Finding Justus

by Bretz, Amanda

  “Let’s warm up a little bit. Wake up our tired bodies, huh?”

  Justus noticed Tammy was doing the stretching exercises that Miguel was showing the class, but she was doing them all the same way; with her chest pushed as far out as humanly possible. Justus felt her blood begin to boil. It wasn’t that she was jealous of Tammy, she reasoned, it was that she hated women like Tammy. The type who thought they had to rely solely on their appearance to get a man’s attention.

  “We’ll start with the meringue, today. Has anyone done the meringue before?”

  Half of the class raised their hands.

  “Okay, for those of you who don’t know, the meringue is a very basic dance, you move your hips from side to side and take small steps with your feet. Hold your arms like this, like you have an invisible partner,” he said as he held his left arm in the air, next to his head and his right in front of his waist.

  “You’re doing great,” he told the class, “now move side to side, taking small steps. Excellent work. Is everyone moving side to side? Okay, good. Now let’s move in a small circle, doing the same, our hips side to side, feet taking small steps. Great. Justus,” he said and extended his hand toward her. “Dance with me.”

  When her heart jumped into her throat, Justus forced herself to calm down, it was only a dance. However, her body was excited at the thought of being pressed against him again. It surprised her how comfortable she felt in his arms. She wouldn’t mind if Miguel used her as his dancing model for the rest of the cruise.

  “Wonderful, you’ve improved,” he said it loud enough so the whole class could hear. In her ear he said softly, “You aren’t so stiff and nervous either. I’m glad you’ve relaxed.” Miguel spun her around and released her from his grasp and focused his attention on the class once again.

  “You two look amazing together. I’m jealous,” Krystal said with a smile when Justus returned.

  Justus said nothing, but smiled as Miguel chose another woman to dance with. She was older and appeared flattered and nervous Miguel had chosen her to dance with. He spun the older woman around and then released her, as he had done when he’d danced with Justus.

  Miguel then came back to the front of the room and started showing his pupils the steps to the salsa. Justus felt this was her problem dance, it looked so incredibly easy, but she couldn’t get her feet to cooperate.

  “I can’t get the sequence down. Not every time anyway. Half of the time I do it right and half the time wrong.”

  “You’re doing great, look at me, I’m the one who can’t figure it out,” Krystal said.

  “Front, center, back, center, front, center, back, center,” Miguel was telling the class.

  Eventually Justus got it, but only when she repeated the steps over and over in her head like a mantra. After the salsa lesson, Miguel led the crowd into a tango number. Justus felt more comfortable with the numbers since she had learned to tango in their first lesson. At the end of class, the group had to put all the steps together, in one final dance. After they completed their dance, Miguel motioned for her to stay until after everyone had left.

  “You’ve both improved. I guess it comes from a great teacher.”

  “Yeah, and a modest one, too,” Justus said.

  Miguel laughed, and said, “What are you up to today?”

  “Well, actually we’re thinking about snorkeling. Neither one of us has ever done it before, so it should be pretty interesting to see how we do.”

  “It’s fun and so beautiful, the corals, the fish, and the water. You’ll love it. I go snorkeling at home in Miami whenever I get the chance.”

  “So, you’re experienced. Any tips?” Krystal asked.

  “Not really, relax and enjoy it. I’m not going to be able to snorkel, but I have the rest of my day free, so I’ll be on the island. Maybe I’ll run into you two later. Anyway, don’t worry about the snorkeling; it’s safe, even if you see a small shark or stingray swim right by you. They’re harmless.”

  “We can tell ourselves that now, but I don’t know if we’ll believe it once we’re in the water.”

  “Hey, what are you doing around sunset?”

  “N-nothing, that I know of.” Justus cursed herself for stuttering like a nervous school girl. She still couldn’t understand what came over her when she was in the presence of Miguel.

  “Good, I would like to show you something. You don’t mind if I steal her, do you?”

  “Nope, not at all,” Krystal replied.

  “Do you want me to meet you somewhere, or would you like me to stop by your room?”

