16 June 2012
Nate's face sank as I looked across at him. His face was full of emotion - confusion, shock that he hadn't worked it out, rage and also a level of sadness. His hand slipped into mine, and he squeezed it tight.
"I promise you, hand on my heart," he said, holding our hands up so they touched his chest "That I won't let her touch you, let alone get anywhere near you. I'm going to protect you this time baby, I'm not going to be so weak again." His eyes were dashing from one of mine to the other, and around my face, trying to read my illegible expression. I felt the same as he did: but I'd had time for the initial shock to wear off. I was still scared though, scared not of the fact that she'd injured me before, but scared by the fact that it wasn't Isabelle directly trying to harm me: it was her sister, Victoria. I had no way of knowing or predicting what she was planning or what she was going to do, but I felt almost like a ghost had appeared: a fear I didn't know I was able to feel had been reborn.
"Is she on the boat?" he asked, after a moment of silence, our hands still held tightly on Nate's chest, his steady heartbeat had changed, it increased in tempo and it's pattern wasn't as rhythmic or as regular as it had once been. Was he scared too? I knew he wouldn't reveal that fact, but I had a hunch that he was. I knew he'd stay strong for me, and that was all that mattered. We were in this together, both fighting this war even though we didn't know who or what we were fighting.
"I don't think so" I said, sinking my head so I was looking at the deck. The dark brown panels were so smooth under my bare legs, it was hard to believe they were wood. But they were: the panels were cut impeccably straight and were sanded to perfection, but the grain on the wood twisted and curved in various contortions that gave the deck a more jumbled and disheveled feel.
Suddenly, crowds of people gathered at the top of the staircase, lead by Charlie and Mollie.
"Everyone knows what's happening, mate" said Charlie.
"And we've decided that we're going to do everything in our power to help you out" Mollie added, looking back at the vast array of faces that were smiling in support. Just behind Mollie was Hannah, who was smiling eagerly across at me.
"We really are" she said "I'd love to help you two!" she said, coming over to sit with us.
"Come down mate? We're going to swim now if you want to join us?"
"Do you girls want to?" Nate said, first looking at me then at Hannah.
"Sure" I said, and Hannah nodded quickly in agreement.
"Come on then" he said, holding Hannah's hand and draping his arm around my waist, pulling me closer into him.
When we got down the stairs to the lower deck, a large proportion of the crowd had already stripped down to their swimwear; girls in bikinis that ranged from scarlet, to rich violet, and every shade in between. There were patterns that dappled in every decade: polka dots, flowers, paisley and more, all adorning this beautiful vessel. When I'd finished admiring the array of beautiful swimsuits, I looked across and noticed that Nate had pulled off his shirt. I smiled, took off my lace white dress and put my hands on his abs, leaning my head up to kiss him. He pulled me in closer to hug me, and he whispered that everything will be okay. I kissed him again, closing my eyes and feeling the warmth of his skin against mine. I totally melted in his arms, forgetting all the drama that was unfolding again around us, and for a few seconds I became me again: the girl who hadn't lost her aunt and the girl who lived a relatively normal life.
"I love you" I said, breaking the kiss momentarily.
He looked over at me, and picked me up, cradling me and running across the boat to the outdoor area, where there's a flat outdoor deck. It forms a ledge over the sea, which was calm and sparkling in the sun.
"Are you ready to go in Miss?" he shouted, above my protests. He stood on the edge for a second, with me still in his arms, he shrugged and jumped in.
The water hit me like a train: it's crystal waters engulfing Nate and I. I opened my eyes, feeling the familiar sting of the salty water. As I looked beneath the water, I saw objects plummeting into the water beside me, like huge torpedoes, leaving a tail of white water that looked like an ornate chandelier in this light.
I broke the surface and took a deep breath in, seeing the mass of familiar faces surrounding me who'd followed our lead. For a second I felt lost, in this sea of faces, in the mass of laughter and the swell of the heat. But then his hand met mine, the hand that had guided me through everything. I squeezed it tight as I continued treading water.
"Do you want to go for a swim together somewhere?" he said, smiling across at me. He had a single strand of his golden hair across his forehead, so I reached my hand up and brushed it away. As I did this, gently stroking his hair back, he wrapped his arms around my hips, holding both of us up with his powerful kicks and he started to kiss me. He broke the kiss and caught his breath, before resting his forehead on mine and closing his eyes, panting steadily.
"Race you to the cave?" he said, opening his eyes and looking into my eyes, scanning them to see if I'd understood him.
"The cave?" I said
"Do you really think I didn't plan the route?" he said, dipping his head underwater and swimming East, towards the sun.
Love You Too: PART TWELVE • Opuss № I