CHAPTER 10 (A SHORT SWIM)
After several grueling hours of calculus and AP Biology I turn off my laptop. Glancing at the clock I notice that I have an hour to kill before heading out with Tristan. I decide to take a quick swim. I haven’t been getting nearly enough exercise since I moved here. Well, I guess I did burn some calories on the trampoline.
I throw on my bathing suit, a purple one piece this time just in case, grab a towel and goggles then head down to the beach. It’s so peaceful out here all alone. I walk slowly into the water basking in the sunlight and feeling the cool blue pacific hitting my skin. Once I get deep enough I take off swimming, practicing my butterfly stroke and cutting through the waves. Through my goggles I can see a school of fish below me dancing through the coral reefs. It’s amazing how clear this water is.
Several yards out I feel my muscles start to burn so I turn to start my swim back. As I turn around seeing how far I have actually gone, I am at least one hundred yards out. Moving to start my trek back towards land, someone catches my eye. With my goggles on from this distance all I can see is the shape of a man on the beach seemingly staring in my direction. Focusing my eyes I can tell that the man is actually a boy about my age maybe a year or two older. He's tall and fit with jet-black hair. He doesn't have a shirt on, only a pair of shorts. He sports a tribal sleeve tattoo on his right arm. His left arm has a tribal band tattoo that looks like it crosses from his shoulder and blends in halfway across his chest. I can’t make out the exact design from this far away; I can just see the stark blackness that contrasts with his brown skin.
I paddle nearer to the shore and try to get a better look at him but a wave crashes on top of me. I struggle to break free of the crushing power that pushes me down under it. I kick hard, propelling me towards the surface. A second or two later I break water and inhale deeply but my air is cut off when yet another wave crashes on top of me. This one is so powerful that the wind is nearly knocked out of my lungs. I realize for a second that I don’t know which way is up. Panic starts rising in my chest as I sense how dangerous this is. I will myself to calm down and a second later I see the light. I start fiercely kicking towards it and break free. I cough out water that I must have taken in and greedily gasp in air, my lungs stinging from the salt water. I take a second to get my bearings and to check behind me to make sure that I'm not going to be taken under again.
Finally grasping a sense of safety, at least for the mean time, I turn back towards shore and see that the man is now waste deep in the water as if he had been about to swim to me but he stopped. Now he’s just standing there staring back at me. His presence is strong and steady, as the waves crash around him yet he doesn’t waver at all. His eyes are open wide and his expression is that of worry with a hint of wonder, almost like he knows me. Something about his eyes intrigues me. I’m still not close enough to make out their color, but I am close enough to notice that this man is kind of hot. I mean, in a Hawaiian-bad-boy kind of way.
I stop staring at him and start swimming his way. I don’t know why, but I’m inexplicably drawn to him. I decide to try to swim underwater since I can dodge the waves and get to him quicker. When I get close enough to shore and stand up I’m disappointed to find that the man is gone. He just disappeared. With how quickly he vanished I’m forced to wonder to myself if he might have been a figment of my imagination. I shake my head trying to clear it a bit.
Thankfully I’m not left much time to ponder whether or not I’m going crazy when I notice Tristan sauntering down the pathway towards me. Crap! I totally lost track of time. I jump out quickly, grab my towel and start jogging towards him. “I am so sorry Tristan!” I yell to him a little out of breath.
Tristan gives me that amazing smile of his and says, “No problem. By the way, haven’t you ever heard of the rule that you should never swim alone?” His face turns a little more serious. He places his hands on either side of my shoulders and bends to look in my eyes. “The ocean is a dangerous place. The tide can take you out far from shore before you even realize it.”
“I honestly didn’t think about that. I’m a strong swimmer but you’re right; I have heard that rule.” I say to him while looking down like a child caught doing something wrong. “I won’t do it again.”
Tristan gives a hearty laugh and rubs the sides of my arms. “I’m not trying to get onto you Emma. I just want to make sure you are safe. The Pacific Ocean claims multiple drowning victims every year. I just don’t want you to be one of them. After all, I like you.”
I think the last three words are all I heard or at least all I focused on. He likes me. A giddy youthful excitement rises in my chest. I reply with a smile, “Next time I will just have to ask you to go swimming with me.”
“Deal,” he says. We both start heading back up to the house.
Back at the house I apologize again for running late and ask for fifteen minutes to get dressed. I tell Tristan I will meet him out front. I run inside my room, throw on a bright yellow sundress, brush some leave in conditioner into my hair and apply a thin layer of lip-gloss. Examining myself in the mirror I notice that I look more tanned than I’ve ever been in the past. Maybe I will start looking more like I belong on a tropical island soon. On second thought, the Texas twang in my voice will probably call my bluff.