  “I still don’t know my way around the ship too well, so come to our room.”

  “All right. Oh, and wear your bathing suit tonight,” Miguel said with a smile.

  Justus was curious as to what Miguel had up his sleeve, and she couldn’t wait to find out what it was. Trying to find a way to leave gracefully she looked at her watch and said, “It’s almost time for our lesson to begin, I guess we better go. I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Bye, Miguel.”

  “Bye, I’ll see you later,” he promised Justus with a warm smile.

  As soon as they were out of the room and out of earshot Krystal whooped, “I’m so excited for you, another date!”

  Justus smiled, “Are you sure you’re all right with it? I feel a little guilty ditching you tonight, after doing it last night, too.”

  “You’re not ditching me! Who knows, maybe I’ll hang out with Michelle and her brother.” Krystal had a sly smile on her face and Justus knew instantly Krystal had no problem being left to her own devices tonight.

  “That makes me feel better. I wonder what he has to show me. Damn it, now I have to think about it all day.”

  “Maybe that way you won’t even notice all the sharks that are swimming by you when we snorkel.”

  “Sorry honey, I don’t think I’ll be that concerned,” Justus said as she slid their plastic card into the door. They were meeting Michelle at their cabin before snorkeling.

  “Ouch, I want to rest,” Justus said as she flung herself down on the bed.

  Krystal joined her and said, “I know. Dancing takes a lot out of you. I don’t know how Miguel does it all the time, he must have a hell of a lot of stamina,” she told Justus with a lustful glint in her eyes.

  “You’ve got one thing on your mind, please find a man, so you can leave me alone about the one I’ve found,” Justus said as she shoved Krystal off the bed playfully. “Oh God Krys, I never wanna go home.”

  “Are you going to miss the vacation, or just miss someone you met on the vacation?”

  “You’re asking me a tough question. I don’t know, I guess… I don’t know.”

  “Sorry, Justus that was a really stupid question to ask anyway. Here I am always telling you to have a fling with Miguel, and I brought that up. I’m sorry,” Krystal said for the second time.

  “It’s all right. Hey, maybe after hanging out with Michelle today we might get closer to her and miss her when we go home,” Justus said brightly. She knew she was grasping at straws, but she didn’t want to admit how much she was going to miss Miguel.

  “Speak of the devil,” Justus said as Krystal got up to answer the door.

  “Hey! We were just wondering what was taking you so long.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “I was kidding, we weren’t worried about the time or anything like that, this is vacation, remember?” Krystal said and invited Michelle in.

  “Hi, I’m Justus. Are you snorkeling alone?” Justus asked innocently.

  “Nice to meet you, and no, my brother’s coming with us and a guy he met is coming, too. I hope that’s all right with both of you. They’re waiting for us at the pool, and then I thought we could leave from there. I made them wait up on the lido deck because I didn’t think you two would want a couple of guys coming to your room.”

  Krystal looked at her with mischievous eyes.

  “Oh, you know what I mean, two guys you
don’t know all that well.” Krystal continued to grin.

  “Okay, okay, enough of the jokes, let’s go,” Justus said.

  ***

  “I had a blast!” Michelle said. “We should do something again and next time I want it to be just the three of us. I promise I won’t bring the guys.”

  “Do you want to meet us for breakfast in the morning?”

  “Yeah, that sounds great.”

  “Just stop by the cabin and we can leave from there.”

  “See you later, ladies.”

  “Bye Michelle,” they said in unison.

  “So, what sounds good for dinner?” Justus asked from the bathroom.

  “I don’t know. Let’s try one of the more casual restaurants tonight,” Krystal said, while brushing her hair.

  “That sounds good to me and that should be quicker than the regular formal dining room.”

  “I could really go for something quick, but yummy, like pizza! So, what do you think Miguel is going to show you? Not to change the subject or anything.”

  “I don’t know, hopefully it’s not that he’s a psychopath or something equally disturbing,” she said sarcastically. “But all kidding aside, I don’t know. I can’t figure it out, but it has something to do with water, I assume, since he told me to wear my bathing suit.”

