Paper Walker

Chapter 13

Now that I'm no longer bothered by the block of plaster, I can move around more freely and we can finally try swimming. Sorley's ears turn red when I propose it, but the day after we're both wearing our swimwear. The book we're in, is a silly romance novel about an uninhabited island, that he stole from his grandma. I've had trouble holding back my laughter when I looked up the title of his suggestion. Luckily we have a large library and now that we're on the beach – after our ship sunk, that was little less fun – I'm grateful to his romantic grandma.

One of my legs is exceptionally white, compared to the other and a little thinner as well. I really have to fix that before school starts again after summer vacation. Sorley doesn't seem to mind and when he steps out of his sweatpants a little clumsily, I see he's absolutely no sunbather. His legs aren't as muscled as his arms, but when he shyly looks my way, I halt my investigation. Suddenly nervous, I pull my dress over my head and there I stand, in my bikini, on a deserted beach – safe for the couple that is passionately fighting up ahead, whom I ignore – with a boy who clearly, no doubt about it, truly has a six-pack.

Just breath, you've seen guys in swim trunks before, I tell myself. Yet never one I've been this much in love with and certainly not while we're alone.

When I make an attempt to count all the grains of sand around my bare feet, I feel how he takes hold of my hand. Then, before I know what happens, I get lifted up in the air and carried over to the water. Screaming I disappear in a rolling wave and when I resurface sputtering and dripping, Sorley is laughing his head off.

With both arms I shove a big splash in the direction of his face and he quickly dives out of the way. I wade back a little further away from the beach. When I look around, Sorley is nowhere to be found and a flurry of apprehension courses through me. Did he leave? Or do they have sharks here?

Suddenly I feel two arms around my waist and I scream again.

"No fun", I shout, while at the same time I start to laugh, when he appears right in front of me with a huge grin and shaking his hair.

"I thought you were gone."

His arms pull me closer to him and I wrap mine around his neck for support.

"I will never leave you on purpose." He kisses me and if I had been on my feet at that moment, I would have swooned like pudding.

"I wish we could do this for real", I sigh, when he releases me.

"Isn't this real enough?"

Carefully, trying not to hurt his feelings, I move my head from left to right. "There always is a part of me that's scared something will happen at one of our homes. That you or I suddenly gets pulled away. Or, what if this, our gift, is temporary and it stops. When we grow up or something. It can happen. I just would like it so much to see where you live, meet your grandmother, look at the mountains over there."

I try to smile, but his serious expression keeps me from the attempt. He swims backwards a little, which causes me to have to tread water myself and before he dives under, he says: "Can't we just enjoy what we have?"

Even though I don't actually get tired, I still swim back to where I can stand. Then I look over my shoulder and see Sorley swimming with long strokes further into the ocean. I walk back to where the water pushes tiny layers of foam onto the beach and sit down. My feet feel comfortable in the cool, wet sand and the sun is burning hot on my back. I can see Sorley's silhouette in the distance and wonder why he's so against me wanting to meet him. If I hadn't already taken care of and paid for everything, I might change my mind. What if I'll be in front of his house and he bolts the door on me? What is he's living together with a girlfriend? Horror fills my thoughts, but I quickly shake it off. Don't be so ridiculous. He could have told me much sooner, when there wasn't the least bit of romance between us. That is not how Sorley is, right? I've known him long enough to know that. Don't I?