me drowsy. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep.
*****
The next time I woke up, the room was dark, but the TV was still on. It was now playing some talk show in French.
I looked beside me and noticed that Remy wasn’t in the same bed. He must have tucked me in the covers while I was sleeping. I saw him sleeping in nothing except his grey briefs on the couch near the window.
His large body was cramped in the loveseat and his arms crossed over his thick chest to fit on the couch. Pablo was curled up beside his knees, his adorable face rested on Remy’s thighs.
His snores were loud and it rumbled the room.
I looked down at my knee and the pain had subsided. Remy had wrapped it up with a bandage. I didn't understand. What did this guy want from me?
Paranoia sunk in that he knew I took the watch. Was he waiting to take me to the police station tomorrow? Could I be arrested here? I wasn’t even a citizen of this country.
Would they send me back to Venezuela? Would they keep me in prison forever? I thought about escaping, but where would I go?
It was too late to walk home alone. I knew that this town that looked empty and safe was not as serene as it appeared.
I was stuck here with Remy, I had no choice.
3
Remy
The sun broke through the sheer white curtains and woke me up. I turned to see that Mateo propped himself up against the headboard. He was scrolling through the channels finding something to watch on TV. He had disheveled hair and his skin glowed in the morning light.
“Good morning, how did you sleep?” I asked.
“Slept well, thanks for the bed. You didn’t have to," Mateo said.
“Oh don’t worry about it, you needed it more than me.”
“How’s your leg doing?”
He peeled back the covers to look at it. His exposed body caught me by surprise. My morning wood got even harder and I tried to hide it with the cushion on the couch.
“It doesn’t hurt as much as last night. I’ll be fine.”
> I got up from the couch to stretch and pull back the curtains. My whole body felt cramped from sleeping on that tiny couch all night.
I looked out the window and saw people who were enjoying the nice weather. It was a stark contrast from the quiet eeriness of last night. Ice cream trucks scattered on the boardwalk playing music. There were kids enjoying soft serve cones and popsicles in the sun.
I looked down at my wrist to check the time to see how long I’ve been sleeping for. Fuck! Where is my watch?
I panicked while looking through the trousers I wore the night before in search of them. I checked the washroom to see if I had taken it off before I showered. I checked the bedside table, the drawers, and the closet.
Nothing.
Fuck!
Mateo looked at me while I moved around the room but he was silent as I did so.
“Have you seen my watch?” I asked, “It’s a gold Rolex with a deep blue dial. The arms are gold with emerald green detailing.”
He hesitated, then looked back up at me with his puppy dog eyes.
“No, I’m sorry I haven’t," he replied.
“I must have left it at the beach last night when we left.”
I sat back down on the side of the bed and buried my face in my hands.
“My best friend Jay gave me that watch. He gave it to me for being his best man at his wedding a few months ago. Fuck, it means so much to me. I can’t believe I lost it.”
I knew that there was no hope, if I left it on the beach, someone else would have claimed it already.
I felt Mateo’s hands run up and down my bare back. The softness of his hands loosened up the tension in my shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “If it’s gone, it’s gone. Let’s go get brunch or something, it’ll help me take my mind off it.”
We got dressed and walked to the French bakery a few stores from the motel. Mateo walked with a bit of a limp but his knee seemed a lot better than it was last night. I braced him as we made our way down the street.
The bakery had large windows that flooded the space with light. Glass display cases showcased an assortment of baked goods. A French man with a white t-shirt tucked into his black trousers held up by suspenders greeted us. His belly was circular and round.
I ordered coffees for the both of us and some croissants. It was nice having some company in a foreign place. Usually, I was pretty lonely.
“What’s it like being a captain of a crab fishing vessel?” Mateo asked breaking the silence.
“It’s hard work, both mentally and physically. There’s a lot of personalities on the crew as well. Most of them think they know everything. So there needs to be a balance of stroking their ego and telling them to shut the fuck up. I can’t see myself doing anything else. The thrill of crab fishing is too exciting. I can’t really describe it, it’s something that you have to experience.”
“Where are you going next?” He smiled.
“Going to Peru next, the crab are migrating south around this time to avoid the winter storms and to lay their eggs. This is the most competitive time of the year for crab fishers. It’s when the females are the largest and the eggs that they carry are worth a lot of money.”
