Alicia's Misfortune

by Sarah Silver

  She sighed, letting the carrots tumble out of her hand and onto the sidewalk. Jason laughed at her but didn’t question where the carrots came from. They walked along in silence for a few minutes. The summer air helped Lola’s head clear.

  “So Lola, I feel like I don’t know anything about you. Are you seeing anyone? Anybody interesting in your love life?”

  They veered off the sidewalk and onto the sand. Lola took her flip-flops off and Jason followed suit. Now that the alcohol had worn off, she definitely didn’t feel comfortable enough to tell Jason how she felt. She settled instead for making something up.

  “Um, well, I had a boyfriend for a while, but things got kind of rocky when I went off to college.”

  “I hear that,” Jason said.

  They walked towards the water’s edge.

  “I love the water” he said.

  “Me too - I just went for a swim a few hours ago, just down the beach from here.”

  Jason leaned in close, exciting Lola and making nervous at the same time.

  “What-what are you doing?” She stuttered.

  “I wondered why you smelled like the ocean,” he murmured.

  Lola was looking out into the ocean, and found herself paralyzed on that spot on the beach, with Jason standing close beside her. When she turned around she found he was much closer than he thought.

  “Ummmm,” she said quietly.

  Jason closed the space between them, and lightly kissed her on the lips, cupping her face in his hands. While his lips were soft and sweet, she was apparently still drunk and she pushed Jason away slightly.

  “You alright?” He asked.

  “I’m fine I just- have to go right now. I’ll see you around, okay?”

  Jason didn’t respond. Lola ran off the beach and ran all the way to her dorm. She didn’t understand what had happened— everything felt fine when he was kissing her. But then… Lola felt nervous, like she couldn’t trust herself around him. She needed to leave before things got too serious. She could apologize in the morning, when she had a clear head. That is, if Jason would listen to her. First, she had to deal with the headache that was forming.

  Chapter 5

  The ship arrived at a quarter to six. Lola could barely keep her eyes open. She had her backpack over her shoulder, a large coffee in one hand, and her suitcase in the other. If all went well, she would be gone for two months. The time spent on the boat would amount to roughly a week before they reached dry land. Thankfully for Lola, she spent a lot of time on the ocean, and didn’t get seasick easily. Most of her classmates weren’t so lucky, but they brought the necessary medications.

  Jason was standing a few feet away from Lola having a conversation with one of the freshmen. She knew freshmen weren’t allowed on the trip unless they scored high marks in the class. She was surprised to see so many of them.

  Though she tried to ignore it, Lola felt smudges of jealousy beginning to form. She knew nothing serious had happened between her and Jason, but she couldn’t help but hate that other girl for talking to him. Lola wanted to go up to her and ask whom she thought she was, but she thought better of it. She continued to drink her latte, watching the waves crash angrily into the shore.

  The trip was being led by their professor, Professor Leanne Heat,who was talking animatedly, waving her arms around. She had enough excitement for the entire class. Lola could barely hear what she was saying over the murmuring of her fellow classmates, not to mention the loud roar of the ocean. The funny thing was Professor Heat was really hot - gorgeous in fact. Not that Lola was into women or anything, or at least she didn't think so.

  Professor Heat was giving out instructions on where to go once they boarded the boat. It was fairly large, and reminded Lola of a small cruise ship. It did feel like a small vacation of sorts. She hoped that things would get easier between her and Jason, or else the whole trip would be a letdown. They hadn’t spoken since she pushed him away the other night. Two days later when she’d tried to say hi to him in the cafeteria, he ignored her. She couldn’t say she was surprised, but she was still a little hurt. It was going to be difficult to explain to him why she was so nervous. She’d have to find the right time, preferably when he wasn’t surrounded with all those younger, skinny girls.

  The students boarded the ship silently. Lola and Jason were last. He had brought only a backpack and a duffel bag with him. In his arms he too carried a cup of coffee, as well as a thick textbook. Though they were going to be conducting their own research on the island, the professor still wanted them to locate and study certain species of coral. She thought it might be easier for them to apply what they’d learned in class with the assigned text.

