I can’t believe I’m letting him drive my car…I don’t even let my sister drive my car! And what’s with all this going 70 mph business…can’t he read numbers correctly?
“Hmm…I wonder what she’s thinking about…”I heard Taylor mutter beside me, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.
“What?”
“Oh, just wondering why your fingers are grasping the door handle so tightly. Not thinking of jumping out, are you?” he asked me, flashing a grin.
“Of course not. Why on earth would I do that?” I asked innocently.
“The speed limit is 60 mph.”
“And…if it was, maybe 50 mph, I would do less damage to myself?”
“Interesting concept, but no. I meant, I know that you think I’m going too fast. Going 10 over the speed limit is hardly a crime,” he told me.
“You didn’t pass driver’s ed., did you?”
“So I was right.”
“Right about what?”
“You’re being anal about the speed limit.”
“I am not!”
“Would you just relax?” he told me, reaching over and grabbing my hand, “the rain stopped, we have nowhere to be, and you’re driving around with an extremely confident driver who knows where he’s going. There’s nothing to be worried about…”
I glanced down at our hands entwined in my lap. It looked natural. It felt natural. I suddenly wished I knew what to expect. Where were we going seemed like a good start. But a part of me didn’t want to ask…probably because I knew he wouldn’t tell me.
“I wonder why Mr. Price let us off so easily…” I wondered out loud, trying to start a conversation to get my mind off of my hand, and it’s likeliness to start sweating.
“Because you’re the Vice-Principals daughter. Seems like your dad put up a good argument.”
“Yeah, but what about you?”
Taylor shrugged. “He probably knows my dad.”
“Your dad…”I started, confused.
“He’s on the school board.”
Bells went off in my head. Of course…his dad had more power than mine did. It figured.
“How did your dad get on the school board that fast? You weren’t here for the beginning of the school year for elections,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, actually we were. During the summer. I just made a decision to start regular high school a few days too late.”
“Oh. I see.”
“You know what I don’t understand though, is how you got in trouble at all. You didn’t do anything—“
“Neither did you!”
Taylor looked over at me pointedly.
“That’s not the point. I was ‘involved’ and that’s enough.”
“So was I, Taylor, my name was on the wall.”
“Alex—“ he started.
“Tell me who did it,” I said, looking over at him squarely.
He was silent for a minute and returned his hand holding mine to the steering wheel. I looked down at my hand again. Empty. Something kicked in my stomach, but I chose to ignore it.
“I’m guessing it was Ryan. I don’t know who else it could be.”
“So you don’t know.”
“Not for sure…no.”
“Why do you think it’s Ryan?” I asked him.
He sighed loudly.
“Alex, come on, do we have to talk about this now?”
“Yes! Of course we do…why do you think it’s Ryan?” I persisted.
“Because I told him the bet was off. He must have found out that you found out, and wrote a fake apology from me…but it was really him. Look, I don’t know. I just want to forget about it,” he said, looking over at me, his eyes pleading.
I turned my head and looked out the window. It was about noon, and the sun was bright. I had no idea where Taylor was taking us. I suddenly didn’t care anymore. You know that feeling when your emotions are just totally shot and all you want to do is sleep? Just smash your head under your pillow, and pray to God that you’re better in the morning? That was me.
We were both silent for what seemed like hours. After awhile, the highway seemed to get rockier, and I had a feeling we were near the ocean. Living near the Oregon coastline most of your life, you get instincts about these sort of things. And I knew that they were right when I heard seagulls above us as Taylor pulled into a deemed parking spot and shut the engine. Trees were hiding our view from the water, but I knew a trail to it was around somewhere.
“I hate the ocean,” I whispered.
“I know,” he said, pushing open his car door, “Zac told me. I thought I would change your thoughts. You coming?”
I thought back to my fight with Zac about the difference between the qualities of lakes and oceans, and smiled. But why did he have to tell Taylor? Now my shoes were going to get all sandy.
I opened my car door and stepped out, my nostrils automatically filling with that ocean water air. Yucky, fishy smell to be exact, unless the beach was crowded, and then it was the scent of sunscreen. I stepped out and joined Taylor by the hood of the car, my arms crossed over each other.
