The Melancholy of Cassandra-Marie

(6)

The warm water of the Pacific Ocean sloshes over my feet, then pulls back reluctantly. The leftover foam settles in between the spaces in my toes and tickles slightly as it dissipates out of existence.

"So..." he whispers, unsure.

"So." I respond, not making eye contact with Louis.

I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the water as a small wave forms fifty feet out.

"Thank you for walking the Road to Hana with me. And thanks for coming to Hawaii with us in general. My family loves having you... there's never been a time where they haven't."

"That... means a lot. Your family is amazing. But, as long as you love having me around... " I smile sheepishly, unable to complete my thought.

"You're my best friend, and now you're my girlfriend. Of course I love having you." he puts his arm around me, coaxing me closer. The water washes over our legs again.

"Thank you. F-for always being there for me, and stuff. I really don't know what I would do if I never met you."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that." He kisses me on the temple and brushes a strand of hair away from my face. "I'm always going to be here for you."

"T-thank you..." I stutter, worried that even though he can look me right in the eyes and say that, it may not end up to be true.

"You look like you need to tell me something. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine... I'm just scared, I guess." I look away, playing with my hair nervously. "You're amazing. What if I do something stupid, or someone like my father tries to mess things up between us? What if I mess up and things don't work out?"

He pulls me in, his palms gently brushing against the backs of my shoulders. It's comforting, but not enough to make my mind quit it with the pessimism.

"You need to stop worrying. I'm not going to let anything happen to us."

"But..."

"Stop. I won't let anything ruin this, okay? I love you and-"

He realizes what he said.

"You... love me?" I struggle to say the words.

"Y-yeah. I was hoping it was obvious." he jokes a little. I just carefully put my hands on his cheeks and bring his face towards mine, slowly pressing my lips against his. I try to hold myself together as my mind confirms to me that, somehow, my best friend managed to find himself feeling the same way about that I've been feeling about him.

"I-I love you too-" Just then, a wave crashes on the shore. The water swallows the both of us up to our waists, and washes us in reverse. Louis falls backwards, getting submerged in the almost crystal-clear. Just a moment later, my head finds itself underwater along with his. I close my eyes to avoid the sting of the salt water. I feel his hand squeeze mine, and once the two of us emerge from the sea water, we just look at each other. His cheesy, dork-ish smile returns as he wipes his face off. We just start laughing for some reason. He just looks at me and laughs with an elated grin. I just hug him again. He loses his balance and we both fall to the sand. Water washes over my back, but I don't stop smiling. I would be blessed if things could just stay this way.