Hidden Truths

ONE

I didn't blame the girl. Someone clearly had a monopoly on the beach umbrella business, as I couldn't count the number of those hideous rainbow ones I saw every day. "Do you remember what number chair she's sitting near?"

She shrugged, looking around bewildered. "Six? Or four? Or wait, maybe s-seven?" There wasn't even a chair seven.

"Hey, it's alright, don't worry," I soothed her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Just tell me your name so I can make an announcement to your mom, okay?"

She nodded and opened her mouth to tell me, but before she could even speak, Jesse materialized behind her. She felt his presence and tilted her head up, all reticence gone. "Jesse! You're here today!"

He grabbed her under the arms and hoisted her up to his side easily, grinning from ear to ear. "Well, somebody didn't tell me they were coming to the beach either, Bella." He nuzzled her slightly sunburned cheek and pressed a small kiss to it. She giggled and threw her arms around his neck, digging her small fingers into his shoulders.

Despite my confusion, my heart melted at their adorable relationship.

Jesse averted his gaze to me, captivating my undivided attention with those piercing blue eyes. This close, they were identical to Bella's, only more striking against his obsidian hair. "Sorry for not letting you do your job, but Bella's my sister. My very clingy sister, may I add."

I blew out an internal sigh of relief, as I was one step away from wondering if he was a dad. Even if he was, he'd definitely be a dad I'd like to—

"You okay?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

I cleared my throat and nodded, twice for reassurance.

"Oh, just fine, sorry." I sent an amiable smile to Bella, who shyly leaned her head into her brother's neck. "I'm glad that was so easy, actually. In my experience, lost kids always equal frantic parents and buckets of tears."

"You got frantic parent right," he mumbled, eyeing a panicked dirty blonde in the distance running towards us, arms flailing.

Her floppy black sunhat almost flew off her head when she reached the two of them, and she stretched her arms out to Bella. Jesse reiterated the story, not quite as overwhelmed with emotion. The longer I looked between them, the less I saw any resemblance, making me wonder if she was really his mother. I didn't have time to mull over the thought, now watching her amble away with a firm grip on Bella's hand.

Jesse turned back to me. "I should probably get back, but..." He trailed off in thought and took another few steps, until we were hardly a foot apart. My breath hitched in my throat as he whispered in my ear, "I think we've done enough staring for now, haven't we?"

He disappeared into the crowd of beachgoers before I could even utter a response.

Or better yet, before I could agree.

***

There were perks to living at home during summers in college.

The best: I never had to think about cooking my own food or dragging myself to a dining hall, since my dad usually took care of the meals. They consisted of a variety of multicultural takeout, as he couldn't cook a decent dish if his life depended on it. I didn't mind, oddly enthused I had to guess what country my dinner would come from each night.

Today it was India.

"So," my dad began, shoveling in a spoon of biryani and speaking partly with his mouth full, "how's the lifeguarding thing going?"