LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT - SEASON 2 CHAPTER 59
Keira was worn out when they finally arrived on the island. It was a combination of exhaustion, thirst, and hunger. So she laid herself down on the sandy beach and spread her body sluggishly.
After a little bit of rest, she sat back up and gazed at her husband admiringly.
He was, in essence, the epitome of an exemplary soldier; manly, sturdy, courageous, and dependable because he always knew what to do next. She was about to get up to help him push the damaged speed boat ashore but Zach shouted, “Don’t move and rest for a while more! I’m almost done here!”
Keira laughed because it was obvious he would not manage to do it by himself, so she ignored him and helped him push the boat ashore with all her strength and helped him overturn the boat back around.
Keira was panting hard when they were done and proceeded to remove her life jacket, as well as the rest of her prosthetic disguise. She looked around while she was still catching her breath. The rest of the island was thickly wooded with lush evergreen trees. The wooded area seemed to be a lowland tropical rainforest. It looked pristine and dense, so peaceful and beautiful – an untainted paradise.
Keira released a loud sigh of relief when she saw all of the coconut trees that were spread out in a line, bordering the beach from the shore to the dense jungle. She was at ease because at least they would not have to starve…
She was about to walk towards the coconut trees to pick up the fallen coconuts that were scattered on the ground when Zach called out to stop her. Keira rolled her eyes as he turned to Zach and complained, “Gosh, let me help you, at least…” She noticed that Zach only wanted her to sit and watch.
“No, don’t you go even a meter away from me! We’re not sure what’s in this island. There could be predators, wild animals, poisonous snakes. Stay here in my line of sight,” Zach said in an authoritative tone of voice.
Keira frowned and crossed her arms over her chest as she protested, “Gosh, dear husband… Your wife is a soldier too, okay? I went to the military academy, remember? You should know because I went there for you! I may not have finished the whole thing, but I completed all the basic training. And in order to join this mission, I took the special ops qualification course, so I won’t be a burden to others. I’m well-trained! You can go and ask my trainers later once we’re back. Geez, what do you think of me?” she pouted her lips as she said the last sentence, feeling annoyed because Zach would not let her help him.
Zach did not know whether to laugh or cry at Keira’s long rant and sulky look. She was right, he knew she was capable. But still, he was feeling uneasy about her being out of his sight even just for one second. He also did not like to see her do some rough work. The sight of her fighting Leon and some of his men earlier had upset him. Of course, he was proud and happy to see that she could hold her own, but he couldn’t help but worry.
Never would he ever want to see her go through that again nor did he ever want to see her get hurt. He wanted to protect her as much as he could. So he just sighed and plead, “Please, Keira… Just stay here…”
As he had expected, the island seemed to be uninhabited. At least, this part of this island. He did not know how big the island was.
But he was glad. Being stranded on an uninhabited island like this might seem like a scary proposition, but the chances of survival were actually pretty high, as long as they followed a few simple procedures and kept things in perspective.
Moreover, being close to the sea, having a natural warmth and an abundant supply of food would only contribute to their survival chances. He was thanking his lucky stars for finding this island.
Zach had pushed the boat further to a good spot. It was no longer working, but at least they could use it as a part of their shelter on the beach, especially because he still had not checked how safe it was to go deeper into the island.
He took a knife out of his backpack and looked at Keira, “Check inside the boat if there’s more stuff that we could use. I’ll go look for something to eat and drink. I’ll be back soon… And please, Keira, don’t go anywhere and just stay here,” Zach instructed before he kissed Keira on the forehead and left.
Keira’s clothes were soaking wet so she removed them to dry and she was left wearing only her bra and P@?tî??. “How nice if this was a holiday vacation instead,” she mumbled before she inspected the speed boat and jumped for joy when she found some canned food, bottled waters, as well as a comforter and some men’s clothes stowed inside a hidden compartment under the seats.
It looked like water had gone inside the compartment, because all of the goods she just found were wet, but she was grateful that the compartment remained closed all throughout the rowdy waves, even when the boat capsized, leaving all the goods intact for them to use. She hung them all on the rails of the boat to dry.
