Antipodes

Four

Next morning, they went to the beach. He woke her up at six in the morning pleading that it was so much better to swim when nobody was around. It's more freezing too, she told him. He didn't listen to her. She followed him anyway but they didn't swim because the water was too cold and especially because there were gusts of wind.

They just sat there on the blankets and talked about their childhood for hours. He would tell her about the first day they ever met each other, the day she was born. He was about ten years old then and it was love at first sight, he said. Of course, she knew he was just romanticizing it for her. But he insisted.

"I swear to God, the minute I saw you I said to myself 'I will love her forever'. You looked like a little angel, you still do".

No one ever talked to her like that and she liked that about him, he was straight forward, never sugar coating anything, always honest and true.

"We should go home", she said. "It's getting really chilly".

He didn't want to go home because he knew that his father was going to be here tonight and that he would have to talk to him and act like everything was okay. He was honest, true and straight forward except when his father was around. They never really understood each other like a glass wall was separating them from the day he came back to America. It hasn't always been like between them but the bad memories took over on the good ones. All he remembered with his father were fights, hospital check outs and police departments. But now, he was different. Maybe his father will be different, maybe he'll treat him otherwise knowing that he spent the last few years trying to do something to make his father proud of him. Just for once. Nonetheless, he knew he couldn't do it by himself. He had Roxy and his step mother but he needed someone else to have his back.

"Guess who's in town?", he typed and sent.

No more than five minutes later he received an answer.

"NO. You are not!", she replied.

"Wanna check?", he answered.

Fifty seconds later...

"WHERE ARE YOU? I WANT TO SEE YOU RIGHT NOW !" 

"Why are you yelling at me? I'm at the beach house", he sent. 

"I'm on my way !", she replied within seconds with an excited emoji.

He hesitated about what to do first: shower or coffee and cigarettes. Then he smiled and went to shower. She had that power. Making him smile no matter what happens. Putting him in the right mood. She was what people would call his 'wonderwall'. He didn't see her since he left neither did they really talk after her three years of not talking to him. That still puzzled him but he knew that she had a good reason to do so, she always had good reasons behind her doings.

"I invited Zoe for tonight's dinner", he said entering the kitchen where Katheryn was busy cutting green pepper. "Hope, you don't mind".

"That's okay, she's family. Plus, we haven't seen her in a while", said Katheryn.

Really? He wondered. That was weird. Usually, Zoe spends more time with his family than he does. Maybe she was sad he left or something. For some reason, he was starting to get nervous about seeing her again. Calm down, it's just your childhood friend.

Two hours later, she was there. She didn't even bother to knock or something, she just walked in. She was family. She called his name from the front door, then from the living room until she was in the kitchen. When she caught sight of him, she just stopped right in her place and stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. He didn't know he had this power on people. She then rushed towards him and jumped off into his arms and hugged so tightly he couldn't even breathe.

"I can't breathe", he managed to say.

"Good", she replied. "Now, you know how it's like to be away from you". He didn't ask her questions about he three years of hiatus. Then, she kissed him gently on the lips.

"What are you doing?", he whispered.

"I missed you", she said kissing him again.

He did not expect that. Anything non-friendly that ever happened between them usually occurred behind closed doors and remained there. And now? She was kissing him in front of his step mother and his sister. It felt awkward. His heart started racing again, he hated awkward situations like that. He shouldn't feel ashamed, she's just his friend. Or maybe more, he didn't know. She caught the look of distress on his face and pulled away from him knowing that she just put him in an unwanted situation.

"Where are my manners?", she said jokingly as she walked towards Katheryn and kissed her on the cheek. "I brought a good bottle of wine", she announced joyfully.

"Thank you darling, but you shouldn't have bothered", said Katheryn greeting her with a big smile.

Roxy looked as puzzled as her brother when Zoe greeted her with a hug. When did they get together? Why didn't Ryan tell me?

"I'm sorry", she said once he closed his bedroom door. He didn't say anything for a long moment, he was standing with his back on the door and thinking.

"Ryan?"

He walked towards her and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back. He then kissed her.

"Ryan, what are you doing?"

He unzipped her blue dress and went on kissing her, stroking her fine curbs with his hands. She didn't resist. She missed this, she missed him even if her brain screamed to her to make him stop. Her body didn't want him to stop, neither did her heart.

"I love you", he whispered in her ear.