submerged » l.h {FINISHED}

3.1 » let it happen again

Kaity lay flush against Luke's bare chest; her cheek pressed over his heart, the faint thumping echoing in her ear. She took a deep breath, feeling Luke's finger's tangle in her hair that was cascaded over her back. His fingers combed through her hair, pressing occasional kisses to her temple.

After Luke had cleaned himself up, he returned to Kaity, swinging her up into his arms where he then carried her into his bedroom. She clung to him, her arms wrapped around his neck as he went. And from there, he sat down on the bed, letting Kaity straddle him again.

But this time, it was much more intimate. It was a quiet moment between the two of them. Kaity's eyes were getting heavier, as if Luke's fingers were working magic in her hair and lulling her to sleep.

"I love you," Luke whispered, his hand reaching the end of her hair, coming back up to repeat the motion.

"I love you more," Kaity murmured, her finger tracing the chain of his long necklace. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her eyes open and this moment alive.

"I highly doubt that," Luke cooed back, his hand splaying against her back, only for his thumb to move in circular, soothing motions. "Ever since I laid eyes on you, Kaity, I had been in love. And I'm not talking about on the beach, I'm talking about when you were falling into the water, as bad as that sounds," Luke said.

Kaity picked her head up off his chest, looking into his eyes. In the darkness, the bright blue hue of his eyes still seemed to be shining. She crinkled her eyebrows, urging him to continue. They had only talked about that day in small details, but now, it seemed like something had been bothering him.

"I had seen people jump from that rock before, and they had seemed so fearless, as if jumping off didn't faze them at all. And then there was you, I could tell you were scared; I didn't know you had been pushed. But I was proud, because you were facing your fears, or at least I thought you were," he said, his thumb still working against her back.

"And then I recognized something bad was happening when you didn't surface, and I couldn't let it happen again," Luke said, drawing in a breath. His eyes widened, realizing that he had just said something he didn't mean too.

Kaity bit down on her lip. She knew by the look on Luke's face he hadn't meant to say that. "Couldn't let... what happen again?" She asked hesitantly. She knew Luke probably didn't want to talk about it, but she was just too curious to let it slide.

She felt his hand tighten on her back, curling around her side and pulling her towards him closer even though there was no space separating them. She could tell that it was a tough subject to talk about and she immediately regretted asking him.

"You don't have to tell me, Luke," she said quietly, casting her eyes away from his face, landing on the hollow of his throat where his heartbeat was pulsing.

"No, no," Luke said, his hand coming up to brush one curly lock out of her face. "I should tell you. You deserve to know, anyway," Luke admitted, his finger sliding under her chin to bring her eyes back to his.

Kaity nodded once, staying silent as she waited for Luke to continue. She watched as he swallowed thickly, took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak.

"I was seven," Luke said, biting at his lip ring momentarily. "I had been surfing for a few years, made some friends, but one in particular – Jenna. She was my best friend. She could surf and hold her own with the boys. We had quickly become surfing buddies, asking our parents to always go surfing together before and after school.

"And of course our parents agreed, just as long as we got home at a reasonable time and stayed with each other in case something happened," Luke continued. He took another breath, pausing to collect his thoughts.