Page 23 of Pursuing Desire

“Ugh, stop. I don’t want to hear anymore. I’ll take the couch, but you’re driving first tomorrow. I’m sure my back will hurt after this.”

He levels an innocent look at me and points to the bed. “I told you. I’m happy to share the bed. More than happy.”

I’m not even going to respond to that. I turn and leave the small bedroom, closing the door with a loud thud, and look at the couch with hatred. Even several feet away, the musty smell coming from the worn cushions makes me want to gag.

It’s going to be one helluva long night.

Chapter 6: Destin, Florida

Dax

I notice Jess shifting in the passenger seat for probably the tenth time today. That pull-out couch must have been awful. I feel pretty guilty about having her sleep there last night. I should’ve let her have the bed, but it felt too good to win against her.

We’re closing in on the Destin, Florida checkpoint. Jess has kept us at a grueling pace all day. She made me eat as much as I could stomach at the hotel’s complimentary breakfast this morning, so we only needed to stop for food once. That’s good, considering I spent most of our money on the so-called suite last night.

The last hour has been slow. Ever since we got off the interstate and headed on the smaller roads toward Destin, there has been a ton of traffic. However, it feels good to be getting to the end.

“We are almost there!” Jess squeals in delight. “Our checkpoint is very close. Pull over to that parking lot.”

The app buzzes just as I’m parking. Jess picks up her phone and reads the message to me.

“You’re almost there! To complete this task, you will rent a boat and continue to Crab Island. You won’t be able to use the app to find the location. You’ll know you arrived when you find the blue boat with a crab flag. Asterisk: If you have arrived after 7:00 p.m. CST, you will need to wait for tomorrow to complete this challenge. Check your messages for instructions for your hotel.

“They’ve included instructions for the boat rental. We just go there and give our names, and they’ll have the boat waiting,” Jess explains.

“Alright, let’s get going then. Grab the sunscreen.”

Jess and I grab some essentials from the car and then take off running to the boat rental. They have everything ready for us, and within ten minutes of parking the car, we’re driving away on the boat.

I push the limits by going as fast as the posted speed limit allows through the crystal-clear water, which, unfortunately, isn’t very fast. The waves hit the front, causing the boat to bounce us around. Jess is sitting in the seat behind me with a huge grin on her face, the wind blowing her hair. The air is electric with excitement we both feel.

Crab Island isn’t far. Within minutes, we spot the blue boat. Jess jumps up and down, pointing at the crab flag, then loses her balance and tumbles onto the seat.

“We made it!” she screams as she jumps up again.

The area is full of boats and swimmers in the water; however, there aren’t any other boats near the boat with the crab flag.

An excited thrill runs through me. I wonder if we’re in first place?

As I drive our boat closer to the larger one, I notice a cameraperson filming. A woman dressed in a blue-and-gold sailor’s uniform waves and calls out. “Welcome! You made it! Come get your prize.”

A guy who looks to be in his early twenties throws out an inflatable tube for us and beckons with his hands. I go ahead and drop our anchor to secure the boat.

“I think we have to swim for it,” I say, pointing to the tube bobbing in the water.

“Ugh.”

Jess looks down at her t-shirt and shorts and grimaces. I see her eyes focus behind me, so I turn quickly. Another boat is headed our way. “Hurry up. Let’s jump in,” I tell her urgently.

She kicks off her shoes and stands on the edge of the boat. She hesitates for a second, then jumps. I’m beside her, and we’re swimming toward the checkpoint as fast as possible. We arrive at the boat’s ladder at the same time. Jess grabs the ladder and climbs aboard, and I follow close behind. When we arrive on deck, we’re both panting from the exertion. And we’re both wearing identical grins on our faces.

The woman in the cute sailor uniform steps back as we slosh water on the deck. We’re completely drenched but couldn’t care less.

“Congratulations on making it to your first checkpoint! I’m Anne-Marie, the host of Pursuing Desire. You’re in first place for this challenge.”

Jess jumps up and down and grabs me around the waist. “We got first, we got first!”

Anne-Marie hands Dax a small, flat black box. “Open it to reveal your prize.”