"Here." He handed me a bottle of water. "Drink this."
I complied, guzzling the water as Brent rooted through some boxes. My eyes drifted towards a photo hanging from a rusty nail. A small boy grinned into the camera, and I found myself smiling back, his joy contagious. I chose not to ask about it. I annoyed Brent at the best of times and asking personal questions when he'd offered to help might be pushing my luck.
"Um, are you all right with me putting it on your back, then?" he asked, and I tore my eyes away from the photo.
His usual stoic attitude faltered as he repeatedly passed the cream from one hand to the other. Of course he felt awkward. He'd made it clear he didn't like me, he wasn't a sociable person, and now he had to rub cream into my back while I inspected his private space.
To mask my own conflict, I used sass.
"I can't exactly put it on myself, can I?"
Brent's eyes narrowed, but he didn't snap back. Slowly, I turned away and waited, my heart thudding. If he hadn't expressed such uneasiness, I wouldn't be so nervous.
When the cream first touched my back, a refreshing coolness accompanied it. Seconds later, that soothing iciness developed into a sharp sting, and a cry spilled from my throat.
"Sorry," Brent said, not sounding sorry at all. "I forgot to warn you it might hurt."
I clenched my fists, unimpressed with his dirty tactics to score the last word. With my eyes squeezed shut to block out the pain, I concentrated on keeping quiet to avoid giving him the satisfaction of my discomfort.
Once my back had grown accustomed to the cream, the stinging subsided. Brent's hands swept over my skin, gently massaging the lotion in circular patterns, and soon my mind couldn't focus on anything but his fingers.
The silence between us lingered, a palpable tension thrumming through the air. Part of me wanted him to stop; I shouldn't be enjoying this. The other part of me hoped he'd carry on for longer, as if receiving a treatment for sunburn constituted a genuine reason to have his hands on my body without guilt.
His pace slowed as his thumbs glided beneath my bikini tie. As he retraced his path, he pinched the strap and eased it back onto my skin. Although likely a sensitive gesture to avoid the elastic slapping the burn, it felt intimate—his fingers on the last layer of fabric between us.
"It'll take a while to heal," he said, his voice much lower than before.
"Yeah," I said, my own voice hoarse. "I'm an idiot, I know."
I expected him to agree, but he didn't acknowledge it. Instead, he dropped his hands from my back and stepped away.
"All done. I rubbed it in well to ensure it soaks straight into the cells rather than being brushed off by your top."
I nodded. "Great. Thanks. I appreciate it."
He nodded back, and I reached for the door, unwilling to prolong the tense atmosphere between us. As I made a hasty beeline for the house, I swept up my sunglasses from my spot on the sand as I passed.
~~~
I held the phone to my ear and tried to subdue the butterflies flapping their wings in my stomach. With every ring, I became more convinced that Voicemail would kick in. Then, as I was about to hit End Call, he picked up.
"Hey, Rosa," he said, warmth coating his words. "Is everything okay?"
"Is this a bad time?" I asked, sensing he might be busy if the delay in answering my call was anything to go by.
"Not at all. I was just thinking about you."
"Oh? Is that why you took so long to pick up?"
I attempted to make a joke to ease my nerves and get my mind back on Alastair. Perhaps it was natural after being without physical intimacy for a while, but I couldn't help the guilt that surfaced when I recalled my body's reaction to the lifeguard's hands...
Alastair chuckled from his end of the line. "We can move this to FaceTime if you're gonna be like that..."
I smiled, my shoulders dropping and the tension draining out. "How was your meeting today?"
"Fine. Same old business jargon being thrown around a table by people who have no idea what they're talking about. Tell me about your day."
"I burnt my back sunbathing. Fell asleep. Probably as painful as your meeting."
"Ouch. Have you put some aftersun on?"
"Brent gave me something. Stings like a bitch, though."
I could have omitted the part about Brent, but I didn't want to feel like I was hiding things, especially when I didn't have anything to hide. While apart, I wanted full transparency between us, in the hope he'd extend me the same courtesy.
"That's good," Alastair said, his tone light and bouncy. I wasn't sure if he'd moved on from my drunken admission or whether he was trying to keep his annoyance at bay. "Are you staying out of the water?"
"I haven't tried swimming again if that's what you're asking. Just paddling."
Alastair sighed. I waited for him to say something, but he didn't. Every so often during the past few weeks, he'd asked me if I'd gone back in the water. I knew my accident had scared him—even the toned-down version—but he couldn't expect me to go the whole summer without ever dipping my toes in the sea.
"It's fine. The lifeguard is always there, and I never go very deep."
"I know," he said, his voice rushed. "Sorry. I just worry, Rosa. If anything happened to you..."
"Nothing is going to happen. It scared me, too, you know... I'm not planning to get myself into that situation again."
His concern was touching, but it made me miss him more. It would be so good for us if he came out here, an unparalleled opportunity to bond and have fun. We'd be away from the pressures and people of London, free to be our authentic selves.
Sometimes Alastair and I struggled to connect like we used to. He rarely relaxed, work always on his mind. The Outer Banks represented the perfect place to switch off and rediscover that fun-loving side I'd fallen for three years ago.
"I wish you were here." I voiced my thoughts.
He sighed in regret. "Me too, Rosa. It sounds beautiful."
"It is. Just not the same if you don't have anyone to share it with."
"I know. Keep sending me photos, then we can at least pretend I'm there with you."
Despite feeling nervous when I'd started the phone call, Alastair had brightened my mood. He might be a talented actor in the boardroom, but faking concern and affection while he cheated on me with Daisy?
No, even Alastair couldn't do that.
~~~
Thank you for reading :) xx
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