Mirage - Alice Tribue Page 0,55
and effortlessly carries me a few feet into the water, laughing as I smack him on the back.
“Nathan, please, please don’t drop me in the water.”
“No? Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I squeal in response. He grabs my hips and pushes as if he’s about to throw me in but pulls me back at the last minute, my torso against his. I circle my arms around his neck as he wraps his arms around my waist and holds me impossibly close. His mouth descends to mine and he kisses me, gently setting me down in the water. The heat from his kiss and the cold water makes me grab onto him tighter. I wrap my legs around his waist when we break the kiss. He chuckles and begins to walk, carrying us further out into the ocean. We stay out here for a while, him holding me as we jump over the waves that come crashing in. It’s not a romantic dinner over candlelight, a Broadway show, or a visit to a fancy art gallery, but the simplicity of this moment is something that I’ll never forget. I’d trade everything that I have, all the material things that I own, to live in this moment forever. To hold onto it, to guard it, so that I’ll always feel this kind of happiness.
***
“I just kicked your ass.”
“What? I let you win. I wasn’t going to say anything, but now that I see what a poor winner you are, I’m telling you that I. Let. You. Win.
“Did not. You’re just mad because I beat you in laser tag and now I beat you in mini golf. Maybe you’re not as coordinated as you thought you were,” I chastise, turning around to face him and walking backward on the boardwalk.
He reaches out to grab my hand and pulls me into his chest hard. “Wait till you see what I do to you tonight and then you can tell me if you still think I’m uncoordinated.”
It’s a promise I feel absolutely everywhere; a promise I can’t wait to explore.
I give him a quick kiss and wrap my arms around his neck. “You want a rematch?”
“Maybe later.”
“Later when.”
“At the house.”
“At the house?” I ask furrowing my brows.
“Yeah, I’m going to show you how I hit a hole in one.” He smirks, and I break out into a fit of laughter.
“Will you buy me a funnel cake in the meantime?”
“I’ll buy you anything you want.”
“I just want you.” My words are brave, but they’re covering up a whole lot of vulnerability. The need I feel to have someone in my corner, someone who I can talk to, tell my secrets to, and know that they won’t turn their back on me. I’m terrified of what will become of Nathan and me when we go back to New York, when I finally tell him the truth about me.
“I love you,” he says running his hand along my cheek. I only hope that he loves me enough to stay.
“I love you, too.”
He smiles down at me and gives me a squeeze. “Come on; let’s go get you a funnel cake.”
***
“Oh, my God, this music is horrible,” I half yell into Nathan’s ear. He takes a swig of his beer and places the bottle back on the bar. We’re at one of the local beach bars right on the boardwalk; he brought me here after taking me out for seafood earlier.
“The live band will be taking over soon; hopefully, he’ll be better than the DJ,” he tells me while we listen to nothing but loud techno music.
“Good because I feel like I’m in the middle of a rave. I haven’t done that since I was twenty.”
I look at the darkened bar, wall-to-wall windows with miles and miles of ocean view. Bodies writhing against one another pack the dance floor, bodies glistening with sweat, drinks in hands, and most of them are halfway to being shitfaced. The sight of them makes me feel claustrophobic.
I lean into Nathan, putting my mouth right by his ear.
“I’ll be right back; I’m going to the bathroom.”
He nods and I hop off my barstool, walking the perimeter of the bar in order to make it to my destination. There’s no way I was going to brave cutting through the dance floor and risk being mauled. I handle my business in the bathroom and take a moment to fix my hair at the sink and reapply some lip-gloss before heading back out in the bar. When I finally