On the shaded enclosed veranda of the small guest house, two figures were lying side by side on their backs. Both wore sunglasses, even though the overhanging awning held off the glare of the afternoon sun. Kaito could smell the aloe lotion on Yuki's skin. She had put on a short beach dress of lime green cotton. In the privacy of their small patio, he had merely slipped into a pair of shorts and left his upper body uncovered.
After their return, Kaito had washed his diving suit in clear water. It was now hanging to dry in the warm breeze next to his fins, their bathing towels and a couple of t-shirts. Inside the suitcases other accessories waited, snorkels for skin diving, badminton rackets, coils of nylon rope... you never knew.
After their transit flight from the main island, this morning had been the first day of their vacation spent in the water, and the first open ocean diving experience ever for Yuki. Consequently, they were planning to take it easy the following day. Take a walk. Enjoy the gentle climate of the island. Stand on the shore, watching their shadows lengthen. After giving their bodies a day to recover, they would go out again with their respective diving groups. Better go slowly, Kaito had insisted, than risk headaches or worse.
'And,' Yuki asked 'was it worth setting out before sunrise for a chance to encounter sea turtles?'
Kaito recalled the round silhouettes of slowly swimming amphibians, visible against sunlit water overhead. He smiled. 'If we come out here again some other time and you are more experienced, I think you'd enjoy it too.'
'Mmmm. Perhaps. And when extreme lounging becomes an Olympic discipline, sign me up.' She licked the slightly grey-peppered hair on his temple, caught some of them between her front teeth and pulled. A low rumble of pleasure rose from Kaito's chest.
'It's true,'Yuki told him, 'I was amazed how far we can see underwater here. There were only small fishes around where we went in, which was fine with me, I can tell you. All those colours! I still see them around me when I close my eyes.'
'The people at the dive shop are nice,' he observed.
'They are,' assented Yuki. 'And their rental equipment was easy to use.'
'If you get the hang of this after a few trials, you could think about buying your own wetsuit that fits you perfectly.'
'Yes... if things continue like today, I guess you've got me hooked.'
'Hah, I bet you already marked the suit you wore as yours!'
'How's that?'
'Didn't you piss in it?'
He felt Yuki's body vibrate with laughter beside him. 'I did! How did you know? I pissed almost immediately after we went down. I figured, what the heck, it's the ocean, not a lousy pool.'
Kaito grinned. 'It's the pressure as you descend that does it. My very first diving instructor told me that there were only two kinds of divers: Those who piss in their wetsuits, and those who lie.'
'I like that! Oh no, it seems my instructor back home kept all the important information from us!' Still laughing, Yuki stretched languidly and raised her arms, placing her hands under her head. Kaito inhaled the sweet aroma of her sweat. 'Sooo,' she mused, 'how many more times do I visit the fishes before I grow webs between my toes?'
'You want me to check if they are already there?' Kaito asked.
