Star Catchers

Jason Part 7

I hop out of my truck before Mia can reach it and open the door for her. I gesture in like a royal servant, "My lady, your carriage awaits." My little joke wins me a small giggle, a score in my book. Once she is inside I run over to my side and turn the car around. "So I was thinking we could go over to the pools by the beach and watch the sunset, do you want to?" She looks down at her feet, like she is scared or something. "Yeah, that would work. I love sunset," she tries to sound genuine but her voice flatters halfway through. "What's wrong babe?" I try to stay focused on the road and keeping the mood up beat. "Oh, I um, I'm not a very good swimmer," she sounds like she is amused with herself. "Aw, don't worry, I won't let you drown on my watch, look at these guns," I jokingly flex my arm as she pokes it. "Oh wow, I feel soooo much more safe, thanks," I think she is finally warming up to me. "You brought a bathing suit, right?" I am kind of hoping she didn't, and then maybe I could suggest skinny-dipping. "Yes, of course I did, which beach are we going to?" I don't really know the name of it, but I have been going there ever since I was little and my family was bothering. "The wet one," I flash her my cocky smile. She shakes her head at me and we go on with our meaningless conversation.

Twenty minutes later we pull up to the deserted beach. "And this, ladies and gentlemen, is my little slice of heaven." The sun is starting to sink in the sky, but we still have enough time to get changed. "Where are the changing rooms?" She sounds little timid as we reach the edge of the sand, I point to a small shack with a fabric door. "You have got to be kidding me," she sounds like such a rich kid, but I try to ignore it. "I promise I won't walk in on you, okay?" Even though I would love to, I know she would kill me. "Okay, fine, but if you do.... Okay, just don't," her trying to threaten me is a funny sight, taking into consideration that I am more than half a foot taller. She quickly emerges from shack in an oversized purple cover up that hangs past her thighs and near her fingers. I'm already wearing my bathing suit so I just take off my Aero shirt and throw it in the hot sand. "So, shall we swim or watch sunset?" I would rather just swim because I don't see the point of watching the earth rotate, but girls seem to like it. "Umm, sunset!" She sets off running towards the water then falls into the sand on her back. I lay next to her, soaking up the warmth from the sand.

"Do you ever think that some days can just last forever, like they seem like they are so full that they can never fade into another day," her voice sounds full of wonder. "When you are missing from my day, it last forever. But when you are with me, the day is over in a second. If forever turned into a second and a second lasted for an eternity my life would be perfect. So I just need so many of those second days to fill up the space my forever days create in my heart?" I pause for a while to formulate my next words, "Will you give me enough seconds to fill my eternity?" We are both so quiet I can hear her faint breathing. "I will give you all the seconds left in me," her voice is as light as a butterfly's heartbeat.

We both sit up in time to see the sun slip under the waves. My arm fits securely around her waist, anchoring her into me. "Let's go swimming," I pull us both up and decide I feel like picking her up. She lets out a high-pitched laugh, "Jason, let me down!" She punches my chest with fiery, clenched fists. "Hey, hey, babe, I'll let you down once we get to the pool, just enjoy the ride," with that I take off running towards the gated in pool, hearing her screaming giggles makes me so over filled with joy. "Okay, okay, you are free to go now," I set her down as I reach around in my pocket for the key. The gate opens like it has for the past nine years, like it is gliding on air. I hold the door open for her; remember that I should be a gentleman. She sits at the edge and puts her feet in the warm water. "You know, it helps if you take off your cover up," she shoots me a look that tells me I'm being a smart ass. She gets up and steps away from the edge, "Okay, close your eyes, I'll tell you when to open." I laugh but do a told, I feel the fabric be thrown at me. Next thing I know there is a splash and she tells me to open. I jump in after her; the last thing I hear before my ears are submerged is her scream. Once at the bottom I shoot myself up so our faces align, "Hi, beautiful." She wraps her legs around me, "How am I beautiful? I look like a wet puppy." She shakes her head like my dog does after a big storm. "You are a very cute puppy though, even when wet," before she can argue anymore, I block her words with my lips.

Her arms latch behind my neck, so now she is fully secured to me. I swim over to the stairs and bring us out. Inside on of the cabanas I lay us down on one of the beds and straddle my legs over her. With my hands over our heads I lean in for aiming for her lips. After sometime I feel like I need to add something. I slip my tongue into her mouth as she does the same, more timidly than me. When I pull my head back, her's quickly follows. I want to turn on the lanterns, but at the same time, I don't want to pull away. Finally, after I get too annoyed because I cant see her. "Mia? One sec, I want to turn some light on," I leave her on the bed, but before I turn the light on she quickly sit up. "Wait, wouldn't you rather it dark?" She sounds a little on edge. "No, I want to see your face," I flip the switch on and make my way back over to the bed. Halfway there I notice something is off. Mid stride I stop and everything falls into place. "Jason, are you okay?" her voice sounds muffled, like their is glass separating us. "Please, please tell me...." My voice flatters like I am about to snap. "I don't know what you want to know," she now sits on the edge of the bed, her feet dangling over the edge. "Mia, I have two questions, okay? Only two," she nods for me to continue, "Now, please don't lie to me, when did you start harming yourself?" She looks at me with hurt in her eyes, "The summer of seventh grade." Her voice is so small it is barely audible. I grab the edge of the table trying to steady myself, Okay you get one more question, don't blow this Jason, ask what you need to know. "Do you promise to not take the seconds you promised me away?" She looks up into my eyes, "All of our seconds will fill an eternity."