I made record time and met Tristan at the front door just shy of ten minutes. He smiles and says, “Nice dress.”
I feel the heat rising into my cheeks, which is good since I didn’t have any time to apply any blush in my haste of getting ready.
Tristan leads me out to the driveway towards a bright yellow topless jeep. He opens the door for me and makes a quick joke about how it matches my dress. I retort that I planned it that way. (Even though I had never seen his jeep before today.) Once we are both buckled in we start the trek down the long windy road from the house back to civilization. I realize that this is the first time since my dad and I left the airport that I’ve gone to any destination other than the house.
After a thirty-minute drive we pull up to this small shack labeled by a turquoise blue sign with painted red letters announcing that it was Red Hot Mama’s. There was no seating anywhere; just a walk up window to order from on the outside of the shack. Judging from the line of about ten other people waiting patiently, I could guess that the food here must be good. We hop out of the jeep and get in line. Tristan orders us both a pulled pork burrito with everything on it and two cokes. While we are waiting for our order Tristan heads to the jeep, pulls his backpack out and straps it to his back. A few moments later I hear our order number being called out over the waiting crowd.
After he picks our order up he says, “Shall we?” Handing me a coke he gestures for us to take a walk. I nod and we head out across the street and down to a public beach. The beach littered with people, oversized umbrellas and toddlers building sand castles, seems to extend down as far as my eyes can see. This is the place to go to people watch. I’m sure there are hundreds of people out here tonight. We pass by a sunset volleyball game where there are several teens around my age covered in sand from their aggressive playing. It makes me think of Texas summers where my friends and I would go to the lake and catch a quick game. I try to suppress the feeling of homesickness. Anyhow, I’m in probably one of the most beautiful places in the world and I’m in good company. I should be counting my blessings not my sorrows for my friends I left behind.
Eventually we find a nice un-crowded spot to dine. Tristan opens his backpack pulling out a huge oversized beach towel. He lays it out on the beach and we plop down on it and dig in. Oh my goodness, the burrito was the best I’ve ever had! Well, I also am very hungry so I’m not that biased, but it tasted amazing. What made it even better was the company that I was sharing it with.
“So Emma, tell me a little about yourself.” Tristan says with a half smile that looks incredibly sexy. “Other than the fact that you are a bad surfer.”
“Ha. Ha. What do you want to know?” I try and reply dai
ntily with a mouthful of food.
“Everything.” He says while some of his burrito filling falls onto the towel. These things are so good, but super messy.
“Well, that will take a while. I’m a very complex individual you know.” I grin flirtatiously at him before continuing. “You know this means that I get to know everything about you too?”
“Deal!” He says.
“Hmm,” I say thinking of where to start. It’s always kind of awkward when a guy asks you to tell him about yourself. I never know how much to share or how little. Deciding to go the bullet point route I start. “Well, I was born and raised in Texas. My dad, as you know is a paranormal investigator, which until recently, was only his time consuming hobby. I’m well travelled after hopping across the globe with him on his assignments. I have a best friend, and her name is Kaylee. I call her my sister, because really, she’s the only person in the world that knows more about me than I do. I have to say that not having her with me here has been one of the hardest adjustments I’ve had to make with this move.” I take a moment to gather my bearings. Kaylee is like my other half. Having her so far away makes me feel empty inside. After all, we hadn’t spent more than a day apart since the first time we met in middle school…Until now. I’ve been keeping so busy since I arrived in Hawaii that I hadn’t allotted myself time to really process that Kaylee isn’t a quick bike ride away any more. I pick at the hem of my dress, trying not to cry.
Having realized that the entire time I was talking to Tristan I was staring at the ground, I look up to meet his gaze. His crystal clear blue eyes portray sympathy and understanding which gives me the strength to continue on. Smiling softly I clear my throat and continue, “On a lighter note here is something about me you would probably never guess.” His smile gets increasingly larger and he leans in towards me, which tells me that he wants to hear what I have to say. “I collect air.” I wait for his reaction.
He raises his brows slightly and cocks his head to the side. “Air? I’m not sure I’m following you.”
I stifle a small laugh. “I use these little glass jars to capture air samples from the places I visit as well as places that are special to me. I seal the air inside with a wax lid and keep them as part of my collection. It’s silly, I know. I guess it’s just one of my many quirks.” I wait to see his reaction and am surprised when I see a smile slowly creep across his face.
“That is awesome, Emma! I never really thought about doing that. I don’t think it’s silly by any means. It’s just different is all, and sometimes, different is good.”
