Although I wasn’t going to make you my third choice, but I’m glad you chose it,” he said, before he dropped onto his back and started to float. “Feel like a swim?”
I tucked my hair behind my ear nervously, rethinking my decision to come out here. I glanced back over my shoulder wanting to head back to the pool. After our little incident I just felt safer soaking in chlorine. I laughed before I caught him staring at me. “How about the pool instead?” I looked up to the beach, then finally back to him.
Ethan stood up and shook his head. “Ah, don’t really like the pool. It’s a little crowded,” he said as he reached for my hand tugging me out further. “It’s just an ocean, Sophie.”
I let go of his hand and stared at him. “I’m not afraid of the ocean.” I was never afraid of the ocean. I loved to swim in the turquoise water just as much as the next person, but our little adventure left me a little on edge.
His hands ran through his wet hair shoving it back and gave me a look that said he didn’t believe me. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “Prove it.”
“I’m here aren’t I?”
His eyebrows furrowed. “Considering you’ve avoided the water and me entirely for the last week, I would have thought differently.”
My fingers ran down to my hips trying to adjust my suit. “I’m sorry if you thought I was avoiding you. I really wasn’t doing that,” I lied with a halfhearted smile. I hated the fact that he seemed to know me so well.
He exhaled and cocked his head slightly. “Did I mention that I really love your suit? I think it’s my favorite one by far,” he teased as his hand flicked the string on the back of my neck.
The warmth of his hand as it touched my neck caused me to shiver even though it had to be well over ninety degrees. I tensed and took a step back. As much as I wanted and needed to tell him how sorry I was about his Dad, I couldn’t think of what to say. Peter mentioned he didn’t like to talk about it. “I’m so...you know what? I think I’m gonna head to the pool.”
He placed his hand over his heart. “And here I thought you were going to prove that you’re not afraid of the ocean.”
“It’s not the ocean I’m afraid of,” I mumbled under my breath. I turned to suppress a smile not wanting him to know that I enjoyed the banter back and forth and trudged out of the water. I grabbed my towel from the chair letting my pace pick up as I made my way back to the hotel.
I just needed to make it through this last day and I would be back on a 757 making my way home. I closed my eyes as I fell back onto the comfy lounge chair thinking about shopping with Val and the start of my junior year. The soft sound of reggae music echoed in the background mixed with gentle laughter behind me. I couldn’t help but smile as I listened to my mom and her friends reminiscing. And drifted off to the sounds of Bob Marley.
I woke with a start, feeling a warm hand on my shoulder. “Sophie, wake up. You’ve been baking away for hours. Oh, honey just look at your nose, it’s so red. I told you to put sunblock on.”
I held my hand over my eyes to block out the sun. My mother had been peering down with her glasses resting on her head before she reached down with her thumb pressing it to my nose. “I did put sunblock on.”
My hand instinctively pinched my nose between my fingers. It was definitely going to hurt tomorrow and the day after and the day after that.
“I guess I fell asleep,” I said, as I sat up. “Did you bring the
I tucked my hair behind my ear nervously, rethinking my decision to come out here. I glanced back over my shoulder wanting to head back to the pool. After our little incident I just felt safer soaking in chlorine. I laughed before I caught him staring at me. “How about the pool instead?” I looked up to the beach, then finally back to him.
Ethan stood up and shook his head. “Ah, don’t really like the pool. It’s a little crowded,” he said as he reached for my hand tugging me out further. “It’s just an ocean, Sophie.”
I let go of his hand and stared at him. “I’m not afraid of the ocean.” I was never afraid of the ocean. I loved to swim in the turquoise water just as much as the next person, but our little adventure left me a little on edge.
His hands ran through his wet hair shoving it back and gave me a look that said he didn’t believe me. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “Prove it.”
“I’m here aren’t I?”
His eyebrows furrowed. “Considering you’ve avoided the water and me entirely for the last week, I would have thought differently.”
My fingers ran down to my hips trying to adjust my suit. “I’m sorry if you thought I was avoiding you. I really wasn’t doing that,” I lied with a halfhearted smile. I hated the fact that he seemed to know me so well.
He exhaled and cocked his head slightly. “Did I mention that I really love your suit? I think it’s my favorite one by far,” he teased as his hand flicked the string on the back of my neck.
The warmth of his hand as it touched my neck caused me to shiver even though it had to be well over ninety degrees. I tensed and took a step back. As much as I wanted and needed to tell him how sorry I was about his Dad, I couldn’t think of what to say. Peter mentioned he didn’t like to talk about it. “I’m so...you know what? I think I’m gonna head to the pool.”
He placed his hand over his heart. “And here I thought you were going to prove that you’re not afraid of the ocean.”
“It’s not the ocean I’m afraid of,” I mumbled under my breath. I turned to suppress a smile not wanting him to know that I enjoyed the banter back and forth and trudged out of the water. I grabbed my towel from the chair letting my pace pick up as I made my way back to the hotel.
I just needed to make it through this last day and I would be back on a 757 making my way home. I closed my eyes as I fell back onto the comfy lounge chair thinking about shopping with Val and the start of my junior year. The soft sound of reggae music echoed in the background mixed with gentle laughter behind me. I couldn’t help but smile as I listened to my mom and her friends reminiscing. And drifted off to the sounds of Bob Marley.
I woke with a start, feeling a warm hand on my shoulder. “Sophie, wake up. You’ve been baking away for hours. Oh, honey just look at your nose, it’s so red. I told you to put sunblock on.”
I held my hand over my eyes to block out the sun. My mother had been peering down with her glasses resting on her head before she reached down with her thumb pressing it to my nose. “I did put sunblock on.”
My hand instinctively pinched my nose between my fingers. It was definitely going to hurt tomorrow and the day after and the day after that.
“I guess I fell asleep,” I said, as I sat up. “Did you bring the
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