Godspeed

Chapter Seven

It was rain, not sun, that woke Marley Mason. He blinked away the splats of water soaking into his eyes and struggled up and out of the sand. Exhaling, Marley felt the salty air pass through him smooth and thin, like the engine of a brand new car and Marley Mason knew that today he was anew. Then he realized he was folly naked and, waking up next to a just as naked Ava DeLoughery, together, alone. He sat upright and smiled at her figure, the indentation of himself in the sand still nestling her. Sometime last night a rusted Marley Mason must have been scoured off and removed, revealing something unexpected underneath. He took his eyes back out to the ocean curled his fingers into the dry sand beneath him, forcing this reality to prove to him that last night was not a dream. But it was a dream, Marley eventually thought. Just the rare kind that hardly came true. The first for Marley to ever experience.

The drizzle resumed again, however, tapping the new boy on his chest and arms. He flung his head back to stare skyward where he was met with dark clouds encircling him. He tried using his new eyes to peer past them but the dark things had swollen into opacity. Yet, Marley Mason smiled and fell back into the sand. Nothing, not even this storm was going to take this moment from him. He pulled his arm over Ava DeLoughery and shut his eyes, for just a little longer.

But the waves would not have it. The furious thing came up shore and bit into the both of them.

Ava sprung up, gasping for air.

Mentally, Marley cursed.

The girl felt the sand around her and scanned the beach, grunting. Turning to Marley she said, "I can't believe we slept here all night. In the sand. How did we not wake up?" She spun back around exasperated and scrambling to redress the parts of her she became suddenly insecure about.

Marley wanted to point out to her that it obvious, wasn't it? They didn't wake up because they didn't want to. Sometime between the moon rising and them falling asleep the way their bodies intertwined and held each other must have felt like soft silk sheets instead of sand, warm blankets instead of the cold silence of the sea. Parts of them had felt like home to the other. He made a mental note to bring it up to her later, but for now, he met her hand with his own as she readjusted the bikini strap on her shoulder. She stopped moving and the waves ebbed.

Ava DeLoughery turned around to look at Marley, propping himself up with on elbow, in no rush, with no clothes on and a careless smile on his lips. With his eyes, he told her, Who cares? We're here now. Might as well make it last. He held on to her hand and pulled it toward him, the rest of her body following suit. Ava laughed as she sunk into the new boy, shaking her head to get out all the giggles before she got too close to the brand new Marley.

She breathed, "I don't even know who you are anymore, Marley Mason."

He supposed he didn't recognize himself either. That was the effect Ava DeLoughery had on him. And it was one of the many things he liked about her. Titling his chin, Marley took her lips between his and kissed her.

Gradually, between the slow passing of their lips and exhales, Marley realized he could do this now. He could kiss her. She was finally his in the way he was always hers. This was the start of many more new things, not just Marley mason.

Ava pulled back. "Marley, this is still a public beach and it's starting to rain," she laughed. "We really should leave."

She was right, of course, but Marley hesitated because he knew how fragile moments like this were. He saw it in the halfway downturn of her smile and the way he didn't quite feel his heart beating when he saw her. He knew that one wrong move would send her lips plummeting into a frown and if the sand fell out of his ears, his slamming heart would come back into focus.