Fun In The Sun, Chapter 21

Sal and Nick work together on the Greek island of Crete. Nick has always been attracted to Sal but she only seems to see him as a friend. That is until he persuades her to go on an impromptu trek arou

Nick strode towards the water with Sal slung over his shoulder, dangling down his back and yelling for him to stop. It was a fruitless exercise for her to try to stop him as she knew he wouldn't, but it was just what she automatically did in these playful antics with Nick.

"Nick, put me down!" she shouted between laughter.

"Okay, Sal," he replied, walking straight through the waves of the foreshore.

"Not here!" she squealed, glancing down at the wavelets of the bay not far from the top of her upside-down head.

"What? Can't hear you, Sal," he lied, pulling her forward suddenly from off his shoulder and catching her in his arms. "What did you say?"

Sal was nearly at the point where she had laughed so much that she could hardly speak and was becoming completely helpless and at his mercy. He loved it when Sal was like that.

Now at least she was the right way up, but since Nick was still carrying her, she was certain she would still end up in the sea.

"You just walked in with your jeans on," she pointed out incredulously, noting that the water was now lapping around Nick's knees.

"Yeah, sorry to disappoint you Sal," he grinned down at her. "But I didn't have time to take my clothes off."

"Shut up," she replied with amusement, "And put me down."

"Oh yes, I was getting to that. Oh, but before I do, did you want to take your clothes off, Sal?"

"No, I don't. Really, I don't!" she laughed.

He chuckled. "I was just being considerate in case you didn't want to get your dress wet."

"How kind of you. But I won't get my dress wet if you just put me back on the beach!" she exclaimed.

"But, now I'm wet, we may as well just get wet together," he shrugged, "so you don't feel left out," he stressed.

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" she said with resignation.

"I'm going to count to three and then we will go in," he informed her. He would give her one chance to stop this but he suspected that she wouldn't. He was sure that she was enjoying this too much and most probably wanted to go in. "One," he emphasized by pausing afterwards. "Two," he went on. He felt her tense and grab on to his arms as she prepared to be dunked and her laughter came out in a quick succession of breaths, like an excitable child anticipating something funny or thrilling about to happen. "Shall I go on?" he asked.

"Three!" she said impulsively and was rewarded with a big smile from Nick.

The last thing Nick thought before they both went under was that, in comparison, if it had been Jen that he had been doing this to, she probably wouldn't have talked to him for days after.

Suddenly Sal was immersed in what felt like ice cold waters compared to the warmth of the outside air. She struggled to free herself from Nick's arms and touched the sand at the bottom with her feet, pushing herself upwards to emerge from the sea laughing and complaining of the cold at the same time.

""It's freezing!" she exclaimed, shivering and rattling her teeth dramatically.

"It's not that bad," Nick contradicted her.

"It's alright for you to say," she replied, swimming towards him for comfort.

"Why is it alright for me?" he asked as she reached him and put her arms around his middle, shaking and trembling with cold. He instinctively enfolded her in his arms, providing the much sought-after warmth she craved. She turned her head and rested her cheek on the damp material of his shirt, against his chest. "Because you're big and strong and impervious to the cold," she answered.

He chuckled and squeezed her tightly. "Then I'll make you impervious too."

She relaxed a bit then, allowing her shivers to recede.

"Actually, I think it's working," she commented. "I don't feel so cold now," she said, glancing up at him.

"It just the initial shock. The sea is a bit colder this time of year. By the end of the summer season, it's much warmer since it's had the whole summer to heat up," he explained.

She took a small step backwards then, keeping her hands loosely linked behind his back. "Do you do this kind of thing often then?" she asked.

He smiled. "Every now and then. I like swimming at night," he informed her.

"Me too," she agreed, releasing her hold on him and floating backwards, lifting her face to the stars. "I think I prefer it to swimming in the day. It's kind of magical at night."

She had such a delightful view of things.

"So, do you do this kind of thing often too then?" he asked, watching her as she gently floated this way and that with her arms directing her pathways and her eyes glued to the night sky.

"Not very often, but I like it when I do," she replied dreamily before suddenly returning to an upright position with a splash and lowering herself under the sea. She came up all glistening with water, her hair all swept back from her face, sleek and wet.

He closed the gap between them and ran his hands backwards over her hair, removing some of the excess water from it. "The wet look suits you," he commented, "And particularly since now I can see these freckles," he added.

"Don't tease me about my freckles Nicholas, you know they are a sensitive subject," she answered, trying to hold back her smile.

"I don't know why," he said, "I think they're adorable."

She laughed. "How can freckles possibly be adorable?"

"They can if I say they can," he came back forcefully.

She smiled and lowered her gaze. "And I guess you know everything in the universe," she said.

"Absolutely everything," he confirmed.

She giggled and glanced back up at him. Then for no particular reason, she reached out for another hug, resting her cheek back on his chest again. She liked the way it felt. He held her firmly with one arm whilst stroking her hair back rhythmically with his free hand.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yes," she nodded, focusing her gaze on the distant shadows of the coast. "Thank you for sharing your past with me, Nick," she said quietly. "I know it wasn't easy for you." She looked up at him then. "And so that you know, nothing will make me see you differently. I see you the same, but now I just know you better," she smiled.

He smiled down at her in return. She had such a nice way with words.

Sal sighed then and returned her cheek to its resting place on Nick's chest. He was quite happy with that; she felt so perfect in his arms. He was aware that sometime soon, they would have to end this night. He wished it could go on though, or that they could just stay there together forever like that with no problems, no pain or worries, just each other together...like that.

And as they stood there in the tranquil waters which lapped gently against their entwined bodies, he was forced to acknowledge something which he had probably been aware of before, but had not been prepared to admit to himself until that moment: his feelings for Sal were running deeper than he had intended them to. He feared that they were in fact running out of control. But he wasn't going to dwell on that too much just then. It would most likely cause him problems in the future, and so he pushed it to the back of his head and focused on the present moment... because right at that moment, he felt wonderful.

Reviews

[JNEthridge]

Ah, young love. Very well written.
The tension of the opening scene, the dangling of threat, (literally dangling), is very well done. As a guy, been there done that.
The hook in the closing makes me want to go back and find the previous chapters, actually read the whole thing. That is a good sign.
One question I didn't get answered was how he made her warm. I presume that is part the of the bit I haven't read yet.
I will mark this entire thing for future reading.
Good job.