A Million Ways To Spend Our Time

Part 9: Whiskey, Mystics and Men

Thankful that the beach was within walking distance, the three of us walked side-by-side towards the ocean. The moon was out, and the weather was a comfortable temperature. We sat our towels down in a row, Jim sitting in the middle of us. I was the first to jump into the ocean, followed by Jim. Aurora was last to get in, and it seemed that the two of them were having a contest to see who could swim out the farthest. I swam peacefully in the water, taking in the air and the coldness of it against my skin. The scenery was so fulfilling to me I was sure I could write a poem about it when we got back.

My peaceful oasis was interrupted by Jim splashing me right in the face. "Hey!" I tried to splash him back but he swam out of reach just in time. I crossed my arms, glaring at him. "What did you do that for?" Jim smirked. "To keep you awake and on your toes." Aurora giggled watching us. I tried to splash him again and he went under the water. I shook my head and swam back towards the shore to sit on my towel for a few minutes. Aurora followed me while Jim stayed in the water for a bit longer. "That was funny," Aurora said, still smirking. "I'm sure it was," I replied with a sarcastic tone. "This is fun. I'm glad we came out here tonight." "I agreed with you up until this point." Aurora smirked again. "Mhm. I think he likes you, Alana. I think they need a person like you around to sort of ground them and be honest with them and sort of keep their heads above the water, no pun intended. It's also nice how we all get along together." I had rolled my eyes at her metaphor, but did understand what she was saying. "I'm glad we all get along too. Thanks for suggesting this." We looked up to see Jim emerging from the water and walking towards us. He sat down on his towel looking at Aurora. "Is she still mad at me?" He grinned. "A little." She smiled. "I'm sitting right here, you know." I still spoke with tone, giving him a look. "I know."

Aurora chuckled watching me. Jim looked at Aurora once more. "Do you think I should - ". His words were cut off by me throwing a handful of sand at his chest as hard as I could. Aurora was no longer controlling her laughter at this point. "And there it is." I had a defiant and mischievous look on my face, trying not to seem as if I could be afraid of him or start laughing any second. Jim sighed, looking down at the mess. "I'm just gonna go wash this off." He slowly stood up while some of the sand fell down his body. Just as he started to walk towards the water, he turned around and grabbed me by my ankles, quickly dragging me back towards the water. "Jim, you're giving me sand burn!"I laughed while trying to talk. "Nothing will burn once you get in this water." I was pulled into the water until I could float on my back, Jim being nice enough to put a hand beneath me until it was deep enough. I could see the wit and laughter and stealth in his eyes, finding a balance between fun and fear with him. It was as if I could only trust him to a degree, which was sort of dangerous and alluring. Yet, he also came across as a safe, generous and comfortable person. It was an interesting mixture. I could hear Aurora laughing at us, knowing she was smiling and watching. "How's this for relaxation?" He smiled looking down at me. "It's not relaxation anymore, Jim." I chuckled. He put all of his body down into the water except for his head to rinse himself off. "If you wanted to relax, you should've come here by yourself." He smirked. "Golly gee, you're right. Then what did I come here for then?" "Music. Me. Art. Poetry. Alcohol. Water. Convenience. Ray and Dorothy." "So don't expect any of that to be peaceful. Got it." I smirked at him. "Consider it an adventure." "Oh boy. What kind of adventure?" "You'll see." He grinned and headed back towards his towel. I swam around in the water a last time, then headed back to shore. "Well, well, well. Did you two have fun?" Aurora smirked at us, her eyes glowing with laughter. "Yep." Jim replied with a huge grin. "Absolutely not." I tried to be defiant, but broke down into laughter. "Uh huh," Aurora replied teasingly."Well, I'm going to get in the water one more time now that you two are finished." She got up and headed towards the water, wading this time instead of rushing out to the deep areas. "I take it we're going back soon?" "Probably after Aurora's finished. We do have poems to go over." I shook my head. "Oh, Lord." "It'll be fun." "Yeah for you, telling me how stupid they are." Jim scoffed. "I will not. I liked your other ones." "Just make sure you're as hard on Aurora as you are me. She's more of a journalist than a poet." "I heard that." Aurora gave me a look as she walked back onto the shore. Jim grinned, standing up and shaking the sand off his towel before drying his hair with it. I tried not to stare as he did this, trying to just concentrate on wrapping my own towel around me. Aurora squeezed her own hair and wrapped her towel around herself as well. We began walking back towards the hotel room, knowing but not caring that it had to be getting late.