Turn of the Tide | ONC 2023

[5] Cove Comforts

    Without a door to shut out the storm around the cove, a chill draught soon pervaded the lower deck. Sally's cardigan spewed seawater down her arms and back as she tugged the wool from her body, holding her breath through bouts of shivering to lay it out to dry on the floor. Goosebumps spanned the length of her exposed skin, and she rubbed her arms until she painted red streaks into her flesh.

    Flick had not stirred. A small cut split across her forehead, releasing a thin trickle of blood to darken her fizzing features. Her clothes were soaked through, and Sally almost heard her friend's body temperature plummeting to dangerous levels every moment she stayed slumped in the seat. After feeling how cold Flick's hands were, Sally broke from sitting by her side to find some way to keep them both from chilling beyond saving.

    The yacht looked fancy from the outside, yet inside it was a modest vessel, designed for afternoons floating over the shallows rather than long trips in rough weather. There were no rooms to shut themselves away in, and certainly no heating system to combat the cold's invasion. What Sally could see were storage compartments, though every drawer, cupboard, and locker she opened was devoid of contents, save for a flyer promoting a range of flotation aids. She hoped things did not come to that, given she had not found a single life jacket so far.

    As her hopes flitted away, Sally opened up the final locker by the steps and leapt back as it tossed a bundle of material at her. Taking it from the floor and unfurling it, she found that Martin Rowe had left one bright red towel onboard along with a thin facecloth, their dry fibres a relief to touch. She wiped her face with the cloth, then made her way to her friend's side and dab the cut on her forehead clear of blood. Her hands shook more with every movement. This was not the situation she had in mind when she daydreamed about undressing Flick.

    Her boots and socks came off easily, though the buckets of water they spat out coated the floor in a slippery mess. Even her flannel shirt was no issue to peel free of Flick's skin, its deep red lines flaring against the earthy tones of Sally's cardigan in the corner of the room. As soon as Sally turned back to Flick, however, she spotted a pair of scarlet bra straps peeking out from below her friend's top, a sight that struck her in two very different ways. It was a relief, because Sally had half-expected Flick to forgo bras in the name of comfort. However, it also sent extra shivers along her shuddering spine. She was really about to take Flick's top off.

    The first sight of Flick's stomach raised flames in Sally's cheeks, every added inch of bronze flesh stoking her fires hotter and hotter until she had forgotten about the freezing storm outside. A gasp stole the breath from her body as her knuckle brushed against the curve of Flick's chest, the wine-red hue of her bra glowing through the wet fabric. Sally shut her eyes, took a firm hold on the garment, and lifted it up.

    Keeping her eyes shut, Sally threw the ragged top with the rest of their clothes and felt around for the towel. It eluded her blind grasp after several attempts, and she cracked an eye open to guide her hand, only to catch sight of Flick in front of her.

    As much as the girl's soft tawny skin and sleek undergarment competed for her attention, it was the shimmering golden locket that Sally's hand drifted towards. Flick never talked about it, and Sally had never thought to ask about it. It was light and small, resting comfortably on three of her fingers, and she flipped it around to find an engraving on its rear. "F.S. x M.F," she read aloud, ushering a droplet of water off the metal with her thumb. "Felicity Scott and..."

    "Take a picture if you want. It's nothing Miri's never seen before." The sound of Flick's voice startled Sally into dropping the locket and stumbling backwards, and her friend's hand snapped to her wrist to catch her. "I'm shook right now, Sal. You could've just asked to see me topless if you were so curious."