EmPATHETICally Blind (A skinny love story)

Chapter 18: Someone really needs to close that can of beans

Emilee's POV:

I must say, I did not appreciate being knocked over by a teenage boy, blindfolded, kidnapped by his brother, finding out my sister was in on this, then given a total major guilt trip and a surprising revelation, but I forgot all that as soon as my blindfold was ripped off. We were at the beach, the very same one I took Matt to the first time we hung out just us two. I never went here though because I felt so homesick just being here. I missed the sand all around me, the salty water, the smell of sunscreen and the feeling of my skin getting burnt. Just like at home in California.

        "Oh my God Matt." I say quietly, turning towards him. I feel sadness radiating from him, and I realize it must be because he just told me what it was like to be him. I could honestly never imagine what it must be like, until what I just went through. It was freaky and weird.

I hugged him tight, wanting nothing more in the world than to be able to help him see. I let go, then looked around some more. I realized a picnic table was set up too, with a bunch of tropical fruits and...a sack of chinese food?

        "What's with the chinese food?" I ask, laughing.

        "Marcie told me it was your favorite." He said. I led him over to the table and we sat and ate, while I stared out into the water. It was calm, unlike the waves of the ocean back home. But I couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia wash over me. This really did feel like home, sitting on a beach, eating my favorite fruits and chinese food. I heard a can of soda open and I turned towards the sound, and saw that he had brought out coke.

        "Warm?" I ask, taking one. He smiled.

        "Only way to drink it." I laughed and we knocked the cans together, taking long drinks.

        "So, why the sudden beach trip?" I ask. He smiles.

        "I thought you'dve figured it out by now. You're always wearing that suntan lotion, and I figured you must be missing home a lot. So as sort of a thanks for putting up with me, I talked to Carter and Marcie, and boom. We have a date at the beach." He says. There's the word 'date' again. Does he like me that way? I didn't dare get my hopes up.

        "Wow." Is all I can say. I've never had someone pay this much attention to me before. At least not outside of my family. Before we moved here, I was pretty much left to myself. Marcie would always go hang out with her friends and boyfriend, my parents would be working. I was left to my own thoughts. Which is why we moved here. My family learned not to leave me alone. But I was doing better now.

        "Wanna swim?" He asks me. I frown.

        "I don't have anything with me." I say. He reaches down and pulls out two bags, one with his name on it and one with my name on it. I laugh.

        "Geez. Okay."  I go over into one of the tents, and change into the bikini Marcie forced me into getting. Now I knew why.

I walked out and saw Matt sitting over at the edge of the shore, relaxed and still wearing those stupid sunglasses. I walked over and took them off his face, chucking them somewhere behind me. His amazing freaky eyes turned towards me, and I sat down next to him.

        "Thanks for this. You have no idea how much I needed to get away for a while." I said, kicking at the water. I felt all weird and exposed in just a bikini, but ironically, I had comfort in the fact that he couldn't see me. Or anything else..

        "Not a problem." He said, giving me a small smile. He reached over and put his hand on my face, and I started panicking. Shit, I didn't know how to kiss... what the fuck was I supposed to do? What if I messed something up?

I quickly reached over and splashed water on him. His mouth opened in a wide O.

        "You did not." He said, a slow smile spreading across his face. I laughed, moving away. 

        "Maybe I did." I said, getting up. He got up too, an unholy grin on his face.

        "Oh you're going to get it." He said. I shrieked and ran into the water, just as he started splashing me. The water was freezing, and it went in my nose, mouth and eyes. But I loved it, and we went into a full on splash war until I had my hands on my knees, out of breath.

        "Hold on, hold on." I said. He was breathing hard too, and he sat down on the sand bar. Once I caught my breath, I reached over and took a piece of seaweed, tickling him with it. He laughed and swatted it away, then tickled me, and I laughed telling him to stop, until he did. But he had a small confused frown on his face.

Oh no.

        "Hey, why do I feel rough skin here?" He asks. Running his hands over the scars on my stomach. I swallow.

        "Uh, tattoo." I stammer, pushing his hands away. He swats my hands away and feels the scars again.

        "No, my mom has a tattoo. It doesn't feel like that. Your skin was badly damaged here. And here." He says, brushing the top of my thigh with his knee. His senses were hightened by the fact that he couldn't see, so I didn't deny anything.

No no no....this had been such a perfect night, I didn't want to ruin it.

        "Emilee, why are you cut up so badly here? And here?" he asked me, in a deadly serious tone.

        "Probably a question best saved for later." I said quietly, repeating his words back to him from when I asked why he was blind. He frowned, sighing.

        "Okay. Fair enough." He says. Then he gives me a warm smile and the tension is gone. But I know we're not done with this conversation yet.

        "You must be freezing. Feel like eating smore's?" He asks. I nod.

***

We're sitting in front of a fire pit, the warm fire heating me down to my toes. I sighed and looked over at Matt, who was staring straight into the fire. I was reluctant to talk much, especially since I had gooey marshmallow in my mouth, and the silence that grew between us was more uncomfortable than usual. I lay wrapped up in my sleeping bag, and was just a few arm's lengths away from him. I wriggled closer until I was close enough to poke his sleeping bag. He turned towards me.

        "Thankyou." I say quietly. He smiles and nods.

        "Of course." 

And with that, I rolled over and fell asleep, tiredness taking over.