“I like that answer!” Wiping my palms off on my shorts I smile coyly at him. It’s funny how nervous you get when telling someone about yourself. That underlying question as to whether you will be accepted is always running in the back of your head. I find that I don’t have to worry about that with Tristan, who has proved to be accepting and supportive which makes me want to open up to him more. It sends an imaginary truth serum dancing through my veins. If I’m not careful I think I will let out all the skeletons from my closet.
Tristan chimes in, “I collect shark teeth myself. I can’t tell you how many people I have plowed into while combing the beaches looking for those things. The sad thing is, I can only remember finding maybe one or two in my entire life. I’m not sure what exactly keeps me looking for them to be honest.”
After he disclosed that interesting information, I end up telling him about my parent's honeymoon and the shark tooth incident. Upon finishing the story, I realize that Tristan’s expression has changed from enjoyment and ease, to compassion and curiosity.
“Emma, can I ask you something?” He says looking at me with a tad bit of uncertainty.
I don’t have to think about this too long. “Of course, Tristan, anything.” I try to appease him with a smile but I can tell he’s still a bit uncomfortable for some reason.
“Where is your mom?” Tristan begins, asking me the million-dollar question.
I let my breath out in a short gust of air trying to think of how I can possibly answer that question. Looking down I reply, “My mom… I’m not sure where she is to be honest. It was a long time ago, when I was three…she disappeared. Nobody could tell us what happened to her. We searched for her for a while but never got any type of closure; I’m not sure we ever will. I only have a few basic memories of her: like the way she smelled, and the way she smiled. It just seems like a lifetime ago.” I look back up to meet his gaze, grateful that I don’t see any look of pity in his eyes. I don’t think I could bare it if I saw him look at me like that. Instead Tristan just listens intently to me like I’m the only thing in the world that matters. It gives me a serene calm that I can’t say I have ever felt before.
This time Tristan looks down and opens up to me. “I can empathize with you Emma. My dad left when I was ten. He just up and decided one day that being a husband and a father wasn’t the life for him. My mom called it a midlife crisis. He told her that he was moving back to Australia, his home country, to do a walkabout. That was the last my mom or I ever heard from him.”
I contemplate what Tristan just told me. I know in my heart that my mom didn’t have any choice in leaving my dad or me. I can’t imagine how it would feel to know that one of my parents made the choice to just walk away. When I give Tristan a look of sympathy he looks at me seriously and adds, “You know, I have to be brutally honest. I don’t wish for anything different. Sure, I was upset when he left and when I was younger I somehow always linked it back to being my fault, but I finally came to accept that it was no one’s responsibility but his. I don’t think I would be the man that I am today had my father not left. It instilled a sense of protection towards my mother who taught me how to love unconditionally, even when someone you love hurts you. My mom did an amazing job raising me, and I don’t have any regrets. I’ve come to realize that it’s not me necessarily that missed out, but him. He’s the one who thought he had it all figured out; but in the end, he missed out on the more important things in life.”
Looking at Tristan I can see a strength reflected in his eyes. He may have been through a lot, but he has managed to come out on top, and he became better person in the process. I truly believe that Alani is some type of super mom. She can juggle anything and still remain the most tenderhearted and endearing person that I have ever met. I’m sure if Tristan would have had any other mother for a role model, he wouldn’t have turned out half as good as he has.
We finish our cokes and chitchat some more about lighter subjects: like our favorite movies, books, and food; then we turned back to watch the sunset over the Pacific. I realize that this is probably why the beach was so crowded this late in the afternoon. Everyone was ready to catch a glimpse of this famous Hawaiian sunset.
I can totally see why all these people are here; it’s absolutely stunning. We watch the colors change from yellows, oranges, blazing reds, purples and pinks into the nighttime navy blue. I haven’t seen anything more beautiful in my entire life.
“Beautiful.” I say with a sigh as I look over at Tristan. He’s already staring at me as he simply says, “Yes.”
My heart skips a beat as I realize at that moment just how intimate this beach takeout dinner really is. I break my eyes away from his and look back at the sunset. I can’t pay much attention to it because I’m way too aware of how close we are sitting to each other. Close enough for our arms to touch. I keep telling myself over and over in my head, ‘he’s just a friend.’ After all that is what he said to me. I don’t want to ruin the potential of a good friendship by misinterpreting this night for anything other than what it is.
