Surprises
The moon shining on Tortuga was hidden by clouds and his light was not a circle with sharp edges but more of a big, blurred splash. It looked almost like someone had spilled a glass of milk and the content was now dripping all over the sky, lightening the night enough to make the buildings cast shadows. There was a reflection in the tip of every wave – drops of milk sprinkled all over the water.
Two people were lying in the shadow of a tree, close to the sea, looking up to the sky. The woman's head was resting on the stomach of a weirdly good-looking man with many wooden pearls dangling in his dreadlocks. His fingers were playing with a thin line of silver around her neck.
"Don't you dare steal that," she mumbled, too relaxed to actually sound threatening. His index finger traced the necklace until it reached a little charm that was resting on her collarbone, an anchor, as he knew. "It's quite pretty, you know," he whispered. „I bet I could sell it right here, just around the corner…"
Her fingers wrapped themselves around his. "You wouldn't," she whispered back, "You fear me too much. " He chuckled quietly. "Tell me, Anamaria – should I?" She rolled over and rested her chin on her wrists to look at him. Her dark eyes were sparkling. "Considering the fact that I, too, am a thief – yes."
"What did you take from me?" Never averting his eyes from hers, he reached out for his belongings, just to find that they were lying on the ground with his clothes, just out of his reach.
She gently kissed his left wrist while tying a rough leather wristlet to it. "Ah…You bad girl…" His voice sounded commendatory rather than angry. "And you have stolen more…" With those words, took her hand and placed it on his chest.
"Big words from such a faithful man as you" She smiled. He frowned. "Do you doubt the earnestness of my promises?" She laughed and caught his mouth in a slow kiss. "You could use a little more practice on your oaths of love" She told him once their lips had parted, "the heart is on your left, not your right." "I knew that" He replied coolly, "I just wanted to see if you did."
She slapped him playfully. "Liar!" „Thief!" „Pirate!" He flashed a grin, and it was a true Jack-Sparrow-gold-tooth-grin. "Lady Pirate!" He murmured, his words accompanied by a grimace that involved his whole face. He tried to turn both of them over, but she kept hold of him, squelching his efforts with another kiss, before rolling off herself to lie down next to him where she began to trace the outlines on his body. His skin was adorned by plenty of scars, witnesses of countless battles. Anamaria knew but a few of the stories that came with them.
She paused at a particularly long scar on his right shoulder. "How did you get this one?" He rolled his eyes to the right as if to look at the scar. "A dogfish bit me," he explained, not batting an eyelash. "Mm…" She let her fingers trail a few inches further down. "What about this one?" „Blue shark." „And that one?" „White shark."
She punched him again. "Secrets, O great Captain?" He made a small gesture of regret. "Ah, Ana… It would take so long to tell all these stories, and…" "So they are secrets, after all!" He raised his eyebrows. "And you have none, O girl of unknown origin?"
For a moment, she seemed to be engrossed in thought. Then she asked: "If I tell you a true thing - will you do the same? No lies. Either you say nothing – or the truth?" She looked into his eyes, and she could see no sign of dishonesty when he nodded. Not that this proved anything, naturally – he was Jack Sparrow. She decided to trust him anyway, for now.
"Alright, I'll start… Hm. Oh: When I was fifteen, I was a dancer in a tavern in Spain," she confessed calmly. He made a funny little gesture with his left hand. "Why am I not surprised?"
She grinned and clicked her tongue. „Your turn!" Jack sighed and looked out to the see. "I used to take organ lessons in a church." She sighed and unsuccessfully tried to imitate his gesture. "Why am I surprised? I should know by now that you are but a walking surprise!"
Another sigh. „I was born the youngest child of a Portuguese noble family." He sat up, an astonished look on his face, and looked down at her. "Really?" "Hm." He nodded appreciatively. "Well, now I am surprised!" He admitted and lied down again.
"What do I say to keep up with that? Oh, I know: I got my first ship completely legally!" "You did?" Ana frowned, skeptic. „Yes! I was in the navy, you see. My captain was shot by bad, bad pirates and fortunately, I was second in the ship's ranking order! "
"Well, I first hired on a ship because I wanted to prove that a woman can be brave. People back home kept saying nasty things about the luxurious life of the rich ones." He laughed. "That fits. You and your love of emancipation… I'm just a pirate because I got drunk some night and when I woke up I was on the wrong ship…" Now it was her turn to laugh. "Now, that fits you, drunkard!"
This game was beginning to really amuse her. There were so many secrets about him, and their answers kept surprising her. Now, this was her chance to surprise him! "I have a landhouse on an island in the Atlantic." She told him. "I have an island with a landhouse in the Atlantic," He responded.
She frowned. "Mine has a private swimming pool" She added. „Oh? Well, mine has a library." „A library?" Ana's eyebrows rose. "Can you even read?" He grinned. „Well enough to read a chart, and that's about it. But I still have a library!" She stared at him until she managed to come up with something: „I can speak four languages fluently." "Fife!" She glared at him. „Stop that!"
„Alright, alright!" He laughed and raised both hands in defense. „My mother was an actor." „She passed you that talent." "Bootlicker!" She stuck her tongue out at him. The answer was – a grin. What else? „She wasn't very talented, though" He amended.
They continued their game for another while until neither one of them could think of anything else. Jack slid his fingers down her naked arm and noticed the goose bumps there. "You're freezing, love. Why didn't you tell me?" „I am not going back in there" She said boldly. "It stinks and it's beyond cramped!"
He smiled in that inimitable way of his. "Oh, good," He responded, "Because I didn't mean to go back. My Pearl is calling for me…"
Ana put on a mocking pout. "You love her more than me!" He laughed, pulled her up and kissed her. "Come, Ana," He whispered into her ear, "Be a good girl – once in a life time!"
They dressed quickly. But when they were about to leave, he remembered something. When Ana gave him an enquiring look, he grinned widely. "Are you sure you've got everything?" Confused, she checked all of her pockets. „What…?"
Suddenly, something long and silver was dangling right in front of her nose. She shot him a very angry gaze, but, as usual, it didn't do him any harm. "Who's the bad guy here?" She snarled and snatched her necklace out of his hand, before he could change his mind.
