Page 7 of Paparazzi Perfect
Color exploded everywhere. Coral bloomed beneath us while fish wove through it in flashes of neon. A manta ray drifted silently past, massive and almost unreal. I hovered there, suspended in the water, watching it glide away into the distance.
Dyson froze nearby as a fish nearly his size cruised past him. I kicked deeper through the rocky outcrops, careful to stay close to the group. Under the spell of the reef, minutes slipped away in what felt like seconds.
Kareena drifted into our bubble and, with two fingers side by side, signaled toward the surface.
What? Already? Too soon!
Finning upward, I slowed as a cluster of green and yellow turtles glided past. Then, a few meters above Dyson, a gray shape cut through the water.
My gaze locked on the fin. A shark. Heading straight for us.
He and I exchanged a look and froze… but it slid past without a second glance, vanishing into the blue. My breathing slowed to a more normal rate, and I pushed upward again.
Dyson burst through the surface beside me, hauling himself up the ladder as I climbed up behind him. “Holy shit!” he yelled, tearing off his mask. “Did you see that?”
“Hard to miss it,” I said between breaths. “That was unreal. Not sure I’m in a hurry to repeat it, though.”
Kareena climbed aboard last. “Hey guys, how was it down there?” she asked, looking straight at Dyson.
He grinned from ear to ear. “We just had a close encounter with a shark. A big one—gray.”
“That would’ve been a gray reef shark,” she said. “They’re pretty harmless if you leave them alone. You were really lucky to see one. They’re an endangered species.”
“You know your stuff,” Dyson said, impressed.
Her mouth curled up at one corner. “Yeah, I spent a few months on a Sea Shepherd ship during one of their whale defense campaigns.”
“Damn,” Dyson said. “That’s badass. And now you get to do thisevery day.” He gestured toward the water.
“I know, right? This place is special. My days are amazing out here… but the nights can be quiet.”
“We can fix that,” Dyson said immediately. “Dinner tonight?”
She smiled. “Sounds perfect. Meet you at eight at the dive club bar,” she called over her shoulder as she joined the others.
I wandered over to one of the seats and settled into it.I could get used to this. I bit into a ripe mango.
***
Later that week I joined Dyson one of the island’s open-air bar, and we watched the sun dip into the ocean while the sky burned red, slowly fading into dusk.
A waiter appeared with our tapas.
“I ordered already. Hope you don’t mind,” Dyson said.
“All good,” I said, taking a mouthful before we ate in silence for a while.
“So, what’ve you been up to?” I asked after we’d almost finished eating. “You went MIA after the reef.”
“Sorry I ditched you.” He grinned. “I’ve been exploring with Kareena. Moped rides, a helicopter trip to Whitehaven Beach, the whole thing. Whitehaven was spectacular. You should totally check it out.”
“No way,” I said. “I went yesterday with Otto. You know the old guy moored next to us? He wanted some company. Didn’t see you guys there.”
“Yeah, it was the last flight of the day. I booked it as a surprise for her. The view of the islands was incredible from up there,” Dyson said, draining his glass.
He looked happier than I’d seen him in a long while as I waited for him to elaborate.
“She’s great. We snorkeled, chilled with a picnic beneath some palm trees, and spent the rest of the afternoon drinking champagne. And the sand… it must’ve been the whitest in the world. Now I’ve got it in every piece of tech I own,” he laughed. “Totally worth it though.”
