Chapter Two

 

The journey to Honolulu’s seaport was a straight run down the Pali Highway and down to Nimitz. Traffic was surprisingly light, considering it was a weekday morning and they were heading toward the downtown business district, but the two men had made good time. They packed only one overnight bag borrowed from Elise with extra underpants, jeans, T-shirts, tennis shoes and their toothbrushes. They’d thrown beach towels into the trunk as well. Each of them wore board shorts, tank tops and flip-flops, and had their laptops with them.

Thomas sat rigid in the front seat, drinking in the view as they approached Terminal Nineteen. “I bet this is how it was in the old days, on Boat Day,” Thomas said. “I found this magazine article, and it’s amazing. It looks like nothing’s changed down here. Except women used to come down here with leis, musicians would play on the dock. Oh, Matt…look! There’s an old lady selling leis! Pull over!”

Matt swerved to the shoulder, hoping a cop hadn’t seen them, and watched his husband’s animated conversation with the old Chinese woman as she held up two tuberose and pink plumeria leis. Thomas peeled off a twenty and handed it to her, running back to the car. The old lady kept staring at the twenty in disbelief. Thomas draped one of the heady garlands over Matt’s head and shoulders.

“Aloha, sailor.” Thomas kissed his mouth warmly. “Thanks for finding my muse again, baby.”

The briny stench of harbor water hit them like a slap as Matt rejoined the flow of cars, lowering the window to pay for their trip.

“There’s an energy, isn’t there? Oh look at that! We drive right on the ferry!” Thomas was giddy with the experience. Matt was just happy seeing his husband so absorbed. Other people strolled the decks wearing leis of their own…Thomas was right. It really was like they’d gone back in time.

They followed the guard’s instructions, driving slowly into the bowel of the ferry and parking almost right up on the rear of the car in front. Their car was inspected and they answered a volley of questions about transporting forbidden plants and even cattle. They parked and locked, leaving the overnight bag in the trunk and taking their laptops with them. Their rented PT Cruiser’s rear and side windows were heavily tinted as an extra precaution against the island’s biggest problem, theft.

Matt and Thomas rose to the sun-dappled deck. “Wow.” Thomas snuggled into him. For another eighteen bucks apiece they could sit inside on the upper deck, which they were told was a good idea for anyone suffering from seasickness, but they both wanted to be outside. They were the first ones over to the Lanai Deck in back, right in the sun.

“Oh man,” Matt moaned. “I want to lay you out naked right here on this bench and suck and lick your cock and ass and balls until you come at least twice.”

Thomas grinned. “We can’t do that. Somebody will see us.”

“We can totally take this bench, and…”

A family of five was rounding the corner, and Matt and Thomas quickly threw their legs over the bench, watching the sea ahead of them. Thomas reached into his messenger bag and extracted a journal. He started making notes.

Matt, who wouldn’t have minded a long and ardent soul kiss, closed his eyes, trying to locate his own muse.

“Matty?”

His eyes flew open. “Yes, baby?”

“What does your muse look like?”

“That’s weird, I was just thinking about that myself.” He stared out at the ocean as the ferry started moving forward. Ahead of them, the islands of Maui and Lanai beckoned invitingly like massive green jewels in gray satin. He couldn’t wait to show Thomas the island of Maui. Its vibe was so different to Oahu.

“Well?” Thomas asked him.

Matt’s thoughts flittered back to their conversation. “I don’t know. I never thought about it, to be honest. Honey, should I be jealous of your muse?”

Thomas frowned. “No. Should I be jealous of yours?”

“I don’t even know if I have one.”

Thomas seemed like he was about to argue, but let the comment pass, his gleaming black hair falling forward over his face as he scribbled.

Over the loudspeaker, one of the crewmembers announced a family of tiger sharks surfing the reef to the starboard side of the ferry. As their voyage continued at a pretty good clip, humpback dolphins arced and soared in the air, crashing back into the ocean. Matt stole a look at the couple beside them with their children. They were riveted by the aquatic displays.

Matt felt a momentary qualm that he and Thomas would never be parents. Thomas had made this clear only the night before, and they’d had an unpleasant conversation about his childhood. He was still affected by his disappearing father and his—according to Thomas—rigid mother. Matt decided he’d rather be with Thomas and settle for being a doting uncle to Daphne than be alone in the world without him. He could deal with anything if he had Thomas by his side. Thomas was in good health, happy and…“Thomas, darling, you feel okay?” he asked suddenly.

“I feel fantastic, why?”

“Just making sure.”

Thomas glanced at him quizzically. “My muse is dictating at a fast pace. Can’t tell if the little bastard thinks it’s the most amazing stuff in the world, or if he’s just eager to get it over with.” He continued writing.

