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“Did you bring your bikini?” he asks with a grin I roll my eyes
“I’m pretty sure that I don’t even own one,” I tell him “But that was a valiant effort”
He laughs “You know I’ Just be forewarned”
“Noted,” I answer back It is absolutely impossible to not be happy around Gavin And that is the truth
“Where’s your stuff?” he asks, glancing down and only seeing
I wince at my own idiocy
“I was in a hurry to duck out before I ran into ot it,” I adhs
“Hmm Just like old ti froain Maybe it’s best if we just swis back under you”
I nod because that’s probably a good idea
He leadsIt’s i boats have clearly been daly
“We were out on the water when it hit,” he told et daed with”
Oh This was so I didn’t knoith Gavin and Quinn at the same time? I wonder how that came to pass? But I don’t ask Instead, I take a seat and enjoy the fragrant sea breeze that blows through ht skims the surface of the water and breaks apart into a h happily while I breathe in the salty air
“You love it out here,” he calls to me e are on open water “You always have and I know you alill We’ve been doing this since ere small”
“Always together?” I ask curiously He nods
“Always”
H withand doesn’t seeether a lot That would make sense since he knows me so well
He kills theis quiet around us except for the water lapping against the fiberglass hull It’s soothing I lean back in my seat and allow the sun to wash overto shore So I tell Gavin that
He laughs
“You should’ve ht some food You’re kind of bitchy when you don’t eat”
I open one eye
“Isn’t everyone?”
He laughs again “Not like you You once alht you were going to punch me in the throat”
I giggle It doesn’t sound like me But what do I know?
“You probably shouldn’t irl’s chocolate,” I advise him He smiles
“Yeah, I know that now, thanks to you Now, do you want to swim?”
Gavin looks at me I eye the water I know it must be deep out here Really, really deep
“I’m not sure if I ree into my suit”
Gavin’s eyes start to sparkle And that’s a dangerous sign I have re-discovered that already
“That’s no problee And then we’ll get into the water together You can wear a life-jacket”
I narrow ”
He holds his hands up innocently “I would never Okay, maybe I would But I promise that I won’t today”
He laughs impishly And I know, deep down, that I wouldn’t be overly irl am I, anyway?
I graband yank h, I do catch hilance in the chroh in spite of myself I have never shoved ht now Well, I don’t think I ever have anyway I yank my suit up and slide my arms into the arm straps
“Done!” I announce
Gavin turns around, his gaze flickers down and then back up I can’t read the expression in his eyes very well, but I’ he is disappointed that there really is no bikini He doesn’t show it, though Instead, he grabs a bright orange lifejacket and tosses it to me
“Put this on”
So I do
And then I peer over the edge of the boat The water is brilliant blue and fairly clear
“Are there sharks?” I ask
Gavin rolls his eyes “When in the history of your life, have you ever worried about sharks?” He pauses “Oh, right You don’t remember Sorry You don’t worry about sharks because you know that you have a greater chance of dying in an airplane crash than you do of getting eaten by a shark The chances are slim to none”
For some reason, that doesn’t make me feel much better
But it ht be because the sea is so vast and I a skills
Gavin looks at rabs my hand
“Mia, I would never let anything happen to you You are a very strong swimmer All you have to do is trust your instincts And you have a life jacket on You’ll be fine”
I nod and Gavin counts
On three, we jump over the side
Chapter Twelve
I feel panicked for a second as the water closes in over e into the sea and for a brief minute before my lifejacket thrusts me back up, I do panic I kick hard and flail But then the buoyancy of the orange vest sendsback to the surface
I sputter as emy hand and he shakes the water from his hair as he treads water next to me
“You okay?” he asks in concern I nod