“Cold?” he asked me, quietly.
Realizing my arms, I dropped them to my sides.
“No.”
He stared at me intently for a few moments. I grew uncomfortable under his gaze, but fortunately he turned around and started to walk towards the beach trail. I suddenly realized that something was missing. Maybe it was his hand in mine, I wasn’t sure.
I followed him down the slope, and eventually we came to the water. Looking out, I knew it was beautiful. I always realized that when I came to the beach. It’s the main reason I’m usually dragged along by my family or friends. Just pop in a CD, and lay out fully clothed under an umbrella while others romp in the dirty water and—
What was Taylor doing?
I watched as Taylor began kicking off his shoes, and peeling off his shirt all at the same time. My mouth was probably agape, but really, I had no control over that fact. Taylor was stripping….
Well, good, he stopped at his pants. Good boy. Now I don’t have to pretend to shield my eyes.
“Take off your shoes,” he told me, coming to stand by me. Half naked.
“Why would I do that?”
“Just cause.”
“Why is your shirt off?” I had to ask.
He shrugged.
“Can’t tan with my shirt on, now can I?”
“So now the other question…why do I have to take off my shoes?”
“Cause it’s really the only thing you can take off without being arrested…” he answered me, blowing a stray piece of hair out of his eyes.
I narrowed my eyes, actually weirded out by his uncommon decency not to say for me to take anything else off, like my own shirt, but I complied. Bending down, I did what he said, and looked up again.
“I don’t like that look in your eye…” I told him, backing up slightly, when I noticed the gleam.
“Alex, come on,” he beckoned, holding out his hand for me to grasp. Uh oh. Not the hand.
“You’ve found my weakness,” I muttered, giving in.
“What?” he asked, an amused look on his face as he gave a slight tug to my hand closed in his to bring me forward.
“Your hands.”
“What about my hands.”
“They’re nice,” I answered, my cheeks growing pink, not knowing what else to say, and wondering why I even started to say something in the first place.
Taylor just grinned at me, and I found myself being pulled along at a much faster pace.
“Where are we going?” I asked him. I was getting a little worried when we weren’t stopping a good distance away from the rush of the water. Pretty soon, my little, forced steps were turning into leaps as I found myself jumping over the small water currents.
“Taylor!” I screamed at him, planting my feet firmly into the sand to stop both of us, and pulling hard on him.
“What? Can’t you swim?” he asked me seriously, anchoring his feet in the sand too, the effect turning into something of a tug-of-war.
I squealed as cold water rushed over my calves, and dug my fingernails into Taylor’s palms.
“Yes, but not in this! There’s nasty bugs and things in there, Taylor, please don’t make me—“
He started laughing and pulled harder, his efforts landing me knee deep in the currents. I could feel slimy seaweed, or what I hoped to be seaweed, in between my toes, and my whole body tensed. I prayed I wouldn’t be attacked by sharks…and that Taylor would. Or at least be stung by a stingray or something.
“Taylor, please…” I started, my teeth starting to chatter. Not from the cold, mainly from nervousness. We were waist deep in the water by then, and Taylor slowly loosened his grip from my wrists, gently pulling me close to him. Our hips touched and Taylor’s arms were around me as we walked all the way in.
“Just relax…” he told me, squeezing me closer to him, realizing my shaking.
“I don’t like this,” I told him, my body still tense, but noticeably warmer in his arms.
“Want to be put your head under?”
“No!”
“1…”
“Taylor!”
“2…”
All I could do was whimper, as he didn’t even wait to count to three and threw us both back farther out, so the water rushed over our heads. A second later, I came up sputtering, my legs treading water as they left contact with the sand. Taylor was still right beside me, his right arm still encircling my hips.
“I’m going to kill you!”
I felt our legs brush against each other as we both tread water until we got our footing back. Taylor’s hands went up to my face to push away the wet hair strands, and I shivered as his fingers trailed over my skin.
“You love this…admit it,” he said, breathing heavy, his eyes resting on mine.
