We've Met Before

5 - June Second

KAIA

I laugh as Cade recites another one of his stupid road-trip jokes.
"Knock, Knock."
I roll my eyes, leaning against the window of his mom's Range Rover. "Who's there?"
"Tank."
"Tank who?"
"You're very welcome, Kaia."
I laugh, a laugh that hurts my stomach. He looks back for a sliver of second, just to see my reaction, just to see my laugh.
I look out the window and realize we're almost there. We're almost at the beach. I shift back to see if my family's car is still following closely behind us, and they are.
We couldn't all fit inside one car, so we agreed to split between Cade's car and my mom's. Nobody wanted to ride with Cade because he's notoriously a bad driver, but I have a thing for bad drivers.
Cade's holding the steering wheel with one single hand, his eyes concentrated on the road ahead of him.
I'm quite sure that he'll be eye candy for every single teenage girl sauntering on the beach. He'll be the guy who'll have girls strategically walking by him all afternoon.
Just like how it is at school.
Not that I have any authority to do anything about it, but still, drives me insane.
He parks outside the hotel we're staying in. He walks out and opens the door for me, extending a hand for me to hold. I take it and jump out. He opens the other doors, carrying all the luggage as if they're all bags made of feathers and nothing more. He walks inside, his white shirt clinging to every single inch of his muscle.
We wait inside the lobby for a couple of minutes, making fun of everyone in my family.
"Wait until Aunt Lauren gets sun poisoning like last time," I giggle, widening my eyes.
He laughs, throwing his head back. His dimples show, and I realize how messy his blonde hair looks. There's something so pure about seeing him like this. He almost seems vulnerable.
I'm snapped out of my trance by my mother's screaming.
"Cade Steele! Come out here and help a woman with her bags will you?" She shouts from the lobby, hauling three different suit cases.
We're only staying for a week and a half.
He gets up without a complaint, picking up all three trunks and walking with my mom to the receptionist desk.
——
We get our key cards and Cade sets our bags down.
My mom said I was sharing a room with Cade, which would be suspicious for any mother to do, but I don't think my mother thinks I have enough sex appeal to actually do anything devious. Especially, with Cade Steele.
Never thought I would be so disappointed at the thought of my mother finding me that unattractive.
I enter the hotel card inside it's outlet, and a small ringing noise follows. I turn the handle and I walk inside.
There's only one bed.
I wait at the door frame while Cade walks inside. I wait for him to say something, or to act completely and utterly appalled. But he doesn't. He walks inside, drops our things, turns, and smiles at me. I wait a couple more seconds, and there's no visual reaction.
Maybe he's holding it in.
"There's only one bed," I squeak, finally tiring of the silence.
"So? We used to share beds as kids." He says nonchalantly.
Maybe I really am that unappealing.
I won't worry about it, I can't worry about it. If he sees no harm, then I don't either.
I watch as he sets everything inside the cabinets, lining up all the folded clothes neatly inside, going one by one, exhausting as many minutes as he possibly can.
I look down at my phone, it's screen shining bright against my hand.
We're going down to the beach in twenty
It's a text from my mom.
"Get in your swimsuit loser, mom said she's taking us down to the beach," I say, rustling through my small back pack I brought.
I finally find my bikini. I amble to the bathroom and shut the door. I undress and place the bikini over my body. I look at myself in the mirror and suddenly feel a whole lot worse about this entire thing. My breasts are too big for this swimsuit, and it doesn't help that my stomach isn't perfectly flat.
I throw my clothes over the swimsuit and walk back out. I find Cade staring at the singular bed, his face flushed and red.
Is he mad?
"Cade?" I murmur.
He jumps, startled. He stares at me for a second before finally composing himself as usual.
"I was waiting for you to come out. I need to change."
He picks up a pair of pink swim trunks, and heads towards the bathroom. I sit down on the bed, and decide to take my shirt off. It's the beach, and it's not like I don't already know how everyone views me. Might as well.
I wait for a couple of minutes until Cade finally comes out of the bathroom.
He's wearing nothing but the swim trunks. The dim lighting of the hotel defines every single crevice, and line of his body. If you didn't know he was a high school quarterback, you definitely knew now. He's chiseled, in every sense, meaning, and connotation of the word.
I try to look at everything but him. I suddenly find a fascinating interest with the headboard of the bed.
"Are you ready?" He asks, walking closer towards me.
He smells like the ocean.
"Mhm," I mumble, trying my best to not squeal at his sudden proximity.
"Very well, let's go."
——
My eyes are squinted, and my arms are crossed across my stomach. The sun is blazing, and I think I forgot my favorite sunscreen at home. I get up and walk towards my mom's bag, finding her tube of sunscreen.
I dollop a bit on my hand spread it along my arms, and my legs, and my face. I try to reach my back but I can't.
"Need help?" Case stands in front of me all of a sudden, dripping with ocean water.
I flush, "A little."
He sits down beside me and takes some sunscreen. I feel his fingers smooth over my skin, and it feels electric. I close my eyes and wallow in his contact. He passes over every inch of my shoulders, my spine, the sides of my waist, twice. At one point, I swear I can even feel his breath along my crook of my neck, but I was far too afraid to turn around.
He stops, removing his hands. I suddenly feel very exposed and lie back on the towel I'm sitting on.
I catch one final glimpse of him, and watch as he tackles Uncle Marlow. Uncle Marlow let's put a hardy laugh and I can't help but giggle at the sight.
I close my eyes, and let the sun simmer his touch into my skin.