The Lovers Survivors

3. Fishermen

Time goes fast when surrounded by people, and it goes slow when surrounded by nature.

Days have passed since the aircraft incident. The two survivors are still trapped on the island, they start losing hope to go back to their normal life.

They are trying to survive with anything they find. They walk in the forest to reach the coconut trees. Julian is disgusted by its water, and Leighton frowns every time he starts complaining and tells him to be thankful to have found something to keep him hydrated.

But coconut water is unfortunately not enough to give them energy and satisfy their hunger. They need food to fill their stomachs and keep them healthy.

They don't know where to find anything to eat, there are no fruits, no animals on the island. They walk around every day to look for anything, but there are only plants and rocks.

"It looks like we have to show off our fishermen talents." Leighton rubs the back of his neck.

They are sitting in front of the sea, contemplating its immensity. The nurse has been trying to ease up the tension reigning around them.

Julian's mood swings are making him nervous. Sometimes he sits peacefully and starts talking about the projects he has to complete once he goes back to Meteor City, and others he just keeps sighing and nagging about spending the rest of their lives on the island. He is also annoyed because he doesn't want his handsome face to be covered with a huge beard and wrinkles.

Leighton keeps rolling his eyes every time.

While he is worried about his family and his fiancee staying alone, the actor is only worrying about his looks and the people taking over his movie spots.

"Are you trying to tell me that we have to catch some fish?" Julian asks. "I'm not doing this."

Leighton raises an eyebrow, "Do you prefer to die from hunger then? Fish is the only thing that can save us."

"Are there are any here? How do you know we're doing to find some?"

Leighton gets up and stretches, "We're going to find it once you get your arse to the water."

Julian frowns, "Don't forget that I'm older than you. Be respectful."

"We're on an island now, not in Meteor City," Leighton chuckles. "There are no rules here. No formalities."

Leighton walks to the trees to look for some rocks. Julian asks him what he's trying to do, and he answers again that they're in the middle of nowhere and that there are no expensive fishing rods and that they only have rocks as an alternative.

Julian mumbles a curse again and follows him to the water. He watches him fold his pants and wet his feet. He does the same and walks behind him.

They go near the rocks and Leighton starts looking for any living being to cook and devour.

They have not been eating at all since the incident. Coconuts were their only saviours, but they are not enough for two men.

Julian suddenly screams. Leighton looks at him and sees him jumping, trying to escape a turbot.

Leighton widens his eyes and tries to catch it, "I've never seen someone escape his food!" he shouts.

The fish moves slowly next to him and he feels bad for it. He squats down and watches how it moves with such elegant moves around him.

"What are you waiting for?" Julian crosses his arms.

Leighton looks at him and pouts, "It's too beautiful to be eaten."

"And I'm too handsome to die on an island." Julian rolls his eyes.

Leighton frowns again and shakes his head. He looks at the turbot with a sad face and whispers, "I'm sorry my friend, but we need to survive."

Later they surround a fire and cook the turbot skewers they prepared for their first lunch on the island.

Leighton gets excited because of the smell. He keeps repeating that it's fresh fish and that it's going to taste very good.

Julian looks at him and shakes his head. He can't believe that the man who was so sorry for the fish earlier is now impatient to eat it. He is even rubbing his hands. People are so scary, he thinks.

When the food is finally cooked, Leighton crosses his legs on the golden sand and starts eating hungrily. He moans and mumbles, "Damn, it's good."

Julian is watching him with disgust on his face. He's judging him for eating without washing his hands, and for talking with his mouth full.

"It melts in your mouth," Leighton adds.

Julian sighs and grabs the skewer. He doesn't know how to eat without a fork and knife. He looks at him and frowns for the sight he gets. "You're disgusting," he mumbles without feeling himself speaking aloud.

Leighton raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me? I'm the one who caught the fish and cooked it, and yet I'm disgusting to you?"

"You're eating like a pig."

"Well, at least I'm eating to survive," Leighton says. "I'm not born with a silver spoon in my mouth like you. I don't eat with manners, and I don't do protocols. If I'm hungry, I eat and that's all."

Julian frowns and bites the cooked fish carefully. Leighton catches him widening his eyes slightly because it tastes good. He smirks and keeps eating silently. He tries not to laugh at Julian's behaviour. He bites the fish with his front teeth.

"You look ridiculous." he chuckles.

Julian frowns and looks away, "It's not my fault that I'm used to high-class restaurants." he shrugs. "I've never eaten this."

"You mean fish skewers."

"I mean skewers in general."

Leighton widens his eyes, "What have you been eating in your life, man? If you never tried fish or lamb skewers before, then you've never had good food before."

"I have a five-star chef in my house," Julian mumbles coldly. "He can cook everything. French, Italian, Moroccan... You're the one who never tried real food."

Leighton scoffs, "Have you tried hot dogs? Or ramen? How about hamburgers?"

