Float

Original Edition: Chapter Nineteen

I stopped breathing for a second.

"Trust me," he said, his voice rumbling straight through his fingers and into my bones, "I won't let anything happen to you."

I took a deep breath.

"Promise?"

"I promise," he replied.

And I believed him.

God, his eyes were so blue. I hadn't really realized how close we were until I saw the freckles across his nose and the little white scar above his eyebrow. I felt heat rush to my face, and wondered if he could feel it beneath his fingers.

"Because, you know, if I die, I'll come back from my watery grave to haunt the shit out of you, right?" I teased, trying to break the invisible tension that'd appeared between us.

Blake let out a loud, barking laugh.

"I figured you would," he chuckled, releasing his hold on my chin and tapping me once on the tip of my nose with his finger.

The action was incredibly endearing.

"Blake!"

The high-pitched wail of Alissa Hastings shattered the moment. Blake and I both turned to see the offending girl skipping down the beach, her tank top billowing in the wind and her tanned skin glittering in the sunlight.

She was so pretty.

It wasn't fair.

"Hi," Blake responded, blinking at her.

I turned to look for Lena, not wanting to witness Blake and Alissa's interaction. I'd rather put my own hand in a blender and make a cannibal smoothie.

"Long time no see, huh?" Alissa giggled.

Oh, shoot me, why don't you?

"Guess so," Blake responded. "How've you been?"

He sounded... civil.

Not flirtatious, not love-struck. Just polite.

"I'm good, I'm good." Alissa nodded, then frowned a little and set her hand against his arm, "How are you?"

What it sounded like she was asking was do you miss me.

"Good," Blake replied instantly, glancing over at me. I took the opportunity to pull my lips back into a grimace and stick out my tongue. I even crossed my eyes, just for added effect. The corners of Blake's lips curled upwards a little, like he was holding back a laugh, and he turned back to Alissa.

"Really?" she asked, eyebrows quirking up.

"Great, actually," he revised, "I'm great."

Alissa smiled.

"Good," she said, "I'm glad."

And she sounded like she genuinely was.

Which made me feel like I was intruding on some very important getting over each other moment. I turned and looked for Lena again, trying to resist the urge to grin like an idiot. Now Jesse and Alissa would be in the clear to have whatever sort of romantic relationship an idiot like Jesse could manage, and Blake and I could—could what?

I thought back to the note he'd left me.

I am also sorry for that thing I tried to do after you won Scrabble. I will not try to do it again, I promise.

He'd regretted almost kissing me. The thought blew a hole through my heart and sent it sinking into my feet. Just because Blake was single now didn't mean I had any more of a shot with him than I did at the start of the summer.