Tails (Transformations: Book 1)

11

Aria gave him directions, but, other than that, stayed silent as he drove, listening to his explanation about the birds. He repeatedly apologized for being late, not realizing that she had already for given him. "The birds are really important, but that is no excuse. I should have remembered our date and I understand if you are angry. If you decide you never want to see me again, no one will hold that against you because I really acted like a jerk."

Aria couldn't help giggling at that. "Eric, you realize we are currently on a date, right?"

He looked over at her, in surprise. "Wait, we are?" He had been so worried about her being angry that he hadn't thought about where they were going. "Does that mean you forgive me?"

"You're on probation." She informed him. "Now, if you are done worrying, you can change in the bathroom over there and we can get started."

He nodded and hopped out of the car, quickly opening her door for her. "So where are we?"

"At the beach." She stated the obvious as she climbed out. "Go get changed."

He smiled and closed the door behind her, feeling immensely relieved. He headed to the bathroom, as instructed and changed into his swimsuit. He always felt a little self-conscious when he wore trunks began he never had much in the way of muscle and he was always pale, since he spent most of his time indoors. About the only time he spent outside was when he was in the air and he didn't have the money to do that all the time, so he never got any sort of tan. He took a breath as he stepped outside, hoping she wouldn't be bothered by it. The fact that Aria was perfectly-toned and always had a sun-kissed glow about her didn't help matters any.

However, she didn't seem at all troubled by his appearance. She just gave him a bright smile as he walked out. "Come on. You can put your clothes in a locker over here." She led the way and opened a locker door. Her dress was already inside.

Eric added his clothes and smiled at her. "So, what are we doing here?"

"Snorkeling, of course." She led him to a kiosk and they paid their dues, also renting some gear. "Now, let's get out there. We're losing daylight." She led the way to the water and pulled her mask on.

Eric couldn't help thinking she looked kind of cute in the gear, but he didn't have long to consider that because she dived in the water, expecting him to follow.He quickly pulled on his mask and slipped into the water. His movements weren't as smooth as hers, but he managed to get in and look around. He had never been snorkeling and was amazed by how beautiful things looked under the water. It took him a minute to find Aria, since she had completely submerged herself. He felt a jerk on his leg and turned around. Aria waved at him. He thought she was smiling, but it was difficult to tell with the gear on. He smiled through his own gear and waved back.

She got closer to the surface and expelled the water from her snorkel, so they could swim together. She motioned for him to follow her and started swimming, having to stop every few seconds to let him catch up. She glided through the water like a fish. He wished he had some flippers so he might have a chance of keeping up. Finally, she paused and pointed downward. He looked down and saw all sorts of fish swimming around and a starfish attached to a reef. A little turtle swam under them, barely noticing the pair. She led him out further, showing him more underwater sights.

Eric was fascinated by the beautiful, undersea world, but he began to tire much faster than his date. He felt a little embarrassed, but managed to get her attention and pointed upwards. The pair broke through the surface and slipped off their gear. He took a deep breath, so he could talk. "I'm sorry, but I'm a little tired. Can we head back?"

She nodded. "Of course. Safety first and all that." She smiled and pulled her gear back on, leading the way back to the shore, where they sat for a while to catch their breath.