Leave the Space

Chapter 14

He had lost his mind. No matter how cheeky Charles looked holding up the wetsuit raising his eyebrows to me, I couldn't help but give my amused denial to the offer. It was easy to validate a once in a lifetime chance of scuba diving in crystal clear waters. It was a wonderfully warm winter day at 60 degrees, but it was practically February making the decision of no seem obvious.

"You won't even notice once you have it on," Charles continued to encourage me. I think he could tell my body was screaming yes but my head didn't want to freeze.

I shook my head smiling. "Do you even get comfortable in the water?"

Charles suppressed his smile trying to hold it down. "Well," he chuckled obviously very pleased with his thought.

"What," I giggled wanting to force it out of him.

"It'll definitely get warm after a few minutes, but there's a way to immediately feel great in the water..."

I narrowed my eyes to him. "You wouldn't," I challenged.

"You just pee," he replied.

"Charles," I gasped. "That's disgusting."

Charles laughed with me. "Come on Palmer, you can't tell me that you've surfed in Seattle and not peed in a wetsuit. That water is this cold in summer."

"I would never," I smiled. "Have you?"

"Well of course, I'm an accomplished diver," he winked at me causing my laughter to continue.

"Give me that," I said shaking my hand and snatching the wetsuit from him. I examined it to see if it would even work for me. "How do you even have a wetsuit that would fit me," I teased.

"It's my mums," he said innocently giving me a grin knowing he may have been persuasive enough.

"IF I go diving with you, do you have something that will keep me warm after?"

Charles gave me a look. "Now there's an idea," he teased and my blush was so strong I couldn't even respond. He saved me from my loss of words. "There are plenty of sweats and sweatshirts in my closet you can claim. You could even take a warm shower afterwards," he moved on to his point quickly.

I gripped the wetsuit tighter and pulled it into me. "Prep your scuba gear. I'll be ready in five," I replied earning a clap from Charles.

"You can use my bedroom down the stairs of the main cabin. The door on the left. Feel free to grab whatever sweats out of the closet for after," he instructed.

"What's the door on the right," I asked curiously.

"There's a small guest cabin, but I don't know where Matteo and Danielle are at the moment," he said.

My eyes went wide to the info. "Good point," I smiled and turned on my heel. I slid the doors open to the main cabin and found Danielle and Matteo on the couch. They were playing a game of cards, but their positioning on the couch made it look like they weren't far from the bedroom. I slipped past them and made it down the stairs opening the door on the left.

I was immediately greeted by a warm room, a hint of vanilla color everywhere making it almost glow. There was a wooded smell to the room, maybe a cedar that just made me want to sprawl out onto the bed and take a nap.

To the left was a closet, I opened it to find maybe a half filled closet of linen and casual wear. My hands landed on a paired jumper, a maroon color. The sweatshirt and pants matching in color and looked comfy. A black 16 engraved on the center chest and thigh of the sweatpants. A small Puma logo on the front. It would do. I pulled them from the hanger and laid them at the end of the bed with the wetsuit next to it. I pulled off my clothes leaving them clumped on the floor for a moment, and shimmied into the tight wetsuit. Charles mom must have been a petite woman because it fit snugly as I twisted and pulled at the material until it covered me. Throwing my jumbled clothes onto the bed I stared at them. There was something intimidating about leaving them out in the open. I folded each piece nicely and tucked them under the sweatsuit.