Breezier Than You Think

Memory and our brains work strangely. Nate laid down to sleep and he remembered the sand on his knees. He tried to count sheep, he remembered Ashley forcing his pants down and he could still feel the pressure of the belt pull on his hips. He tossed and turned; every time he blinked or looked up at the ceiling he saw Ashley on her knees grabbing at his hips, forcing his cock into her throat.

Nate didn’t sleep. Nothing was working, his thoughts were like a superball bouncing from Ashley to Hawaiian sightseeing back to seeing Ashely and wondering how she’d look as a bridesmaid and then seeing Kyle and his wife. Calling it a whirlwind was an understatement. He leaned over and looked at the dim green light of the hotel clock. It was 3am. He sighed and spoke to himself, “I thought sex was supposed to make you sleep better,” and he twisted over to get out of bed and go shower. Maybe some warm water would help him sleep.

He stepped into the tub and the events of yesterday kept playing through his head.

She grabs my hand, she squeezes it, I lead her from the hotel to the beach nearby. It looks peaceful. He turned the water on and jumped back to avoid the sudden cool water. “I could sunbathe topless here if I wanted,” she says. “There’s a little dip where you are nearly invisible.” His mind was 200 feet away on the beach while he moved into the now warm water. “Kyle would be jealous if he knew you took your top off around me.” He rinsed off the thin layer of sweat from his body, washing himself quickly only to just stand under the water. It seemed the perfect place to let his mind drift. She’s yanking my pants off and pulling my cock out. She’s sucking on me like she’s starving.

After several minutes, Nate snapped back to reality. He wasn’t able to stop thinking about it. He didn’t regret it – he just was digesting it. He had extremely passionate public sex with his old best friend’s ex-fiancee. He chuckled aloud under the water, “I’d like to meet the man who doesn’t have to mentally process that.” He was pretty sure, at this point, that she used him as a way of revenge on Kyle – however little sense that made.

Nate leaned against the bedroom wall and stretched his feet out onto the bed. He figured he was up to stay so he might as well dress. He was still surprised that Hawaii wasn’t as hot as he thought it would be. Hawaii, in his mind, meant tropical, islands, and constant sun. But there was a steady breeze that carried humidity back out to the ocean, so it was much more comfortable than he thought it would be. The high today was supposed to only be in the 80s, which is more comfortable than even in Midwest states this summer. As such, he was fine. He flipped the TV away from the hotel information channel, complete with brief weather report in front of images of palm trees and an info snippet about a “big tree” in Lahaina, to some tourism highlight full of information about Maui.

An attractive woman with an English accent was talking about something called the “Hana Highway,” a huge tourist attraction full of more sights than anyone could ever hope to see in just one day. As a gift to guests at this particular hotel, management offered “Island-hopping” flight tickets at a discounted rate between O’ahu and Maui. “But,” the English blonde waved her finger at him and said, “you’d better get started early! There’s too much to see if you don’t!” The woman vanished with some early 2000s PowerPoint like graphics and ticket prices popped up.

Nate turned his face back to the clock on the side of the bed. 3:20am.

“Eh. What the hell.”

A bit over an hour later, Nate was on a 30 minute flight between Honolulu and Kahului, talking to a woman in a pink top across the aisle of the small passenger plane. She leaned closer to not yell.

“We had a ferry between islands for a while, but now the best way is to fly. You can charter a boat if you’re feeling fancy, kid.”

“How long have you lived here that you know so much about the Hana Highway?” He responded. The flight was short so he chatted with his neighbor rather than trying to get into a book or the inflight movie. The pilot said the flight would take about 30 minutes and tours departed from the airport.

“Half my life! I run the tour you’re going to take soon! I’m the driver!” she cried out as the plane began its descent and the engine quieted. “You said you’re here for a wedding, right?” Nate nodded. “Well let’s make sure you have a good time today!” she smiled at him.

“Already having a great day,” he winked at her. “What with the beautiful company.” Nate locked eyes with her as though he was trying to seduce her with only a gaze.

She laughed and leaned over to pat his face while also putting in an earbud, signaling the conversation was over. “Aren’t you just so cute,” each word getting its own pat. Nate, obviously, was put in his place.

The plane landed shortly and not long after, he found himself walking up to a minivan, Natalie, the woman in the pink top, next to him. On the side panel you could read in hand painted letters “H.H. Island Experience Tours.” Nate nodded seeing this and he got into the van, looking in the back seat. “Anyone going to be joining us today?”

