Page 50 of The Sailor in Polynesia
I wiped the back of my hand over my mouth. “Yeah. Let’s go eat something.”
We climbed out of the hammock and made our way into the cockpit. I caught sight of the clock by the navigation desk.
“Ten o’clock! Oh my God! Jonas, try hailing your boat, see if they will come get you.”
He tried to hail his brother while I dished out the last of the pasta salad. I opened a tin of tuna and mixed it in.
Jonas had gotten no response fromEik. He turned to me and shrugged. “What do you want to do?”
I hesitated. “Well, we could get my dinghy down and I could drive you over toEik, or you could stay here.”
He swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing. “Where would you like me to sleep?”
We stared at each other. The thought of Jonas in my bed the past few nights had been almost torturous. I knew in my heart that we should keep a safe distance. I was leaving tomorrow, I might never see him again, and at this point I was too invested. I didn’t think I could handle anything physical.
But damned if I didn’t want those memories.
“You can sleep in my bed with me. It’s big enough. And it already smells like you.”
Jonas smiled broadly. “It smells like me?”
“Well, yeah. It’s good. I mean... you smell nice.” I shoved a bowl of pasta salad in his hands to stop my babbling. “Here. Dinner.”
I sat at the table and Jonas followed me. We ate in silence, but I stole glances at him. His hair was a mess, with sections lumping up out of his ponytail, and he, too, had sleep lines on his face.
“We may not fall asleep for a while since we both took a nap.”
“True. We can read for a little longer if you would like.”
I nodded. “I think I have some herbal tea somewhere too.”
“Good.”
Jonas washed the dishes while I dug out some chamomile tea. In the tight quarters of my galley, I worked at pulling the collapsible kettle out of the cabinet. I nudged Jonas aside to fill it with water and he waited patiently, sudsy hands hovering over the sink.
When I faced the stove, we were back-to-back. Our butts brushed together occasionally, and I could feel his warmth through my clothes, making me think about how I’d woken up in the hammock, pressed against him.
When the mugs were put out and the kettle had started heating up, I stepped out of the way. The sink faced the bow of the boat, and directly in front of the sink was one side of the couch. I kneeled on the cushions, facing Jonas, resting my butt on the table and my hands on the short wall at the back of the couch.
I was waiting for the kettle to boil. No sense in picking up my book when I’d need to turn off the stove in a few minutes.
Jonas looked up from his washing occasionally, eyes twinkling while I watched him work. He had these long slender fingers with neatly trimmed nails. He was quick and efficient at the dishes.
“Do you wash the dishes a lot on your boat?”
He smiled. “No, usually I am excused from that duty since we have so many people on board.”
I nodded. “There are a lot more important things to be done around the boat.”
He hummed and the kettle behind him whistled. I scooted around him and poured the hot water into the mugs.
Jonas brushed against me, turning around in the small galley and resting his palms on the counter on either side of me, gently caging me in.
“Where do you want to drink your tea?” I could feel his breath against my hair.
I cleared my throat. “Upstairs?”
He took a hand off the counter and grabbed my waist, squeezing lightly before he picked up one of the mugs and carried it to the cockpit.
