Page 68 of The Rebound
Rory breaks away from me with a grin, his arms outstretched. “Come on. You’re making it worse by stalling.”
“It’s cold!” she shouts.
“Weknow.”
I join in with the catcalls until Sinead gives an almighty yell and charges in, causing Beth and I to scream as we get out the way of her splashing.
Before she reaches Rory, she dips fully under the water, emerging with a string of curse words. I grin as the others start laughing and I realize Rory’s right though, even if I refuse to admit it.
I do feel alive.
Rory and Sinead kiss before she quickly breaks away, heading back to the sand.
“That was not fun and you’re all insane,” she yells.
We stay there for another minute, the initial excitement dying down as people just begin to swim. Luke and Sean talk quietly together while Rory and Harry start swimming short laps back and forth.
I can hear Beth humming to herself nearby as she floats on her back and I stare down into the inky water, brushing my hands across the rippling surface.
Screw it.
If I die, I die.
I take a breath, squeeze my eyes shut, and go under. We didn’t wade out too deep and I hug my knees as I go, trying to go weightless as the ocean envelops me.
It’s uncomfortable. And cold. And I’m trying to see how long I can stay down when a hand brushes my shoulder. I bob up quickly, swallowing half a mouthful as I go.
I assumed it was Rory, but as the water dribbles down my chin, I wipe my eyes clear to see Luke standing in front of me.
“Sorry,” he says. “You went under for a long time.”
“I have excellent lung capacity.”
He doesn’t answer, brushing a piece of seaweed from my shoulder. Behind him the others start to wade back to shore but I don’t move. I can’t move. Not with him looking at me like that, with an intensity that makes my skin prickle. The water laps around my breasts as we watch each other and I stare, fascinated as a drop slips from his forehead, traveling down the bridge of his nose.
“Abby!” Rory calls from the beach. “Move your ass! We’ve got marshmallows.”
“I’m coming,” I yell directly into Luke’s face. He blinks at me, startled, but before I can feel embarrassed I turn and make my way clumsily back to the others. Luke catches up quickly, staying close behind as I make it to the sand. I can feel him looking at me. He looks and looks and looks but it’s Sinead who wraps me in a towel, who briskly rubs me like I’m a child getting out of the bathtub. It’s Rory who hands me my clothes. It’s Harry who high-fives me and offers me a sip of brandy from a flask before we eat our toasted marshmallows and the rest of our food. The temperature drops sharply as darkness sets in and it isn’t long before we pack up and put out the fire, using our phones to light our way back through the dunes.
As I’m visibly shivering now, Rory makes me sit in the back of his car to get warm while he helps the others divvy up the trash. Luke disappears to the clubhouse to make sure everything is locked up, but everyone else stays in a little huddle, discussing something.
“What’s the holdup?” I ask when Rory knocks on the window a minute later. I crack open the car door as he leans down.
“Harry’s invited us back around to his,” he says, but I’m already shaking my head.
“I’m frozen and I need a shower. I just want to go home.”
“You can have a shower at Harry’s.”
“Can’t you just drop me off first?”
“It’s an hour in the other direction. Don’t be a party pooper.”
“I can bring her home.”
We both look toward the clubhouse, where Luke stands a few feet away.
“I need to be up early,” he continues.