The speed boat had a spacious open bow and Keira was glad to see that the Ç0ç?pit area, which was located at the stern of the boat, was big enough for them to sleep on. There was just one problem, the speed boat had no roof. So they would need to build a roof somehow.
Zach returned with some coconuts and tree branches in his arms. He paused his steps when he saw Keira only in her underwear. He gulped and shook his head to brush off all the unnecessary thoughts that were running wild in his mind at that moment.
Keira bit her lip because she felt a little bit shy and explained, “The clothes are wet, so I took them off to let them dry. You should remove yours too.”
Then she added jokingly, “Just think of it like we’re having a vacation on the beach and I’m on my bikinis while you’re in your swimming trunks,” followed by her trademark wink.
Zach’s heart skipped a beat. He held his breath and was trying hard to stop himself from pulling Keira to his embrace because he would surely get distracted. Now was definitely not the time for that.
He still needed to prepare a lot of things after this, like securing a safe shelter for both of them, as well as scouting for clean drinking water source.
There were a lot of coconut trees on the beach, but drinking too much of coconut water would only cause diarrhea and decrease the chances of survival due to the dehydration. He did not know how long they would be stranded here, but fresh water was the key to survival and he must find its source for them.
There were several options; he could either collect rainwater, or search for water streams nearby, or find some caves that had water dripping from stalactites inside due to condensation. But first, he needed to regain his strength.
He immediately opened one coconut so Keira could drink its juice and eat its meat inside. Then he opened another one for himself.
Keira then proudly showed him her loot from inside the speed boat. Zach was relieved to see that there were some bottled water for them to drink, at least for now. They ate more from the canned food and drank from the bottled water.
After eating, he gathered more tree branches, both large and small. He would need a lot of them to build a sturdy shelter that would protect them from the sun, the wind, and the rain. Keira tore some of her long clothes and use the fabric to bind the branches together.
Zach gathered more branches to make a fire for later.
“Do you know how to start a fire with sticks?” Keira asked out of curiosity, seeing him gather a lot more branches. “Of course… I’ll show it to you later and teach you,” he replied.
Then he explained, “We need fire at night because it would protect us from dangers like wild animals. Plus it would be easier to find us with the smoke signals.”
Keira nodded in agreement, and added, “Yeah, and fire will help keep us warm at night.”
“Hmmm, we don’t need fire for that. I will keep you warm at night…” Zach casually stated, to which Keira’s cheeks turned rosy pink.
Keira’s stomach was starting to grumble once more. The sun was now positioned about forty-five degrees toward the horizon, so it must have already been around mid-noon. “Shhh… don’t complain, you need to start practicing your diet now,” she chided her own stomach as she touched it.
Their shelter was ready. Zach had built a roof over their boat using the tree branches that he had collected before, thatched with a combination of dry and mature banana and palm leaves that he had found near the dense jungle.
Besides coconut trees, wild banana trees were also growing on the outer side of the jungle. Ripened bananas were hanging from them, so he harvested them and now they also had some bananas in their mini shelter.
Keira was really thankful for her husband’s great survival ski||s. She had been watching him in awe at how fast he created the tools needed to catch some fish. He made a spear and a gaff with a hook from some sturdy tree branches that he had found earlier in no time at all.
Zach had caught some fish using the spearfishing technique in the shallow areas of the beach, with his handmade spear. He made it look so easy that Keira was determined to try it herself later and let her husband rest for a bit. He had not rested even for a minute ever since they arrived on this island and he was still adamant about not letting her do anything.
She was staring at him who was now also only in his underwear with her mouth slightly agape, admiring his well-built physique and masculinity. He was in the middle of cutting some branches to start the fire that he would need to grill the fish he had just caught earlier. He had also gathered some dry tinder and twigs for the fire.
Keira realized she had been ogling him for quite a while now and a flush started to creep up her cheeks. Even after many years of liking him, she still thought that her husband was the most handsome man in the world. He was the only man who could make her heart race, her cheeks flush and turn her world upside down.
She let out a sigh and smiled lovingly. She missed him so much that she couldn’t help but get carried away every time her gaze landed on him. She was feeling so blissful because they both had survived and were now finally together again.