Matt tried not to feel let down that they weren’t holed up in the restroom having wild rabbit sex. The children beside them got up and ran around the boat, and he smiled. Thomas was lost in his work and Matt kept his eyes on the sea, the approaching land mass ahead of them, remembering how the first Chinese sea traders who arrived here called them The Sandalwood Islands because the scent of sandalwood was so strong. With a pang, he realized those days were long, long gone, with those trees harvested into extinction on the islands for trade.

He thought about his own fictional characters and tried visualizing a scene on the ferry for them. He was quite intoxicated by his new male lead, Herve, and pictured him and his lover on this very bench. Herve was fearless. He would have taken the risk of getting caught and pursued his passion.

Herve placed the adoring Andreas on his back on the bench. Andreas laughed as Herve’s fingers tore at the Velcro snaps on his shorts.

“Somebody might catch us, Andreas,” he whispered, his thick French accent arousing every last nerve ending in Andreas.

“And if they should, I shall tell them you are mine…your ass belongs to me. I don’t share with anybody…unless we both decide we want that. Now lift your ass…”

Herve kept his hot gaze on Andreas’s face, his thick, hard cock bouncing out of the shorts, his legs pulled up at the knees, which opened as Andreas lowered his face to suck at his cock.

A cry escaped Herve’s throat as footsteps approached. Andreas was gone…too far gone to stop what he was doing and Herve was equally intoxicated.

“I’m your whore,” he whispered, tugging Andreas’s head closer…

Matt opened his eyes and felt Thomas staring at him. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“Nothing. You were making strange noises.”

“Sorry.”

Thomas shrugged and returned to his work.

Matt quickly shut his eyes again, but Herve and Andreas were gone. What do I tell Thomas if he ever asks me again? I know who my muse is now. I see his face so clearly…it’s Thomas. Does this make me the biggest dork alive?

He felt his two fictional men coming back to him in the warm morning sun, but only received snippets of scenes…nothing tangible. Next thing he knew, Thomas was nudging him.

“Matty?”

“Uh-huh…”

“I changed my mind. I hear the Roy’s on Maui has no view…it’s in a strip mall! They say the food is amazing, but I’m told we have to go to the Grand Wailea and we have to try Table…”

“Table 70,” a gray-haired old gentleman responded, smiling at them.

Matt realized he must have fallen asleep on the bench, and felt a little disoriented. “Whatever you want, babe,” he said, feeling a headache forming right behind his eyes. He had no idea when Thomas had left him and started wandering around talking to people.

Thomas looked ecstatic. “We can really go there?”

“Sure.” Matt grinned.

Thomas took his cell phone out of his bag and began making calls.

“I can’t believe you can get reception out here,” Matt said as Thomas asked the operator for the hotel resort.

“We will be arriving in Maui in ten minutes,” a voice announced over the loudspeaker.

There was a hum in the air, and Matt looked at the sleepy isle across the bay, pondering all the things he and Thomas could do. The trip had taken a little over two hours. They had a whole day ahead of them.

“I booked it for six-thirty.” Thomas slid beside him. “Is that okay? What will we do until then?”

“Mmmm…I have plans.” Matt nuzzled Thomas’ neck, and Thomas didn’t pull away.

“What sort of plans?”

“I thought I’d take you to Hana…how would you like to see beaches of green, red, gold and black sand?”

Thomas stared into his eyes and his voice was husky. “I think I would like that very much.”

They arrived in Kahulu by the airport, picked up a schedule for return trips to Oahu and retrieved their car quickly, returning the “Aloha” greetings of the dockworkers. Once again at the wheel, Matt pulled confidently onto the highway.

Thomas sat riveted, drinking in the vast expanse of scenery…acres and acres of lush greenery, a sparkling rainbow dancing over the imposing Haleakala volcanic crater, which dominated the landscape. On their right, they passed untended green fields, grazing, indolent horses, the odd cow or goat. The ocean dipped to their left as the signpost ahead read Hana Highway and suddenly the tempo, the very air, became thick with tranquility.

“Oh…” Thomas’ voice was soft. “This is amazing.” His head swiveled from one side of the car to the other. The driver’s side was a staggeringly close series of sharp turns close to the sea, where jagged lava rocks glinted in the hot sun. To the right, amazingly lavish tropical flowers, plants and trees grew impossibly out of vast lava chunks. The road narrowed and expanded…time stood still, and no sound could be heard except for the occasional crack of ocean spray or the sound of their own wheels turning.

“I feel like I could reach out and break off a piece of lava and eat it like chocolate.” Thomas’ neck craned for a closer look as they rolled over a cattle grate. “This is…this is…so different than Oahu. I feel like I stepped back a whole lot of years. It’s peaceful…it’s beautiful…it’s…”

“Paradise.”

Thomas nodded, his gaze straying back to the flashing scenery.

“It’s fifty-two miles to Hana, and I read somewhere there are six hundred curves, fifty-nine bridges, almost all of them one-lane bridges and oh…over two thousand cows. The cows outnumber the people in Hana.”

