The Pleasure Of His Company

“I thought you two were going to stay out there until sunrise,” Carlos said, blowing a stream of cigarette smoke over his shoulder.

“I’d prune up too much by then,” Doe Eyes said. “I value the softness of my skin too much.”

“Even at the risk of denying yourself the company of this hunka burnin’ love?” Annika tossed a look at Kingsley as he clambered into the boat.

He ignored her and turned up his nose at Carlos. “The only thing burning up out here is our nose hairs from that cigarette. You couldn’t wait until we got back to land to light up, Carlos?” His friend smoked the cheapest and most offensive cigarettes known to humankind, having exchanged his addiction to hard drugs for one to nicotine.

“You know I have a vice, man.” Carlos blew another stream of smoke, this time through his clenched teeth.

“Those things will kill you just like the other crap you gave up,” Kingsley said. He sensed Doe Eyes watching him with curiosity.

“Not this again.” Steven groaned over the long-standing source of disagreement. “Everybody ready?”

After he got the appropriate number of grunts and yeses, he started the boat’s engine and propelled them back toward land.

* * *

At the beach, Steven anchored the boat and cut the engine. The others moved slowly to get their few belongings, sealed in watertight bags, and climbed from the boat to the beach, where the battery-operated lantern they’d left stuck in the sand still blazed but the fire had long since died. Kingsley felt pleasantly exhausted but didn’t want to go back to his place yet. Although his body was tired from the swim, he felt mentally energized by the snorkeling, and by the presence of the woman he couldn’t get off his mind.