“Whoever has a ticket!” she smirked at him and jabbed her thumb towards the back seat. “Get in loser, we’re going sightseeing.” Nate climbed in and handed her the ticket he purchased at the hotel front desk. Not even 100 feet away was a full-sized coach tour bus getting loaded up with people and a line of 15 more people were still waiting to board. He didn’t say anything, but he was beginning to think maybe there was a reason why the ticket was so cheap. He looked out over the horizon, looking at the beautiful sunrise. The info at the hotel said that you would want to get started early but he was still surprised that he was able to move so quickly from watching it on the hotel TV to two hours later getting on a tour. But – if anything, his experiences this week supported that he should be more spontaneous.

After several long moments of silence and Natalie checking her phone or glancing towards the airport while flashing a quick frown, Nate leaned forward. “The hotel really recommended your tour, you know. They had a pamphlet with your info in the lobby, and they sold your tickets right at the front desk. It was a steal, really. Real no-brainer.”

Natalie tossed her hair back as her head whipped around. “Well that’s good, because we might not have a fancy tour bus but you get the personal touch, sunshine!” she winked at Nate and finally put her phone down into a cup holder. “We get bigger crowds on the weekends, but during the week it’s usually pretty slow. So you get the special treatment today.”

“Oh yea? Gonna take good care of me huh?” He said, trying to sound flirty. From behind he could look down her pink top just enough, and thought she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“Kid, my hips don’t lie and neither do my lips,” she said as she winked at him.

Kid? He thought. She looks just three or four years older than me, at most. He thought for a moment “Well, they tell a pretty good story.”

“I haven’t seen a line that smooth since Billy Ocean demanded people get into his car,” she rolled her eyes and put the van in gear. “Keep it in your pants, kid. You’re in town for a wedding.” A frown flashed across his face as she called him kid again. It wasn’t something he got called often. Or at all.

“Alright, so what’s our first stop?” Nate leaned back and looked out the window as they started driving through the city.

“Well the Hana Highway is going to take us from Kahului around eastern edge of Maui,” she leaned back in the driver’s seat while keeping her eyes forward. Nate could see down her top again and grew a devilish grin. She definitely wasn’t wearing a bra; he could see the small nub of her pink nipple from his angle. He shifted to get a better view out the window and down her shirt both. “We are going to stop first at Mama’s Fish House in Ku’au, then you’ll spend some time at Twin Falls. There are a lot of good photo ops there. Then Kaumahina State Park – there’s a ton of walking trails there. Few more waterfalls, another state park, and then we end tonight in Hana – I’ve a houseboat where my partner Hermione and I rest while the other drives back. You’ll island hop back to O’ahu from there. We switch off who gives the tours every other day.”

Nate almost missed half of the story, he couldn’t stop looking at Natalie and thinking about how hot she was. At his heart, he was a simple man. She was hot so he was staring at her. “Wait a minute, Hermione?”

“Yea,” Natalie laughed. “Her parents were big Harry Potter fans, obviously. You believe the first book came out 24 years ago now?” Nate thought about the term partner for a moment and was disappointed that might mean he didn’t have a shot with Natalie. He did allow his thoughts to be flooded with images of Emma Watson and Natalie in bed together.

“Just a bit older than me actually.” Nate said, leaning back in his seat as Natalie turned her head around.

“Oof! ‘Kid’ was right,” she said as they pulled out of the city and started onto the highway. The early morning light shone across the ocean, casting long shadows against bright lights in the water and the trees. The water glowed like fire and the tops of the palm trees were greener than anything he saw in southern California. But however beautiful it was here, he just kept looking at Natalie with hunger.

“Hey, you look like you’re the same exact age as me. Besides, my parents were about six years apart, age doesn’t matter.” Natalie’s face opened wide as she let out a single piercing laugh and turned back to face him, forcing his eyes up towards her face as he quickly reacted. It was too late. She saw where he was looking.

“Yea, you just keep your eyes on the road there, alright champ?” She smirked and shook her head, adjusting her spaghetti-strap top up a bit higher and turning back to face the road.

“Champ? Is that better than ‘kid’?” He smirked and leaned forward again. Natalie was less than impressed by Nate’s awkward attempts to flirt. She had heard lines that Nate had never thought of. She was an attractive woman in Hawaii.

