Page 54 of A Different Form of Oxygen
Thirty
Ben
Gavin in a pair of black shorts, revealing his thick muscular calves, is a beautiful thing, turning my insides into Jell-O. Colorful ink wraps around his pale skin, revealing only tiny slivers of blank space. I didn’t think he owned anything other than pants, and now these are the only things I want him to wear. I’m expecting Gavin to walk out through the front door to where his car is parked but instead, he steps outside the back, making his way down toward the peaceful and statue-still lake. With my interest piquing, I follow behind him. The buzzing of insects grows louder, and the sun’s warmth increases the closer we get to the dock. He is always full of surprises. The grass under my faded red converse appears greener and livelier with each step I take. He heads under a dock where a white and blue boat is sitting, holding up keys in his hand, shining gold in the sunlight.
“Ready to test my boat driving skills? The diner is just across the way.” He points across the lake. The sun bounces off its dark surface. “I figure we would get there faster by boat.”
“As long as it’s not in a body bag, I’m good. I sure hope you’ve driven a boat before today.”
He laughs. “I guess you will know soon enough, won’t you?” He steps onto the boat, reaching out for my hand, the large floating device sways back and forth under the weight of his body. His brown eyes hold a golden hue in them in the bright sunlight. My body is overcome with warmth and comfort the moment my hand touches his. I knew right then, I would follow him anywhere.
My darker skin against his is even more beautiful under the bright light. I’m being pulled into the boat and my legs are shaking when I step onto the moving device. Gavin lifts one of the seats, pulling out a life jacket. After unbuckling it, he holds it out in front of him.
“Come here, Angel; safety is always important.” I stand still, letting the bright orange plastic slip over my body. The sounds of nature are soon drowned out by the humming of the motor when Gavin steps behind the boat’s steering wheel. I sit in the empty seat next to Gavin and the boat begins to move, rocking my body back and forth. Taking in my surroundings, I notice another boat nearby, trailing us pretty closely. It’s slow, creeping movements set me on edge. I can barely make out the man behind the wheel. His large sunglasses and white sun hat block most of his face, but in some way it’s like I can feel his eyes on me, leaving an unsettling stir in my gut.It’s only a stranger Ben.I shift my focus on to a smiling Gavin, his dark hair is flying around his face from the wind and I no longer care about the man behind us. It’s only me and Gavin. Only us.
I close my eyes, inhaling the fresh air around me and enjoying the sun heating my skin. The ride becomes bumpier the faster Gavin goes, causing me to hold on to the side of the boat, planting my feet into the floor. I spin my head around, no longer seeing the boat from before and my body relaxes against the seat. Soon, we are slowing down, and Gavin is pulling into a boat dock, tying it in place.
“Here we are.” Nearly losing my balance, his warm thick arms pull me against his chest. “Easy does it, baby; I got you.” With heated eyes, he traces his thumb over my lip. “Have I told you how gorgeous you looked with your hands tied above your head earlier, writhing desperately against the wall at my mercy? You were absolutely breathtaking, the way you held so still for me when I asked you to. You were so perfect, only taking what I was willing to give you. My beautiful Angel.”
At a loss for words, I press my mouth against his, showing him how his words of appreciation made me feel instead of telling him. He licks his lips when we pull apart and my pants grow tight against my groin, and I know by the wicked smile on his face that he notices it. “Let’s get some food in us and then we can go catch us some dinner.”
He hops off the boat and offers me his hand. I follow him along the dock toward a restaurant. We share some oysters and I devour my shrimp pasta while Gavin happily takes his time eating his vegetarian tacos.
“Oysters are living things,” I say in a humorous tone.
He smiles. “Yes, but they also don’t upset my stomach and last time I checked, plants are living things too.”
“So you do eat some meat?”
“I thought this was supposed to be a peaceful lunch.”
“You brought me to lunch with you and expected our outing to be peaceful and quiet? Since when? Did you mean to bring someone else?”
He takes a sip of his coke, smiling around it. “Yes, yes, I did, and I guess you have a point there. Almost ready to have a non-peaceful and quiet fishing trip?”
I roll my eyes. “I still think teaching me to fish is hopeless, but I guess I’ll have to let you find that out for yourself. Seems like there are more exciting things that could happen on a boat though. There are plenty of places for you to tie me up.”
“As fun as that sounds, how about we don’t get pulled over in my friend’s boat for indecency this time. We can always save that for our next trip out here.”
“Oh, so there’s going to be a next trip huh. Already planning our future?”
“Always.” He says it with a smile, causing my cheeks to flush, leaving a fluttery sensation in my belly.
He pays for our food and we head back on the boat, and my hair is still astray from the ride here. I don’t see a point of fixing it now. This time I have no trouble climbing into the boat myself. He sets some fishing gear near me, and I run my hands over the different lures while he finds the perfect fishing spot in the middle of the lake. Normally coming to a secluded place with a guy has me on edge, but that feeling never comes with Gavin. The motor shuts off and he anchors the boat before attaching bait to the hooks on the fishing rods and handing me a blue shiny one.
“Let me show you how to cast it.” He sets my hand on the rod, guiding it with his. “Make sure you are paying attention.”
My gaze shifts attentively toward Gavin’s hands as he continues to show me how to cast the line into the water. “That doesn’t seem too hard. I think I can do it on my own next time. Thank you, Papi.”
I have a feeling we would be out here a while. I stand in front of the pole, staring at the line moving slightly back and forth in the water.
“Let’s get some sunscreen on you, baby; I don’t want you to get burned.”He grabs a bottle from a blue bag on the floor.
“As long as you help me, Papi.” Spinning around to face him, I bat my eyelashes.
He laughs, stepping behind me. “Of course, my angel.” He rubs the white thick substance into all the places I can’t reach and the cold touches of his hands feel amazing on my skin, cooling off each heated part of my body he comes in contact with while warming me up inside.
“I think you missed a few spots,” I say waggling my eyebrows at him. He snaps the bottle closed and presses a kiss to my cheek.