She looked around. ‘This deserted island is really not bad,’ she mused. She wanted to laugh because they were the picture-perfect of an island castaway couple. But she really did not mind it. As long as she was with Zach, anywhere was fine. In fact, she actually felt like this was their honeymoon. A thrilling and exciting honeymoon on a deserted island.
Keira couldn’t suppress her laughter anymore. She giggled and squealed at her own naughty thoughts. She must be crazy to think of this as a honeymoon when they had been shipwrecked and stranded on a remote and deserted island for only God knows how long.
Zach heard her laughter and looked at her with a loving smile. He was just happy to see that she could still laugh heartily in this situation. One thing that he really admired about his wife was her bright and cheerful character that would not be suppressed by any kind of hardship, which had also always succeeded in lighting up his heart. He knew that he would be able to withstand any kind of trial and tribulation as long as she was with him.
Keira was shaking her head to dismiss her silly thoughts when her eyes landed on some extra spears by her side. Zach had made a few melee weapons easily and gave her the survival knife that he got from the boat, while he kept the knife that he took from Draco’s lifeless body. He had exaggeratedly instructed her to always keep the knife with her.
‘Draco and Leon,’ she mused at the sudden thought of the two. She looked at Zach and asked, “Do you think their bodies will be washed away somewhere and discovered?”
Zach squinted his eyes so she laughed and explained, “I mean Leon and Draco’s bodies…”
“Yes, I know you meant them, but I don’t think they deserve even the slightest remembrance. They’ve probably been eaten by sharks by now,” Zach answered and gave an indifferent shrug as he continued cutting the tree branches.
“Yeah, you’re right. I couldn’t believe that people like them really exist. And all the cruel things they’d done…” Keira trailed her words and frowned as the horrendous scene from the night before popped into her mind.
She continued resentfully, “That tournament… that horrible tournament… And those onlookers… How could they enjoy watching such a heinous act where people were forced to ki|| each other? They were all laughing and cheering, and even threw so much money at it. I never thought such people really exist. It really made me mad…”
Zach looked at her wistfully. He knew it must have been a shock for her to be confronted by such savagery for the first time in her life. She grew up in a loving family and had always been sheltered and treasured her whole life.
He would have also preferred for her not to have witnessed the tournament. But there was nothing much to do about it anymore. So he just sighed and plainly said, “That’s how cruel the world can be, Keira… It happens everywhere in the world as long as there is greed. Those who are greedy for power will always treat the weak like trash.”
“Trash? Those bloodsuckers like them are the real trash!” Keira scowled.
Zach laughed at her expression and gave her a sweet smile as he proudly said, “Well, not everyone who is in power are greedy. Look at my in-laws. I should be thanking my lucky stars that your eyes were fixed on me…”
He then gestured for her to come to him and quickly changed the topic because he didn’t want her to feel bad anymore, “Come here. I’ll teach you how to make a fire with this…” Keira excitedly followed. “Here, find a softwood and cut a groove in its base. Then place some tinder at an end that you will ignite…”
Zach explained patiently and Keira did as he instructed. But she was a bit distracted by the position they were in right now. Zach was sitting behind her, trapping her legs in between his as his hands guided hers carefully on what to do, step by step, while he whispered his instruction in her ear.
She felt a tingling sensation every time his hot breath brushed over her ear. She shook her head and tried really hard to concentrate.
Her eyes widened when the tinder began to smolder. “Blow on it to help fuel the fire…” Zach whispered in a low and hoarse voice. Keira was so excited when the fire finally caught. She immediately placed some small twigs on top of it to make the fire bigger. The fish they would roast was already skewered on a branch and put on top of the fire.
“Good job…” Zach praised her. Then he bit her earlobe that made Keira shudder and hold her breath. She gasped and shuddered even more when Zach’s tongue continued to tease her ear by licking and playing with it. She felt like she was going to die if he continued to taunt her like this.
“Such a tease…” she murmured and Mõ@?ed unconsciously when Zach’s lips trailed down to her neck from her jaw.
She heard him sn_gg@ as he whispered, “Who told you to flaunt your body like that? Do you know how hard I’ve been controlling myself up until now?”
She turned her head to face him and teased him back, “Who told you to control yourself?”