Girls Will Be Girls

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Eden took a steadying breath and smiled despite the small machine guns pointed at her. Getting through customs could be nerve-wracking when your passport looked like hers did. As a project coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, she'd been in 14 war-torn and famine-riddled countries during the pandemic.

"Where is your luggage?" the officer demanded.

She held up her backpack. "I left all my clothes with the kids at the orphanage. I'll buy new ones when I get there." All she needed was a bikini. She'd borrow the rest from Cam.

She hadn't seen her best friend and partner in crime for over two years, since the stupid fucking Covid fucked up everything. Her bestie was an ICU nurse that had worked whenever and wherever she was needed during the pandemic. Travel nursing had made her a shit ton of money, but the relentless work and suffering and death had drained her. But now it was over and Eden and Cam were going to paradise for 10 well-deserved days of sun and sea and sitting on their asses.

Finally the authorities decided Eden was legit, and turned her loose. A short scooter ride in busy traffic put her at the dock where their host waited, his boat loaded with all the supplies they would need. The girls had known him for years, since they booked a live-aboard diving trip on his first boat. Now he had a bigger boat and a private island. Yes, it was uninhabited at present, but someday he'd have enough money to build fancy accommodations or maybe even a resort.

Cam waved excitedly from the boat and yelled at Eden, "It's about damn time. Did you stop at a bar?"

"Hell, no. Security thought I was a terrorist. How many swimsuits did you bring? I need to mooch."
Broad smiles lit their faces. No matter how long they might be apart, the time melted into nothing when they were together again.

An hour by boat and an hour to unload had them and all their belongings stowed on the postage stamp paradise. Their gear was settled under the shade of some trees near the middle of the island. They would decide later where to string their hammocks.

The girls couldn't wait another minute to enjoy the crystal blue waters. Clad only in tiny bikinis, they were ready to head to the beach. Cam grabbed the spear guns and handed one to Eden.

Eden laughed. "Fish for dinner?"

Cam squinted at her. "No tricks. No shark or octopus. Or cow fish. Unlike you, I won't eat literally anything." Eden had long ago gotten over her narrow view of what was possible to eat. The numerous cultures and starvation situations where her job placed her had forced her to "broaden her food horizons," as she liked to say.

"Spoiled rotten princess," Eden teased back. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Cam routinely worked 18 hour shifts in busy ERs. She was an experienced backwoods hiker and camper. Eden had seen her kill, dress and cook a rattlesnake. It tasted absolutely nasty, but they both really wanted to say they'd done it.



The turquoise waters of the sea welcomed them

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The turquoise waters of the sea welcomed them. They disappeared into its depths and let it wash away their burdens, making them feel as light and sparkly as the sunlight glinting through the waves.

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