Spice Islands (First Romance Smackdown - LGBT)

Spice Islands (LGBT - Romance Smackdown 1.0)

Spice Islands (Chapter One)

This is my entry for Round one of the Romance Story Smackdown. My group was the coffee and spices picture. I have used additional pics 1, 5, 6 and 7. Word count now 3997, not counting this bit! It's a gay romance but not explicit.

Sophie and Liam dropped their wet snorkels on the verandah, brushed the sand off their feet and went inside their cabin for a quick shower and change.  

"That was absolutely amazing!" Sophie tossed her beach bag on the bed. 

"Did you see those clown fish hiding amongst the anemones? Just like 'Finding Nemo.'" 

"Are you kidding? The water was so clear I could see every scale and frond!" 

They grinned at each other still unable to believe they were actually staying on an island straight out of a travel brochure. Crystalline blue water, white sand, rainforest growing all around them. Coconuts dropping on the ground. 

"This is going to be a brilliant holiday Liam!" 

Ten fabulous days in a tropical island beach resort. The kind built of carved wood, palm thatched rooves and lazy ceiling fans. Then two whole weeks aboard a live-in yacht, touring the islands, climbing volcanoes, more snorkelling over pristine reefs. 

Almost a whole month in the Maluku islands, Indonesia, more widely known as the fabled Spice Islands, the ones Christopher Columbus had been searching for when he found the Americas. Home of nutmeg and cloves. Plantations of coffee and cinnamon trees. 

The yacht tour they had booked would include an excursion to visit some of the plantations, to see where the spices grew and sample them straight from the tree as well as in their processed forms. As a chef in training, Liam was looking forward to this, eager to taste if they were different from the spices he could buy at home.  

"You hop in the shower, I'm just going over to Reception to book a spot on that diving tour tomorrow. Sure you don't want to come?" 

Sophie shook her head. "No, I'll stick to snorkelling, thank you. I'll be fine, you go ahead." 

Liam walked along the sandy path, following the trail through coconut palms to Reception. The walls were non existent, the desk shaded by the roof and open to the breezes, cane armchairs dotted around encouraged guests to sit and relax over the morning paper or afternoon drink. A bar opposite served coffee all day and drinks after midday. 

A man Liam hadn't seen before, looked up from behind the reception desk and smiled at him. 

"Can I help you?" Unlike the Indonesian who was usually on duty, this man was English, with dark blond hair, bleached by the sun. His white short sleeved shirt revealed tanned arms and a silver dolphin hung on a chain around his neck. 

He smiled at Liam. "Hullo, I'm Tim Morrison, the manager. What can I do for you?" 

His voice reminded Liam of Colin Firth, the English actor. Classy. 

Suddenly Liam wished he had taken time to shower first. Self consciously, he ran his hand over his wet hair, "Um, I'm interested in the diving tour. Tomorrow." 

'Right. Which one? Morning or afternoon? I take the afternoon one myself," he added, his grey eyes smiling. 

Was Morrison hitting on him?  

Of course not, he dismissed the thought hastily, he was just being a friendly host. 

"Ah. The afternoon one, please."  

Morrison tapped into the laptop, "No problem. Name?" 

"Liam Hennessy." 

"Aussie?" 

"You can tell?" Liam laughed. Maybe the cartoon kangaroo on his tee-shirt had been a bit of a giveaway. 

Tim Morrison's grey eyes held his as he leant forward confidingly. "I've been here a couple of years now. I'm pretty good with accents." 

"My turn to guess. You're from the UK?" 

"Scotland, aye," his voice suddenly took on a lilt. "Originally. Then England." 

"A long way from home." 

" Yeah, second son. My brother Gordon was always going to be the next laird of the castle so I decided I'd seek my fortune elsewhere." 

"You lived in a castle? You're kidding right?" Liam was wide-eyed, imagining towers and turrets, set up high on a bleak mountain, or maybe at the edge of a loch. 

"I wish!" Tim laughed, "Just a manner of speaking." His mind flashed back for an instant to the family he had left behind. Gordon had always been the favourite as well as the eldest. There had never been any question that he would take over the small pub when his father retired, despite the fact that Tim had been the one to complete the hotel management course with top grades. 

He pressed 'enter.' "There, all done. You're booked in for tomorrow." 

His warm smile changed into polite welcome as someone came up behind Liam. 

"There you are," said Sophie cheerfully and slung an arm over his shoulders. "I thought you'd been kidnapped or something. Ready for a drink yet?" 

A shuttered expression came over Tim's face. "I'll see you tomorrow then," he said coolly. 

"Damn!" thought Liam. Maybe the other man had been flirting with him after all. He turned away to follow Sophie, not at all certain how he felt about that. 

Tim looked after him, condemnation in his eyes. He was almost positive Liam was gay. What on earth was he doing with a girlfriend? Was she his beard or was he fooling both of them, faking a relationship? Fuck! Until that moment he had really fancied him.