  “Feels a bit like vacation, huh Lola?” Jason said.

  Lola was so startled by the fact that he was talking to her that she didn’t respond for several seconds.

  “Lola?” he said. “Did you not get enough sleep last night?”

  “Huh? Oh, sorry. Yeah, I guess it does feel like vacation. I see you’ve packed lightly. Planning on living off the land?”

  “Yeah. I’m going to make clothes out of palm fronds and everything.”

  Lola giggled. Maybe things could be mended between them. She could only hope.

  All the students were assigned to sleep in cabins on the bottom level of the boat. Jason’s room was only a few feet of Lola’s. Though she hated to admit it, she took notice of where he was going to be staying. She hoped their small talk would transform into something much better. The thought of caressing Jason's abs... and more... crossed her mind

  The ship remained docked for half an hour. When it first started to move Lola could hear other girls on her floor squealing in excitement. She looked out her window for a few minutes, admiring the way the ocean rocked the boat. Though she took boat rides every semester to get to and from campus, she had never been on a boat of this size and stature. It was incredible. Outside, the sky was turning various shades of maroon and azure. It was meant to be a fairly cloudy day, with scattered rainstorms later that night. In the back of her mind, Lola was worried that the storms would worsen. She imagined what would happen if the ship sunk in the storm. Would she be floating on a door somewhere in the Atlantic, praying for someone to save her? Would she and Jason become shipwrecked, alone on some remote island in the Caribbean?

  Before long there was a knock on her door. She opened it up to find Jasonwearing a lopsided grin and a black hoody.

  “Hey,” she said slowly.

  “Hey back,” he said. “Want to grab a bite to eat?”

  “Sure,” she said. “I’m starving.”

  It was comforting that Jason didn’t immediately launch into a conversation about what happened the other night. She was relieved he also didn’t ask to come into her room, although she had to admit part of her wanted him in the room with her all alone.

  They spent hours talking on the deck, sipping mugs of tea and eating various pastries. Lunch wouldn’t be served for several hours, and they were meant to arrive at the island around dinnertime.

  “So I’m glad you don’t get seasick,” Jason remarked. There was a girl not fifteen feet behind them yacking off the side of the boat. Lola tried to ignore her; it made her queasy to think about vomit.

  “I’ve spent my whole life on boats. I guess I just got used to the choppiness of the sea. I don’t think I've ever gotten seasick. What about you? You don’t feel sick whatsoever?”

  “Nope. Unlike you, I spent most of my time on land. But the ocean never bothered me. Sometimes during summer, my grandfather would take me out fishing on his boat. I guess I also got used to it.” He smiled at her over his tea.

  “So,” he began.

  Lola remained quiet, eager to hear what he had to say next. No doubt it had to do with what had happened. Perhaps it would be better if she apologized first.

  “Listen, about the other night,” She began.

  “No, my turn. I wanted to apologize. You clearly thought I was moving too fast,
and that’s not what I intended to do. I’m sorry if I freaked you out.”

  “No, I should be the one apologizing. I guess I was just a little nervous. I hate to admit it, but it’s been a while since I’ve been with someone else.” She drifted off, letting her secret hang in the air.

  Jason was surprisingly kind about her confession.

  “I completely understand,” he said. “I guess I just think you’re really cute. And I, uh. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.” He smiled sheepishly.

  “It’s okay Jason, I actually think you’re pretty cute too.”

  They finished their teas in silence. On the way back to their rooms, Lola wasn’t surprised when Jason lingered for a while outside her door. She surprised herself by saying,

  “Do you want to come in?”

  He looked at her for a few second before responding.

  “Absolutely.”

  The other students were no doubt in their rooms, so no one saw Jason enter her room. He walked over to her bed, testing the softness of the comforter. Lola laughed at him.

  “What are you doing? God, you’re so weird.”

