Life After Life

•C h a p t e r T w e n t y - T h r e e•

My eyes scanned the vast ocean as far as they could see, but it was empty. The wave crests were the only things that moved, until finally it was divided by the light blue, cloudless sky.

"Liam!" I called out as loud as I could, glancing around. Families continued to lay on their towels, swam and rode on waves, oblivious to my distress.

Liam had gone deep into the ocean, to the point where I knew for a fact I wouldn't be able to touch the ground.

I took a deep breath, swallowing hard as slid off my surfboard into the cold ocean. The cold water felt like pinpricks against my skin, but I ignored it.

"Liam!" I called again as I began swimming my way over towards Liam's surfboard, kicking against the water as hard as my legs could move. "Liam! Where are you?"

Silence was the only response.

I grabbed ahold of Liam's surfboard, resting my arms on top of it. I ignored the uneasiness that rose in my stomach from the thought of being so far from shore. My feet floated aimlessly, without contact with the ground. The cold water was barely noticeable now.

The wind brushed past me furiously and I shivered, my teeth chattering.

"Liam!" my panicked voice broke the silence around me. Tears welled up in the corner of my eyes as an apprehensive feeling built up in my gut, causing my stomach to sink to the bottom of the ocean.

I knew I needed to call for help, and that the lifeguard would know what to do, but I stayed frozen where I was floating. My hands shook slightly and I wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from fear. I wouldn't know what I'd do without Liam, even though he irritated me so much. I just needed to see him again. My breath was ragged as I glanced around.

"You found my surfboard."

I gasped at the voice that sounded behind me, relief flooding over my body when I recognized the voice.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding, spinning around to see Liam floating behind me. He held an amused expression on his face, which had my blood boiling.

"What the hell, where were you?" I snapped.

"Just floating around," he answered, chuckling at my irritation.

"I'm going back," I grumbled, rolling my eyes.

I took Liam's board with me as I began kicking my way to shore as fast as I could go. The sooner I could get back, the better. I'd already been out there too long. The same uneasy feeling had returned. I didn't want to imagine what types of sea animals would be underneath my feet.

I'd gone out deep into the ocean for Liam, all for a stupid prank he pulled.

"Wait Ophelia," Liam called after me, which I ignored. A deep frown had formed over my face. "I wasn't messing with you."

I stopped, turning my head to look at him with my brows furrowed.

"I got a cramp in my leg and it hurt like a bitch," he explained, running a hand through his wet hair. Two pink dots formed on the apples of his cheeks.

I swallowed hard, "Oh. Are... are you okay?"

"Yeah, it just kind of like a faint ache now," he answered as he began slowly swimming his way towards me.

"Here, hang onto this," I told him, pushing his surfboard towards him. "I'll pull you back."

"Thanks," he gave me a sheepish smile as he clutched onto the board. I began kicking back to shore, trying not to think about how much harder it was to pull Liam along with me. The added weight had me struggling more than I thought.