Coexisting on a Deserted Island

The bright blue sky, teeming with noisy seagulls, and the rhythmic crash of waves against the shore pulled me from sleep. I rubbed my aching head, groaning, "Wasn't I on a plane to…? How the heck did I end up here?"

My name's Alex Smith, just your average Joe working a nine-to-five. Yesterday, a couple of coworkers threw me under the bus, and my boss canned me without even hearing my side of the story. Apparently, I leaked company secrets. Yeah, right.

I busted my hump for that company, and that's the thanks I get. I was furious, but what could I do? I booked a trip to clear my head. Talk about bad luck. Fired one day, plane crashes the next.

Seriously though, where am I?

Squinting against the sun, I took in my surroundings. Endless ocean in front, dense jungle behind. The island stretched out on either side, merging with the sea. This place was huge.

The fact that I woke up in the water meant the plane went down in the sea. But there was no sign of wreckage, no other survivors. Rescue wasn't likely. Time to get my act together.

I hauled myself out of the water, my limbs screaming in protest, and stumbled toward the beach.

"Hello? Is anyone out there?" A faint female voice drifted on the air. I strained my ears, trying to pinpoint the source.

"Hello? Please help! I can't hold on much longer!" It was coming from the sea, from behind a nearby reef. I hesitated. I'd heard stories about sea monsters mimicking a woman's voice to lure unsuspecting men to their doom. Figures. My luck was that bad.

I covered my ears, trying to block out the cries. But the voice was like a splinter in my brain, the more I tried to ignore it, the deeper it dug.

Then the cries turned to soft sobs, a sound of utter despair. I'm a sucker for a damsel in distress. My ex used to give me grief about it.

The sobbing grew weaker, like the person was fading fast.

Screw it. I marched toward the reef. In broad daylight, monster or not, I'd face it. If it was another survivor, I couldn't just leave her to die. Besides, two heads are better than one in this situation.

Following the sound, I saw a girl floating facedown, clinging to a life jacket. She looked too weak to even turn over, nearly submerged, just barely holding on to hope. Lucky for her, I showed up.

She heard my approach and stopped crying. "Is someone there? Please, help me! I'm slipping!"

"Hang in there! I'm coming!" I waded through the shallow water near the reef. As soon as I reached her, she latched onto me like a lifeline, sobbing and thanking me profusely.

Her face was buried against my neck, so I couldn't see her, but judging by the way her chest pressed against mine, she was…well-endowed. Not that I had time to admire the view. I had to get her to shore before hypothermia set in.

I grabbed the life jacket and started back. The waves were strong near the reef, making it a struggle to keep hold of her. We were both soaked, and it was like trying to wrestle a wet octopus – awkward and exhausting.

Finally, we reached the beach. She was still shaken, crying uncontrollably, clinging to me for dear life.

I found a dry spot and sat down, patting her shoulder awkwardly. "Hey, you're okay now. You're safe."

She looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, then suddenly smiled. "Alex? Is that you?"

I blinked. "Do I know you?"

She brushed her wet hair back. "It's me, Emily Brown. From the office."

I racked my brain. Emily? I could only picture the grumpy old lady from accounting and the two women who framed me.

Emily saw my blank expression. "It's okay, I've only been there six months."

"Alex, you probably don't remember, but when I first started, the GM kept hitting on me, and you stepped in. And at that company dinner, some guy from another firm wouldn't leave me alone, and you took his drink for me." She continued recounting these supposed shared experiences, but I was drawing a blank. My mind had been preoccupied with my ex at the time.

After a few minutes, Emily blushed, removing her hands from my neck and looking down. "Alex, I'm okay now. You can let go."

I realized I was still holding her around the waist. It was a pretty intimate position.

I coughed, looking away. "Sorry, I was just listening. Didn't mean to…uh…take advantage." Remembering how tightly she'd clung to me, I felt my ears burn. "It's…it's fine. Forget it."

The air hung thick with awkward silence.

Trying to break the tension, I asked, "So, why were you on that plane?"

Emily's face clouded over. "The GM. He insisted I come on this business trip. I couldn't say no."