Page 72 of Heart to Heart
“Okay,” Tristan said, looking around our group. “Who here has gone snorkeling before?”
Every hand shot up but Kennedy’s, which was really no big surprise.
“Impressive,” he mused. “Maybe I should have asked who here has been snorkeling on Isthmus Reef.”
To that, Bianca’s hand flew up. Because, of course, it would have.
“Bianca. Nice. That’s going to make this next part a little easier.” He grinned, knowing he had our undivided attention. “For today’s group date, I’m going to be taking four of you snorkeling in Isthmus Reef, which is just a little way from the cove out there.” He pointed out to the cove, just to the southeast of us. “Anyone not chosen today will accompany me on a sightseeing trip to Avalon tomorrow.”
From the reaction to the description of the dates, it was clear who the outdoorsy and indoorsy women in the group were.
“Now, which four of you will be joining me down at the cove in twenty minutes?” He tapped his chin with his index finger, inspecting us, his face unreadable. “Let’s start with Charlie.” He paused, scanning us again for the dramatic effect that made viewers back at home impatiently groan. “Kennedy.”
I stifled a giggle, knowing damn well this date and Kennedy would not be a perfect match.
“Brittney L.” Tristan searched our faces one last time, his eyes once again landing on me. “Avery.”
The early-summer sunbeat down on the water surrounding our small dive boat anchored off Bird Rock, an island that wasvery much a rock, dotted with sparse vegetation and positioned in the middle of the cove near Isthmus Reef.
I sat on the platform on the edge of the boat with Charlie, Kennedy, and Brittney L. as we each slipped our feet into our flippers while our instructor advised us on the rules of snorkeling; said rules basically amounted to keeping our hands to ourselves, which I didn’t think was going to be a problem for Kennedy or Brittney L. who didn’t even want to touch the water let alone anything in it.
Behind us, Tristan stood leaning against the side of the boat. Even in flippers and a mask, he was insanely handsome, which made me start to question this new kink I’d unlocked within myself since I’d been on the show. He caught me gawking at him and smirked, directing me with his finger to turn back around and listen to our instructor.
“All right,” Tyler, the titular instructor with bleach blond hair and ‘90s board shorts, said, “if no one has any questions, we can get started.”
“Are there any sharks here?” Charlie asked, peering overboard into the crystal-clear water.
“You may see a shark or two,” he answered her, “but they’re relatively harmless.”
Kennedy raised her hand.
“Yes?” Tyler answered her, confused, probably, as to why she was raising her hand.
“What do you mean by relatively?”
“I mean, no one has been bitten by a shark here in two years.”
Kennedy and Brittney L. glanced at each other, alarmed. Behind us, Tristan tried to muffle a snort-laugh.
“Okay, everyone.” Tyler clapped his hands. “Mask up, and let’s get in the water.”
Schools of mackerel swam in the waters beneath me as I trod the surface, following in close proximity to Tyler, who stoppedour swim every few feet to explain each type of native aquatic plant we came across and to point out the blue-banded gobies that hid among the coral, including in his speech the fact that they could change their sex, a fact of which must make the predominately female gobies feel safer when swimming alone in a parking lot at night.
The reef was beautiful, but it was nothing compared to the broad-shouldered mass of muscle swimming next to me, who cut through the water like a knife through butter. Every so often, our hands accidentally grazed each other as we swam, sending a ripple of electricity through my body,
After making a lap around the reef, Tyler, sensing we must have sufficiently grasped the basics of swimming and breathing through a plastic tube, motioned for us to surface. “That concludes my portion of the tour. You are all free to explore on your own if you so choose, or you can head on back to the boat.”
“Boat it is,” Kennedy announced, not having to be told twice.
“Whoa, is she an Olympic swimmer or something?” Tyler asked, watching as Kennedy hauled ass at the speed of Michael Phelps across the water.
“We have a few minutes left out here,” Tristan said to the rest of us. “Let’s see what else we can find.” He pushed his mask back down over his eyes and fit the snorkel back into his mouth, disappearing under the surface. Brittney L. caught up with him, looking at the various plant life he was pointing out with far more interest than she had with Tyler. Not to be left out, Charlie joined them, swimming on the other side of Tristan, making him the meat in their sandwich.
Figuring three was already a crowd, I swam off, moving more in the direction of the boat, silently wishing that Tristan had chosen me for tomorrow’s date instead. At least, maybe then there would have been a chance at getting more one-on-one time with him.
Another, or maybe it was the same, school of mackerel meandered through the reef, and I followed them, eventually ending up much further out than I’d intended. When I resurfaced again, I realized I’d made my way around Bird Rock on the opposite side from where the boat was anchored. But when I turned to head back, I bumped into something solid, like the Titanic striking an iceberg.
“Sorry.” Tristan steadied me with one hand as he pushed his mask up. I removed my snorkel, sliding my mask just over my hairline. “I noticed you weren’t with the group anymore, so I thought I should go looking for you.”
