Rising Tides

10

"It's ok, tesoro mio. You're doing wonderful." Rowan encouraged, holding out his hands towards Sarah from where he floated a few feet away in the water.

Sarah stood nervously on the sand, trying to quell her rising panic. Rowan wanted to teach her to swim and help her conquer her fear, so he brought her back to the remote part of the beach. It was super early in the morning, the sun was just beginning to rise, painting the sky and ocean in soft hues of pink and gold. The only people there were Sarah and him.

She was trembling. Her heart pounded in her chest, beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, and her nails dug painful crescents into her palms. Even standing this close to the ocean was terrifying to her. Memories of water rushing into her lungs and furious waves tossing her around ran through her mind.

"I don't think I can do this." Sarah said, teeth clenched tightly as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I can't!"

Gentle cerulean eyes were fixed on her, concern swirling in the captivating depths of them. He stepped out of the water, dripping wet, still wearing his jeans, bare torso shining like a pearl in the sun, and gently wrapped his arms around her."You can do this, amore. Trust in me that I will keep you safe."

"I trust you. I just don't trust the water." Sarah whispered, burying her head in his wet shoulder. "I'm too scared, Rowan. I'm such a coward."

"No, you are not a coward. Not at all. It takes great courage to face your fears, amore." He kissed the top of her head softly. "If you want, we can do this another day."

Sarah shook her head and stepped away, brown eyes hard with determination. "No. I can't keep running away and stalling. I have to get over my fear. I love the ocean too much to run away from it forever."

Sorry, mom, she thought as she stepped towards the water. The waves lapped gently at her bare feet as she stepped into the water. It was cool but not too cold. Her heart fluttered like a frantic bird in her chest, but her soul leaped with joy at the feel of the cool water against her skin.

Sarah let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes, feeling the wind kiss her face and playfully toss her hair around her body. I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought. Rowan went into the water in front of her and held onto her hand, floating there and staring deep into her eyes.

"You can do this, my treasure." He coaxed, voice soothing and melodic. It instantly calmed her nerves. "Just keep your eyes on me and walk towards me. If at any point you want to stop, just squeeze my hand tightly and we'll call it a day."

She nodded and, taking a deep breath, walked into the ocean. Her eyes were locked onto his and he never once let go of her hand, even when they were both floating several feet away from the shore. The water lapped at her chin and anxiety gripped her heart, but Rowan's calm, transfixing gaze never left hers and chased the anxiety away.

She could drown in those eyes. As blue as the Mediterranean Sea and just as beautiful. There were flecks of green in the irises that grew brighter when the sun hit them. There was something so... magnetic about them. Hypnotizing. When he looked at her, it was like they were pulling her in.

They also had a very calming effect. She felt immediately at ease and safe with him and would happily do anything he wanted her to do. She was amazed by how ethereal he looked floating in the water, like some kind of mythical siren out of a fairytale. Far too beautiful to be real. A beauty that was almost inhuman.

"See? That wasn't too hard, was it? You're safe with me." Rowan smiled at her with pride, tugging her closer. "I'm so proud of you."

She was proud of herself, too. This was a huge feat for her. "So, how do I learn to swim?"