"You sure you want to do this?"
542Please respect copyright.PENANAjN5U8UXvDw
"Yeah, I'm... I'm fine," I tell him, sweat slithering down the back of my neck, only to be absorbed by my swimsuit under my clothes.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAWH8lZUAJSq
"It's okay to admit that you're nervous, you know," he says reassuringly, his thumb gently rubbing against the back of my hand, while the other holds the steering wheel.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAXQFd4tIQKA
"I am," I tell him, "but nervous doesn't mean I'm not ready."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAkhRbR7so1v
"Fair point."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAhRWsIlTvhZ
"I just... I've been waiting to do this for years, but I've been too much of a coward—"
542Please respect copyright.PENANATFRSsBFhPr
"You weren't a coward, you were grieving," he states.
542Please respect copyright.PENANA1mzRtJyhLq
"Whatever it was, it stopped me."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAnj4HLcA2S6
"And we're going to change that. Today."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAdnw26LnsUk
"Good."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAAHF2akz2xJ
"Now get out of the car," he says as he puts the car into park. "I'll get the stuff and meet you at reception."
542Please respect copyright.PENANARTQCjj15fc
When I reach the front desk, I see the different options. Same as last time:
542Please respect copyright.PENANAsm5eZyzYc5
Dolphin Royal Swim: you get to swim with them, and they use their noses to push you into a standing position in the water. It's awesome.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAnayECnp7fb
Dolphin Swim Adventure: You just swim with them.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAbKsiJbYKEs
Encounter: You touch them.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAUua638vgru
"Two Dolphin Royal Swim—"
542Please respect copyright.PENANANwNvUiamGK
Something else catches my eye.
542Please respect copyright.PENANA091gDrIUxP
Shark encounter – $99.
542Please respect copyright.PENANA9yqysmycJ9
Keep in mind that the prices are, for some god almighty reason, in USD, and our dollar is so bad, it's offensive to give someone change in one dollar coins. And I just spent $199 on the dolphins and $69 on the admission. Each.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAXzPhvVhdDZ
This is so damn expensive. But I want it so badly.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAnSlbKUXdWy
"And two Shark Encounters."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAVzlgobHQBK
"That will be... $734 dollars."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAywpl88WO07
Shit.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAXgjDb6n6zQ
"Please put that in Jamaican for me," I ask sweetly. I have never understood how people hear my accent, and still tell me US prices as if I'm a foreigner.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAzqtB4S3Xpp
"Okay, give me a sec... $93,663."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAYMyaIwbJS5
Fucking shit.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAmjViftj9Ap
I know that I'm going to regret this at a later date, when I want a new phone, or a laptop, and I can't afford it because I spent all of my money at Dolphin Cove — but I go through with it anyway.
542Please respect copyright.PENANA27dq1NdPLN
David had the brilliant idea to pay in cash, so he withdrew a shit load of $5000 notes from the bank this morning. Said he doesn't want to get scammed. Sometimes, he really is paranoid.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAU1v96PW7H2
"Five, ten, fifteen, twenty..."
542Please respect copyright.PENANA4xAd6OFHtu
When I'm finally done with that, I sit and wait for David.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAfVIqtDpW9l
"Hey. What took you so long?" I ask as he walks towards my chair in the corner of the room, shirtless.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAqZkdIEbA6W
"This woman started up a conversation about my tattoo."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAZYidG9UsrQ
Remember the mandala that David designed? Well, we got matching tattoos if it, on our chests, right over our hearts.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAs5lS8S57r1
"Maybe, you should put on a shirt," I suggest with a smirk. He rolls his eyes playfully, and grabs my hand.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAYtNxyBpZIB
We go out to look at all of the activities. We are given the time of our activity with the dolphin, so now, all we have to do is wait.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAYeY2IWgW2L
"You know, I've always been fascinated by sharks," David tells me.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAo1e3Fzu7TP
"Really?"
542Please respect copyright.PENANAh7672gCsm4
"Yes. They've survived on this earth for millions of years, while so many other animals have perished. How?"
542Please respect copyright.PENANAKzh4bsEqRK
"Because they're bad asses. Do you want to do anything while we wait?"
