I Don't Do Relationships

Hanging Out

Two Weeks knowing Chris

All three of us had been hanging out at night on each other's porches when Chris wasn't working. Lots of talking and laughing had occurred and it felt like I had known Scott and Chris much longer than two, almost three weeks. Scott and I decided on a time to meet in the morning for the kayaks and he told me Chris was tagging along too.

While we were getting in our kayaks and getting ourselves situated, we were chatting. Since they hadn't had much time off, Chris had asked if I would mind taking him and Scott out on the beach with my Jeep so we could find a spot that wasn't crowded. He would definitely draw a crowd if he was noticed and he wanted to just have some down time on his much needed time off but outside of the house. I enjoyed their company so I was excited that they felt comfortable asking me things like that and that they wanted to hang out with me. With Calvin gone, I hadn't socialized as much so this was nice.

What I didn't expect was for Chris to ask if I'd mind if a 'friend' of his tagged along too. "So are you sure when you drive out on the beach we can be kind of alone?"

"Yeah. I mean, there will be some people out, not right beside us though. We can just keep driving until there isn't anyone around us. When you drive out on the beach, people don't get right up on each other. If they do, we can just move. I don't usually unpack everything, just take my chair out and sit. There will be people fishing too so I think it'll be ok."

"Do you mind if Henry tags along then?" Scott laughed at the question Chris asked me before he spoke up.

"I don't think there are many people who would mind Henry tagging along for anything."

Chris gave his brother a look before he went on. "Well, I just thought it would be nice to check. He asked me yesterday if I had ventured out and done anything locally. I told him about our new friend here and he asked about joining in if we found something to do."

Again, trying to reel in my composure, I tried to answer calmly. "Sure, the more the merrier. I'm getting significantly outnumbered though, but I'm not complaining."

We pushed out of the canal and into the sound. It was always so peaceful when the water was so calm. A few fish had jumped, one was pretty close by the path we were on, causing Scott to jump at the sound and Chris to follow suit. I couldn't contain my laughter. There were a few pelicans that flew over and then a couple of seagulls. There were big, fluffy, white clouds floating above but not enough to cover the sun.

Finally out far enough for my liking, I secured my paddle. The guys followed my actions as I spoke. "So, usually, I'm by myself and just sit here for a while before I paddle around some more. Just watch the water around you and see if you see a fin. Then start looking around for more."

Chris began to look around as he sat back, sunglasses and hat on, and seemed to relax. Scott, on the other hand, sat up straighter and questioned me as he looked around like he was a little panicked. "Fin? A fin? Really? Are we looking for sharks? I don't really want to be out here with sharks."

Chris was laughing at his brother but I tried to calm him down. I paddled over so I could hold onto his kayak and talk a little quieter. "Scott, calm down. Did you really not think about sharks being out here too? In the ocean? They do live out here too ya know."

"Have you ever seen any?"

"Do you want an honest answer or do you want me to tell you what you want to hear?"

"Are you kidding me? I want you to tell me what I want to hear."

I giggled. "Nope, never seen a shark, ...like ever."