Lost and Found: A Stranded in Paradise Romance

Second Thoughts

After we made love in the waterfall, we returned to the beach to catch some more fish, then we fell asleep around the fire watching the beautiful sunset. It felt exhilarating to have connected with Dylan, but I couldn't shake the sense of guilt I felt for cheating on my husband. Even though the spark had long since disappeared from our relationship, he'd always been a good provider and a loving father for our two children. I knew that if I allowed my feelings for Dylan to deepen that I'd never be able to return to a normal family life.

I tossed and turned most of the night, then at first light, I decided to go for a jog along the beach to clear my head. By now, the soles of my feet had become used to the rough surfaces of the island, and it felt good to feel the wet sand between my toes while I peered out at the shimmering sea. I breathed in the fresh breeze and tilted my face upward, feeling the heat of the sun warming my face. It was true what Dylan had said earlier, that out here all the troubles of the world seemed to melt away.

So why was I so obsessed about revisiting my life in San Francisco? Part of it undoubtedly was my desire to relieve my family's anguish about my status. With the airplane lost at sea and no sightings of survivors, by now everybody would have presumed the worst. My children didn't deserve to have this hanging over their heads for the rest of their lives, but neither did my husband. We'd made a promise to stay together through good times and bad, and my foolish pride refused to give up on our vow.

Besides, I'd worked damn hard to achieve a good job in Silicon Valley, and it seemed a pity to throw it all away to live like a recluse on a deserted island. Eventually, someone would find us, and there'd be a day of reckoning where we'd have to reconcile what had happened on this island with the reality of our separate lives. As I began to head back in the direction of our campsite, I noticed Dylan cooking something over the fire, and the scent of freshly cooked seafood wafted past my nose.

"Morning," he smiled when I pulled up panting next to him. "I managed to catch some lobster while you were out getting some exercise. And I even made some plates to help keep the sand out of our food."

He handed me a chiseled piece of slate holding a cracked lobster and some sliced breadfruit, then he passed me a half-coconut filled with juice.

"It's not like the fine china you're probably used to back home, but it'll do in a pinch."

"Thanks," I said, pulling a chunk of lobster out of the shell and closing my eyes while I savored the sweetness of the meat. "You really don't need to do all of this. You've already gone way beyond the call of duty."

"Nonsense," he said. "We might as well make the best of our circumstances. There's no reason why we should go without some of the simple pleasures in life while we're marooned on this piece of rock."

"Mmm," I nodded, afraid to make eye contact with him.

"How was your run on the beach?" he said, sensing something was amiss. "Better than jogging on a treadmill in a sweaty gym?"

"It was lovely," I said. "It felt good to stretch my legs and clear my head."

"Is everything okay?" he said, darting his eyes over my pensive face. "I thought maybe you ran out on me after what happened in the waterfall yesterday..."

"No, that was incredible," I smiled, peering up at him. "I just think we should be careful not to let ourselves get too carried away by all this. We could get picked up any moment and the more time we spend together, the harder it will be to pretend like nothing happened when we get back home."

Dylan peered at me for a long moment, then he nodded slowly, shuffling his food around his plate.

"I suppose you're right," he said. "I wouldn't expect you to give everything up for some stranger you met on a plane. So what do we do now? How do we resist the obvious temptations while we're stranded together on this little island?"

"I was thinking maybe we should sleep in separate quarters to put a little distance between us. One of us can attend to the signal fire atop the mountain while the other one catches fish in the lagoon and builds up our store of fresh water. I can get started with the first watch, then we'll switch every day until we get rescued. The less we see of each other, the less trouble we're likely to get into."

"So what happened in the waterfall was just sex, then?" Dylan sighed, propping his arms behind him in the sand. "For a while there, I thought it might have been something more–"

"I like you," I said, feeling my cheeks becoming flushed. "That's the problem. The more time I spend with you, the harder it is to pull myself away. But I can't carry on two relationships, even if one of them is only in my heart. It's easier for you because you don't have any children. I've got a family who needs me."

"It's not as easy for me as you might think," Dylan said, raising his plate and tossing his lobster shell into the fire. "But I understand. It seems we're two people who are prisoners of our fate. It's not like we were destined to be partners for the rest of our lives. We were thrown into this situation by circumstances beyond our control. It's just a crazy fling between two people who are temporarily forced to be together."

"Right..." I said, suddenly feeling upset by how easily he was dismissing the whole thing. "It could happen to anyone. It's perfectly natural to reach out to whoever's close at hand when you're feeling lonely."

"We should redouble our rescue efforts then," Dylan nodded, suddenly standing up. "We can put some more leafy vegetation on the fire to create a denser smoke. And it will be easier to keep a watch for passing ships and planes if we don't have each other to talk to."

"Exactly," I said, trying to put our intimate encounter out of my mind.

Dylan picked up the half-filled bucket of water, handing me the flare gun.

"You can carry these provisions with you up to the mountain. I'll bring you some fresh food when I relieve you in the morning."

"You'll be alright down here all by yourself then?" I said, glancing back at him ruefully.

"Don't worry about me," he smiled. "I'm used to doing most things by myself, anyway."

* * *

After I reached the mountaintop and restarted the signal fire, I sat down next to the flame, peering out at the vacant sea. With no other landmarks dotting the horizon, the world seemed to stretch on forever with no end in sight. Then I peered up at the sky, noticing the contrails of a distant jet crossing over the wispy clouds.

"I don't know why you're doing this to me," I sighed out loud. "The least you could do is send some planes a little closer to the shore. If you're going to stick me on a deserted island with a beautiful man, why do you have to make it so difficult for the two of us?"

But the more I thought about what Dylan had said to me on the beach, the more upset I became about acting so impulsively.

"Damn it!" I said, throwing a rock in the fire. "Why did you have to go watch him bathing in the waterfall anyway? Why did you have to ask him to make love to you? And why did you have to dream about him all night long, imagining yourself lying in his arms for the rest of your life?"

But I already knew the answer.

The fact was that I'd been drawn to him from the moment we met, and the more time I spent with him, the closer I felt to him. I was slowly falling in love with Dylan.