New Beginnings (Charlie Bartlett Fanfic Starring Robert Downey Jr.)

Chapter 58 - Jaws, a sailboat, and the beach

"Nathan, this is..." Sydney couldn't find the right words. He arranged for them to go out on the water on a luxury sailboat. They didn't have it to themselves, but it was big enough for them not to realize there were two other couples aboard. They were sitting on the starboard side of the boat, watching the waves.

Nathan kissed her neck, his arm wrapped protectively around her waist. "Good or bad?" he asked.

"It's beautiful - and when I push my irrational fear of Jaws popping up over the side, it's perfect."

He raised an eyebrow. "Scared of sharks?"

She smiled. "Scared of 'Jaws' not necessarily all sharks. Some don't bite, right?"

"Another little tidbit about you?" he laughed.

"Yeah, but...every time one of the movies is on T.V., I can't turn it off, it's sick!" She started to laugh as well. "When I was little, we had an above ground pool. At the far end, a tree cast a shadow over the deeper water and I was one hundred percent convinced..."

"...that Jaws lived in your chlorinated pool?"

She shrugged. "I was also convinced he could come up out of the drain in the tub. I had an overactive imagination."

"I hope our kids inherit that," he said, smiling widely, not even realizing the words passed his lips. "Only, you know, without being terrified of..." His brain caught up with him and he saw the look on Sydney's face. He cleared his throat. "Um...we've talked about it before..."

She nodded. "I know, it's just....uh, never come up so casually and..." She leaned over and kissed him, her hand lingering on his face when she pulled away. "I love you."

"Syd, I know you're worried that..."

She shook her head, that wasn't what this was about. "No, Nathan," she said, smiling. He said it with such ease. They had only been "dating" for a little over four months...hadn't known each other for a year...and it still sounded logical...right. "I love you."

His smile returned and he pulled her into a kiss so intimate they didn't feel the shadow over them. In fact, they didn't even hear the shadow when it cleared its throat. It wasn't until it spoke, "Excuse me, Mister Gardner?" that they looked up.

Nathan smiled, blushing slightly. "Captain Elliot, the boat is gorgeous."

The captain smiled back at the couple. "I heard you mention something about sailing and thought you may want to have a go at the sails."

Nathan stood, beaming like a child. "Yeah?" He looked at Sydney. "I kinda went through a boat phase."

She laughed. "Susan clued me in a bit - I even saw your little hat."

He cringed in embarrassment. "It was an in depth phase."

"Good, then this should be no problem for you at all," Elliot said, motioning for Nathan to follow him. Sydney trailed behind, curious.

Twenty minutes passed; twenty minutes of Sydney laughing so hard she couldn't see through her tears. Nathan fell onto his rear twice - no injuries, so laughing was perfectly acceptable - gotten his fingers tangled in the ropes of the sails – knot tying wasn't his strong suit – and nearly fell overboard while dodging a seagull. It didn't take long for him to figure out he was only meant to be a passenger on a vessel meant for the water.

"Okay, so...the remote controlled boat in my pool..."

Elliot laughed along with Sydney. "I thought you knew how to sail?"

He shook his head, finally laughing himself. "In my mind, I truly did." He and Sydney returned to their little spot on the boat, enjoying the rise and fall of the waves. A couple of hours later, they were back on dry land, Sydney still giggling about Nathan's little adventure.