NOVEL NEXT Chapter 214: Close Call
As the sun leaned towards the west, only a few people remained on the island. An English gentleman with his shirt half-open, a grubby pirate, and a girl in a lady's dress sat on the beach, each holding a glass and merrily chatting while drinking.
"This whiskey is really good!" Keira-Knightley took another sip, "This is my first time tasting such a smooth whiskey."
It was clear this wasn't her first time drinking.
Matthew flicked his glass and remarked, "Depp, you came well-prepared, even bringing glasses over with your assistant."
Johnny-Depp, ignoring both Keira's and Matthew's comments, opened another bottle of tequila and took out three new glasses from a nearby box. Pouring a small amount for each, he quipped in Captain Jack Sparrow's flamboyant tone, "Try some Mexican tequila."
After a sip, Matthew found the tequila passable, but Keira spat hers out immediately.
"What flavor is this?" she fanned her mouth, "It's so strange."
The tequila had a biting taste, unlike brandy.
"Will, Elizabeth…" Johnny-Depp, still in character, raised his glass towards Matthew and Keira, "To our fantastic adventure, cheers!"
Matthew and Keira raised their glasses in response, "Cheers!"
Soon, the small glasses of tequila were empty, and Keira let out a hiccup.
Matthew looked at her, "Feeling drunk?"
Keira pouted, "You're the one who's drunk!" She burped again, "Being drunk is fine. At least I won't get seasick."
She didn't continue with the tequila, pouring herself a half glass of whiskey and serving Matthew and Johnny-Depp. "No one leaves until we're drunk today."
Of course, getting drunk wasn't likely. With only a handful of people left on the island, they were notified as soon as the speedboat arrived. While Matthew and Johnny-Depp were still sober, Keira showed slight signs of drunkenness, eager to continue drinking.
Matthew had to pull her onto the speedboat. As it started, the sea breeze made Keira drowsy. Sitting at the back of the boat, she dozed off.
There was ample room on the speedboat for everyone to sit comfortably. As the sun began to set, the wind grew stronger. Matthew, having drunk as much as Keira, also started dozing off in his seat.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Matthew's sleep was interrupted by the boat's sudden jolt. He instinctively opened his eyes and grabbed the boat's railing. The boat abruptly changed course and came to a sudden stop.
"We hit a reef!" Panic ensued.
Matthew, now fully awake, heard Keira's confused voice from behind, "What's happening?"
"We hit a reef!" someone shouted, panic evident in their voice.
"Don't panic!" the driver maintained his calm, asking, "Check if there's any water leaking in."
Matthew glanced at Johnny-Depp, who seemed unfazed, possibly too inebriated to understand the situation. A props master then announced, "There's water coming in here!"
Chaos broke out on the boat, which was about ten meters long. The driver had already called for help. Matthew went to check the leak, relieved to find it was just a slow seepage. The boat wouldn't sink anytime soon.
However, the boat had lost power. After inspecting the damage, the driver restarted it. Although it couldn't go fast, it was sufficient to prevent being carried away by the tide or hitting more reefs.
"We're not going to be stuck here, right?" Keira reached out and grabbed Matthew's arm, "We're not going to sink, right?"
Matthew reassured her, "It's okay, help will be here soon."
Despite the sun setting, the boat was clearly visible on the water. As long as it didn't sink, they'd be safe.
Keira, frightened and sober, clung to Matthew, squeezing between him and Depp. Seeing Depp's frail figure, she decided to hold onto Matthew instead.
Matthew felt the tight grip of Keira's hand on his arm.
"It's okay," he reassured her again. "Help is on the way."
As he spoke, he looked towards the island, considering if they could make it back if the boat sank.
"What's going on? Why aren't we moving?" Johnny-Depp, finally waking up, asked in confusion.
He joked about the Flying Dutchman, a ghost ship legend, but his humor only frightened Keira more.
Matthew asked Johnny-Depp to stop scaring Keira. Depp then took a swig from the whiskey bottle, offering it to them.
Keira declined, but Matthew took a drink, giving Depp a thumbs-up.
Matthew drank because he heard the sound of motors approaching. Soon, two smaller speedboats appeared, led by Jerry-Bruckheimer himself.
The incident ended without harm. Matthew was fine, as was Johnny-Depp, but Keira was visibly shaken.
The shoot couldn't continue after such an event. In addition to Helen-Herman already being in Alpulco, the agents of Johnny-Depp and Keira-Knightley soon arrived. The incident was minor, and the crew compensated accordingly. Matthew received an additional $300,000 in pay, but he was unaware of the others' compensation.
The crew adjusted the filming schedule, giving the trio a five-day break. Johnny-Depp returned to Los Angeles, and Matthew stayed in Alpulco. Keira, joined by her mother, also stayed.
Now with free time, Matthew and Keira agreed to swim together. Keira decided to improve her swimming skills following the incident. Matthew boasted about his swimming prowess and became her instructor.
However, Keira refused to get into the water during their first lesson.
"Are you here to practice swimming or to enjoy the scenery?" Matthew asked, walking along the beach in swim trunks beside Keira, who pointed at her chest, "My trauma hasn't healed. I get dizzy seeing the water. Unlike you, I need to address my psychological issues first."
Matthew couldn't help but glance at her chest.
Keira caught his gaze, "Don't look at me with those lecherous eyes."
"Lecherous eyes?" Matthew scoffed, glanced at her chest again, and then flexed his pecs, "Your chest isn't even as big as mine. What's there to look at?"
Keira, about to retort, paused, seemingly lost for words upon seeing Matthew's muscular chest.
After a while, she said, "A man with a big chest is abnormal!" She teased, "You could go for a B cup."
Hearing the mockery, Matthew tilted his head and challenged, "Okay, Keira. Tell me, do you even have an A cup?"
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