falling

part 7: an audience

As I watched James run in after me, I tried to force myself to not stare directly at him too long. I saw him run in and dive through the waves and I turned to look around me at the busy beach. In the water, there was some peace and quiet unlike on the sand. Not that we were around too many people really with the expensive location that our "friends" chose. I hear James splash closer to me and looked over my shoulder at him. Tousled hair and slightly red cheeks that I couldn't tell if it were from him running around and swimming up to me or the sun that had begun to burn him. While I was on my toes and almost treading water, James was comfortably standing with his shoulders out of the water but he ducked down some to meet my level.

"See, isn't that water much better?" He said with a slight smile. I shook my head and laid my head head back with closed eyes so my hair spread into the water. 

"Sure, it's not bad." I replied. 

I could feel the small rippling of waves as he moved closer to me. James pressed his hand to my back and pushed softly so that I was laying on my back floating. The other had loosely on the back of my head and beginning to get tangled in my hair. I tried to relax as he held me there. He must have noticed because he let go after a while. I cracked an eye open and saw him floating next to me, eyes closed. He looked perfect put here, floating, smiling, slightly sunburnt.

"Stop staring, creeper." He whispered.

"Someone has to make sure we're safe. Ya know, so we don't float away... or get eaten by a shark..."

"Or that we don't have any fun..." He joked and I splashed him lightly. Bad move. He opened his eyes immediately and got a devilish look on his face. I stood and started backing away. "So that's how we're gonna play it?"

"Hey, it was just a small splash." I laughed. I was quickly reaching the end of where I could stand and we were going further out and away from the place we started at on the shore. "Let's not make any drastic moves." He was beginning to walk closer to me making me back up further. I held my hands up defensively.

"A small splash? I practically drank half ocean with that 'small splash'." His slight accent was coming out and I ignored it to focus on my survival. 

No sudden movements and I'd be able to make it to shore without a fight. After a few moments of prolonged staring, we began the back and forth. He jolted left and I right. Pause. He moved right and I turned left. I just needed to swim faster than him. Pause. I smiled and made my move. James sprinted after me. He caught me my ankle but I kicked him off. He tried again but his grip slipped. I swam faster. As I checked behind me after a while, I saw he was gone. I slowed to a stop and searched around me as I laughed out of breath. James jumped up from out of water and tackled me under with a shark-like scream. We tussled back and forth, pushing each other under until we heard the lifeguard blowing their whistle at us.

"Sorry," James waved and laughed it off. I pushed him under one last time before heading for shore.

"Having fun out there?"  Brynn said sharply. Tara wiggled her eyebrows at me and I rolled my eyes. I sat on my chair and began wiping off the water. James crashed into me as he sprawled on top of me on the lounge chair. 

"Yep," James said nonchalantly. "All tired and worked up quite the appetite."

"Go make yourself something then." I tried pushing him up and off me.

"That's not necessary. Oh garçon!" Brynn cooed to the poor waiter that was stuck with us, or more so her.

"You're crushing me and getting my book wet." I kept pushing as he went more limp on me. I poked at his sides and started tickling him, making him roll and shake on top of me. 

"Stop, I give, I give!" He began to prop himself up. I hardly noticed those around us until he whispered, "We have an audience."