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Authors: Becky Wicks
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our right. She swallows visibly. It's almost three p.m. There are people on the beach, sunbathing and snorkeling. The last time she was here, this stretch of sand must have looked very different. Is that what she's picturing now? The shards of glass and crunched up cars, sides of hotel rooms, store signs and shattered toilets sitting in piles of broken loungers?
'Wait here,' I say, putting a hand to her arm, then walking to the table. 'Guys, I'm going to go take my friend to find a room, OK? You can finish this up with Sonthi. I'll see you later.'
'Thank you Ben,' the French girls chorus, all staring hard at my torso and then giggling again. Sonthi throws me a look. I throw him one back. I can hear Kalaya clicking her tongue as I peel off my wetsuit and drop it into the bath at the side of the dive shop for the staff to hang and dry. My heart's flapping like a parrot in my chest. I wanted Izzy here, but now she's here I don't know what the hell to do. Kalaya's already on red alert and she doesn't even know who she is.
'Kalaya,' I say to her quickly, leading her out from behind the desk by the hand. I walk her over to Izzy. She flicks her long hair over her shoulder as she eyes her up and down. 'Izzy, this is Kalaya,' I say. 'Kalaya, Izzy and I met here a long time ago, before the tsunami. This is the first time she's been back since it happened. I'm going to go help her get set up.'
'OK,' she says sweetly. I watch her hold a hand out; note the intrigue cross Izzy's face as she takes it. Why is this so damn awkward?
'Let's go,' I say. 'Leave your stuff here, I'll come back for it.' I roll the case around to behind the reception desk. Kalaya grabs my hand again and makes a show of kissing me on the cheek.
'See you when I finish my shift,' she says pointedly and her fingernails dig into my hand. I shake it out as I lead Izzy round the dive shop to the path. That hurt.
'Where are we going?' Izzy asks.
'We need to take the scooter, my place is a couple of beaches down.'
'Scooter?' She pauses as we reach the Yamaha and I hand her the helmet. The keys are still in the ignition.
'Sure, it's too far to walk. Your chariot awaits!' I swing my leg over, pat the seat behind me. It's hot from the sun.
'Really?' she says, biting on her lip. I smile. I'm guessing she hasn't ridden too many scooters.
'I'm a safe driver, I promise you, come on, get on!' I turn the key and the bike splutters to life. Izzy does as I tell her, albeit reluctantly and in seconds I feel her gripping on tight to my bare middle as she circles me with her arms. Surreal.
We speed off. My heart's still a jackhammer as I fully process her proximity and Kalaya's reactions and the fact that I have no clue at all who this girl even is anymore. But she's here and some angel gave her back and that's all that matters.
ISLA
It's so weird, feeling my arms around his body. He's hot and his heart's pounding so hard I can feel it. Because of me? Because of that girl? I'm focusing on this, not the fact that I'm on a scooter. I think my insurance covers this, but it's not exactly an excuse.
I've been focusing on Ben to distract myself since I got here to Khao Lak. Seeing the ocean yawning out on the same beach I lost mom and dad was almost enough to make me turn around as soon as the cab dropped me off, but thanks to that stupid thief on the bus, whoever it was, I'm stuck here till I figure out what to do. I can't exactly fly anywhere without my passport and I'm definitely not ready to go back to Bangkok on another night bus any time soon.
We go over a bump. Think of Ben .
That girl Kalaya adores him. His friend Sonthi does too, and even those French girls couldn't take their eyes off him. It's not just his looks though. OK, yes, so his muscles are bigger than they looked in the T-shirt back in Bangkok somehow, and he has the kind of six-pack you only ever see on the TV, but Ben has presence. He always did.
'Are you OK back there?' he says. I realize my
'Wait here,' I say, putting a hand to her arm, then walking to the table. 'Guys, I'm going to go take my friend to find a room, OK? You can finish this up with Sonthi. I'll see you later.'
'Thank you Ben,' the French girls chorus, all staring hard at my torso and then giggling again. Sonthi throws me a look. I throw him one back. I can hear Kalaya clicking her tongue as I peel off my wetsuit and drop it into the bath at the side of the dive shop for the staff to hang and dry. My heart's flapping like a parrot in my chest. I wanted Izzy here, but now she's here I don't know what the hell to do. Kalaya's already on red alert and she doesn't even know who she is.
'Kalaya,' I say to her quickly, leading her out from behind the desk by the hand. I walk her over to Izzy. She flicks her long hair over her shoulder as she eyes her up and down. 'Izzy, this is Kalaya,' I say. 'Kalaya, Izzy and I met here a long time ago, before the tsunami. This is the first time she's been back since it happened. I'm going to go help her get set up.'
'OK,' she says sweetly. I watch her hold a hand out; note the intrigue cross Izzy's face as she takes it. Why is this so damn awkward?
'Let's go,' I say. 'Leave your stuff here, I'll come back for it.' I roll the case around to behind the reception desk. Kalaya grabs my hand again and makes a show of kissing me on the cheek.
'See you when I finish my shift,' she says pointedly and her fingernails dig into my hand. I shake it out as I lead Izzy round the dive shop to the path. That hurt.
'Where are we going?' Izzy asks.
'We need to take the scooter, my place is a couple of beaches down.'
'Scooter?' She pauses as we reach the Yamaha and I hand her the helmet. The keys are still in the ignition.
'Sure, it's too far to walk. Your chariot awaits!' I swing my leg over, pat the seat behind me. It's hot from the sun.
'Really?' she says, biting on her lip. I smile. I'm guessing she hasn't ridden too many scooters.
'I'm a safe driver, I promise you, come on, get on!' I turn the key and the bike splutters to life. Izzy does as I tell her, albeit reluctantly and in seconds I feel her gripping on tight to my bare middle as she circles me with her arms. Surreal.
We speed off. My heart's still a jackhammer as I fully process her proximity and Kalaya's reactions and the fact that I have no clue at all who this girl even is anymore. But she's here and some angel gave her back and that's all that matters.
ISLA
It's so weird, feeling my arms around his body. He's hot and his heart's pounding so hard I can feel it. Because of me? Because of that girl? I'm focusing on this, not the fact that I'm on a scooter. I think my insurance covers this, but it's not exactly an excuse.
I've been focusing on Ben to distract myself since I got here to Khao Lak. Seeing the ocean yawning out on the same beach I lost mom and dad was almost enough to make me turn around as soon as the cab dropped me off, but thanks to that stupid thief on the bus, whoever it was, I'm stuck here till I figure out what to do. I can't exactly fly anywhere without my passport and I'm definitely not ready to go back to Bangkok on another night bus any time soon.
We go over a bump. Think of Ben .
That girl Kalaya adores him. His friend Sonthi does too, and even those French girls couldn't take their eyes off him. It's not just his looks though. OK, yes, so his muscles are bigger than they looked in the T-shirt back in Bangkok somehow, and he has the kind of six-pack you only ever see on the TV, but Ben has presence. He always did.
'Are you OK back there?' he says. I realize my
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