More to You ✔

Chapter 29 - Diving (Mitch)

Mitch gazed at the rocky outcrop surrounded by sparkling turquoise water as the boat raced away from Koh Tao's green coast and sandy shores toward their next dive destination: Chumphon Pinnacle. Laughter and light conversation in a handful of different European languages were carried off in the breeze. Their dive group was a slam dunk if he needed to distract himself from Maria. Five single, high-energy party girls who'd zipped wetsuits over tiny bikinis. Two had already taken a liking to Shawn, asking him to help them with many tasks so he'd be close to them.

The woman, whose blonde hair kept flying at Mitch's face, turned toward him.

Her eyes roamed him without shame while she bit her bottom lip. With a few predictable moves, he could sleep with her, probably on this boat if he squandered a dive. The thought used to motivate him to see if he could make near strangers feel things their past partners never did. More times than not, he succeed, partly from the thrill of a chance they'd never risk at home. But he'd take the ego boost and action either way.

Somewhere, he'd screwed up, first with Becca, now Maria, although they'd only ever kissed. He had no desire to hook up with this tourist and risk the same fate.

"You're American too?" she asked nodding toward Shawn.

"You're a real Sherlock Holmes," Mitch muttered.

She laughed and leaned closer. "Have you been to Koh Tao before?"

He nodded. He, Shawn, Dan, and Sunshine had gotten certified together down here during his first year here when having a fling didn't send him into an identity crisis.

"Maybe you can show us a good place to have drinks tonight." She brushed her upper arm against his and smiled.

If she kept pushing, he'd hurt her. "I'm not looking to be a damned tour guide."

The blonde's lip curled, and she looked back at her friends. "Party too hard last night?"

"No, I was stone-cold sober." After snapping at everyone, including Maria and his students after Christmas, he needed to recover, even if his resolve wouldn't last more than a day or two.

"You're straight-edge? A drink might improve your mood."

It hadn't worked on Christmas. It had earned him a pity look from Maria. No, not pity, recognition. Like she finally saw a fraction of how broken and messed up he was.

And she still invited you out.

Because of kindness and nothing else.

"You taking a hint and kindly fucking off would improve my mood," Mitch said strongly enough for the surrounding people to bristle.

The woman shook her head, muttered some unflattering words in French and returned to sit with her friends. Shawn looked over with his face pinched into a frown. 'What the hell?' he mouthed.

Mitch pulled out his phone instead of answering. He'd texted Maria earlier, trying to see what the situation with Tom was, but he couldn't figure it out. Somehow that ginger had weaselled his way into Maria's New Year's plans, and they seemed to get along better than ever. But it was nothing. Tom never gained much ground with women, let alone ones who were already into Mitch. Maria had acted chill about the weird week at work on Friday, so there was still hope.

Hope for what? For you to lead her on only to crush her again?

"Almost there!" the Dutch divemaster called out.

Mitch made sure the zipper on his wet suit was done up and tightened his weight belt. He raised his eyebrow at Shawn, who had one of the tourists nearly sitting on his lap. Once the boat had stopped, Mitch got ready, securing his oxygen to his buoyancy control device and performing his equipment checks.