Just for Now

Chapter Eleven

Hi all! So sorry for the delay in my posting. Between writer's block and some vacations, I haven't had a chance to write. Hope you all enjoy, though! Remember to comment and vote please :)

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Day Four
Morning

Cole loved his sister.

He really did.

But one thing he didn't love?

She just couldn't let things be.

After the disaster that was the hiking trip, Scarlett still insisted on turning things around. Somehow, she thought sticking the family on a boat the size of a mini-van was the best way to fix things. Turned out, everyone got into a fight when they got lost. The twins nearly bit each others heads off, but that wasn't exactly anything new. They had made up by the time Cole and Alli had met up with them, but things couldn't be said for the other group that got lost.

Apparently, Scarlett took out some of her frustrations of the day on Matthew, who only had gotten them more lost. Cole thought it was about time that his sister sided with him. It seemed as if Scarlett was trying to make amends, though. She was currently sat next to Matthew on the boat, listening to his rambles with a glazed look in her eyes that told Cole she wasn't listening to a word he was saying.

The instructor happened to be the one driving the boat. She explained the logistics of everything as they were making their way towards the location in the water. She was informing them on the kind of wildlife they could look forward to seeing. Though as soon as the word "stingray" left her mouth, Sam was babbling about how he might suddenly sit out out of the activities.

Cole could hardly complain, the water was gorgeous and the weather was perfect. The ocean was a crystal clear, bright blue paradise. There were turtles and various types of fish swimming around— he had never seen anything like it. The sun was bright with some clouds to offer them moments of respite from the strong sun rays. It felt like they had stepped into a dream. Cole didn't typically love the ocean, but it was almost impossible to not look forward to exploring everything he was seeing.

The group eventually got into the water. Cole wasn't ever too crazy about exploring the water, making him stick to the surface for the majority of the excursion. He kept an eye on Allison, watching her carefully as she ducked below the surface and swam alongside some turtles. Despite everything, he couldn't help but smile. She looked incredibly carefree in the water— all the tension gone from her body. Her red hair flowed behind her and the water glistened against her skin... she looked beautiful.

Once in a while, his attention would be pulled from Allison and he'd watch someone else for a few minutes. Cole had never seen Nate like this. The singer would shout every time he saw any sea life at all. Scarlett would swim patiently with a fond smile on her face as Nate would go looking for a new animal. Cole noticed that she would wait for Nate to point something out so he could tell her about it first. He picked up on it when Scarlett moved out of the way for a turtle to allow it to swim in Nate's direction, only paying it any attention when her fiancé called her over excitedly.

Naturally, the twins were having a less than tranquil interaction. At first, Sam thought that every stingray he saw would be the one to, as he put it, "take him out". It was only when the instructor told him for the fifth time that it was incredibly unlikely did he seem to relax some. Lila detested the water, squirming out of the way whenever anything swam towards her. It was obvious that she was trying to pretend to be okay with it all, but it was also clear that she didn't want anyone pointing that out.