“You just keep it in your pants and enjoy the sights.” Nate sat back and looked out the window towards the ocean as they passed some of the most beautiful island scenery in the world.

“So what is Mama’s Fish House?” Nate asked, not looking away from the window, blinking against the sun and watching the trees as he drove past without any real knowledge of what he was looking at. He was looking out for any animals in the trees.

“Mama’s Fish House is a restaurant that’s right on the beach.” She made a smooth gesture of the horizon with her hand. “You could eat while getting sprayed with sea air if you wanted. And since it’s stupid early in the morning, figure we could stop for some breakfast. Whatcha think?” She turned her head to face him briefly.

“Hey, you’re the tour guide. If you say it’s good. Is food included in the ticket?” He asked. Nate wasn’t a super cheap guy. He was in Hawaii for almost a week for a wedding and had his own room. Still, he was beginning to wonder if this whole tour was a trap and the hotel was getting kickbacks on the tickets this woman was selling.

“No, but it’s just us, I’ll split breakfast with you if you want.” She tapped on the paper map taped to the car in front of the passenger seat. “Be there in just a few minutes actually,” she pointed ahead.

“Okay, level with me, Natalie. What’s going on here.” Nate’s suspicions peaked when Natalie pulled up to the restaurant and found it closed. The hours were posted and it opened at 11am. Natalie had tried the door and frowned, but the empty parking lot was a big clue. She turned around and leaned back against the restaurant door and looked at Nate.

“Alright. Fine, you deserve honesty.” She stood up straight, put her hands on her curvy hips, and looked at Nate. “About four months ago my friend, Hermione, came to me and told me she was tired of working for other people. She wanted to start her own company. So. That’s what we did. I’m not a tour guide, I live in Honolulu – I don’t even live on Maui. So you, Nate, are our third customer. Company has been around two weeks. Hermione has been doing this for years, but I haven’t. So, we printed up some vouchers and gave them out to a few hotels who would take them. You got one. Look,” she sighed and closed her eyes. “If you want your money back, I’ll understand, and I’ll apologize about getting the hours here wrong – but we are going to give you just as good an experience as the bigger tour lines! Just wait and see!” She almost sounded angry at that last bit. “We started this company to provide a realistic touring experience, and that’s what we are going to do!” She crossed her arms under her chest and looked at him, defiant to the last.

Nate thought for a moment. “I don’t have anything else to do today. So why don’t you just show me around like you would show around a friend of yours. Then, maybe you give me a ride back in the boat so I don’t have to fly again today. Then we call it even.” Nate stuck out his hand.

She took it and grasped it hard. “Sounds like a deal, kid.” Her bravado was back just that quickly. “I’ll tell you what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna head straight for Hana town. It’s about 30 miles across the coast. Then I’ll take you out in the boat onto Hana Bay for a bit of swimming, and we’ll get you back to Honolulu this afternoon. Boat needs to be back in Honolulu in a couple days anyway, so I’m just going a bit faster now. Hermione will drive the van back and pick up the next tour tomorrow. She’s better with the tours, and it’s actually a full one. Easy peasy, kid. Let’s get going, I’m gonna show you a real good time.”

Natalie’s estimate was pretty accurate for getting to Hana town at least. But what Nate wasn’t ready for was that nobody drove 60 mph here. It was 20 miles an hour the whole way there, so Nate spent most of the time talking about how he was going to college for criminal justice, about Kyle and Shelby’s wedding, about how he hooked up with Ashley last night, about how Ashley and Kyle broke up, and how Nate was proud of himself since he was a chubby kid in high school but he managed a glow-up once he got away from crummy food his family cooked. Natalie asked a lot of questions, especially about how he hooked up with Ashley when they hated each other. Nate shrugged and just said “Sometimes it’s best to just keep things casual. She was having a rough day, we had a good night together, that’s all there is to that.” Natalie nodded in cool agreement before letting Nate change the subject again. They pulled in about an hour and a half after they left the closed restaurant, driving up to a beach with a series of docks. Nate climbed out and looked, a bit awe struck, at how many boats there were. Dozens, hundreds maybe even. He was used to boats in California but those were all speed boats and fancy pleasure craft. These were casual boats. Pontoons, houseboats, rowboats. Nothing here was designed to be flashy or fast or powerful.

