Heads or Tails

Chapter 11

I stand staring at waves that wash tiny seashells onto the shore. A few feet away, Steven chats with a tour guide at a kiosk on the beach. The sky is blue, and the sun is bright. I dig my toes in the sand and take a few deep breaths. I tell myself to enjoy this innocent adventure with Steven on such a beautiful day in a tropical paradise.

When Steven approaches with a dark-haired middle-aged man, I glance up to greet him.

"Megan, this is our tour guide, Juan," he says.

Juan and I exchange pleasantries before he walks us over to two jet skis parked a few feet away on the beach. He preps us with safety tips, provides us with life jackets, and points out the jet skis' functions and controls.

Steven climbs onto the jet ski and waves me over. When he said he reserved two jet skis earlier, I assumed the second one was for me, not Juan. I swallow, biting my bottom lip, and approach the jet ski.

"Come on, Megan," he smiles, flicking his hair from his eyes. "I promise I'll go slowly."

Without saying another word, I hear Steven rev the engine, placing my butt on the backend of the jet-ski.

As we rip through the waves, I feel myself grow dizzy from the motion, from the uneasy feeling of so much of Steven's naked skin held tightly in my arms. What exactly does Steven think I agreed to? Does he assume this is another date? Does he assume that I am looking for a boyfriend because I agreed to come? Is that how he thinks this works?

When we hit a wave, the jet-ski jolts upward, and I muffle a scream into the back of Steven's lifejacket. I unintentionally pull myself harder against his backside, feeling him laugh and then see him turn to glance at me with a smile. He probably thinks I'm giving him signals. I'm pretending to be frightened to get closer to him, except I'm not. I'm just silently praying for this to end.

Our speed lowers, and we cruise around the coastline, following behind Juan. We admire the beautiful homes perched on the hills overlooking the ocean before we speed up again to drive to the Catalina Islands. We see turtles swimming in clear, shallow water and watch dolphins jump from the ocean. Juan even guides us to a rockier area covered with coral reefs where we see schools of coloured fish everywhere.

Steven follows Juan a few feet down the shoreline, where he parks the jet ski. We drink a beer and then snorkel through a coral reef.

After about fifteen minutes of admiring colourful fish, I took a break from snorkeling and sat down on the beach, staring out at the ocean. My thoughts drifted to Ben, and I wondered what he was doing today with Michael. I wondered if he was thinking about me and where we go from here. I wondered if it meant anything to him or if I was just another girl he'd slept with.

"Hey," Steven says, taking a step forward. Water droplets drip from his chest, and he's still wearing his snorkeling mask. He must have noticed I was no longer swimming around in the ocean. "You okay?"

I nod. "Yeah. Just taking a break."

He sits down beside me on the sand. "Can I get you another beer?"

"Sure."

Steven reaches into the cooler, grabs a beer and hands one to me before taking one for himself. "I love snorkeling," he says. "I love seeing life underwater. It's fascinating to know a whole other world is under there."

"Yeah," I say. "It's pretty cool."

He brushes a thumb over my chin. "I've had a lot of fun with you today. I'm really happy you agreed to join me."

I know exactly what he's about to do. He's about to kiss me. He leans forward, and my pulse hammers in my neck. I feel a nervous tick grow with every second.