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“Ah.” I laughed, running a hand through my hair. “Both belong to Luke. He’s completely obsessed with diving. I keep them on board in exchange for being able to use them when needed.” I didn’t add that since he brought the gear on board, part of me had been hoping she’d share it with me one day.
“Convenient,” she teased. “I’ll have to thank Luke the next time I see him.”
“Don’t. He’d just want to join the dive with us.” I joined in her laughter, grateful for the ease between us.
This site had a mooring ball, and I tied us off, double-checking the clasps to make sure the boat wouldn’t go anywhere. I caught her gaze, the same sparkle from years ago still alive within them. My pulse quickened, not from the adventure ahead but simply because I was with her. “You okay with the sway?” I asked, watching her for any sign of discomfort.
“I don’t get seasick.” She grinned, steadying herself with a hand on the bench. “It’s like dancing with the ocean.”
We set about gearing up, the neoprene wetsuits a second skin. As we slid into our scuba kits, anticipation rose within me. This was more than a dive. Scuba had been one of our favorite activities during high school. Submerging under the water would be a step toward something lost, a bridge across years of silence.
I helped her walk to the makeshift removable platform Luke and I had built, then handed Stella her set of fins. “Remember how to put these on without tipping over?” I teased, recalling the first time we’d tried snorkeling together.
“Watch and learn, sailor.” Her reply was playful, but determination was clear in her eyes as she slipped them over her neoprene booties. “Maia gave me a refresher a couple of days ago, so you better look out. I’m ready to show you how this is done!”
Laughing, I checked her tank a final time, ensuring everything was secure. “Yeah, yeah. I’m not quite as lucky as you, with half your family being dive professionals.”
“Not half. Just two—and both women, I might add.”
“You won’t get any argument from me about the capabilities of women, believe me. I see that every day. Luke might not be a dive pro, but we’ve gone diving several times since I’ve moved back. I’d forgotten how much fun this is, though you are much hotter than him.”
“Oh? You noticed I’m not a guy, huh?”
“Pretty sure I’ve demonstrated that knowledge multiple times now.” I waggled my eyebrows at her. She responded by pushing me in the chest, and I staggered a little before getting my footing again.
We did a final buddy check, ensuring everything was secure and operational. Both of us perched on the edge, the crystal waters beckoning below. My heart raced with the adrenaline of embarking on a new journey with the one person who had always made my spirit soar. Our eyes met as smiles widened our mouths.
“Are you ready to jump?” I asked.
Chapter Twenty
Stella
I drifted down through the clear blue water, my lungs finding a rhythm with the hiss and bubble of my regulator. The ocean cradled me, vast and yet soothing, as Aiden descended by my side. I caught glimpses of him through my peripheral vision—his dark-blond hair waving gently, his trim form floating through the sea with athletic grace.
He pointed toward a school of tiny fish. Nearing at impossible speed, they stopped and swooped around us in a silvery dance. Their movements were synchronized, enchanting in their fluidity as they swirled and darted. I could only nod, mesmerized by the simple magic of this underwater ballet.
Reaching sixty feet, we glided along a wall of solid coral painted with vivacious streaks of color—soft and hard corals of crimson, emerald, and azure. Colorful butterfly fish flitted about, their delicate fins brushing past corals like the strokes of an artist’s brush. Several lobsters, armored in shades of scarlet and burgundy, played hide-and-seek within the crevices of the reef. I stopped to watch one, its long antennae reaching toward me and twitching.
After moving on, a twinge of unease rippled through me at the realization that we were alone, without the guidance of an experienced dive leader like Maia or April. But Aiden and I were both certified divers and qualified to dive in a buddy team.
There was no current to fight, and I craned my head up, spotting the shadow of the boat moored overhead. Relaxing, I kicked on, letting myself enjoy the immersive experience. Aiden’s movements were confident yet gentle, his presence reassuring. As he gestured toward a particularly intricate formation, I followed, my fins propelling me closer. It was an overhang of coral, festooned with swaying fans and dotted with the tiny, brilliant sparks of luminous fish peeking out from their coral homes. I locked eyes with Aiden, and his eyes glinted through the mask.
Being submerged in this alien yet familiar world brought a serenity unmatched by any other experience. The loudest sound was our exhaling bubbles, a soothing rhythm that accompanied our quiet tour. Above us, life was all honking cars and ringing cell phones, but down here, there was just the hush of the ocean.
As we continued to explore, Aiden and I rediscovered each other in a place where words were not only impossible, they were unnecessary. Every gesture, every shared look, spoke volumes. When he inspected the edge of a massive brain coral, beckoning me to admire the complex patterns, a smile tugged at my lips. My heart swelled with a warmth that had nothing to do with the tropical waters.
We communicated in hand signals and shared laughter captured behind our regulators. Easing through the dappled light that filtered down from above, Aiden and I glided side by side. As we rose toward the sun-dappled surface thirty feet above, our fins acted as silent engines, driving us through an elaborate canal that wound beneath the ocean’s skin. This winding channel felt like the keyhole to a world unseen by most. The surge of water, like a playful sprite, teased at our bodies with its gentle tug.
The channel was a living tapestry of soft and hard corals. Lacy sea fans swayed seductively, delicate dancers in a ballet choreographed by nature herself. The stoic hard corals were interspersed between them. Their calcified structures stood firm against the push and pull of waves, creating permanent, solid homes for aquatic life.
Schools of fish darted around us in synchronized motion. A yellow-tailed damselfish flitted about, its body an impossibly vivid cobalt with iridescent turquoise sequins. One snap of its bright yellow tail sent the shy fish scurrying into the reef.
I’d forgotten what this felt like, the intimate connection of diving. It was more than just admiration for the sea’s beauty or fascination with its complexity. I felt woven into this underwater fabric—not as an outsider intruding upon nature but as an integral thread adding depth to its design.
Then I spotted it. And rejoiced.
First just a dark brown shape nearly eight feet long. But the closer we got, the more recognizable it became. A nurse shark, its broad, flattened body motionless but for the rhythmic flutter of gills, lay on the sand under an overhanging shelf.