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes you do. It’s carefree, and fresh, and not to mention extremely dangerous…” he teased.
“Taylor!”
“Yeah?”
“There are things in here,” I told him, my eyes probably bright with fear.
“I agree, Al, they live here,” he told me, holding on to the belt loops with his index fingers and pulling us closer together. When our noses bumped together, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to remember why I hated the ocean.
“Water snakes…” I whispered, swallowing.
“And sharks…” Taylor whispered back, touching the corner of my eyes with his fingertips so I would open them.
I did, and common sense told me to close them again. I didn’t know what was happening, but I knew if I looked into his blue eyes again one more time, I would kiss him myself.
“Alex, open your eyes…”
“I can’t.”
“What are you afraid of?” he asked me, pressing our foreheads together. I could feel his warm breath on my cheek, and I shivered again.
“I’m not sure,” I answered honestly.
“Al, I’m not going to kiss you… ” he said softly, touching my eyes again, and this time, I opened them, a blush rising towards my face.
“What?”
“I have to know something,” he told me, again running his fingers over my face.
“You usually ask questions in the middle of the ocean with a girls legs wrapped around you?” I asked him, pulling back to look him in the eye.
“Not exactly,” he said, pulling my head back to his, “but it’s not impossible, as you can see.”
“And for the record, my legs are only there because water makes you float, and—“
“And because I put them there,” he murmured softly, “but that’s not the point.”
“So ask me a question,” I told him, my voice barely audible, my cheeks flaming again over his statement.
“Do you forgive me?”
“For the bet?”
“Yes.”
Did I forgive him? I hadn’t really thought about it…but the fact was, I was here standing in the ocean with him…if I didn’t forgive him, I was one stupid person.
“Yes,” I told him, noticing a drop of water trailing down his tan face and stopping over his lip.
He just stared at me after my answer. After while I saw him lick away the drop, and my eyes moved away from his lips towards his eyes.
“You’re that kind of person, aren’t you?” he asked me.
“What kind of person?” I replied, confused.
“Extremely forgiving. And it’s not because you have to be, it’s because you want to be…you didn’t have to come here today.”
“You kidnapped me,” I teased him, smiling slightly.
“I’m serious, Alex,” he told me, reaching up to squeeze my fingers which were playing with the lapels of his soaked shirt.
I didn’t say anything, just looked down at our hands, and shrugged.
“I don’t even know you…” he murmured, bringing my fingers up to his mouth.
Finally feeling his lips at least somewhere on my body, I knew that I was done. The “I don’t care about anything but this” attitude came into full effect.
“You know me.”
“I want to know the Alex who isn’t irritated with me all the time…”
“Okay.”
“And who doesn’t want to smack me all the time…”
“K.”
“And I don’t want to kiss you for money…” he said softly.
“Money?” I asked him wonderingly, “it was for money?”
“Yeah…” he said, his hand finding the back of my head, and pushing it forward so that again, our noses touched.
“I thought it was for revenge…”I said, unable to close my eyes as his own held mine.
Taylor’s fingers released mine and moved around to my back to trail along my spine. I closed my eyes a final time, as pinpricks moved around my nerves.
“It wasn’t...” he said, and as his lips moved say the words, they brushed against mine, and the pinpricks moved from my back to throughout my body. Taylor paused, taking his thumb and touching my lips, and they instantly parted, leaving—
“Get a room!”
I jumped away from Taylor instantly, feeling as though I’d been slapped. Opening my eyes, I saw him looking at me, his mouth hanging open, a look of disbelief over his features. Behind him, about 6 feet away, was a child about 8 on a blue raft the size of a small country. As soon as she saw me looking, she placed her head on her hands, and grinned. Taylor looked around, then at me, and defeat crossed his face.
I suddenly realized that my feet were touching the ocean floor, and panicked. I quickly wrapped my legs around Taylor again, and pointed towards shore.
“Let’s go!” I said, brightly, not wanting him to get mad at the little girl.
“Let me guess…I’m going to carry you all the way to the car?”
“Absolutely.”
