Page 67 of Our Little Moments

He smiles back warmly and lets go of my hand. I hate how much I want his hand back in mine.

Water splashes around as he and Hazel settle in their kayaks.

Hazel is next to me in a heartbeat, holding out a hand with a sparkling smile.

I grin back as I high-five her, although what I did hardly deserves a high five.

“Step one done!” she tells me warmly.

“Yeah,” I tell her, holding on to the paddle, wondering how the hell I’m going to be able to move at the speed the others are going. They’re already a mile in front of me and I haven’t even moved yet.

Sam and Hazel are still behind. Sam’s confused expression makes me smile, grateful not to be the only one who’s just now learning how to kayak.

Hazel quickly explains to us the basics as she demonstrates each movement.

“. . . But don’t stress about it. You’ll get the hang of it quickly.”

Saying “don’t stress about it” when someone’s worried rarely eases the worry, but I push the paddle in the water in an attempt to move forward.

Except I start spinning in circles.

Because of course I had to start spinning in circles! I rarely get things right on the first try.

Still, I refuse to give up after thirty seconds. So, I try again, but this time I movebackwards.

Are you kidding me!?

Exhaling an annoyed breath, I look around, hoping to see what I’m doing wrong.

If I do the opposite, logically, I should move forward.

With more force than necessary, I try again andI’M MOVING! FORWARD!

It’s still extremely slow, and there’s no way I’ll finish first, but it’s progress.

Repeating the same movement, I move over to Hazel, who’s waiting for me with a proud smile.

“Yesss! You got it, girl. I knew you’d get the hang of it.”

I turn behind me, finding Sam’s eyes gleaming with understanding as he starts moving forward.

“Go, Sam!” I call out. “We’re getting the hang of it!”

He shoots me a smile and I turn back to Hazel. “Let’s go win this,” I say with more confidence than I actually feel inside.

She laughs and we join the others.

Adrian

Once we’re all at the starting line, Isabella starts explaining the route.

The path is not large enough for all of us to fit, since it only allows for three to four people to kayak next to each other.

So, we’re lined up a little behind the two islands, waiting for the start.

“As you can see, if you have eyes, unlike someone I know,” Isa starts.

Jay chuckles and leans next to me. “She never stops, does she?”

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