  “Maybe there’s a really good water park here or something,” Krystal suggested.

  “Maybe,” Justus muttered as she pulled her hair back into a sleek bun. She couldn’t concentrate on anything because she was too busy wondering and worrying what Miguel had up his sleeve. “All right,” Justus said finally as she came out of the small bathroom. “I’m ready to go now.”

  Krystal surveyed her appearance carefully and said, “My, my. Don’t we clean up nicely? I think you may be more nervous about this date with Miguel than you’re letting on.”

  “Well…yes and no,” Justus replied. “I mean not really nervous about seeing Miguel, it’s just the suspense is killing me. I want to know what we’re doing and I want to know now! So, I figure the quicker we get off to dinner the sooner I’ll find out. Stop pretending, you know the suspense is killing you, too.”

  “Yes, but in a good way. I mean I’m dying to find out, but I also want you to like whatever this surprise is.”

  “Let’s get going now, I’m starving and I’m anxious for dinner to be over with.”

  They left their cabin and headed for the casual cafe on the upper deck. A half an hour later they were finishing their dinner. Each had gotten what she had been craving, a cheeseburger and pizza.

  “You know what’s funny?” Justus asked.

  “That we’ve had pizza and cheeseburgers for the second time, when we can get any type of food we want on this cruise? I think it’s just the idea of eating comfort food.”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I was going to say. I guess great minds think alike, huh? Let’s go, I’ve got to get back to the room to finish getting ready for my date, I don’t want to have pepperoni breath.”

  “You know I hate to sound like a schoolgirl with a crush…and don’t take this the wrong way or anything…”

  “What?” Justus interrupted.

  “Well, I was going to say I think Miguel always looks so good. I mean he’s obviously hot, but he’s a great dresser and he just has an air of mystique about him, you know?”

  Justus felt her face flush and butterflies in her stomach. Yes, she knew exactly what Krystal was saying. He was an awesome dresser and an all-around beautiful man. A beautiful man? Take it easy, she told herself. Justus couldn’t get completely sucked into the sensual pull that seemed to radiate around Miguel.

  “I understand what you’re saying. It’s a big switch from Alex, huh? His idea of dressing snazzy was a pair of khakis and a button-down shirt, oh and I can’t forget the all-important, ever-present, tasseled loafers!” Justus laughed and said, “God, what did I ever see in him?”

  “I don’t know, but that’s over now. Considering what we are comparing him with, no wonder we’re so impressed with Miguel’s sense of style.”

  “Yeah, so are you finished stuffing your face or what?” Justus asked jokingly.

  “Well I guess I am, if you’re finished stuffing yours, and since you’re just dying to get ready for your date,” Krystal countered back.

  They gathered their things and headed for their room. As soon as they were inside, Justus went into the bathroom. She emerged with touched up hair and makeup and she had liberally reapplied her perfume.

  “You look very pretty,” Krystal said.

  “Thanks.” Justus whirled around in her yellow sundress, letting the skirt twirl about her legs. Both women smiled when they heard a knock on the cabin door.

  “At least I’m not going to be in suspense much longer,” Justus called teasingly over her shoulder. “Hi,” she greeted Miguel cheerily.

  “Hello, Justus. Hi, Krystal,” he said with a wave as he saw Krystal move closer to the door.

  “Well, I’m ready if you are,” Justus said. Miguel nodded his head and Justus eased out the open door. As she was closing it behind her she turned and gave Krystal a smile, she got one in return.

  ***

  “So, where are we going? I can’t take the suspense any longer.”

  “Sorry, you’re going to have to find a way to take it, because I’m not telling you. I plan on making you sweat it out as long as possible.”

  For some reason his choice of words made Justus’ mind leap into the gutter and imagine the two of them in sordid ways. Justus shook her head slightly as though to clear her mind of such thoughts. She needed to at least try to keep her cool.

  “I plan on just showing you, hopefully.”

  “Showing me what?”

