Unseen Messages(90)

I swallowed a mouthful of water and shot upright.

Conner fought the creature, his face dripping wet. “Now, what?”

Rubbing my wrist, I made sure I hadn’t been bitten or stung. The slime and suckers said we’d stabbed an octopus.

Lucky us.

Hopefully, it wasn’t a blue-ringed bastard. Those were dangerous and definitely not edible. “I’m going down again. I’ll raise the metal while you move with me, okay? We’ll keep it pinched between the two. Just move when I push.”

He swallowed hard. “Got it.”

Taking a breath, I dived again, fighting revulsion as the prey instantly wrapped around my wrist. Ignoring it, I pushed upward, signalling to Conner to rise with me.

He did as planned, slowly pulling the eight-tentacle animal from the depths.

The closer I got to the surface, the more my skin crawled. The octopus wrapped three, four, five sucked arms around my skin.

At least, Lady Luck decided to give us a break. The flesh of our prey was slimy-grey, not bright blue circles.

Conner squealed as our meal erupted from the sea, wriggling in its multiple-armed glory.

The suckers remained glued to my arm, but its head and nasty beak were pinned against the metal.

Struggling a little with its heavy weight and flailing body, I took the spear and kept the octopus safely pinioned. “Good job. Let’s go.”

Wading back to the beach, I caught sight of Estelle as she appeared with Pippa from the treeline. Afternoon sun glowed on her face, hardening my cock despite my resolution to avoid everything to do with her.

There was something about her.

Something I couldn’t ignore.

I just hoped she couldn’t ignore it, too.

Because I didn’t know how much longer I could keep my promise to be her friend.

.............................

“We come in peace.” Conner pranced ahead with the dead creature aloft.

We’d taken the time to kill the octopus down at the water’s edge and wash off the natural slime and too-late-to-be-effective ink.

The girls (who had their heads bent together weaving the flax Esselte had boiled in the sun for a week) looked up.

“Eww!” Pippa sprang to her feet, backing up. “Get it away.”

Conner laughed, dashing forward to taunt his sister. “What? Never seen an octopus before?”

“No!” Pippa darted behind the umbrella tree. “Co, don’t!”

Conner didn’t listen, chasing her and waving the eight-suckered sea life in her face. “It’s gonna get you, Pip!”

“No!”

“Conner, stop harassing your sister.” Estelle set down her work and stood, massaging the kinks in her back from working with no table or chairs.

The past few weeks things I’d taken for granted became sorely missed: a table to write on, chairs to recline in, utensils to help us resemble human beings rather than sand dirty savages.

I missed light switches and air-con and flushing toilets. I missed cars and radio and internet browsers. But I also missed simpler things. I missed the silence of a house when all the doors were closed. I missed the comfort of having a roof and walls protecting me from the outside. Here, the slap of the waves was constant, the buzz of mosquitos never far away, and the breeze we could never escape was part enemy, part friend.

Estelle’s gaze dropped to my soggy splint. “How was it swimming?”

“Useless. I think it’s time to come off.”

She pursed her lips. “You might be right.”

I stiffened. First thing I’d be right about, according to her.

I wanted it off. I could’ve done it myself many times over, but I didn’t because of some stupid reason.

A reason that would never come true.

I want her to do it.

I wanted her fingers on my thigh. I wanted to make her touch me because God knew she wouldn’t touch me otherwise. She hadn’t even changed the leaf-padding in the weeks it’d been on...deliberately withholding care from her patient. A patient who’d reached the end of his patience. A patient who wouldn’t be able to stop if she ever did touch him.

In two months, I hadn’t been touched. It wasn’t something that’d ever crossed my mind that I needed...but hell...I did.

The kids weren’t cuddly. Pippa got her needed affection from Estelle, and Conner was happy with a fist-bump rather than an embrace. And Estelle got her hugs from Pippa and the occasional one from Conner.

What did I get? Nothing.

Bloody nothing.

I’d never been a massive hugger—only hugging those I truly cared for. My dad earned his fair share, and my mother was smothered in them toward the end.

But apart from that, I kept my physical contact to a minimum—even when I’d had no choice with what happened after my mum’s death, I didn’t seek out any more than I had to.

But Estelle?

Living with her. Sleeping by her. Watching her. Being the best goddamn friend I could be to her.

It was killing me.

Every damn day, I died a little more. I craved a little harder. I dreamed a little deeper.

I’m pathetic.

I’d given my heart to this woman, against my wishes and common sense, and slid further down the slippery slope into love-lust. And she didn’t love-lust me back. Not the way I needed her to.

Hey, that was life. We crashed landed. Why did I ever think I would find a silver lining?