  “No weirder than you,” he responded with his wolfish grin. “And this is only the beginning.”

  “I’ve come to an important decision,” Jason said, his face serious.

  Lola giggled. “And what decision is that?”

  “I think we should sleep together.”

  “Um, I don’t know about that-” she began to protest.

  “I knew you would respond like that. But trust me Lola, if there’s anyone you can trust to take care of you, it’s me. Plus I really don’t want to be around any of those freshman, and you’re a really good excuse.”

  Lola burst out laughing. Jason was the most ridiculous person she’d met by far. She had no idea he would be this silly before they started talking. She actually kind of liked it.

  Jason stood up and walked over to Lola. He looked directly at her for a few seconds, which made her nervous. She bit her lip and looked at his ears, then his nose, and finally, his lips.

  He took a few steps towards her, playing with a strand of her hair. He leaned in and Lola closed her eyes, expecting him to kiss her. Instead, he whispered in her ear,

  “You still smell like the sea.”

  For some reason, this shattered something in Lola. All the walls she had put up, the boundaries she used to deter other guys, were destroyed with those six words. To Lola, being associated with the ocean was the most intimate compliment she had ever received. For Jason to be saying that now— even after she’d pushed him away and acted like a spazz — that meant something to her. It was her turn to take charge.

  She put her hands around his neck and kissed him the mouth. After a few minutes, she let her tongue explore his as he pushed her against the door. The doorknob rammed into her back, but she didn’t care. Her fingers went through Jason’s hair, his neck, and his shoulders.

  He lifted her up by her thighs and continued to kiss her while walking towards the bed. He deposited Lola on the comforter and climbed on top of her. She felt her breath hitch in her throat as his warm weight covered her body.

  “Let’s make a deal,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Stop that, it tickles. What’s the deal?”

  “Oh it tickles, does it? The deal is- we don’t sleep together until we set foot on the island. How does that sound?”

  “Um, that sounds okay. But what are we going to be doing instead?”

  It was Jason’s turn to laugh at her.

  “Not we, but me- I’m going to please you.”

  “Oh—“ She began.

  Anything else she was about to say, any thoughts at all were destroyed the minute he unbuttoned her pants, ran his tongue down he stomach and stopped with his mouth on her navel. Lola placed a hand over her mouth so as not to cry out with pleasure. This was going to be a first - she’d never been eaten out before. See couldn't wait and knew it would feel incredible.

  Jason started slow, working his tongue down from her bellybutton and over her bikini line. His lips lightly brushed over her pussy, sending a shiver down her spine. Before long he was licking her pussy lips, and was sucking on her clit, causing her to radiate with pleasure. She was already soaking wet.

  Outside, she could hear waves crashing against the flanks of the ship. To Lola, this was perfection. She had no idea what was in store for her on the island, but if it was more of this, then she could hardly wait.

  Jason began licking her faster, letting his tongue dip inside and out. He reached out his long arms and began massaging her thighs and squeezing her breasts. Lola never had a problem with her body, and clearly Jason didn't either. He was loving her body and all her curves. The way Jason touched her made her feel incredible. Suddenly her big beautiful body - that she was self-conscious of for so long - was a sources of pleasure and perfection for them both.

  On more than one occasion Lola caught Jason glancing up at her. She could make out bits of his wolfish grin from all the way down there, which caused her to smile. She’d place her hand over her eyes so as not todistract Jason from the job at hand.

  He was clearly enjoying himself, and after several minutes, she felt her orgasm building. She could feel her juices dripping down her thighs as Jason licked and sucked on her clit. After a few more minutes, she couldn't help herself and grabbed the back of his head and with both hands pushed his head down hard, forcing his tongue and lips harder on her kitty. She clenched several times, and finally submitted to the orgasm that ripped through her body, leaving her convulsing with pleasure.

  He kept going for a few seconds before looking up at her.

  “Oh, ok, you can stop now,Jason. Stop it's too intense!”

