* + ❀ + *
"Anyone up for a swim?" Matt suggested.
"Yeah!" Este cheered.
Rowan and I agreed and so Este and I took our jean shorts off so we were now only in our bathing suits.
"Race you!" Matt instantly took off, and the rest of us running to catch up to him.
As we met the water, it was harder to run, but we all made it about the same time. We were about chest deep in the water. The deepest i'd been in the ocean.
The moon was out and the sky dark. The water was cooler by now, but it felt nice since the weather was somehow still hot. I hope I get used to this insane heat soon.
Some of the other kids our age at the party were in the water too, and now more started to join. We were all spread out though, so the four of us had our own area away from the others.
The moon glistened against the water and gave a pretty reflection against the small waves.
Rowan went underwater to get his hair wet and came back up. "The water feels nicer tonight." He said, moving his hair out of face.
He went back under and I assume pulled Matt's legs down, causing him to go underwater since he let out a cut off yelp. Este and I laughed at the two.
Both of them resurfaced and Rowan was laughing too.
"I'll get you back for that, dude." Matt grumbled, moving his hair back.
"You two go back and fourth like brothers." Este joked.
Rowan gave Matt a look that could only mean one thing, and before either Este or I could react, they had us by the shoulders and ducked us underwater.
We came back up above to the two of them laughing at us. But we couldn't help but laugh too. Something was making this funnier than it should be.
We finally settled down, then Matt swam closer to Este. He grabbed her waist and began to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. I thought they'd stop, but they kept going.
"Guys, we're in the middle of the ocean get a room!" Rowan joked.
Matt moved his face away from Este, still holding her, and splashed Rowan while laughing, then returned to kissing Este.
"C'mon Eileen, guess we gotta find a different part of the ocean." Rowan laughed.
"Guess so." I went along, and as I said it, I realized maybe Matt and Este had planned for that all along.
We both swam some distance from the two, and now had our own spot. We looked back and saw Matt lifting Este out of the water by her waist and playfully throwing her back in as she screamed.
"MATHEW TRUMAN!" She yelled, once she came back from underwater.
"How about we get to know each other." Rowan suggested.
"Sure. Are you originally from here?"
"Yep. Not this exact city though. Have you always lived in Kansas?"
"Yeah. This is my first time anywhere out of Kansas."
"Woah. That makes me want to have the fun of showing you around the city instead of Este." He grinned.
"I'm getting the impression there's lots to see, so maybe that can be arranged."
He seemed satisfied by my answer. Our knees are definitely touching, but neither us paid any mind to it.
"Are you homesick yet?" He wondered.
"No, definitely not homesick. Have you ever been out of state?" I returned his question.
"Yep. I mean I live in a vacation state, so I've only been to boarder states mostly for weekend trips or to visit family."
"What do you do all day?" I asked.
"Well surfing's my favorite thing to do. I like to run around the city, hang around the beach, bonfires, night swims. Stuff like that."
"Those are typical beach rat answers. But, that seems nice to do everyday." I chuckled.
"What about you, what'd you usually do in Kansas?"
I paused a moment, not really wanting to think about my old life. Let alone talk about it. I didn't know Rowan very well so I wasn't sure what I wanted to tell him.
"Mostly worked. Tried finding random things around town to entertain me. Messed with the fuzz. I don't know, but nothing as nice as being at the beach all day."
Rowan went quiet a moment. He seemed to think about what I said. Maybe he noticed I didn't really want to talk about it.
"There seems to be a lot more to you. I can't figure you out." Rowan said quietly.
"Are you trying to?"
"Maybe. You don't like to talk much, do you?"
I shook my head. But I think I smiled too. For some reason, I wasn't so uptight around Rowan. Usually I always have my guard up and stay closed up, especially around people I don't know well.
Then thinking about it, ever since I got here I'd felt brighter and not as tense. Maybe because I had nothing to worry about here. I had my own bedroom, new clothes, at least two meals a day.
"Well what do you think about the ocean?" Rowan asked, referring to this being my first time swimming in it.
Once he asked, all the feelings I really had about the ocean raced through my head.
But instead, I went with a simple, "Yeah, it's pretty. It's real nice."
He smiled at my answer anyway. There was a beat of silence, and we exchanged glances. I felt sort of fuzzy around him. I kinda wanted to know more. But it didn't seem like he wanted to answer much.
"What's your reason for being so private?" He asks me.
