Ronny

Chapter 30

"The sun here isn't strong."

I raise an eyebrow at this, "I don't think that's true..." I say, spraying all over myself with sunscreen.

"Let me put sunscreen on you." I say to him, since I'm not about to deal with a whiney Aaron when he is sunburned. He groans and turns away from me, taking off his shirt.

I spray the sunscreen all over his back and rub it into his shoulders. "And we learned from last time that we will reapply in an hour."

We walk to the water and I recoil at how cold it is. And since Aaron is emotionless, he walks right in without flinching. I slowly get used to the temperature, making my way to where Aaron is deeper in the water. 

Luckily, even though the water is cold, the sun is shining down on us and making the air around hot. We swim around for a while and I show him my underwater acrobatics. I have a mean aerial.

"This is so cool." I say as we walk out of the water, looking up the hill at all of the buildings.

"Mhm." Ronny says, sitting down on the towel we had laid down. I sit next to him and lean back on my hands, straightening my legs out.

"I hope I get tan." I say.

"You won't with ten layers of sunscreen on."

"I put one on you drama queen. Don't you remember last time how right I was about sunscreen?" I ask.

"Hush." He says to me, leaning back on the towel and closing his eyes.

He's laying there, shirtless, his perfect tan body right next to me.

My eyes zone in on the scars littering his body. Burn marks, cuts, deep looking wounds all over him. I feel awful knowing someone had hurt him like that, and that there's nothing I could do or say to make any of his past better.

I don't know anything about his past, which unnerves me a little, but I trust that he will tell me with time.

I know his Mom passed away and his father is out of the picture, and that he grew up in New York. That is pretty much it.

I want to ask him so badly what happened—who did that to him— but I don't. He was so quick to tell me not to ask him when I first saw him shirtless.

"My dad." He says to me out of nowhere, his eyes still closed.

My stomach twists at his words, both from him reading me so well to the thought of him being hurt like this by his father.

"A long time ago. I'm fine." He adds, his eyes fluttering open and he looks to me, leaning back on his elbows.

"I'm sorry," Is all I can think to say, "Did he go to jail?" I ask.

He shakes his head, "No but he's gone."

"Your siblings?" I ask him.

"No. Just me."

I sit for a minute, hating how my mind goes to my own father. Ronny was truly hurt by his—and is covered in scars—while I cry myself to sleep if Papa grabs my wrist too hard.

Ronny would think I am so weak.

I lay back on my back beside him, "Y'know you're my favorite person." I say, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"You are mine." He says, his voice raspy.

"Are you just saying that cause I said it?" I question him

"Since when do I say things just to make you feel better?"

"You're right." I look up to his face, giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

We lay like that for a while and I feel the most relaxed I ever have. Listening to the waves crashing on the beach, the sun beaming down on the two of us and hopefully giving me a nice little tan. Aarons arm is around my shoulder and my head rests on him.

I never want to leave.

1704 words