Sunkissed Serendipity

Chapter 41

Julian

I hug her longer than it's needed because I've never seen Isla look so out of place. She has a talent for fitting in, and when she walked backward, barely looking at me because she thought I didn't want her here, it genuinely hurt to look at her. My emotions were heightened today, so when I saw her, looking like she would rather be anywhere else, I swear I felt my heart drop.

As I hug her, I think about how she reacted and how, on a level, she was the same as me. After the airport, I left for home feeling the same way she did earlier. I was down because I thought she didn't want to be in my presence any longer than she had to, so she said goodbye. I thought she didn't ask me for my phone number because she didn't want to hang out with me.

So I understood how she felt.

Resisting the urge to kiss her on the head (because apparently now I was obsessed with her on a level I couldn't be), I pulled away from the hug. Even so, I keep a hand on her arm, and as she steps back, I study her. I really hoped that she didn't feel too hurt, so I whispered, "Are you okay?"

She gives me a smile, and this time it's a real and honest one. Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, she says, "Im okay. How about we get on the boat?"

"Definitely," I agree, not wanting to draw more attention to the situation we dealt with because she looked okay. I slide my hand down the length of her arm and then grab her hand. Moving into the boat, I tug her with me, and when she gets stuck on the step, she chuckles. I watch as she gets up on the last step, and to make it easier for her, I lean forward and place my other hand on her waist. Her eyes jump to mine as I lift her gently off the last step and into the boat.

"Woah," she says softly, and the amusement in her voice makes me want to draw her closer, to pull her into my arms. But there was a boundary that I was breaking just by trying to steal every moment to touch her, so I dropped my hand, even though I liked how she felt under my touch.

I move backwards until I spin around and head to the front of the boat. Isla follows me after dropping off her bag and as I sit behind the wheel. I glanced back to make sure she was holding on to something, and then I used the keys to turn on the boat. As it roars to life, I say, "I think we will drive a little farther."

"That's fine," she says with a smile, and I watch as she stands behind me. She places a delicate hand and nails painted a soft pink behind my seat and says, "I'm ready."

"Okay," I whisper, feeling my neck prickle with the heat she radiates just by placing her hand next to my head. As I start to drive the boat, Isla laughs softly in glee. "When did you get your boat license?" she asks me in the wind, and I try not to sneak a look at her. She sounded amazed, and I wanted to see the smile on her face.

I wait a beat before answering. "My dad started teaching me by the time I finished middle school. I'd beg for him to let me drive here and then, but I got my official license before I was 15."

"Oh wow," she says, and this time I glance at her. Her hair was flying past her face, the sun shining directly onto her and casting her a beautiful golden color. It still hurts me for a moment to see her so close to me when I can admire her beauty, and I have to blink. She quirks an eyebrow at me, and forcing a chuckle, I say, "Yeah. I got my boating license before my car license."

She laughs at that, moving her hair off her face as I continue to drive. I focus on the scene in front of me as she says, "That's funny. But it also makes sense that you live on the water."

"Yeah, I've lived here all my life," I supply. "My parents went to school here, and after college, they settled down and bought the first house that they could afford. It happened to be this one."