Breathing Blue | OBX | Sarah Cameron

𝖋 𝖎 𝖋 𝖙 𝖊 𝖊 𝖓

We arrived at the deck just as the ferry was leaving as the horn blared out. "Uhh..." Sarah said.

"No, no, no, no." John B started slow jogging in its direction like there was a chance he could catch it.

"Chill JB, we can try the tug boat. Don't give up on the mission already." I encouraged.

"The mission? Well, well, Allie Stevens. I didn't realise there was an actual meaning behind this." I gave John B an apologetic look since I knew he didn't want Sarah in on this. I tried to play it off by saying it was a joke to make it more exciting and she seemed to accept it.

"Hey, follow me." JB grabbed Sarah by the wrist to which she slapped his hand away and laced her fingers through mine and we followed him. "You ever been on a tugboat?"

"Wait you were serious about that?" She looked at me and I just smiled and nodded.

"We just gotta talk our way onto this barge." He said and we went with it, staying behind as he went to reason with 'his people'. After about 30 seconds he walked back over to us with a defeated look on his face.

He cleared his throat avoiding eye contact with us both. "So..." Sarah said with a smug look on her face which I smiled at trying not to make it obvious I was extremely attracted to her. Oh shit. I thought. I actually like Sarah Cameron. "Come on!" Sarah elbowed me, starting me out of my daze. She handed me a yellow worker coat. "Grab a tank." We all grabbed a gas tank each and me and John B followed her onto the boat, trying to avoid any attention.

We managed to sneak into the extremely humid engine room, lit by red lights. The ship rumbled and started to move. We sat there while the boat moved for around 10 minutes before I got hot to the point I took off my shirt leaving me in a white bikini top and shorts and JB did the same. Sarah pushed her hair back out of her face and looked at me. "Oh my god." She breathed. " What is the hottest you've ever been?"

"Right now." I groaned replying almost instantly.

"Do you want to play a game or something?" She asked us.

"Not really." John B said and I elbowed him lightly and he slapped my arm back.

"Cool, so there's this game my sister and I play. It's called truth or dare, except there's no dares." She explained.

I looked over at her like she was stupid. "So it's just truth. Sarah. That's truth." John B laughed at my sarcasm.

"Yeah. Do you wanna play truth?"

"Do we have a choice?" I asked.

"Nope, you first." She smiled.

"Why did you kill Dimitri?" I asked in my best Russian accent after the talk about a mission earlier.

"Oh, that is too easy. Dimitri, he-- he knew too much. He was compromised." She chuckled.

"Yes, you know, we all know too much, eventually."

"Ah. My turn." She turned to look at John B. "What did you see in the painting? I know it wasn't just 'research'."

"Look, I can't tell you. Okay?" He sighed. I could tell he wanted to though.

"Why?" She questioned.

"Because it's for your own safety." She laughed and glanced at me but I didn't meet her gaze and stayed quiet and my head went to other places as I zoned out. I looked back up at them as Sarah was apologising for bringing up John B's dad, and I don't know why but I felt a twinge of jealousy at the thought of them getting closer.

"I can't imagine losing my dad. My entire family would fall apart without him. Everybody thinks he's this really rich guy, but he's from the cut, like you, and he's busted his ass for everything that we have."

"You appreciate him." I rejoined the conversation.

"Yeah. I do."

"Wish I could relate," I said, my mouth moving quicker than my head. "Oops. Sorry." They both snickered. We all started laughing until my laughs turned into light sobs, and I felt tears start to form in my eyes so I held my breath and Sarah looked at me. "I'm sorry, I know it's selfish. I just wish my dad would've been around with me growing up. Like, as a dad. Not a basket case I had to clean up after." I sighed before wiping my eyes and clearing my throat. "But, uh, I-- I cannot let feelings interfere with the mission." I brought back the Russian accent.

"No. No, comrade." Sarah nodded, but I felt her hand on my back comforting me. "Definitely not." We all fell silent as the boat slowed down. Right as we felt it stop we ran out of the deathly hot room whilst a Chinese man chased us out. JB went ahead and I helped Sarah out of the boat and we ran until we got to the end of the dock and it was thrashing down with rain.

"Oh my god. We're disgusting." Sarah said looking between us.

"What?" I questioned.

"We will not get into the archives looking like this." She told us.

"Why not?" John B asked.

"I promise you, they will not let us in looking like we crawled out of a swamp."

"Okay fine." I agreed and she took us to a fancy-looking shop called 'Ben Silver' which I had never heard of since, well, I grew up with what I could find since my dad was crap at parenting.

"Sarah, I don't think you understand. This is like an organ with the wrong blood type. It doesn't work." I told her. While I was now living on figure 8 I hadn't anywhere near embraced the kook life. Probably due to the fact I spent most of my time with the pogues.

"You are the single most dramatic person I've ever met." She smiled at me. I tried to defend myself but it came to nothing as she ignored me walking over to a shelf of shirts and sweaters. "What about cashmere?" She said as more of a statement than a question.

"Oh, my god. Have you seen this shirt?" John B looked at her in disbelief and she nodded. "It's $190!"

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll sugar mama you." She said to him and I felt the jealousy return, not because of her lending him money but because she was becoming friendly with him. And I wasn't like, territorial. I wanted him to like her. They just seemed like they were flirting which hurt a bit. She kept suggesting things to him while I walked around until she waved us over to the dressing rooms with the store clerk.