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For Lydia’s eighteenth birthday, her parents took her on a boat trip to the Antilles Island. They rented a yacht and planned to spend three weeks living on the water. Lydia enjoyed scuba diving, watching the tropical fish and coral reefs. Every day, she was invited by her father’s old friend, Donald, to scuba dive in a far away part of the ocean near some large rocks.

Lydia anxiously waited for Donald to arrive and hoped Soma, a handsome native of the island, would be accompanying them on the swimming trip. Since the first time she had met him, her heart was overwhelmed with romantic desires. She enjoyed watching him from afar. Donald’s grass-green runabout boat made its way toward the yacht. Lydia eagerly scrutinized the inside in search of Soma while Donald glanced up to wave at Lydia and her father.

“It’s a gorgeous day today! Perfect for swimming in the ocean and fishing out clams,” Donald yelled cheerfully. His smile was yellow and his mouth stunk of rotten fish but Lydia pretended not to be affected. She plastered a fake, sympathetic smile on her face. Donald was a sweet man but not very appealing with his dirty, grayish beard, messy hair of the same color, and dirty, oiled-up hands. Nonetheless, he’d always been nice to Lydia and her family, so she reciprocated. In no time, she forgot about the old fisherman’s appearance. Soma popped his head up and smiled. His skin was a dark roasted almond color from being under the sun all day. He was tall, slender and had a hairless chest. His hair was short and dark brown, matching his big, puppy eyes. He looked at Lydia and grinned, revealing his white teeth. Lydia blushed and smiled back. He always made her heart accelerate and his features aroused her thoughts.

“Are you ready to go, Lydia?” her father asked interrupting her stare. She tied her light brown hair into a bun and grabbed her bag of equipment.

“Yep. I’ll see you later, Daddy,” she said as she jumped into Donald’s boat. Lydia toppled, losing her balance, but Soma grasped her waist with his wide hands and pulled her on the boat. His face was close to hers, his mouth only a few inches away. Her body heated up and she felt paralyzed, deeply entranced by his penetrating brown eyes.

He is handsome in an innocent way, she thought as her heart pulsed rapidly. She quickly pushed the thought away, embarrassed.