I paused a moment. "I don't trust easy. What about you?"
"Nobody to really listen."
My eyes meet his. "Same." I murmur quietly.
I then heard in the distance, "Lena!" I turned to see Este and Matt swimming towards us.
"So, watcha guys up to?" Este grinned.
"Just getting to know each other." Rowan answered.
"Well, unfortunately we have a curfew, and we're past it. So we better get back." She stated.
"That's alright. We'll walk you guys home." Matt offered.
Este laughed. "I can see our house from here, it's on the beach."
"It's the thought that counts." Rowan smiled.
We all swam back to shore and dried off. By now, the crowd around the bonfire had thinned out and there was hardly anyone still here. The night got cooler and I was ready to go to sleep.
Este and I put our jean shorts back on, got our stuff, and we all started walking back to the house.
"I had fun." Este said to Matt, once we made it to the back door.
"I'm glad. I'll see you tomorrow." He said, then gave her a kiss.
"It was cool meeting you, Eileen. I hope to see you again." Rowan smiled.
"Yeah. Likewise."
The two boys walked off and me and Este went inside quietly. All the lights were off inside, besides the kitchen light. I assume someone left it on for us when we didn't come back at curfew. No one told me exactly what the curfew is, but Este says we aren't past it that much.
I followed her into the kitchen as she grabbed some snacks for us and drinks. I didn't realize until now that I was hungry.
We made our way upstairs and Este motioned for me to follow her into her bedroom. She set the snacks she had down on her bed and gave me an excited look.
"Okay, I feel saltwater and sand all over me and I badly want to shower. But after, I wanna hear everything about you and Rowan!" She exclaimed.
Before I could tell her there wasn't anything to say, she had already grabbed her pajamas and started heading to the bathroom.
"Actually, i'll use the downstairs bathroom and you use this one so we can be done at the same time." She said.
Again, couldn't say anything, she was already gone. So I went with it. I went into my room to grab what I needed for a shower and made my way into the bathroom.
I now understand the saltwater and sand all over feeling. It's sort of nice knowing it's because I had fun today, but also I want it off. But then I realized what I was thinking. I did have fun today. It felt like the first time in my whole life I stopped being so tense for a moment.
After what felt like the most refreshing shower ever, especially in a fancy shower, I felt so much better. I braided my wet hair to keep it out of my face then met Este in her bedroom again. She was sitting at her vanity doing her own hair.
"You're back!" She exclaimed once she saw me.
I laughed at how excited she was. "Este, there's not much to tell. All we did was talk."
"Sigh. Fine. But you know I love this stuff."
"Fine, just for you."
We both sat down in her bed and Este turned the TV on. Some sort of movie that she put on low volume.
She opened the snacks and handed me the drink she got me.
"So, what do you think of Rowan?" She asked.
"He's actually pretty cool. He seems really laid back."
"Maybe you like him?"
"Este, I just met him." I chuckled.
"Oh, and we could go on double dates! Rowan even mentioned us all going surfing himself."
"That would be fun. I like that he's a surfer. Do most people here surf?" I questioned.
"Not everybody, but it's a cool deal when someone can."
"When did you start surfing?"
"First tried it when I was eleven, but then really started loving it at twelve." She answered happily.
"So, what are plans for tomorrow?" I asked, taking a swig of my drink. I sort of just wanted to sleep for three days straight, but I knew that's not happening.
"Wait! The only seafood you've tried was shrimp from the other night, right?"
"Yeah." I was wondering where she was going with this.
"What if we take you to a seafood restaurant? We can go with the guys!" Este exclaimed.
I smiled and decided to entertain her excitement. "Okay. That'd be nice."
"Yay! A double date." She cheered. "I'll arrange that tomorrow. My favorite restaurant is this one at the end of the boardwalk called 'Crab Shack.' The best seafood."
I did think it would be fun. Maybe I could get used to this beach life.
I was starting to think of home a lot. I tried ignoring it, but it's gotten harder. I don't miss it and all I've ever wanted was to get out of that town. And that's what happened. So I wasn't really sure what the feeling was.
I definitely felt a lot of guilt about my feelings of my parents being gone now. I never knew of any aunts, uncles, or cousins. I only knew my parents even if I didn't know much about them. I hadn't even cried and now I'm playing around in Florida without even really grieving. What was wrong with me?
I don't remember anything after that, because Este and I must have fallen asleep.