I Do Until I Don't

Chapter 31

 Fannar thinks that observing couples in action will help me understand the art of flirting, so he takes me to Miami for the entire day to "take lessons" and then "apply said lessons" into the "real world". I have no idea what the second part signifies, but it better means that I will flirt with only him and not strangers.

He parks on a street, and we walk to South Beach where Fannar thinks lots of teenaged couples will be found on this extremely hot day of summer.

"I propose we take a few beach chairs and observe for a while," he says, carrying two bags in his hands; one for food, the other for beach supplies.

"Please let me help you," I tell him after he nearly trips over nothing and gets caught up in the bags.

"Don't even think about it."

I think about it still. And snatch one of the bags ─ the food one ─ and run with it to the beach before Fannar gets the time to steal it back.

"You're impossible," he tells me when he arrives at my level. I let go of the bag on an empty beach chair, and Fannar does the same.

"Thank you," I tell him.

"It wasn't a compliment─"

"I'll take it as one."

Fannar smiles at me, clearly pleased for an unknown reason. The wind isn't much present today, but it still manages to tangle my friend's hair and mine even if it's put in a messy high bun.

"And, just so we're clear," I say as I adjust my sunflower, flowy sundress, "we are not observing people for three hours. We're at the beach! We have to go in."

Fannar knows me enough to understand that he has no chance of winning the argument so he nods.

"As you wish." And he makes a bow. He adjusts his tropical print t-shirt that got all wrinkled up by the bags and adds, "But, just so we're clear," quoting me, "we are here on business matters."

I laugh. "No one will know if we're not. Besides, I'm here to learn how to flirt. How professional can we get?"

"Point Ella-Mae."

He takes off his shirt and runs to the ocean. I look at him run and catch myself in the act. Was I─ Was I admiring him? He is pretty cute to look at, and his back is full of muscle, but not too much to freak me out, but still. I think it's the first time I ever look at someone in an admiring way since I've met Alex.

I take off my sundress and walk to join him. I hope he won't look at me the way I looked at him. Because, well, he can't. There isn't much to admire. I cross my arms when I enter the water. My arms have always been the part of my body I hate the most, when they rest on my side, the squish and triple in size. I don't even care that most of it is muscle. I still don't like it. When pressed on my sides, my arms are bigger than Fannar's or Alex's. Woah! What if I weigh more than them? No! I won't even think about that.

"Ella!" Fannar says pulling me out of my thoughts, "Look at them." He gestures me with the chin to a couple talking, their hands brushing, walking on the sand. "You see how the guy is slowly walking closer and closer to the girl?" I nod. "That's a good move. You can try that next time. Like that, it's not only your hands that will touch but the entirety of your right or left side, depending. It's a great way to know if Alex ─ or anyone ─ likes you back. If he moves away, he doesn't like you. If he─ What?"

He tilts his head to the side and that's when I realize that I was ─ am ─ looking at him with wide eyes and that I have probably not blinked since the beginning of his explanations. I blink many times to wet my eyes and shake my head.