The Seaside Retreat

Chapter 34

Violet's POV

"We're doing what?" I asked, completely taken off guard. "Scuba diving." He said again, his eyes shining with excitement. I gave him an unsure look, and he took my hand. "C'mon Violet, it'll be fun." His eagerness reminded me of a child in a candy shop. I couldn't reject him; he seemed so excited about it. Plus, I really did want to scuba dive. "Okay." I surrendered, smiling.

A huge grin lit up his face, and I couldn't help catching some of his excitement. "So, how did you know I'm a beginning scuba diver?" I asked. I was a beginner, which might seem odd, considering I lived on the beach. The truth was, I didn't go scuba diving much because I prefered surfing and sailing. Plus, I never had the equipment to go scuba diving. It was expensive, and had never really seemed that essential for me to get.

Now I would get to again experience the thrill of being underwater for long periods of time. When I went swimming in the ocean, I was able to stay under the water longer than most people did, but it never seemed long enough. I always wished there was some way for me to stay under for long periods of time. I guess living on the beach made you want to be in the water more often.

I realized Seth was answering my question, and I forced myself to focus. "I don't know. I guess I just kind of guessed." He shrugged his shoulders. "You didn't know what this place was, and it's the only scuba diving place in thirty miles." 

I nodded, but was impressed by his observance. Eventually, our instructor came in. He was tall, probably about twenty  years old, with light brown hair and a dazzling smile. His skin was very tan probably from all the time he spent outside on the water. 

He extended his hand toward us, and while shaking our hands, introduced himself. "I'm Miles. I'll be your diving instructor for the day." I blushed a little when he gave me a dazzling smile and I felt Seth's grip on my hand tighten. Silly boys. I laughed in my mind. They get jealous so easily.

"Are you two ready to begin lessons?" He asked us. I gave a nervous smile and slowly nodded my head. Miles immediatedly noticed my reluctance. "Have you been scuba diving before?" He questioned. "Well, once or twice..." I replied, looking down at my hands. He laughed out loud. "Well, that's okay! By the end of the lesson I'll have you scuba diving like a pro!" His voice was so smooth and confident, I couldn't help but stare up at him, believing he would really help me to improve. 

Miles gave us our gear that we would have to wear while in the water, and we quickly changed. I found the gear a little tight-fitting, but I didn't see anything I could do about that. Walking out of the bathroom back into the sitting room, I saw that Seth and Miles had already changed into their gear. Miles looked sophisticated and confident, with the smug smile plastered on his face that I was starting to become accustomed to. Seth looked really good. Well, good was an understatement. The tight fitting gear especially showed off his muscles. I could see his abs and I found myself staring at them. When I realized what I was doing, I quickly looked up, hoping neither Seth or Miles had noticed.

Miles was getting the breathing tanks ready, but I would be willing to bet Seth had noticed, if the smirk on his face was any indication.  I began to blush furiously and Seth motioned for me to come over to him. I did so reluctantly, and was surprised when Seth gathered me into a big bear hug. My breath caught in my throat, and a gasp escaped from my lips. 

"I saw that." Seth whispered into my ear. This breath tickled, and I looked toward him to find his face was only a couple of inches from mine. The  blush again appeared, and I was only able to pathetically reply "What-I don't know what you're talking about." The full effect of his eyes was smoldering me, and I found myself uncapable of any more words. The moment was soon broken when Miles had completed gathering the breathing tanks.

We quickly seperated as Miles turned around to face us. "Let's get going, shall we?" He motioned for us to head out. Once on the beach, Miles explained the importance of the breathing tanks. He told us how long the air tanks would last ( 4 hours) how to use them and many other details I won't bother to bore you with. After the lesson, he helped us strap them to our backs. After making sure they were secure, we made our way out to a small boat.

The trip on the boat was exciting. I leaned up against the rail with my arms spread wide and felt the sea mist splash on me. Any time I was ever this near to the ocean, I felt my senses tingle. The effect the ocean had on me was like no other. 

When I heard laughter behind me, I turned around, immediatedly embarassed and saw that Seth and Miles were laughing. I blushed, and quickly put my hands back to my sides, mortified. In between laughs Miles said "You looked like that girl from Titanic!" I gave him a glare, which was probably uncovining, before replying "Her name was Rose." The Titanic was one of my favorite movies, and I didn't like when people made fun of it. "Okay." He said, still laughing.

"Seth." I begged, giving him a pleading look. When he heard my voice, he looked up, and tried to contiain his laughter. He walked over to where I was, wrapping his arm around my waist. I instantly felt warm and secured by his touch. "Sorry." He told me, giving me a goofy grin. I couldn't not forgive him. I rolled my eyes, but surrendered. "It's fine." I gave him a hug, which he immediatedly returned.

By this time, Miles had quit laughing and was again focused, steering the boat to our destination. In only a couple minutes time, he stopped the engine. Without the loud sound of the engine, everything sounded so quiet. I could hear the seagulls' cries overhead and the splash of the waves on the boat. 

After retrieving goggles, snorkels, and flippers from the inside cabin, Miles brought them to us. We quickly put them on, Seth helping me to get my flippers on. After Miles inspected our equitment and made sure we were ready, a huge grin lit up his face. 

"So" He said, a mishevious grin lighting up his face, "who's ready to go scuba diving?"