misbehaving boys than three missing-presumed-dead men who may wish they'd died if she got her hands around their skinny necks.
"Have you guys been here the whole time?" Derek looked equally pissed off as he swam toward them. "Do you have any idea how scared we've been? We thought you'd died."
"Died?" Stewart asked, peering over the edge at them. "We got lost and stayed put. Didn't your mothers ever teach you that if you were lost in a store to stay put so you'd be found?"
"Do I look like your goddamn mother and is this a fucking store?" She splashed water at them with an intensity that felt really good given how her day had gone.
"Matthew's legs are crushed. I had to pry him loose from between two rock formations and drag him to the rendezvous point. Legally, we're not supposed to be in here without a government guide. Savannah and I could go to jail because we came back to rescue you."
All three men stared down at them from the ledge, their faces illuminated only by headlamps.
"Bill broke his arm and I nearly drowned twice." Exasperated, she flipped onto her back and simply stared at the ceiling. "You've been in here singing."
All were quiet for a minute until relief overtook the frustration of the day and they began laughing. She shoved the dive mask to the top of her head and wiped away another tear. Smiling, she hummed the chorus of the song they'd been singing.
"Where the deer and the antelope play..." Paul sang out with gusto.
"Get your asses in the water and let's get out of this cave," Derek said with a laugh. "I cannot believe you have been sitting here this entire time."
"Morons," she muttered as they jumped in one by one. To say that her nerves were shot would be a gross understatement. She'd spent hours believing her friends were dead and blaming herself for leaving them behind.
She met Derek's gaze and reluctantly smiled.
"Their our morons, like it or not," he said, relief lighting his eyes. "Let's get the hell out of here."
"You guys are buying drinks all night and all day tomorrow," she said once they were all together.
"She's going on a date with Bill tomorrow night, though, so you'll be off the hook for that tab," Derek informed them.
"Ooo..." they threesome said at once.
"Bill and Savannah....no surprise there," Jon said before shoving the regulator into his mouth.
"So it took a major earthquake for Bill to make a move? He's not much of a genius." Paul laughed.
"Seems like we missed a lot," Stewart agreed while adjusting his headlamp.
"You have no idea," she said, a myriad of emotions flooding her system at once and completely exhausting her. "You all owe us drinks for the rest of the week, not just two days," she announced before focusing on Derek. "Why is that the first thing you had to announce?"
"After a day like today, we all deserve a celebration, don't you think?" He winked, adjusted his gear and slid into the water.
She submerged, took one last look at the twisted white formations reaching up from the abyss and the marine fossils embedded in the limestone walls, and followed her boys out of there.
Chapter Eight
They all slept for well over twelve hours before spending the next afternoon volunteering with the locals to help repair the damage done by the earthquake. Bill couldn't do much with his broken arm and bruised ribs, but he managed to help out as best as he could.
All day he'd been thinking about yesterday's dive and how lucky they were to be amongst the living. Tomorrow would be another day of volunteering where they were needed. Perhaps it wasn't the trip any of them had planned, but travelers adapted to changing circumstances and appreciated the privilege of immersing themselves in foreign cultures.
"Are you ready for your big date?" Derek asked from where he lounged on the other bed in the room with a laptop resting next to him.
He glanced down at his black t-shirt and jeans. "I didn't exactly pack for a date night."
Derek shut the lid on the
"Have you guys been here the whole time?" Derek looked equally pissed off as he swam toward them. "Do you have any idea how scared we've been? We thought you'd died."
"Died?" Stewart asked, peering over the edge at them. "We got lost and stayed put. Didn't your mothers ever teach you that if you were lost in a store to stay put so you'd be found?"
"Do I look like your goddamn mother and is this a fucking store?" She splashed water at them with an intensity that felt really good given how her day had gone.
"Matthew's legs are crushed. I had to pry him loose from between two rock formations and drag him to the rendezvous point. Legally, we're not supposed to be in here without a government guide. Savannah and I could go to jail because we came back to rescue you."
All three men stared down at them from the ledge, their faces illuminated only by headlamps.
"Bill broke his arm and I nearly drowned twice." Exasperated, she flipped onto her back and simply stared at the ceiling. "You've been in here singing."
All were quiet for a minute until relief overtook the frustration of the day and they began laughing. She shoved the dive mask to the top of her head and wiped away another tear. Smiling, she hummed the chorus of the song they'd been singing.
"Where the deer and the antelope play..." Paul sang out with gusto.
"Get your asses in the water and let's get out of this cave," Derek said with a laugh. "I cannot believe you have been sitting here this entire time."
"Morons," she muttered as they jumped in one by one. To say that her nerves were shot would be a gross understatement. She'd spent hours believing her friends were dead and blaming herself for leaving them behind.
She met Derek's gaze and reluctantly smiled.
"Their our morons, like it or not," he said, relief lighting his eyes. "Let's get the hell out of here."
"You guys are buying drinks all night and all day tomorrow," she said once they were all together.
"She's going on a date with Bill tomorrow night, though, so you'll be off the hook for that tab," Derek informed them.
"Ooo..." they threesome said at once.
"Bill and Savannah....no surprise there," Jon said before shoving the regulator into his mouth.
"So it took a major earthquake for Bill to make a move? He's not much of a genius." Paul laughed.
"Seems like we missed a lot," Stewart agreed while adjusting his headlamp.
"You have no idea," she said, a myriad of emotions flooding her system at once and completely exhausting her. "You all owe us drinks for the rest of the week, not just two days," she announced before focusing on Derek. "Why is that the first thing you had to announce?"
"After a day like today, we all deserve a celebration, don't you think?" He winked, adjusted his gear and slid into the water.
She submerged, took one last look at the twisted white formations reaching up from the abyss and the marine fossils embedded in the limestone walls, and followed her boys out of there.
Chapter Eight
They all slept for well over twelve hours before spending the next afternoon volunteering with the locals to help repair the damage done by the earthquake. Bill couldn't do much with his broken arm and bruised ribs, but he managed to help out as best as he could.
All day he'd been thinking about yesterday's dive and how lucky they were to be amongst the living. Tomorrow would be another day of volunteering where they were needed. Perhaps it wasn't the trip any of them had planned, but travelers adapted to changing circumstances and appreciated the privilege of immersing themselves in foreign cultures.
"Are you ready for your big date?" Derek asked from where he lounged on the other bed in the room with a laptop resting next to him.
He glanced down at his black t-shirt and jeans. "I didn't exactly pack for a date night."
Derek shut the lid on the
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