Senior Year Box Set

I pointed my flashlight up and saw three holes about twelve feet up that might lead to something else.

“What do you think that is?” I asked Alex as his sister got the camera.

“No idea, but it’s too high to reach. We’ll have to get a ladder and see.”

“Or I could look,” I suggested.

“How do …” Alex started as I ran to the wall, planted a foot into it, and launched myself upward.

My fingers caught the ledge, and I pulled myself up.

“Toss me a flashlight,” I said.

I caught the light and found another alcove. I called to them over my shoulder.

“What’s the Holy Grail supposed to look like? There’s an altar with some ancient-looking cup on it. Do you think your dad would be interested in that?” I asked.

“No way!” Nat said.

“He’s pulling your leg,” Alex told his sister. “What did you find?”

“Nothing much. Want me to check the other two?” I asked.

“We better not. We need to get back and show Dad the pictures of what we found,” Alex said.

I jumped down, and we got organized and geared up to head back.

◊◊◊

We spent the morning working with the grad students to swim gear into the room we’d found so Umberto and his team could inspect our discovery. The smartest thing they did was run a waterproof cable to the room so that a generator could feed electricity to it. That way, they would have reliable lights and be able to run their equipment.

They even managed to bring a computer through the underwater passage and set it up on site. We weren’t deep under the water’s surface, so water pressure wasn’t an issue. They had several watertight containers they weighed down to make neutrally buoyant. Those containers then allowed them to swim the more sensitive equipment in.

By the time we finished, it was after one o’clock.

“Umberto will be busy for the next few days. Let’s go grab lunch and then go shopping,” Camilla suggested.

The three of us agreed. Not that Alex and I were all that excited about shopping, but the excuse did give us a chance to explore the town. I found out that Alex and Nat had been stuck ‘working’ with their dad for the past three weeks. They were Umberto’s dive team. Not that they complained because it got them out of school and allowed them to spend time with their father. But it looked like they were ready for something new to do.

After a quick lunch and some shopping, Alex and I decided to go on a bike tour. After the first half-hour, we took a break. We’d mostly climbed uphill, and Alex looked about ready to drop.

“How’re you doing?” I asked.

“I’m fine,” he said as he took a big swig of his water.

We were both perspiring freely. It felt good to do something physical. I’d been a slug since I left home.

“What’s the deal with the matchmaking girls?” I asked.

Alex gave me a sheepish look.

“I don’t know. We’ve seen three different groups come through. The newest bunch has been the best. You should talk to some of the Filipino girls. They are super nice and completely different from the Russians, who are more interested in the size of your wallet than anything else. But Ivanna might be worth it.”

“Ivanna Fuck-A-Lot?” I asked.

Alex burst out laughing.

“Have you met her?”

“I think I’d been here all of ten minutes, and she lured me into bed,” I admitted.

“I finally had to tell her that my dad didn’t believe in giving his kids money, and I would have to get a job once I graduated from college. If Camilla wasn’t here, it’s possible Ivanna might be my new stepmother,” Alex shared.

“So, that made her leave you alone?” I asked.

“Yeah. That might have been a miscalculation on my part. She knew things …” Alex said and then blushed.

I could probably guess. I had no plans to be married by the time I got home. My mother had been through enough; she didn’t need me showing up with a mail-order bride. I would have to follow Alex’s lead on this one.

◊◊◊

We were a sweaty mess by the time we finished our ride. Alex sent a text to Nat to tell her we planned to go back to the condo. She replied that they’d finished shopping and to meet them at the parking lot. We spotted the two of them chatting by the car. When they saw our condition, Nat got a faraway look, but Camilla smirked.

“Those men were checking you out,” Camilla said.

I knew that Mykonos had an LGBTQ community. Well, I guessed everywhere did. I also recalled that there was a nude beach that catered to men. I remembered Fritz teasing me that the beach close to our condo wasn’t too far from that one.

Alex showed his gullibility by whipping his head around to see who she was talking about.

“He thinks you’re cute,” Nat teased her brother.

“I’m out,” Alex said to tell me he didn’t have a good comeback.

“I’ll protect you,” I said as I put my arm around Alex.

He got the shivers and twisted away from me. Both Camilla and Nat were enjoying his discomfort, so I upped the ante by taking off my shirt and striking a model pose.

“You know you want this,” I said.