Potion

Date

I screamed.

Water sprinkled over me, coating my body.

"Jesse, would you care for some water?"

I splashed him with the lake water, just as he'd done to me.

The water was lukewarm, so I wasn't too cold when it dried. It looked beautiful, while reflections of the sun danced across it.

We were on a boat for two, the kind with feet peddles. I chose to use paddles instead. Jesse had parked his Buick at a parking lot not too far away. Close to the shops, near the boardwalk.

The ride here was long, but we filled it with simple conversation. I managed to keep myself together. Somehow. The knife in still throbbed, a reminder of my secret.

Jesse made sure all the nice restaurants were on the waterfront, so we wouldn't have to walk. I still didn't know which one we were going to yet. He was surprising me.

Jesse laughed, and shook off his wet head. "Hey, do you think we should head back? The sun is going down."

I nodded, dipping my paddle into the lake.

Jesse's paddle scooped through the water, propelling us forward. The glistening water formed a mini tidal wave every time he scooped. His hair gleamed in the afternoon sun.

"Wow."

I turned to Jesse, but his eyes were already on me.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't know...you look beautiful right now. With the sun's reflection, you look like an angel."

Jesse's words melted my heart. I smiled at him. He was too kind, too sweet to me.

Suddenly, I was holding my stomach, both arms wrapped around it. His words triggered the knife in my heart. The knife twisted. The pain was too much. Someone was reaching their hand into my chest, gouging out my heart with claws. The pressure left me breathless. I couldn't breath. I had to tell Jesse what was wrong.

But I couldn't.

Jesse scrambled over to me, wrapping his arms around me. The boat shifted. Not enough for us to tip, though.

"Willow, what's wrong?" He asked urgently.

The secret was tearing me apart. I forced air into my lungs. His arms around me helped me to focus. Jesse's face was scrunched up from watching me, like he was in pain, too. His eyes searched my face.

"Are you okay? Please, what's wrong? Did I say something?" He questioned frantically.

I tried to calm myself down. He would not blame this on himself.

"Jesse, I'm okay-"

He cut me off.

"You didn't look okay to me. Please tell me what's going on, Willow. You looked like you were in serious pain. I can't watch you like that. It hurts me to see you hurt."

Jesse's arms tightened around me. His green eyes showed some hidden emotion. If only I could know what he was thinking... I took a breath, closing my eyes.

"It's just something I do. It's nothing. Please forget about it. I'm fine now."

Straight lies.

Jesse studied my face. I could tell he knew that wasn't the entire story. His arms squeezed me once more.

"Okay." Was all he said.

Jesse parked the boat into the dock carefully. He tied it to a buoy. When it was stationed, he clicked off the ignition. Maneuvering out of the boat, he took my hand, and we walked off the dock. I spotted a sandy, almost beachy area. Jesse walked towards it. So we strolled side by side, hand in hand.