A World Apart

The Hamptons

Naturally, at the prospect of swimming in the ocean for the first time in a long while, Tina was eager to change into her swimsuit and head out into the sea, dragging all of us down there within half an hour of our arrival. Not that we minded. Taking an umbrella and some sun loungers from the house, we set up a short space from the water's edge, Tina running ahead until she was ankle-deep in the water, Jake racing out to accompany her a little deeper, ensuring her safety.

"She always loved the water," Gillian laughed happily, taking a seat and watching as Tina splashed Jake, screaming with laughter as he put an arm up to shield himself, overbalancing and landing on his ass right as an incoming wave crashed, washing over his head.

"I always did too."

"Thank you for this, Carrie, you have no idea how nice it feels to see my daughter having fun like a normal child for once."

"You don't have to thank me, I'm just glad you both came, I want us all to have a really nice weekend and just forget about everything back home."

She chuckled gently, nodding her head and watching Jake now playfully splashing Tina as they ran through the surf.

"You know, I think he's way out of his depth with her," I observed. "Should we help him out?"

"Probably best," Gill laughed.

Together, we chased after them, cool seawater washing over my feet as I padded over the warm sand, the salty breeze blowing over my heated skin. As soon as I reached Jake, my intentions shifted, I winked at Tina, cupping my hands beneath the water and splashing it up against his back. Jake whirled around, his eyes flashing with wickedness.

"Oh that's gonna mean trouble," He teased.

I backed up, hands up in mock surrender.

"I'm sorry!" I shouted as he closed in.

Reaching the same decision together, we both kicked beneath the shin-high water, splashing each other whilst Tina and Gill laughed beside us. Water splashed all over me, soaking through my bikini and lashing at my skin. It felt so much colder as it hit my upper body, catching me by surprise and making me gasp. Jake seized an opening, launching at me and wrestling me into the sea until I was just as soaked as him.

We spent the afternoon in and out of the sea, swimming, splashing and generally messing about in the sunshine. There were no sad faces among us, no stress nor strain to be seen. Instead, we grouped together in the sand, competing over who could build the best sandcastle, and buried each other in the sand.

When evening drew in and the temperature dropped, we made a move back to the house for dinner, which Gill and Jake insisted on making. Sure that this was some kind of insistence on not allowing this to be a free ride, I allowed them to take over the kitchen, bustling around making food whilst Tina and I played card games at the kitchen counter.

"Snap!" Tina shouted, slamming her hand on top of the cards.

"Damn, you're too good at this," I exclaimed, throwing my cards onto the table for her to reshuffle them, "Remind me not to play poker with you in the future."

"What's poker?" Tina asked inquisitively.

"It's a card game that adults play," I explained briefly.

"Dinner's up," Jake announced, carrying a large bowl of salad to the dining table.

"Tina, go wash your hands please, sweetheart," Gill called out, passing him a plate of marinated chicken and following with some bread rolls and jacket potatoes.

"That smells divine," I said, piling the cards back into the box and getting to my feet.

I joined Tina at the sink, giving her a little boost to reach the hand soap at the back and then proceeded to wash my hands beside her, before joining the others at the table.

Dinner that night was perfect. The chicken was just as divine and flavourful as the bolognese he'd cooked, and just as moreish too. There wasn't a single scrap of food left once we'd finished, and as it was still a little too early for bed, we went into the back garden, taking seats a short distance from the pool and lighting a fire in the pit. Tina sat on her mother's lap on one lounger, the pair of them sharing a knitted blanket over their legs, each holding a long skewer with a chunky marshmallow on the end. I cosied up with Jake on the other, sitting between his legs with his arms around me whilst I toasted both of our marshmallows.

"Okay, I need help settling this," I said as we tucked into S'mores, more marshmallows toasting on the edge of the pit, "Which ones are better? Pink marshmallows, or white ones?"

"Pink!" Tina answered simply, taking another bite of her S'more whilst Gillian dabbed the chocolate from her daughter's cheek

"I say white," Jake replied behind me.

"One apiece," I nodded, "Gill?"

"You know, I've never tasted much difference," She shrugged. "The chocolate's my favourite."

I laughed, nodding in agreement whilst she took another bite.

"Which is your favourite?" Tina asked.

I plucked the well-toasted marshmallows from the fire, sandwiching them perfectly into another S'more, then answered:

"Both!"

Tired after such an early start and fun-filled day, Tina began to fall asleep by the warm fire. After the second time of her little eyes drooping, Gillian rose to her feet, carrying her off to bed.

"This is perfect," Jake sighed as I relaxed back into his arms, my head falling back against his chest.

I looked up at the stars as he stroked my arms softly.

"It really is. I could stay like this forever."

Comfortable and safe in Jake's arms, I listened to the steady lull of crashing waves and the crackling of the fire, feeling steadily sleepier as my eyes grew heavy. The last thing I registered before everything went dark, was Jake's tender kiss on my cheek and the sensation of being lifted.