If Normal Was a Thing

Our Victories and Failures

As I swam over to the boy, he kept his eyes trained on where the waves would be coming. I bit my lip and just floated behind him for a second, wondering exactly how I was supposed to sneak up on him in the water. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Oakley five the signal that she was recording.

I took a deep breath, and before I could track my own movements, I was tapping on the boys wet shoulder.

He turned around and his crystalline blue eyes fell on me. His mouth popped open in an o shape, before looking around, "Sorry, did you mean to tap me?" he said, looking insecure.

I blinked, shaking my head with a soft smile, "No," I said, "I think I got it right," I said, and then I leaned forward, kissing him.

He leaned away at first as if he wasn't sure I meant to get so close, but I had put my whole self into the movement. I felt kind of bad the moment our lips touched. Was this okay?

The horn went off and the water went from barely moving due to all the bodies, to moving pretty well. I was about to pull away and retreat when the boy kissed me back, his hands fumbling before finding my hips under water, and then he pulled me closer. Our lips moved together, and as I pulled away to catch some air, the first real wave came at us.

The boys hold slipped and we were torn away from each other. I surfaced just in time for another wave to yank me under, and when I came back up again, I barely caught a breath before I was under again. I kicked up my lungs burning. Who invented this stupid thing?

All of the waves made me realize that I hadn't even actually been in a pool deeper than the six feet pool Oakley's old house had had. When you can't touch the ground and swim around all summer you get a little confident.

My confidence was nothing compared to the waves.

When I got up to the surface again, I had just missed a wave, so I had a few precious seconds to catch my breath. Someone grabbed me under my arms, and I was hauled up onto a tube, just in time for the next wave to come. When it did, the tube simply bounced over it.

I coughed a few times before looking to the person who had saved me from dying. Well maybe that was me being dramatic, but it could have happened...

The guy had shoulder length blond hair and bright, playful eyes. I smiled despite myself and he grinned, "You alright there, sugar?" he asked, looking a little worried as I coughed again.

I nodded and smiled at him, "Thanks for the save," I said, rubbing my eyes. They were sure to be red as I'd forced myself to open my eyes in the water to find the surface.

"Well," he said, and I looked at him, catching sight of Oakley over his shoulder, "I live to rescue damsels in distress," He said theatrically, at the same time that Oakley started pointing and gesturing wildly to him, and then her phone.

I resisted rolling my eyes at her weirdness, and instead, focused on the guy. I smiled at him, and without looking at Oakley, I knew she was video taping it, in hopes that I got her message. The guy was watching me, his head tilted to the side.

He was really cute, and the raft we were on was a two seater so we both bobbed up and down over the waves in a bubble of peace even as around us, children and adults all shouted in delight at the waves and the fun.

"You sure you're alright?"

Oakley was still gesturing wildly, and well... it wasn't like I'd ever see him again.

I was done in the wave pool anyways, almost drowning had given me a bit of resentments towards the pool.

I grinned, "Never better," the horns blared again, signalling the waves were over for a little bit, and I leaned over and kissed him.