"Oh Louise it was beautiful. I can't wait to send you pictures. Could I have your address?" I asked Louise, adjusting the phone against my cheek as I brushed through Nix's fur with my fingers.
"Only if you send me a picture of that puppy too," Louise chuckled.
I laughed and tried to explain everything I had seen to her, but it was hard to fit all of my memories into just one conversation.
Logan had suggested that I call Louise on the hotels phone if I wanted to talk to her. We hadn't talked since I'd called her from that payphone.
Louise was ecstatic to hear from me again and told me about how my parents were still looking. Police kept tabs on her and even went as far as getting a warrant to search her house.
"They knew I ran. I know what they're doing," I sighed into the phone.
"That's just...wrong," she muttered, "Will you go back?"
"I have to."
"But why?"
"I left my favorite sweater," I joked and Louise laughed.
"But seriously, I need the rest of my stuff. I'll be eighteen and I can do what I like when I get back," I shrugged. My plan was fool proof when it came to legality. All I needed was 9:37 am on July 4th and I was legally my own person.
"Alright, alright," Louise agreed and then giggled, "How's your man?"
I glanced towards the bathroom door where Logan was changing and smiled, "Happily in love with me."
"What?! I fucking called it!" Louise squealed, causing Nix to sit up quickly.
I laughed, "Yeah, you saw that one before I did. Lulu, I didn't know someone could love me so much. It's so different."
"Does he kiss your cheek?"
"Yes."
"Call you beautiful?"
"Every morning."
"Do you love him?"
"More than I ever thought possible," I said truthfully.
Louise paused, contemplating, ".....Is he good in bed?"
"Louise!" I shrieked in embarrassment.
"Well?!...."
"Yeah..." I answered sheepishly.
"Bitch you best put a ring on it," she instructed me and I chuckled.
"He says he will follow me anywhere," I smiled to myself.
"What about his family?"
"...Logan doesn't really have family. I'm going to help him send his father to rehab when we get back. I have a few connections to help him out. He says if that doesn't work then he just can't do it anymore," I said softly so Logan wouldn't overhear.
"That's understandable. He seems like a lovely young man. I wish I could meet him to see for myself," she said.
I thought for a moment, "What if we came to see you on our way back?"
"Oh my gosh, yes!" She screamed on the other line and I held the phone away from my ear.
I chuckled, "Things are so different Lulu. I can't wait for you to see. The best thing I've ever done was take your advice."
"Well I'm glad to be of service darling," she said proudly.
"Eva, are you about ready to go?" Logan stepped out of the bathroom and looked at me.
"Louise-"
"I heard. Go, go have fun with your boy," she giggled.
"Bye Lulu," I chuckled.
"Bye bye."
I hung up the phone and stood up, fixing my bikini top, "Yup, lets go."
Logan squinted at me, "Got plenty of sunscreen on?"
I rolled my eyes, "I'm tan now, I don't need that....but yes, I used half the bottle."
"Good," he smiled, kissing my forehead, "I hope Nix loves the ocean."
"She loves anything that moves," I laughed and grabbed Nix off the bed. I stuck her in my emptied out backpack and zipped her in, leaving a small breathing hole.
I tied a breezy material skirt around my waist and slipped on some flip flops. The ocean was just ten minutes from our hotel and we were more eager to get there.
As soon as we parked, I pulled Nix out of my bag and hooked her leash to her collar.
I set her on the sand and she strained to get to the ocean.
"So there's-"
I ripped off my skirt and threw it at Logan's face, "Race you!"
Nix and I flew across the sand as Logan sputtered. He snatched up our stuff and quickly caught up to me.
We haphazardly laid out our towels before running to the ocean. The familiar salty breeze made me grin as I splashing into the shallows.
Nix yipped and hurried after me, unsure but too excited to care. The water quickly reached her chin so I had to scoop her up to wade out further.
"See if she'll swim," Logan said as we went out to waist deep.
I looked at Nix unsurely, "What if she sinks?"
"Then we'll save her."
I cautiously held Nix out over the water and began to laugh when her paws started to work like she was trying to swim- before she hit the water.
Logan was in hysterics when I lowered her and she began to air-paddle faster. I finally let her sink into the water.
She splashed feverishly to stay afloat. I let her go and nearly grabbed her when she sank a bit.
But she bobbed back up to the surface and was barely able to swim around, despite the waves. After a few minutes of playing, Nix was panting heavily and I didn't want her to overwork herself.
We went back to the beach and tied Nix's leash to a stake. I don't think it mattered though, she flopped onto a towel tiredly.
Logan and I walked to a nearby juice hut to get some drinks. I looked at all of the rentable items behind the counter. Surf boards, scuba gear, snorkeling stuff, wave boards and such as that.
I nudged Logan as he sipped a mango smoothie, "Ever gone surfing or snorkeling?"
"Surfing, yes, snorkeling, no," he grinned.
I looked at the guy behind the counter, "Two boards and two sets of snorkeling gear please."
Logan looked at me unsurely as I dragged my board towards the ocean, "Eva, you don't know how to surf."
He waded out with me and I grinned at him, "Apparently you do. Teach me babe."
Logan grinned and got onto his board, sitting in the middle, "Alright...get up there."
I climbed on my board, slipping off more than once before I was upright. Logan gestured for me to follow him and lay across his board, paddling further out to sea.
The board was hard to maneuver, but I stayed close to Logan.
"This is as far as we should go," he said when the beach was just within our sight, "Don't go any farther out or the riptide may take you."
"Okay," I grinned as we bobbed with the waves, "Now what."
"Wait and watch," Logan smiled, turning his board around.
After a few minutes he looked over his shoulder and grinned, "Here's one."
A large wave rolled closer to us and raised our boards. I fought to stay on my board sitting down as Logan stayed low.