Natalie, carrying a heavy duffle bag, led Nate down a long pier until they finally reached what he would describe as a long pontoon boat. Nate wouldn’t call it a houseboat; this was a pontoon with an aluminum cover and a retractable curtain that came down from the covering, and 3 foot walls to close in the area on the deck. And sitting in a comfortable looking captain’s chair, bolted to the deck, was a woman that Nate assumed was Hermione.

“H, we got a change of plans.” Natalie said, getting on the boat and tossing the duffel into a locker. “You’re taking the van back to give the afternoon and tomorrow tours. I’m heading back to Honolulu for the tune up tonight and I’ll be back tomorrow.” The woman stood up. She was maybe five feet tall, 100 pounds, and she had a lot of curly auburn hair that stuck far out from her head.

“And you’re bringing a guy with you?” Hermione cocked an eyebrow at Natalie.

Nate started to speak up but Natalie responded even faster. “He lost his plane ticket at one of the stops. It was my fault actually, wind got it. So I offered him a lift back to his hotel. Least we could do right?” She shot Nate a look and he got on board, both with the lie and on the boat. He walked up to her and stuck his hand out.

“Hi Hermione. I’m Nate, Natalie told me a ton about you on the drive here.”

Hermione took his hand and shook it firmly, but not very friendly. “Nice to meet you. So, I’ll just head back and try and pick up a group for this afternoon. Need anything else?”

Before too long, they were waving goodbye to Hermione as she got into the van and the two were riding away on the boat out into the open ocean. After 20 minutes they were alone, in open water with the nearest boat being hundreds and hundreds of feet away. Nate finally piped up. “So where are we going?”

“Just far enough away for some sunbathing and maybe some snorkeling if you wanted? The water isn’t that deep, maybe only 50 feet or so. There’s a reef up ahead.” Natalie opened a chest with two masks and snorkels and lifted them out before pointing at a buoy off their starboard side. “Reef is just under the buoy and stretches for hundreds of feet.”

Nate didn’t have on a swimsuit, and he knew Natalie wasn’t wearing anything under that pink top. She’s bluffing. I’m calling. “Sure, sounds great.”

Natalie smirked and looked down, killing the drive on the boat and bringing it to a rest. She stood up, and without another word, lifted her pink top up and off her head, her bare breasts completely free of any tan lines as she bent over to stow her shirt. She didn’t stop there, she pulled her bottoms off too and Nate discovered she wasn’t wearing any bikini or underwear either. 15 seconds after she started, she stood on the deck of the boat completely naked and, Nate could not help but notice, completely waxed too. Her smooth pussy lips were completely devoid of any hair. She pushed past him, shocking him from his staring, and grabbed a towel. It was quite clear how she avoided the tan lines now.

“So. You just come out here and sunbathe nude?” Nate could see there were no boats anywhere near them.

“Why else have a boat? It’s Hawaii, kid. You’re on island time now. Relax. Go for a swim. Get some sun.” Natalie said, laying back fully exposed, closing her eyes, and resting a small towel over her eyes. Her legs were even slightly spread to give Nate a good look.

“You know I don’t have a swimsuit right? I’ve got no bags with me.” Natalie lifted up the corner of the washcloth to look at him and frown a bit.

“You see me with a swimsuit on, kid?” She put the washcloth back and laid back to relax. Nate couldn’t help himself, and he doubted that anyone would be able to. Natalie’s perfect body, plump breasts, perky nipples, ridiculously curvy hips, and her perfectly smooth pussy lips all looked so very inviting. He would swear she looked like a porn star whose body was photoshopped. He licked his lips and swallowed.

“No. I really don’t.” He unbuckled his shorts and pulled his shirt off, incredibly pale compared to Natalie’s tan skin. He tossed his boxer shorts on the deck and kicked off his sandals. He was now as naked as she was. The strangeness of the situation was getting to him. Fuck it, I’m going for it. He moved over to her and moved to sit next to her, casting a shadow and catching Natalie’s attention. She lifted herself up on her hands and looked up at him for just a moment.

“Forget it, kid. You’re not my type.” She laid back down in the sun. “You’re too needy.”

Nate didn’t say much in response. He half muttered “If you say so,” grabbed the snorkel and mask, looked back at her one more time, and dove into the water. He didn’t hear Natalie’s crystal clear laughter ring out as he splashed into the water. She looked after him, shrugged and thought. Eh. Maybe I’ll try him out. She covered her eyes again.

