After what feels like an eternity later, I watch Kayden pull himself out of the water. Unlike me, he’s fully clothed and the realization that I’m only wearing my underwear makes me feel embarrassed.
Maybe the fall took away my buzz because, at this moment, I’m having sober thoughts. Before I start overthinking, I see Kayden’s hand extended toward me. I think about smacking it away, but then the wind picks up again and I honestly can’t be bothered to fight him right now. I need to get the hell out of this water.
Taking his hand, I immediately notice how small mine feels in his. I’ve never held his hand before, never really held hands with anyone.
He pulls me out of the water like I’m weightless and then we both just stand there, with the moon as our light, staring at each other in silence for far too long.
“I’m going to head back up to grab my clothes,” I tell him, suddenly feeling a weird energy in the air.
“About that,” he says, his hand coming to the hem of his shirt as he lifts it over his body. This is not helping the weird energy right now, but I can’t help letting my eyes roam every bit of skin he reveals as he takes it off. My eyes run the length of his upper body, not missing the six pack. As I take him in, my eyes land on his mouth and I find him smiling. I immediately look back down again, feeling embarrassed that I’d let my mind wander.
I clear my throat. “About what?” I ask, bringing my eyes to his when I feel my thoughts are no longer painted on my face.
He squeezes the water out of his shirt then flings it over his shoulder. “Remember how I picked up your clothes from the ground and tried to hand them to you?”
“Yes…”
“And how you tried to push me but ended up pushing yourself off the rock?” he adds.
I nod slowly, wondering where he’s going with this.
“I had your clothes in my hand then too… and I may have jumped after you with them still in my hands. I may have also lost them while I tried to find you.”
“So, you’re saying my clothes are somewhere in this lake?” I ask, looking back at the water like I’ll see my pants and shirt floating over it.
He nods. “Sorry,” he says with a smile.
Of course he would make my clothes disappear! Any opportunity he has to tease me or play a prank, he’ll take. That’s the Kayden way. “Are you though? Because the smile on your face doesn’t tell me so,” I reply, crossing my arms in front of myself.
“I don’t know why you’re mad at me.”
“Well, maybe because you couldn’t help but jump into the water with my clothes in your hand and now, I’m cold and have no clothes!” I yell back.
“Wait, are you finally admitting you’re naked?”
“That’s not the point!”
“You act like I wanted to jump off. I could think of a million better things to do during the
break.”
“Then, why did you!?” I ask again.
“I don’t know, Ari. Maybe because I wanted to make sure you survived. That you could
swim. That you didn’t die the moment you unintentionally plunged into ice-cold water. Forgive me for trying to be a decent person and not like the assholes at the top of the rock who haven’t even looked down to see if you’re okay!”
I look up at the place we just jumped from but don’t see anyone there. When he puts it that way…I can’t help but believe him a little.
“Thank you,” I mumble the words because I can’t even believe I’m saying them in the first place.
“What?” he asks, his hand coming to his ear as he pretends he didn’t hear me.
“I’m not saying it again,” I tell him.
“It’s okay, I heard it. I’ll remember this moment forever,” he replies with an even wider smile.
I shake my head. Then the wind assaults us again and I shiver. “Alright, well, I’m cold, so how do we get back?”
“I actually parked my car down here, so we can just go straight to it.”
“Why’d you park your car down here if you knew we were all going to be up there?”
He taps his temple with his index finger. “Because I think ahead. Follow me,” he says, taking my hand and leading me toward the parking lot. Now we’ve held hands two times in one day.