He began to coast along the wave and I was surprised when he stood up on his board slowly. Logan cheered as he rode the wave a ways out.
He jumped off when it got closer to the shallows and paddled back to me.
"I can barely sit on a board, I'm not sure if I can do that," I mumbled when he joined me, "Where did you learn?"
"Gulf shores Alabama," Logan chuckled, "You can do it."
"Hmm," I hummed. He gave me pointers while we waited for the next wave, telling me where to put my feet and how to even out my balance.
"Here comes a decent one," Logan said as he strapped a velcro fastener to my ankle that connected me to my board, "Be careful."
I nodded and we both turned our boards. I felt the back end of my board raise with the wave and tried to get my feet under myself.
I was barely squatting when I slipped straight off the board and into the wave. I came up and grabbed onto my board, wiping my eyes, "Damnit!"
I scowled at Logan as he laughed a short distance away.
"Try again Eva," he grinned, "You'll get it."
I grumbled as I got back on my board and paddled towards Logan. I turned my board and waited again.
Another wave that was rideable came along and I readied myself. The same thing happened, only this time I was just barely able to stand up a little more.
I whacked my knee off my board on the way down and frowned when I spit out salty water.
"You okay?" Logan asked as I got back on.
"Yeah," I said, looking at the bruise forming on my knee, "This is hard."
"It is," he agreed, "But you'll get it."
For another hour I tried to surf with Logan's encouragement. A couple times I could stand up, but it never lasted long. My entertainment was seeing Logan fall every now and then. Neither of us could ever survive a surfers competition.
"One more," Logan tried to persuade me.
"Fine," I sighed and climbed onto my board.
"Big one," Logan said as he watched another wave form.
I held onto my board tightly and felt it rise. Wobbly placing my feet under myself and trying to stagger them, I attempted to let go of my board and stand.
The force of the wave had to be combatted with a stance so I locked my back leg for support.
"Hey!" I grinned as I was able to stand without falling off right away.
"Whoooo! Yeah baby!" Logan cheered, standing on his own board a ways from me.
"Woah!" I cried as the wave crested under me and knocked me off balance. Down I went and the wave rolled over me.
I laid back on my board when I came up and let the waves push me back towards the shallows.
"Gnarly wave eh behb," Logan grinned at me, mimicking a beach boy accent.
I giggled, "A real monster, dude."
We went back to the beach to dump our boards and check on Nix, who was guarding our towels against some sea gulls.
"Silly girl," I chuckled as I propped the boards up and draped a towel over them to give her some shade.
We grabbed our goggles and snorkels, heading back out to the ocean. I laughed as Logan put on his goggles, making him seemed bug-eyed.
I slipped mine on, "Ready?"
Logan nodded and we swam over to the edge of a hill above that dropped off as a cliff. People all around us were snorkeling and looking at everything under the blue-green water.
I slipped the snorkel bit into my mouth and made a thumbs up to Logan. We both dipped into the water and stuck our faces just under the surface. I smiled around the snorkel bit.
Under the water was a tiny ecosystem all on its own. A kelp bed lay ten feet below us and darkness delved below that, which was a little scary.
But around and in the vegetation and rocks were colorful fish everywhere. They didn't mind us and just swam about their business.
In the shallower areas, I kept seeing shells. I took a deep breath and dove down, my eyes on a beautiful purple shell that was a spiral shape.
I reached out and pulled it out of the sand, holding onto a rock to keep the waves from knocking me into the cliff edge.
I went to the surface for air and Logan met me.
"What is it?" He asked.
"A shell," I grinned and turned it over.
I nearly pissed myself as spiny legs quickly crawled out of the shell and poked my hand. I shrieked and instinctively dropped the shell.
Logan laughed, "A hermit crab."
"Damnit," I hissed.
"Look out below!" Someone shouted and Logan wrapped an arm around my waist to yank me to the side.
A screaming guy hit the water just next to where I was moments ago.
"The fuck?" Logan said, looking up.
We watched more people leap off the edge of the cliff and fall into the deep drop off. That was a good forty foot drop.
I turned to Logan, "Let's do that."
His eyes widened, "What?"
"Lets jump off the cliff," I grinned excitedly, pulling him towards the beach.
"But- the water," he stammered.
"They're jumping where the drop off is. It's too deep to hit anything," I said, dragging him ashore.
We left our stuff with Nix, who was digging a hole, and I dragged Logan up the hill.
A whole group of people around our age were waiting to take a leap. I watched as a girl launched herself off the edge fearlessly and do a flip, causing everyone to cheer madly.
"Oh god," Logan mumbled, peering over the edge.
"Don't look down, it makes it worse," I chuckled, pulling him away.
"I dunno Eva," he said worriedly.
I shrugged, "Alright, if you don't wanna jump then will you wait at the bottom for me?"
He chuckled, "I'm not letting you jump off a cliff alone."
We watched a group of four all dive off the side.
"Then jump with me," I beamed, grabbing his hand.
"Okay..."
"Look out below!" I shouted loudly.
People quickly cleared the way and whooped. I didn't think, I just did.
As soon as my feet left the rocky edge, my heart was in my throat and my stomach joined it, like when we rode the sky fall.
The water below was coming at us so fast and Logan's grip on my hand was so tight. An exhilarated shriek came from me as a wave rolled beneath us.
It was an eternity in a second. My feet hit the water and tingles shot up my legs. I didn't exactly have time to take a breath as the cold water enveloped me.
Logan and I sank far below the surface before we just floated. Seaweed below me tickled my calves and made me hurry in pushing for the surface.
Logan dragged me upwards and we broke through the water.
"Oh wow," Logan sputtered, squinting upwards.
I grinned and started laughing.
"Again!"