“Peru?”
“Yeah.”
Mateo looked out the window, his eyes were magnificent in the morning light. I’ve never seen such beautiful hazel eyes in my life.
“Would it be wrong to ask if I could come with you? I can help out any way I can, even if it means cooking or cleaning. I’m pretty good at that.”
I looked him up and down. There was desperation in the way he looked at me.
“I’m sorry, I can't do that. I don’t think you’re strong enough to be on the ship. The guys will rip you apart. The conditions will tear you up.”
“What do you mean I’m not strong enough, you don’t know me.”
“I’ve been in the business for twenty years. I can look at a person and know immediately if they’re cut out for it physically or mentally.”
“That’s bullshit. If you don’t want to take me just say so. Don’t make up a dumb excuse.”
I smiled at how passionate he was. I took a sip of my coffee and looked at him.
“You think you can last three months on a boat?”
He nodded.
“You think you can handle weeks of rain straight?”
He nodded.
“You think you can handle not sleeping for nights on end from the turbulent waters?”
“Look, I’ve been taking care of myself since I was seventeen. I’ve been to so many cities all around the world. Yes, I fucked up my knee last night and you had to carry me home. But I’m not the kind of person that needs taking care of,” Mateo said.
“Okay, fine. If you think you can handle it, we leave the day after tomorrow. There’s one bed left, bottom bunk in a shared room with one of the guys. You’ll be sharing it with a man named Drake.”
“Thank you,” Mateo smiled.
I knew I was taking on more than I could chew. It was the hardest crab season of the year. I didn’t have time to train someone, let alone have this cute distraction onboard who wanted to follow me around.
But his golden skin, his hazel eyes, and his smile made it so hard for me to say no. The guys on the crew won’t be happy having him around. I had a feeling it was going to be bad.
“Why do you want to come so bad?” I asked.
“I need to get back to South America. Also, it never hurts to try something new. I live for moments like these," Mateo said.
“So you’re planning to leave Europe for good?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s been a fun time here. But it’s my time to go.”
“Will you reconnect with your family back in Venezuela?”
“That’s the plan if they even want to see my face again," he said.
“They’re your parents, I’m sure they will," I replied.
“That’s easier said for some.”
“You’re right. I’ve met a lot of guys in my life whose parents abandoned them because of who they love. It’s quite sad.”
“It is, it makes me feel worthless almost. It was the reason why I left and came here. To try to find myself, as cliché as it sounds. But I don’t think here’s the right place to do it. I need to go back to do that.”
“Well, I’d be more than happy to provide you with the journey there. But know that it won’t be an easy one.”
“I understand that. I’m ready.”
"So you want a tour of the boat so you know what to expect? It's nothing extravagant but it's my baby and it gets the job done," I said.
"That would be great. I'd love to check it out," Mateo replied.
We left the bakery and we walked towards the harbor. White boats with tall sails lined the wooden docks and music blared from them. People laid on them enjoying the blinding sun that washed all the colors away.
We walked down a ramp to a floating dock that tilted from side to side. Mateo had trouble keeping his balance and I used that as an excuse to grab his waist every time he was about to fall over. I felt sparks running up my spine every time I grabbed onto his toned waist. I could feel the slight curves of his rib cage through his sheer white t-shirt.
We arrived at my boat at the very end of the dock, among the other sailboats it stuck out like a sore thumb. For one, it was a lot larger than the other boats. It was a dark blue color. Painted with large white letters on the bow was her name, Dog and I. Pablo, my pup, was my co-pilot on the vessel.
"This is her," I said.
I looked over at Mateo who had a slight smile on his face, his eyes were bigger and brighter than I had ever seen before. The sun reflected off his hazel eyes. It brought out the most magnificent blues and browns that I had ever seen. I adjusted the stairs up to the boat and let Mateo step on first, I followed right behind him.
"What does this do?" He asked pointing to the large white crane near the sta
rboard beam.
"It’s a mechanical arm that helps lift the crates out of the water and they are also used to drop the crates. Around this time of year, we will need it the most since we will be bringing in the most crab."
Mateo looked down at the large tanks below.
Remy by the Sea Page 2