Disgust shows up on the actor's face again, "Street food is nasty. How can you eat that crap?"

"It's nasty, but I'm still alive." Leighton rubs his belly. "You pity me, man. You need to live in the real world for a while. I'm sure you'll like it."

"No, thank you."

After a good nap on the sand, Leighton gets up and walks to the sea. When the cold water touches his feet, a memory surged in his mind. His first day with Evelyn was a walk on the seashore. He brought her to his hometown because he knew she loves the beach. He invited her to his favourite food shop, just a modest place where they sell the best ramen soup. Later, he took her hand and both walked on the seaside. He can't forget how beautiful her smile was when she thanked him for getting her there, and how bright her eyes got while she admired the sea.

Leighton sits on the sand and covers his face. He sobs while he thinks about their dates, their kisses and the beautiful words they shared.

He keeps repeating her name as the salty tears enter his open mouth. He begs for a miracle to happen, he begs to go back to Meteor City and see her again, hold her and get married.

Moments later, he feels a hand pressing on his shoulder. "Seriously, man? Just an hour ago, you were happy to catch our food, and now you're crying?"

Leighton doesn't answer. He keeps crying and covers his head so that Julian doesn't see him.

Julian presses his lips and sighs. He squats down and takes his hands to uncover his face. He frowns

when he sees his puffy eyes and the tears falling without stopping. "What's wrong? Of course, apart from the fact that we're jailed on this island."

Leighton rolls his eyes, "You don't even know how to comfort someone." he mumbles.

"I'm not trying to comfort you. You just look ugly." the actor shrugs. Leighton shakes his head and looks away.

"Now tell me what's wrong."

Leighton wipes his tears and takes a breath, "What if I never see her again?"

"Your fiancee?"

Leighton nods.

Julian sighs and looks at the sea. He doesn't know how to answer his question. He doesn't know if they'll ever get the chance to go back to their old lives again. 

He looks at him and says, "I'm sure you'll see her again, don't worry."

Leighton smiles and mumbles a quiet, "Thank you."

They sit in front of the sea for long hours. Listening to the sound of waves is relaxing and it makes Leighton feel a little better.

Before the sunset, he proposes to walk again in the forest to see if they can find anything interesting.

Julian refuses in the beginning, he says that he's tired and that they've already been there before.

Leighton pouts and grabs his arm, dragging him with him. "I don't want to be alone there."

"You're obliging me to go with you so that your scared arse feels better. How selfish of you."

"At least my arse is braver than yours." Leighton shrugs.

Julian shoots him a death glare. "I seriously don't like the way you're talking to me. I'm two years older than you."

"Here I'll talk to you the way I want. Once we go back there, I'll speak more politely."

"We won't meet in Meteor City anyways."

Leighton stops walking and looks at him with confusion, "Why not?"

Julian shrugs, "I don't know why we'll see each other there. We'll go back to our old life, you're going to get married, and I'll fly to the Maldives for the movie shooting."

"If you say so," Leighton mumbles and continues the walk.

Julian curses every time he stumbles on a rock and Leighton starts laughing. His clumsiness is showing, and Leighton thinks it hides his cold and rude side.

After long minutes of walking, they arrive in a place they've never been in the last few days.

There is a deafening noise reigning all over the place. It's a cave hidden in the middle of an endless forest. It's surrounded by large rocks and trees.

In the middle, there is water coming from the sea that's illuminated with the sunlight. The combination of the sun and the sky reflects on the water and creates a beautiful green and blue colour.

Leighton widens his eyes as he walks inside. He can hear each of his steps and Julian's. "That's gorgeous!" he exclaims.

Julian isn't surprised at all. He has travelled a lot before and has seen many incredible places in the

world. "You think so? You still haven't seen anything."

"I've never seen such beauty before." Leighton opens his mouth wide. "Have you?"

Julian nods, "I have, and even better than this. I travel a lot."

"Lucky you," Leighton smiles sadly, "I've never had enough time or money to travel. And the only time I had a chance, it got destroyed by an explosion." he chuckles.

"You were telling me about real life," Julian speaks. "Real life is when you travel the world and see the beauty we have on Earth. To discover new cultures, learn more languages, try different foods, and get experiences in every part of the planet. This is real life."

Leighton nods and walks inside the cold water. "It must be nice to be rich. You get to go wherever you feel like."

"My family has a private jet. I just need to say the word and the next day I find myself having breakfast with Indians or Canadians."

Leighton smiles, "It must be great. I'd like to travel the world too. But I can't afford it."

"Maybe your future wife can help you."

"Evelyn loves her job a lot. She's always working, even at nights. I doubt she'll like to travel a lot." 

 Julian nods and gets inside the water too. "I can't be with someone who doesn't enjoy travelling as much as I do. I want to be with someone who dreams like me when we travel to a new country."

"I thought you didn't want to be with anyone."

Julian sighs, "I don't know. I'm just saying."