Safe Harbor

They all told me I needed a vacation. They said the stress of work was getting to me and that I owed it to myself to get away for a couple of weeks and enjoy life. They told me that when I came home I would feel ten years younger.

Get some sun they said.

Swim in the ocean they said.

Drink way too much alcohol they said.

Sleep with some girls they said.

Sleep with some boys they said.

You know what? All of my friends can be real assholes sometimes.

The ship left Miami on Thursday for two weeks of adventure in all of the tropical shitholes that made up the Caribbean nations. I figured I might at least be able to get some duty free booze and Cuban cigars at some point on the journey but other than that I was less than excited. I’d allowed Mindy, my best friend since freshman year at the University of Michigan, to book the trip for us.

That was the one bonus. At least I was accompanied by somebody I actually liked. It saved me the hassle of having to make the acquaintance of the mouth breathers who made up the majority of the passengers on the big white boat. Of course there was the nagging problem that she wanted to actually do things while we were cruising.

Don’t get me wrong, Mindy is a great girl and more than easy on the eyes but I am just not a joiner. I am the guy who sat in the corner at parties and school functions. I was the one who volunteered to work the holidays for people who really had a life.

“Jimmy we did not spend all this money to come out here so you could spend the entire time in the cabin reading,” she said less than half an hour after the boat left port. Then she dragged me to the main deck where we swam, played volley ball, drank some fruity adult beverages, and had some barbeque with the other passengers.

OK… so it wasn’t that bad.

But Mindy did stay glued to my side. And she kept taking my hand in hers. She was wearing this light blue bikini top and really tight shorts proving that she really did use her gym membership. But every time a guy approached her, and one time this really hot Chinese girl, she turned them away. Then she would cling even tighter.

I was completely confused.

Yeah I do realize in retrospect that I was being thick. But in my defense I have never been the most observant person when it came to my personal life. And I’d known Mindy for seven years and she’d never shown the slightest interest in being more than best friends.

On the third night everything changed forever.

We’d just finished dinner and Mindy wanted to go to the pool for a late night swim. I would have rather watched a movie but she convinced me to come with her. She has always been able to convince me of just about anything.

The deck was mostly deserted and the pool did feel wonderful and refreshing. We swam and horsed around like teenagers. We had a massive splash fight and I thought for a second the life guard was going to tell us to knock it off or get out. Finally we ordered a couple of drinks and settled into the hot tub.

We were chitchatting when out of the blue she asked, “Jimmy why have you never tried to get me in bed?”

I spit my drink out and stared at her. The expression on my face must have been funny because she started to giggle and then took my free hand in hers and cuddled against me. My heart was hammering and I felt a little dizzy.

“Haven’t I made it clear?” she asked and now her voice was no nonsense and to the point.

“Made what clear?” I sputtered clearly trying to buy some time.

She didn’t let me.

Before I was aware of her movements she was first on my lap, then her arms were around my neck, and then her lips were pressed to mine. At first I froze unsure of what to do. Then I slid my arms around her and my lips parted with hers. Our tongues touched and the fire that had been dormant inside of me roared to life. I pulled her tight and I could feel the swells of her warm firm breasts against me.

I was covered in goose bumps.

We kissed for several minutes, our arms moving all over each other. When we finally broke apart we were breathing heavily and I am sure my skin was just as flushed as hers. She was looking me right in the eyes and the fiery intensity in her gaze made me feel naked and exposed.

“Why?” was all I managed to ask her.

She started to laugh her beautiful deep throated laugh. Then she pulled in close and looked at me, our noses almost touching. I could feel her heart beating and mine pounding an answering rhythm.

“Because I love you, I’ve always loved you,” she whispered. Then she kissed me again.