He comes up for air, then dives again. He repeats this a few times as he searches for his belongings. When he comes up a third time, two more alligators have joined the first two. There is a breeze blowing but that’s not what causes me to shiver.
He dives again and stays down longer this time. I feel my anxiety grow each second he remains underwater. Finally, I can’t take it anymore and call, “Philip!”
Then he appears above the water, gasping for breath. He holds the wallet and keys above his head and starts back to shore. I feel my shoulders relax but my relief is short-lived. As he heads toward shore, the alligators suddenly stop swimming in circles and start purposefully toward Philip
My blood goes cold and I scream, “Philip!” and start running toward him.
“Wait there!” he shouts and despite my terror, his voice stops me cold. One of the alligators nears him and dives under the water and I feel my heart about to burst from fear.
Then he’s out of the water and rushing toward me, just as the alligator resurfaces barely a yard away from him. He reaches me and I throw my arms around him again. He allows me to hold him briefly then disengages and leads me back to the car.
I am caught up in a whirlwind of emotions and forget that I’m naked until he hands me an old button-down shirt and says, “You can wear this while I take you home.”
The drive back to my apartment is silent. With my exhilaration and terror gone, I am left only with embarrassment. I avoid eye contact with him until he walks me to my door. Then I turn and say, “I’m sorry, Philip.”
“Just make sure you listen to me from now on when I tell you to follow the rules,” he says.
My eyes widen. “You mean, you still want to see me?”
“Of course,” he says. He smiles slightly. “Just maybe not in the middle of an alligator-infested lake.”
Before I can stop myself, I throw my arms around him again and squeeze tightly. Then I kiss him again, briefly but more intimately than before.
He returns the kiss, then pulls away. “Until next time, Lyric.”
“Bye, Philip.”
Watching him walk away I decide this wasn’t a bad first date after all.