Page 34 of Beach Bodies

I whip around, snapping my reverie shut, again becoming aware of my surroundings– and the man standing inches from me, dark hair blowing in the wind. Daniel. A sharp jolt of irritation makes my lips tighten. Why is he popping up everywhere I go? I’d ignore him again, but with only the two of us on the entire beach right now, it’s a bit harder to pretend I don’t see him.

‘No, thanks. I got it,’ I say, as I bend to grab my towel and fling it over a shoulder.

‘Look. Lily—’ He runs a free hand through his hair, which is already wild. He’s barefoot, sweatpants rolled up past his ankles, in a soft grey hoodie that the wind is sticking to his muscled body, with that stupid five o’clock shadow that I want to run my stupid palms over. ‘Did I say something wrong?’

‘What do you mean?’ I say without looking at him, as I climb the lifeguard chair to detach the umbrella, which strains against me as I try to close it. Even I can hear how fake my question sounds.

‘I mean, did I offend you somehow?’

It physically hurts to ignore him, but hey, short-term pain for long-term gain.

He raises his voice above the wind. ‘If I did something, or said something, at least give me the chance to apologize.’

I’m so tempted to look down at him, but avoiding eye contact is key. I focus on pushing in the metal peg to detach the umbrella. Of course, it sticks. My ponytail whips around my face, a flurry of raindrops stinging my cheek.

‘When you shared about Jessica—’ he shouts up, and something about hearing her name on his lips makes me snap.

‘It’s not that!’ I shout down at him.

The peg snaps inward; the umbrella detaches. I slide it off the pole and muscle it down. The wind screeches in my ears.

‘Then what is it?’ he calls up.

‘I’m just busy!’ I start making my descent, umbrella tucked by my side. ‘I have a job here.’

‘No! Something is wrong!’ he shouts over the wind. ‘Why won’t you tell me what it is?’

I focus on getting the clipboard off the chair.Stupid, stubborn man.‘Get inside, Daniel! The storm!’

‘You know what I think?’

‘Nope,’ I yell, focusing now on getting everything bundled together in my arms. Umbrella. Clipboard. Flotation device. Towel. Self-possession.

I take off across the sand, the wind beating at my back, Daniel running alongside. The palm trees by the hotel are nearly bent double. The rain comes in swift flurries, then stops, then starts again.

‘I think you’re attracted to me, and you don’t know what to do with your feelings.’

I laugh sharply, stop for a second, and give him the incredulous look he deserves. My ponytail lashes furiously at my face. ‘Just because you’re hot doesn’t mean every single woman wants you, Daniel!’ I resume my forward march.

‘Don’t do that!’

A gust of wind whips some sand up. I lift an arm to protect my eyes.

‘What?’ I yell.

‘This,’ he says. I don’t stop walking, but in my peripheral vision I can see him gesturing with his arms. ‘This…game.You want me to leave you alone? OK! You hate my guts for some reason? I can handle that! But that’s not it. So what is it?’

A ferocious gust of wind nearly sends us tumbling into one another. He steadies my elbow, just a brief moment of contact. Enough to make me want more. Everything about Daniel makes me want more. More of his attention. More of his body. More from myself… and my life.

My throat is tight.

What is it?It’s that Daniel isn’t just a guy I could have fun in bed with. A one-night stand wouldn’t be enough to get him out of my system. No, this is someone—

‘Watch out!’ yells Daniel. There’s a rough hand on my arm, yanking hard. My knees hit sand; the wind catches my towel and it flies through the air like a drunk bird just as a folding chair hurtles past my ears, so close that I can hear the whistle of the wind through its metal rods. Both Daniel and I watch as the chair bounces across the sand before vaulting into the water.

‘Shit,’ I breathe, still crouched. The angle of Daniel’s body momentarily protects me from the brunt of the wind’s force. Adrenaline pumps through me. ‘That was close.’

‘Let’s get inside,’ he says, and before I can object, I’m tucked under his arm, and we’re running towards safety in tandem. As we approach the hotel and the fence that encloses one of the pools, I can see staff running around, securing the rest of the chairs.

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