twenty seven
I let go of his hand and dived under.
The waves pummelled me against the bottom. I cut my leg on a sharp rock. I tried to find the surface but I didn't know which direction it was. My head hurt.
Hands. They wrapped around my waist and pulled me up. I was scared, my eyes round, and the water below us was tinted red with my blood. But here he was, holding onto me, laughing and smiling like I hadn't nearly died.
So I smiled back. I laughed and when another wave rolled towards us, we dove under, our hands still together. It's alright, I told myself, it's alright.
But I was tired. When we came up for air, I told Thomas.
He ran his hand down my leg and came across the cut. He stared at me and wiped my cheeks gently. "Okay."
The waves pushed us in. We stood up, still laughing, our backs turned to the wild waves. His hand was on my hip, his smile infectious.
"God, I love you," I whispered.
I saw the smile on his face, and then I saw it drop. I saw as he buckled over and was knocked under. I wrapped my hands around my head to brace myself.
