“My mother brought me here when I was a kid.” He sits on the sand next to me, our warm shoulders touching. “Now I just come when I need a little time to myself.”
“Don’t tell me—I’m the only girl you’ve ever brought here?”
He cracks a wide grin. “No, you’re not, but I do take a different path every time so no one can find their way back.”
“Sneaky.”
He shrugs and digs his feet into the warm sand.
“Thank you for bringing me out here today. You’re a really good teacher.”
“You’re just letting your fear take over.”
“The ocean is terrifying; wild and totally uncontrollable. Like—the tides and currents. And you know, sharks.”
He laughs and shakes his head. “What the hell is with you and sharks?”
“Why is this an unreasonable fear?” I retort.
“The ocean is like anything else in life. You may not be able to control of it, but you can control how you react to it.”
I lean back on my hands, in a similar pose to his, and our pinkies touch. That move alone sends a chill up my spine. Even in the rising heat.
“I’m not sure I’m controlling anything in my life right now,” I confess.
He chuckles softly. “I know the feeling. Is that why you showed up so late last night?”
“I thought you were asleep.”
“I was,” he says, “let’s just say the sound of a woman making noises like that is hard to sleep through.”
“Oh my god,” I press my face into my knees.
I feel his lips on my neck. A sweet kiss. “Don’t be embarrassed. There are worst ways to be woken up.”
“Ughhhhh.”
“You’re adorable.”
I turn my head and peek at him. The look he’s giving me. My heart thunders like a thousand drums.
“And you’re getting me wet. And sandy,” I reply, hoping he can’t tell how much I like being near him.
“So really,” he says. “Why did you show up so late last night?”
“Some shit from my past followed me down here and I couldn’t sleep.”
He nods. “Well if we’re being honest, I wasn’t asleep when you got there. The whole school thing is keeping me up.”
“It’s that bad?”
“It’s givi
ng me panic attacks. Just thinking about cutting my hair. Putting on that uniform. Marching in line.” He inhales deeply.
“Can you talk to your dad?”
He laughs. “Why do you think I’m living with Justin?”