A half hour passed, Natalie had flipped over by the time Nate climbed up onto the deck, dripping water onto the wooden flooring and onto Natalie as he walked by, still obviously very naked. He looked at his clothes. “Do you have another towel maybe?” Natalie stood up, and sensually bent over in front of him, exposing her thick ass and hips to him, giving it the smallest of wiggles. She picked up the towel and spun around, shooting smoldering eyes at him. She carried it back to the captain’s chair and pushed some controls, starting the boat’s engine and off they went. She walked over to him, holding the towel in front of her.

“What’s the matter kid? A little,” she paused and stepped forward, speaking a single breathy word “-wet?” She moved to pat the towel against Nate’s naked chest.

“Yea-what are you doing?” He responded quickly. Apparently she had changed her mind about him not being her type.

“I changed my mind, kid. I set this thing to a nice cruise, and you’re going to fuck me – then you’re going to get off my boat.” She was actively drying off his chest and abs at the moment. Nate didn’t have a model’s physique, but he definitely was keeping himself in shape. Natalie’s hand and towel drifted down towards his cock. “Got a problem with that, big boy?”

Nate almost spoke up to remind her what his name was, but the rough cloth wrapped around his soft wet cock and she started to rub and stroke, the rough fabric providing a new sensation to him. He twitched a little and grew harder in her hand.

“Oh! Hello sailor, stand at attention for me.” She dropped to her knees and pulled him into her mouth, not waiting an extra moment. Nate felt her warm lips envelope his hard cock, and her tongue immediately wrapped around it. She bobbed up and down, slicking him up, giving little kisses to his cock head when she pulled out. Nate groaned and shivered in pleasure as he grew harder in her mouth. He reached down to wrap his hands in her hair, only to have them slapped away. She leaned back and looked up at him. “Put your hands on the railing and keep them there,” she spoke fast and then put his cock back in her mouth again, bumping the back of her own throat with it. Nate did as he was told and was rewarded by her relaxing her throat and taking him into it. He gasped and groaned and gripped the railing behind him, twisting his hands around the aluminum bar as his cock twitched.

“Fuck, I’m not going to last long if you keep that up!” he cried out.

“Oh yes you will, if you don’t want to swim back to the island!” She sat back on her knees and gave his cock a little slap, making it wobble as she looked up at him and grinned. She stood up and walked over to the captain’s chair and bent over into the storage console.

Nate looked after her, a little confused. Was that it? Was she stopping? “Umm -” he started to say before Natalie sat down and held out the shiny gold wrapper with her left hand while she slipped her right hand between her legs, touching her smooth pussy. Nate could see she was wet.

“Oh, sure – of course,” He opened it up, watching her. He moved quickly and slipped the condom over his cock, stroking himself to stay hard while she touched herself, waiting.

“Good boy,” she said and stood up again, walking over to the railing at the bow of the boat. The wind blew her hair back. She leaned on the railing and looked back at him, wiggling her plump ass. “Go on. Make yourself useful back there.”

Nate grinned. He was back in control, he knew what to expect now. He walked up behind her and grabbed her hips, rubbing his cock against her smooth slit, angling himself to slip in – and then she shifted her hips. “Use your mouth, like a gentleman,” she said and turned around, presenting her ass to him again. Just like that Nate was put in his place and he dropped down to his knees, grabbing Natalie’s ample ass and starting to eat her pussy from behind, her perfect little asshole right at his eyes. He pressed forward and closed his eyes, focusing on licking as deep as he could, kissing her lips, and wiggling his tongue inside. She ground back against his face and he heard her make a little squeak of approval as his tongue wiggled in her. She reached around and pulled on his hair, the same way she did not allow him to, and pressed her ass against his face again.

“Eat my ass like a good little boy.” She groaned and pulled on his hair until he was just a couple inches higher. Natalie could feel his hesitation as he kissed around her asshole and she pulled on his hair again. “Eat my ass like you fucking love it and I’ll let you fuck me.”

Nate knew how, but he had never actually done it. He took a breath and dove in, wiggling his tongue into her ass and hearing her moan like she was in heat. It tasted like nothing, Nate was pleased to say. Just like licking her leg, and he started rubbing his tongue up and down her ass, circling her puckered butthole, slobbering on it while he stroked his cock. She groaned loudly and pulled his hair, roughly – painfully. She cried out and shivered, pressing further back against his face as she came, soaking her thighs. After a few minutes of slow licking let him up, releasing his hair. “Good boy, get your cock in me and show me a good time.” She gripped the railing again and spread her legs, wiggling herself at him while looking back over her shoulder.