  “You’ll see when we get there. It has to do with nature, so let’s hope it works out like I’ve planned.”

  Justus’ curiosity was piqued, and as Miguel took her hand and led her toward the lower decks, she realized he was taking her off the boat. They walked along the docks for what seemed like an eternity before they met up with a small stretch of beach.

  “Wow, it’s so pretty, the way the water picks up the reflection of the sky like that. I’m sorry, it’s probably not a big deal to you, but I don’t see many oceans back in St. Louis.” From her vantage point, Justus could see the sun setting in front of the small island.

  “Here, this way,” Miguel said, taking her by the hand. They walked down to the water until they were in about calf deep.

  “We’re watching the sunset, that’s my surprise.”

  “You’re worse than a small child, no patience! No, there will be more, hopefully.”

  Justus smiled and shook her head, and wondered what Miguel was hoping for. Then she saw it.

  “Oh, look at that! Dolphins!”

  “Surprised? This was what I wanted to show you.”

  “Are you serious? They’re my favorite animal.” She was quiet and reflective for a while then she said, “They are the most beautiful creatures I’ve ever seen.”

  At that moment the same description could be said about Justus. Her hair was shining, and the setting sun was revealing hints of red and golden highlights in her hair. The same golden glow bathed her skin, and it seemed she was radiating from some unseen light within. She turned to Miguel with a grin. Her smile was dazzling and almost childlike in delight.

  “This is so amazing,” Justus said as she splashed water in front of her and whistled to the dolphins. “I want to pet one. They look so sweet.”

  As if on cue, a pair of dolphins leaped out of the ocean and landed with a graceful splash. Justus laughed so hard she nearly lost her balance, luckily a pair of strong arms reached out to steady her. As she looked up into his eyes, all laughter and humor left immediately, and was replaced by passion. Miguel brought his hand up to caress her jaw, and she leaned into his embrace.

  Her face was inches from Miguel’s. She looked into his eyes again. “I’m glad you brought me here,”
she said huskily.

  “Me too,” was all Miguel said before he leaned down to kiss her softly on the mouth. The dolphins splashed once more and it broke them apart. Miguel laughed, “I guess they want our attention.”

  They clasped hands and walked together down the beach, and began heading back toward the ship. It was just after sunset, but not yet dark.

  “I’ve never seen a more beautiful sunset. Pink, gold, purple, orange, turquoise, I never knew the sky could take on all those colors. Of course, the dolphins were amazing, too. They were like nothing I’ve ever seen before. This day will be something I will never forget.”

  As soon as the words left Justus’ mouth she regretted them. She realized there was another reason she wouldn’t be able to forget this day; because of him. Miguel had made this happen, somehow. He had created magic with the dolphins, the practically deserted beach, and the sunset. It was too special, too perfect for her to forget it. That frightened her.

  ***

  “So, how did it go last night?” Krystal asked. “I mean you got in so late, I didn’t get the chance to ask you.”

  Justus had arrived at their cabin after midnight, but it wasn’t because she had been out having fun with Miguel. Their date actually ended early. The truth was she had been walking around the ship aimlessly for hours after their date. She couldn’t get it through her thick skull that this-whatever it was-with Miguel was temporary and only served her one purpose: to have fun.

  Justus was finding however, that the more time she spent with Miguel, the harder it became for her to accept that. It was starting to go deeper for her. She was thinking crazy things. Lately, she had been wondering what sex with Miguel would be like. She knew it wasn’t crazy for her to want to have sex with someone she felt attracted to, but at this time in her life, when she was most vulnerable, she wondered if it would be a mistake.

  Still, she couldn’t keep her imagination from wondering in that direction. Justus had been thinking about it since the night of their first date. That was the reason she had told Krystal how awful sex with Alex had been, it hadn’t been the alcohol talking that night, but her wild curiosity. Justus believed sex would be an entirely different experience with Miguel. For some reason, she felt he would be a satisfying and giving lover. Krystal’s sigh and look of expectancy brought Justus back into the present.