From Me to You [Complete]

16

I'm lying on my towel, spread out, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine with my eyes closed. Suddenly it gets a lot darker. I open my eyes and see a tall silhouette above me. Its body seems familiar, and as my eyes adjust, I notice curly hair moving in a slight wind and the outlines of a tanned face.

Michael bends down and moves a hand in front of my face. "Anybody home?" he asks with a grin, "Your mother is calling you."

"Oh, she is? I must have dozed off..." Michael doesn't move as I sit up, but remains crouched, watching me with a slight smile. I raise my eyebrows. "Yes?"

He runs his hand down one side of my face, "You're getting a nice tan." His hand traces my cheekbone and down the side of my nose before finally finding my lips.

I blush and feel like everyone can see. "Careful," I warn, but he only smiles. I stand up and turn in the direction of our parents.

"Amanda!" I finally hear my mother calling. I run over to her and duck so that my head doesn't hit the umbrella.

"Yep?"

"Did you fall asleep?" She eyes me with concern. "You're getting really red. Put some more sunscreen on." She passes me the bottle –my mother always seems to carry a bottle of sunscreen around, I think especially on the darkest winter days.

"Alright, alright," I agree reluctantly.

"If you turn around I can get your back." I do as I am told and shiver at the sudden cold of the lotion on my back. I hate how cold sunscreen is –it makes me hate putting it on even more than I already do, which is saying a lot.

"Alright, all done on your back, want help with your face?"

"Yep!" I spin back around to face her.

"Mom, I'm going for a walk." Robert appears beside me and my mother, talking to Alice.

"Oh, alright," Alice says, she looks surprised, but suddenly I see an opening. "All by yourself?"

"For the moment," Robert says, looking at me.

I look back, wondering what he's up to. "I'll go with you," I offer.

"Okay," Alice says, smiling, "You'll have to wait a minute while Amanda lathers up."

After my face is finished becoming immune to sun, I quickly put at thin layer on the rest of my body and hand the bottle back to my mother –no need to go too heavy on the tan stopper. When I turn back, Michael has wandered over to ask if we'd like to swim again. I am about explain what I want to do, but my mother is quicker.

"Robert and Amanda are just leaving for a walk, if you'd like to join them," she says.

Robert's eyes narrow again, like they did earlier. Michael's eyebrow quirks up at me in surprise. I look at Michael, wondering what to say in front of everyone. Andy comes to the rescue.

"Walk? Who walks? I could use a cool off," he says to Michael. I don't even know where he came from. Jean and Ann are also nowhere to be found. Andy wanders down toward the water, not even checking if Michael follows.

Michael shrugs at me. "See you later!" He runs down to catch up with Andy.

"You ready?" Robert asks.

"Yep, I'll just grab my T-shirt. Taking it off as soon as they can't see us though...is it too much to ask for a tan?" I add under my breath but I think Robert hears me when he turns away and makes a strangled coughing noise.