“Yes ma’am,” Nate said, grinning proudly. He stood up and with a smooth motion and a slight angle to his hips, he was inside her wet pussy and he sighed happily, feeling her grip him tightly. The condom dulled the sensation and he flexed his cock inside of her, trying to impress her with how hard he was. He grabbed her hips and started to piston into her. Natalie ground back on him, grinning the whole time, taking his cock easily.

“If you’re going to fuck me, fuck me like you mean it.” She teased him and pushed back against him, prompting him to start pumping into her harder. His hands were already on his ass, he moved and hooked his fingers into the sweet spot at the corner of her hips and thighs, that nice angle where he could pull and leverage more power into each thrust, and he started to pump. Natalie gasped and her eyes rolled up part way as she bounced with each thrust, her tits shaking and her ass jiggling with the impact. “Oh yea, just like that. Do it like you want it!”

Nate’s hips became a piston, slamming his cock into her again and again, feeling her pussy lips grip at him and cling as he pulled out and shoved in. Each hard impact made a loud clap on her ass and his cock bottomed out every time. He was hard as iron and thrusting like he needed to break her. But hearing her moan rhythmically gave him more strength and he dug deep. He was able to thrust faster as though he were fighting to make her cum before him. The wind swept through her hair as she looked up at the sun with a wide grin on her face. Nate closed his eyes to focus on the feeling and keep himself from cumming too soon, but he couldn’t shake the image of what they would have looked like by an onlooker. Her tits would be shaking and bouncing with every thrust as she grinned and moaned in pleasure, she’d probably even look at them shamelessly.

Nate gripped her hips tight, his fingers gliding across her skin, shiny with sweat from their workout. He crossed his threshold and he couldn’t stop. “I’m gonna cum!” he cried out as he moved even faster, his legs flexing to drive him forward into her juicy pussy again and again.

“Not yet not yet not yet – not YET,” Natalie cried out as she shoved back against him, trying to get him a little deeper to scratch her itch, but it was too late. Nate gripped her hips and buried himself inside of her, his cock pulsing and swelling with a heavy load of cum erupting as her pussy gushed and spasmed around him. She could feel him swell up and it was enough to make her finally explode and cum around him.

Nate couldn’t stand. He fell back and laid against his hands, panting, exhausted. Natalie hung over the railing of the boat for a moment before standing up and turning around, laughing a bit at Nate’s condition. “Well done, champ,” she said as she walked over to the side of the boat and lowered her legs into the water, staring at Nate with her arms crossed under her breasts on the deck of the boat. Her legs drifted behind her as the movement of the boat pulled her through the water, rinsing off her body into the ocean for a minute before getting back up on the boat. Nate was still on his butt, catching his breath. “Not bad, you earned a boat ride for sure.”

Nate looked up at her and pulled the condom off, tying the messy rubber off and tossing it into a small garbage pail. He stood up, still naked, and was speechless. She was already moving past him to get dressed. Finally he spoke. “Happy to be of service.” She smiled at him. “Good answer.”

The rest of the boat ride passed easily. Natalie strongly avoided any conversational thread where Nate asked “can I see you again” or “can I call you later” and even one where he asked “do you want to be my date to the wedding?” Nate wasn’t looking for a girlfriend really, but he wasn’t used to sex having absolutely no consequences. Natalie seemed to view it with about as much intimacy as though Nate helped her buy a new TV. Now their business was done, and she switched gears as soon as she was dressed again. He’d had one night stands before, sure, but he normally at least shared a meal with his partner. As they boated past Maui, she took time to point out certain tourist attractions you could see from the ocean, and after just a couple hours they were back in Honolulu.

Nate made to look around for his things – he had nothing except his phone in his pocket. He was dressed again in his shorts, shirt, and sandals, and he stepped off the dock near the hotel. It was maybe a half mile away from the hotel – an easy enough walk. “So, will I see you around the island?” he asked one last time.

She laughed again, her clear laughter ringing in his ears. “I’ll see you if I see you, kid. You have a good wedding.” She stared at him, waiting for him to move. Nate stepped off the boat and started walking to the end of the pier. When he finally looked back, he saw Natalie hopping down from the boat, carrying her duffel bag. He smiled, shook his head, and continued on towards his hotel. Even if the rest of the trip sucked, it was already a great vacation.