Secrets Kept on the Seashore

Ch.1

Sea. Sunshine. Smiles.

That's all I've ever needed every summer, and It's come true every year.  Just me, the waves and being happy, no responsibilities, no homework, no stupid hard desk chairs that break my ass every time I sit in one. 

I just have a whole lot of empty days to fill and I intend to do it with my friends and boyfriend. I can just relax and get lost in summer.

It's a few hours before sunset, the only reason I can tell is because of the beating sun on my legs. My hat is draped over my face and I can see hazy movement in the distance through the small holes in the top of the hat. I stretch and let the hat fall off my face until I'm laying on my right side.

Seagulls ring like bells in the distance. Waves roar and crash in a pendulum beat, over and over again. Soothing and calm. The wind is silent but the children are not. They giggle in the distance. So do my friends which I can hear play volleyball. 

Sand is crushed beneath my body as I stir, switching to my left side to watch my best friend. Ellie lays next to me; on her stomach typing away on her phone.

I reach for her arm.

"Hey, what time is it?" I ask.

'Four, twelve you sleepyhead," She giggles shaking off my hand.

I roll back to my back and put my hat back over my face and settle in to try to go back to sleep. Except I can hear someone approach and kick sand on my leg. I don't move. But when that someone starts to grab my right ankle and drag me I instantly know who it is. Rhett. I place both my hands on the hat hiding my face and can see him through one of the holes. Standing over me in the glow of sunlight. Rhett begin to drag me off my blanket and I groan. With both his hands placed on my ankle he shakes me.

"C'mon, Aelia, come play with me," he says in his most goofy grin. "I'm so bored."

I throw off my hat to my right as he starts dragging me further that I get sand all over my left thigh.

"Rhett," I warn. But he just smiles wider.

I lift up off the ground and start running after him. He keeps looking back at me as I chase him.  Laughing as he stumbles on the uneven sand.

His friends start to holler in the background as I try to catch him. But Rhett just heads for the water. The water begins foam around his ankles. He's caught in the cotton plumes of the bubbles.

 I run faster on the wet sand and catch up to him. Finally jumping onto him in all of my bikini glory. Surprisingly, glad one of the strings didn't come undone. I ruffle his hair in response as his 'payback' to him dragging me.

"I got you," I whisper in his ear.

"And I got you," he says and heads straight for the waves.

Oh no.

He heads for the waves further out to sea.

I brace myself for the water, not wanting to get wet. I hang tight to his back with my legs wrapped around his hip. The water deepens and soon I'm splashed with lukewarm water on my ankles. The further and further we go I'm submerged more into the water. My hips. My ribs. My chest. And then Rhett's swims me out until only our necks are bobbing out of the water and I let go and doggy paddle around him. 

He smiles, like he always does. Like how he always tricks me and how I always fall for it.  With his cute messy brown hair and broad shoulder and the small dimples his cheeks make. He never fails to get on my nerves and make me smile.

Rhett and I have been going out for a year. We started dating sophomore year. But we've known each other ever since elementary school. Except we became close last year and got together. Our relationship is very playful with each other; instead of being like one of those serious couples. We're always laughing and hanging out together.

The sun lights up our horizon. I come behind Rhett and place my arms over his shoulders and in front of his bare chest. He smells like banana boat and salt water. Rhett leans his head towards me and then kisses my cheek with a loud pucker.

He then turns his eyes to the waves and the sun.

"Just you and me baby," he speaks.

I look over at him and place my hand in his hair, admiring him.

"Just you and me," I repeat.

And we stay there for a moment in our silence letting the waves drift us off. I let myself slid off of him and smile deviously. He looks at me crooking one of his eyebrows. 

"Race you back to shore," I half yell and push off of him to get a head start.

:)