Dating : The Earthquake Within

A Short Story

The volcano sat high above us. I had only known you for an hour. It was like The Love Boat, you introduced yourself on the ship, directing me to the room.

You were dressed in all white, your hat askew. I immediately noticed your tight pants. I blushed.

I don’t know if you noticed my red cheeks. You looked right past me after we docked and I saw you in the village, looking at straw hats and other baubles. Your stature loomed above everyone. Again my cheeks, hot and flushed.

You did not notice when I followed you. We headed towards the beach. The warm jade water spread out before us, our path covered in sand sparkling like diamonds. I felt the warmth on my arms, newly kissed by the sun. We entered the balcony of a cafe. I realized at this point I was stalking, but I did not care. I was a tourist enjoying the sights. It wasn’t my fault all I could see was the tall sleek man nearby.

You sat down in a wicker chair, off to the right. I was a few seats away from you. I picked up a menu off the table and peered behind it, at you. I noticed your cool blue eyes, beckoning me like a glass of water in a harsh desert.

I am not sure what came over me, but I felt a surge of courage pulse through me like an electrical current. I put the menu down, got up, and walked toward you.

You smiled. This emboldened me. I sat down in the chair next to yours. You finally noticed me. Our eyes locked, but then your eyes wandered downwards, the coolness evaporating into dark pools as you looked at me. I shivered.

You gestured at a menu, you pointed out the different choices of drinks. I laughed, I’m not sure what you said, but I leaned back, my neck exposed.

I felt the rumbling first. And then a jolt. I might have chalked it up to my inner world shifting in response to the the deep longing I felt. But when I saw your face, I knew you felt it too. The ground was shaking below our feet.

Before I knew it, you pulled me to the ground. The earthquake stopped but I was still in your arms. “We have to go. The ocean may follow,” you whispered, your hot breath against my ear. I knew what you meant. Tsunami.

You pulled me up. Your hand holding mine, we ran. Luckily we weren’t far from the ship, and we ran as fast as we could to get aboard ir. You pulled me down a hall, quickly pulled out a keycard. You unlocked the door to the cabin. Whose it was, I did not know. We were alone.

I heard the tsunami siren. “You are safe here,” you said in your buttery voice. That might or might not be true. It depended on how high the waves would get. You seemed confident though, and I leaned against you, my fear turning into excitement.

You put your hand on the back of my head, pulling me towards you. Your velvet lips, Your blue eyes piercing mine. It was an infinity, but also the blink of an eye.

We felt the waves underneath us. It was all rock and roll, pulling each other’s clothes off frantically.

Afterwards, lying in the bed together, the mauve covers wrinkled underneath us, you kissed me again. I nuzzled my head in the crook of your arm.

I felt the ship rock again. It was more forceful now. I heard the tsunami siren again. “There must have been another earthquake,” you said.

The only one I felt had been in the bed. There was now nothing we could do. There was nowhere else to run.

We locked eyes again, violently rocking against each other. The waves smacked against the window. I held onto you for dear life, as you kissed me again.

I felt the earthquake within.