542Please respect copyright.PENANAKSUIlI9Wyz
"Swim with the shark. He's available now, because no one wants to do it."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAgxCSjQGUqd
"Shark week made you brave," he says with a grin.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAzrzgkL8wH6
"I was always brave. Now come."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAlADbB3yQt7
***
542Please respect copyright.PENANABs6b4y3Bq4
"It's so majestic," I whisper as the large animal swims in the water a few feet away from me.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAiTmhmLn4Ia
"Thank you," David says to the handler who has been openly flirting with me the whole time. Of course, David has done nothing to save my ass. He just watched me get flustered over and over again with a sly grin on his face.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAKRLdtfzQTp
"Welcome," the man replies.
542Please respect copyright.PENANA9UgbDqIL4n
"This has been wonderful. Thank you."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAwlstyokl8D
"No problem, sexiness," he says with a grin. I don't know what else to do, so I just smile back. David chuckles under his breath, but when I turn to glare at him, he turns it into a cough.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAaWTXyDQ4Ip
"'S not funny," I growl.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAwboWa6zy9H
"Yes, it is."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAH5SWCC5SpU
"Well you could have done something about it. You could have—"
542Please respect copyright.PENANAP2nIkZJxwC
"You're a grown woman. You're perfectly capable of standing up to someone all on your own. I'm not doing that for you. I was curious; I wanted to see how far he'd push you before you blew. Used to be a lot easier."
542Please respect copyright.PENANArjLOk5qWs7
"I guess my bullshit tolerance has grown since I met you. You make me happy."
542Please respect copyright.PENANApVJmzGRIgZ
"That's strangely sweet. Now do you want to play with some dolphins?"
542Please respect copyright.PENANAGDSSaI4XzL
"Shit. I forgot." In my fascination with the shark, I completely forgot about my original aim — swim with dolphins.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAWTNHc1sJNS
"I figured. Now let's go."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAV0VFjlaRsg
***
542Please respect copyright.PENANAbQm8JdXWSm
"I feel like a queen!" I shout as the dolphins drag me around in the water.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAe4UjTFeOP1
"You're my queen!" David yells.
542Please respect copyright.PENANA6zv6LVGrSV
"You two are adorable," I hear someone yell. When the dolphin brings me back, I move beside him and put my head on my shoulder.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAqbfq8JNWQS
"If I touched you right now—"
542Please respect copyright.PENANAkg3Q1qXvMf
"Don't," I say with a groan. "Pay attention to the dolphins."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAXTTgC42Ffb
"Really? You sure?" he asks as his fingers brush against my hip underneath the water.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAR9Nkjyussu
"He's talking to us. Don't be so rude."
542Please respect copyright.PENANA9CVQj4QmEv
"Fine," he mutters. "But tonight—"
542Please respect copyright.PENANAFqYNKTOp1y
"No holding back."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAICs53nq4hH
Of course once we're done with the dolphins, I have to go exploring. We swim with a sting ray take turns holding a snake and cradling an iguana, and observed, touched and petted a bunch of other animals. Once all of that is over, we go to the beach and play in the water. Needles to say, that once we're back home in the night, showered and all...
542Please respect copyright.PENANA3LnOsSgcga
"I'm so tired," I groan, stifling a yawn.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAhMXBlhdCZV
"Me too. I can hardly mooove."
542Please respect copyright.PENANACXU5HfcR1h
We took the shower together, but we were too tired to stand up, much less fuck.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAb2oTOpRhYD
"Listen. I know what we said about tonight, but—"
542Please respect copyright.PENANAoWKl0JGhoH
"Tomorrow?" I ask as I look across at him underneath the spray of the water.
542Please respect copyright.PENANACUuTTYhKyf
"Morning. I promise." Even if we don't do it tomorrow morning, we'll hopefully have tomorrow evening, and the day after that, and the rest of our lives together, so what the hell?
542Please respect copyright.PENANAPMlix1Ob0e
"That's perfect," I say in agreement, my eyelids fluttering close. "Now let's sleep."
542Please respect copyright.PENANAB7cbrlhHH6
"Yes. Sleep," I groan, crawling into the bed. You know when you hear yourself snoring before you fully fall asleep? Yep, that's me. The last thing I register before I sleep takes me, is David wrapping his arms around me. I go out with a smile on my face.
542Please respect copyright.PENANAWVTgaxjpj3
***
542Please respect copyright.PENANA5Cz4bgONEG
542Please respect copyright.PENANAKzWPVUsd2G
ns 15.158.61.53da2