I decide, for the sake of our friendship, to go ahead and nonchalantly put an inch or two of distance between us. Just as I go to make my move Tristan covers my hand with his. I turn to stare into those aquamarine eyes as he whispers my name. The butterflies start dancing in my stomach. The intimacy of the moment is almost unbearable since we haven’t before crossed that line of frie
ndship. I look down but Tristan isn’t having that. His finger comes up under my chin and raises it gently so that my eyes are level with his again. He leans in slowly and places a gentle kiss on my lips. It was short and sweet but it quickened my heartbeat. I open my eyes and meet his again. I can feel the heat of excitement burn my cheeks and spread across my entire body. We both pull away a little but continue to lock eyes with each other. He runs his fingers through my hair and then places his hand over mine. Wow, this man really is a gentleman. Most of my first kisses were all open mouthed and sloppy, not really romantic. Yet, this short, closed mouth, gentle kiss meant so much more. We both turn away from each other and watch the remainder of the sunset. He keeps his hand on mine and I can’t help but think of just how right this feels with Tristan. A sense of comfort washes over me as the warmth of his hand rests on mine.
Once it starts to get dark and most of the people start heading back to their cars Tristan says, “Emma?”
“Yes?” I look up at him.
“I just want you to know that I really like you, a lot. I know that you are new here and are in a lot of transition. I just hope that the kiss that we just shared didn’t make you feel uncomfortable or pressured... I mean, if you want to just be friends that is totally okay with me.... I just got carried away what with the sunset and how beautiful you look...” Tristan rambles a little uncomfortably.
“Tristan,” I say and smile at him, he thinks I’m beautiful... “I like you too. The kiss was perfect.” It really was.
Tristan looks relieved. I’m surprised that a man this handsome would have any insecurity at all. He says, “Okay. I just want to make sure we are good. So, are you ready to head home?”
“Sure,” I reply even though I would much rather the sunset last forever so that I could spend more time with him.
We gather our stuff and head back to the jeep. The drive home is dark and the only light we have is from the headlights of his jeep. It looks like we are the only vehicle on the road. A little ways in on our drive we begin winding through a forested area. I notice a flash of light through the dense vegetation, and it immediately catches my eye. It’s just like the light that I have seen a few times from the house. It flickers against the night sky and I can now tell that it’s a flame. I shake my head a little to see if I’m just imagining it but then I notice more flames beginning to appear. There seems to be dozens of them and they look as though they are coming closer and closer to the road. As they near my ears pick up the far off sound of a beating drum. Something about it puts me at unease. I look over to Tristan hoping I’m not seeing or hearing things. He looks past me out my passenger side window. I can tell he senses something peculiar by the way the contours in his face reflect. His body seems to tense up as he presses his foot down on the gas pedal and we speed away. I listen to the beating drum get fainter and fainter. When we get far enough away that I don’t see the flames anymore I press Tristan, “What in the world was that?”
Tristan just turns for a second and gives me a sideways glance and then turns back to the road. It’s like he’s not sure if he should tell me something.
I decide to press him a little more, “I heard a drum beat. Where was that coming from?”
Tristan clears his throat then says seriously, “I’m not certain what it was Emma. I have a feeling though that whatever that was, it probably wasn’t good.” He pauses for a few seconds and then tries to lighten the tension by saying, “Or it could have just been a group of tourists who had one too many Piña Coladas and decided to take a night tour of our fine forest.”
I giggle a little at his last comment but something in me still has me feeling a bit unsettled. Perhaps it’s the way that Tristan tensed up when he saw what I was looking at. I feel a light pang of hurt since I can tell that he is obviously keeping some information from me for whatever reason. I don’t let it settle in too far though because it’s been such a good night, there’s no reason to ruin it. After all he must have good reason to not talk about it.
Tristan seems to relax a bit as if he realized that I submitted to letting the subject rest. He makes a smart move and puts his hand on mine again. That’s a good way to shut me up anyhow. I feel content with riding the rest of the way home in silence holding his hand.
When we get back home Tristan leans in and gives me a short kiss on the cheek before he says aloha for the night. I head back to my room feeling elated from such an awesome night with Tristan. I also congratulate myself for not having even one embarrassing moment.
When I get back in my room and throw on my pajamas I pull my phone out of my purse to send a quick text to Kaylee. “Had an amazing day...or was it an amazing date?”
It takes Kaylee several minutes to text me back. “It’s 3am here. Can we chat 2mrw?”
“OMG, I’m so sorry. Totally forgot. Will talk tomorrow.” I text back. What a horrible friend I am texting her in the middle of the night.
“Wait! Did u say date?” She texts back. “Spill girl! It better B juicy since you woke me up!!!”
I spend the next twenty minutes giving all the details to Kaylee. She gets onto me again about taking a pic of Tristan. I’m going to have to try to get one tomorrow without looking stalker-ish.
After Kaylee and I text goodnight to each other, I pull my covers back and climb in underneath. My muscles are feeling sore from the long swim earlier today and I can feel the exhaustion set in. The last image I see in my mind before I drift off to sleep is the mysterious stranger I saw earlier today during my swim.