Thomas sat back and relaxed, allowing the ambience to wash over him, his hand moving to Matt’s lap. Matt wanted to do the wave, he was so happy. God, how could he love this man so much?

Matt took the sharp turns and challenging duels with approaching cars with ease. The two men grinned as they approached the homemade Halfway-to-Hana sign.

“We must stop here,” Matt insisted. “We’re not really halfway…but close. This is the best fruit and bread we’re gonna find. Let’s make a picnic of it.”

Thomas jumped out of the car eagerly and followed Matt into a homely store where the smell of freshly baked banana bread made their bellies rumble.

“On the house.” The owner of the business pushed a loaf toward them and the two men thanked her, picking up fresh baby mountain apples, bottles of spring water, ripe mangos and a pound of lilikoi passionfruit, a couple of plastic knives and paper napkins.

They carted everything back to the car in a bulging plastic sack, kicked off their flip-flops and continued their leisurely drive toward Hana. The sound of waterfalls greeted their ears.

“Would you like to go to the ‘Oheo Gulch?” Matt asked. “They used to be known as the Seven Sacred Pools, but there are more than seven, and it’s quite spectacular.”

“What color is the sand?” Thomas asked.

“Not much sand…the gulch is a natural series of lava pools. The water falls from the top to the bottom, and it’s crystal clean and really lovely.”

“How could I resist?”

They parked in the makeshift parking lot, making sure their laptops were well hidden from view in the trunk, grabbing their beach towels and picnic items and walked down to the gulch. At the top of the pools on a little wooden bridge, Thomas inhaled sharply. “Spectacular doesn’t quite cut it, does it?”

Matt laughed. “I guess not. I thought you’d like it.”

“Like it? It’s Shangri La. It’s the Garden of Eden…oh, Matty, we’re the only ones here!” They completed their downhill trek, selected a pool and settled down on a dense pass of cool green grass.

Matt split a lilikoi in two and gave Thomas half. “Suck it quickly, baby.” Thomas did as he was told, licking the tangy syrup with a taste all of its own from Matt’s fingers.

“That’s oh…that’s delicious.” They sliced bread, apples and mangoes, slathering pieces of each in the lilikoi and gobbling them up quickly. Thomas had a famished look in his eye as they replaced everything in the sack, took their cell phones out of their pockets, stashing them under their towels and climbed into the pool.

Matt sat in the pool and Thomas stood before him. Matt could not resist. He reached up to his husband’s waist and ripped the Velcro snaps on his shorts, sliding them all the way down his long legs, tossing them into the pool directly below them. Without a word, he took Thomas’ hardening cock into his mouth.

Thomas quickly straddled Matt’s lap. “Get your cock out for me,” he commanded.

Matt fumbled with his own snaps. His cock bobbled to the surface and he held his husband in his strong arms as Thomas lowered himself to his lap.

Matt’s cock went right for Thomas’ ass when Thomas asked, “What’s yuzu cheesecake?”

“Excuse me?” Matt stared at him stunned. “I’m about to give you a righteous ass fucking, and you’re thinking about cheesecake?”

“The guy on the ferry said we should have that tonight at Table 70. I can’t help it. I’m obsessed now.”

“Can you concentrate on American cock, and we’ll get to the fancy cheesecake later?”

“Teee heeee.”

The two men turned. Holy cow! A Japanese couple in wholly inappropriate clothing--dress pants and shoes for him, high heels and a pencil skirt for her-- had somehow managed to walk down to their pool. The young woman held her hand to her mouth and kept giggling as Thomas reached down, buck-naked, and retrieved his shorts.

Matt was devastated. He couldn’t believe their bad luck.

Thomas dressed quickly and sat beside him in the pool, the two men watching dumbfounded as the Japanese man set up a tripod on a lava ledge three pools below them that was slanted awkwardly, very close to the ocean spray. Matt slipped his arm around Thomas as the young woman followed the man’s demands. She sat on a rock, her legs tucked elegantly around her and she kept turning to check on the surf, trying to keep a smile on her lips. She was clearly frightened, but the man was oblivious and the photo shoot was interminable.

“Is he trying to kill her?” Thomas muttered, echoing Matt’s thoughts as a wash of ocean spray reached the young woman’s back, making her shriek. The waves were coming in faster and stronger now and the young woman was pale and petrified.

The man sat beside her and waited for the self-timer to work, but nothing happened. He got up, muttering in Japanese.

The woman turned just in time to see a huge, monster wave roar over her. Her mouth opened in a long, silent scream, the wave taking her out to sea.

The oblivious man was too busy working on the camera as Matt and Thomas screamed, racing to the ocean break to save the drowning woman as a huge shark came out of nowhere, its menacing fin aiming straight for the woman tumbling in the gritty surf.