  He came up from her crotch, his face covered in her juices and a big smile, leaned on his hand and looked at her. “So, was it any good?”

  Instead of responding, she was taken aback by how dark green his eyes were. They seemed to change in hue, from light to dark, based on his clothing and surroundings. Lola forgot she was supposed to be answering his question.

  “It was amazing,” she said. “I- I’ve never had anyone do that for me before.”

  Jason sat up now, astounded. Lola folded her arms over her chest, surprised that he hadn’t taken her shirt off.

  “You’re serious?” he asked. “Why Lola, how horrible! And to think we could have been talking much sooner. You should have told me!”

  “Ha-ha, Jason, what was I supposed to do, just walk up to you and ask you to eat me out?”

  Lola was in hysterics now. Jason pretended to be shocked, placing a hand over his heart and falling back onto the bed.

  “That’s absolutely what you should have been asking me.”

  He turned towards her and began planting kisses down her thighs.

  “Hey wait- what are you doing?”

  “We’ve got to make up for lost time, sea-cheeks. Who’s ready for round two?”

  “One second,” Lola said.

  She took off her shirt and bra, tossing them in a heap on the floor. Jason’s hands immediately went to her chest.

  “Beautiful,” he said, massaging her ample breasts.

  He pinched her nipples, causing Lola to cry out softly. Jason spent the next couple of hours alternating between eating her out, fingering her, and sucking on her boobs. He loved how wet she got, and they hadn’t even had sex yet. At one point he looked directly into her eyes and licked his fingers off. Lola’s eyes practically rolled back in her head.

  Chapter 6

  It wasn’t until they heard a knocking at the door several hours later that they realized they’d fallen asleep and that the ship had docked on dry land.

  “Oh shit,” Lola said, practically falling off the bed to gather her clothes.

  “Land ho,” Jason joked.

  “How long have we been in here for?”

  “Who knows,” Jason said. “Could be hours, weeks, years. Hey Lola, what if we’ve been in here for hundred
s of years? Check me quick- do I have a long grey beard?”

  Lola rolled her eyes. “Come on Jason. We’ve got to get off the boat with our classmates and I’m pretty sure we smell pretty weird.”

  Jason jumped back onto the bed. He had an erection, but did nothing about it. Lola let her eyes linger over the delicate outline of his cock.

  “Um,” she said. “Can we please go now?”

  “Oh yeah, I almost forgot about our promise!” He advanced towards her.

  “Nuh-uh, not now Jason. Keep your hands where I can see them.”

  He hung his head guiltily and sprayed on deodorant.

  Sniffing his armpits once, he said, “This’ll do.”

  Lola found it difficult to concentrate on what her professor was saying. She kept shifting from foot to foot, wondering what Jason was thinking. He was standing right next to her. She loved the musky smell of him. Underneath all that, she knew he bore her scent.

  She’d never had another man treat her the way Jason did. She could hardly wait to set up camp; she desperately wanted to be with Jason. She could tell he was itching for opportunity. He was fidgeting with his fingers, occasionally sniffing them.

  As a result of paying too much attention to Jason, Lola had no idea what she was supposed to do in order to set up camp.

  “Are we supposed to pitch tents or something?” She asked him.

  Their professor was handing out supplies, which came in small black bags. The air was surprisingly warm, though they were close to the water’s edge.

  A professor she didn’t recognize had set up a fire in the middle of the beach. The flames unabashedly licked at the air as several students tossed twigs into its orange depths. A shudder shook through Lola’s body. She wasn’t cold, but she was definitely nervous. Jason instructed her that they were meant to set up their tents more towards the forest, so as to not be dragged away by the tide come morning. Lola wasn’t sure if she would mind that too much. Getting dragged away to sea sounded like a heavenly way to die.

  She took her bags and placed them under an enormous palm tree. When she opened her bag she was surprised to find a thin black hammock. This was much better than sleeping on the hard sand. She emptied the rest of the bag, finding a flashlight, a blanket, a pillow, and a pair of earplugs.