Chapter 3 — Chapter 3

I sent my friend to the bathroom when we got back. She already looked more lively, and there were two empty drink bottles on the table.

I quickly packed a bag with swim gear, found my camera, and put it in there. I was ready to go, except we hadn't had breakfast, so I tossed a pack of cookies and some nuts in packets into the bag.

Vera came out of the bathroom and started getting ready. She stuffed everything she decided to take into her bag, added her phone, charger, and power bank. She put on shorts, a t-shirt, and pulled a cap over her head, then cheerfully announced,

"What are you sitting there for? I'm ready!"

"Put your shoes on," I chuckled.

While she searched for her sneakers and flip-flops, I headed for the door. She caught up with me at the entrance, puffing like a steam engine.

We handed over the keys to the receptionist and picked up my phone, which I had forgotten the day before, then stepped outside. A large, spacious jeep was parked in front of the hotel. The guys took our bags and helped us into the back seat.

As we drove, I turned on my phone and was surprised to see a flood of text messages.

"When did you manage to post those photos?" I looked at Vera. She lay on the seat, closed her eyes, and was half "dying."

"Yesterday, right away, just a few, maybe ten..." she yawned.

"Two hundred..." I growled and smacked her butt.

"What?!" she opened her eyes in alarm and reached for her phone. "Damn... I swear I didn't mean to! At least there's a copy protection!"

"Yeah, but what about screenshots?" I turned my phone to show her a conversation with my ex, Stas.

"Come on, you look great in all of them," she snorted. "I always look like a hungry sparrow with my mouth open or a smile like a Halloween pumpkin. You look pretty good, though," Vera mumbled as she continued scrolling through the photos.

"But read the comments!" I was ready to strangle her.

"Only your little cockroach Stas left nasty comments! I'll ban him now and clean up the comments! Look at how he got worked up!" she giggled.

"I'll put him on the Blacklist too!" I thought and immediately blocked him everywhere I could.

He had already seen that I read his messages and was typing something...

"I'm all fired up now!" Vera sat up and tucked her phone into her pocket.

"And we're here," the silent brothers exchanged glances.

"Oh, great! We read about this harbor when we were thinking about taking a cruise around the islands!" Vera clapped her hands.

"We can show you everything!" the brothers boasted.

"Do you have a big yacht where we can stay overnight?" I asked them.

"We have several... Right now, we'll take a speedboat. We need maneuverability in the narrow channels and rapids," they helped us out, loaded us with bags, and we headed to the dock.

Approaching one of the boats, they first loaded our things, then helped us climb aboard.

"How far are we going?" we settled comfortably into the chairs under the canopy.

"An hour. So you don't get bored..." and they handed us coffee in cups and a whole bag of sandwiches.

"And what about you?" I glanced back at them. One of the brothers was already untying the ropes from the dock posts, the other was starting the engine.

"We've got ours," the twin at the helm pointed to another bag.

The boat gently and quietly pulled away from the shore and headed out to sea, carefully rounding the island. I took out my camera and, adjusting the lens, photographed the shore and the guys, who happily smiled and posed for me.

"They're handsome, right?" Vera whispered, watching us closely.

"Yeah, no arguing there. Their exotic look, the tattoos... Their dazzling white smiles, and it's like golden sparks are shining in their eyes."

"It's a shame it's not for me..." she took a sip of coffee, stretched out her legs, and looked at the coast drifting by. "Not my type, either."

"What's wrong with them?" Vera noticed that both brothers were paying attention to me.

"Nothing's wrong. They're polite, handsome, but not my type."

"What is your type, then?" I looked at her.

"I'll know when I see him!"

"Alright..."

I looked at the camera screen, reviewing the shots I had taken.

"Just sit like that..." I started photographing my friend, moving around to find the best angle. "And you say you're not photogenic," I handed her the camera, showing her the shots.

"You're comparing professional photos to my drunk ones," she laughed. "I cleaned up the bad ones from my page, I'll edit the rest later. I left about a dozen up."

"I'll send you mine later, you can add them," I agreed.

We finally rounded the island and, after traveling a few more kilometers, entered a small cove nestled between cliffs. We passed under a stone arch. Of course, I captured everything, planning to add it to my "travels" album, which already had five collections.

The boat dropped anchor, and the guys started preparing the gear.

"The sun will fully rise over the cove soon, and you'll be able to see right through the water," Dokite and Tamzin had already pulled out the scuba gear and masks.

We quickly shed our clothes, down to our swimsuits, and they helped us put on all the equipment, carefully rinsing the masks to prevent fogging. They checked our breathing tubes and sat us on the edge, fastening the fins on our feet.

We leaned back into the water, diving in. The depth here was only about three meters, but the beauty was immediately apparent. The twins dove in after us, swirling around and carefully collecting something from the rocks, maybe oysters, possibly sea cucumbers, and definitely sea urchins. I watched the fish, caught starfish...

When the sun, as our guides had said, rose above the bay, it became clear why we had come to this place. It was a spectacular sight: a gathering of marine life, plants, and corals that would leave no diver, not just a casual tourist, indifferent.

"I want to come back here!"

Those were the first words I said as I surfaced and took the tube out of my mouth.

"We'll come back!" they helped us climb back onto the boat carefully. "And there's a temple ahead!"