Riptide

chapter 1 - riptide

riptide - vance joy

The waves emitted a calm sloshing sound as they greeted the beach. Tara Green lay on a blanket on the beach, eyes closed and arms and legs crossed as if she was some sort of diva - or model.
"Don't even think about it," she said, as Miles crept up to her, holding a bucket of freezing water from the ocean.
"Damn it." He sat down next to her, a defeated look on his face. "I don't know how you do that all the time. It's like you have special powers or something."
"Hmm. I like to think of it a sixth sense - a sensation rather than a power."
"Right."
Tara opened her eyes smiled up at him before grabbing her hat and sitting up.

"You think fish have feelings? Like, d'you think they plan revenge when one of their brothers gets eaten by another fish or something?"
Tara laughed. "I'm no scientist but I'm pretty sure fish don't eat other fish; that'd be pretty fucked up. Secondly, why are having this conversation, Miles?"
"Dunno. Just a thought."
It was one of the most Miles response you could get, Tara reckoned - if there was a chart that measured how Miles something could get on a scale on 1-10 that would be a solid 7. Their relationship was one in which they both knew what the other was going to say before they said it, the sort of telepathic communication that only occurs in couples who've been married for a minimum of 7 years, or in friendships that mean one person is equally balanced with the other - the kind that Miles and Tara had.
"It's funny how you're always thinking, Miles."
"Isn't it? I've always thought that, ironically." He sighed and got up, brushing sand off himself and a little onto Tara's hat. "I'm going to get my drink from the car. Don't kill anyone who looks at you too long 'kay? They're probably admiring the view," he said patting Tara on the head.
Tara swatted the air, narrowly missing his hand. "Don't touch me."
"Don't kill anyone."

Tara was watching the waves lap up and down the beach when she saw something interesting, or someone, rather. A girl, with green eyes and blonde hair that reached all the way down to her butt. Intriguing. Tara tipped her hat and sat up to get a better view. The girl was accompanied by two boys - one with golden hair and one shorter with grey-brown hair. The blonde boy - her boyfriend? - smiled as he talked to her, then reached behind him to hold the other boy's hand. Okay, definitely not her boyfriend then. Her brother? Tara considered this when the girl turned and saw her. Her eyebrows raised slightly on seeing her and Tara raised her hand in a lazy wave, smiling which earned a blush from the girl and a flustered look back at the blonde boy. Tara laughed, not knowing why she felt butterflies in her stomach already.

At this point, Miles came back, coke in hand.
"Hey Tara-" he stopped short when he saw Tara with her eyes on the blonde girl. "Oh no. Tara? Tara? Hey, you promised your dad you would focus on your grades this summer -  not going chasing after girls. Remember that?"
She turned to look at him a slightly hazy look on her face. "It's not like I've actually done anything Miles, jeez. I'm just..." She turned her attention back to the girl. "...looking."

Miles sighed. "Right, and that's why your face looks like that." Her face did look slightly flushed.
Tara shrugged and smirked a little, triggering an atomic response from Miles.
He fell to his knees, looking up at the sky. "Why? Why me, God?"
"Gosh, don't be so dramatic, Miles. Look - I'll buy you an ice cream at the shop."
Slowly, he raised himself up out of the sand, raising an eyebrow. "You mean that strawberry one from Ben and Jerry's I like?"
Tara nodded.
Miles considered this for a moment, then sighed. "The things I do for you, Tara, I swear," he said getting to his feet.
"

Yeah, yeah. You love me, really."
Miles simply laughed. "That's far from the truth Tara, trust me."
Tara took one last glance at the girl before walking away to get Miles' ice cream.