I'd better take your word on it. But that
thing looked mean and hungry to me, OK?”
“Trust
me, I have no desire to go anywhere the nasty sharks are. We're in shallow
water, surrounded by reef. We're OK.”
Kayla
felt her heart rate start to come back down. As her senses started to work
again, she suddenly became aware of how tightly she was pressed against Jay. He
had pulled her closer to ease her panic, and now, despite the lukewarm water,
she could feel the familiar heat building up where his skin touched hers. Jay
gently released her, and she felt a brief stab of disappointment despite
herself.
“Come
on,” he said, pulling on her hand, starting to tow her through the water. “I have
something to make you feel better. It's a secret spot I found a while back.
I've never taken anyone else there before.”
Still
holding hands, they swam together side by side towards the far end of the beach,
where rocky cliffs rose steeply out of the water. As they came closer, she
marvelled at the craggy surface, the unforgiving drop into the ocean.
“How
long can you hold your breath for?” Jay broke into her thoughts.
“Um, an
average amount of time I suppose? I've never really timed myself.”
“Trust
me, just about anyone can do this. You just have to stay calm, and stay close.”
Kayla
felt anything but calm. She wasn't entirely sure what was being asked of her.
But she didn't want to come across as a scaredy-cat, especially so soon after
panicking about an apparently harmless shark. She pasted a smile on her face
and nodded quickly. Jay gave her hand a light squeeze.
“Deep
breath, and don't let go of my hand.”
They
ducked their heads under the water together, and the movement revealed to Kayla
what they were aiming for. Just under the surface of the water was a hidden
tunnel, leading into the cliff. The entrance was worn smooth from centuries of
ocean currents gradually wearing it down.
Jay
kicked out strongly, pulling her into the darkness. The tunnel must have been
taller than it looked, as a small sliver of light was coming from somewhere
above. Kayla could see the patterns it cast on the sand below them.
Her
lungs started to burn. How much longer? If she ran out of breath now, she
probably wouldn't have time to turn around and head for the tunnel's entrance.
She tried to remember his advice. Stay calm, stay close. Stay calm, stay close.
She repeated it to herself like a mantra. The need to breathe started to build,
more urgent in her chest.
Finally,
just as she was nearing her limit, Jay kicked for the surface, pulling her with
him. Kayla gasped for air, sucking it deep into her lungs. It took a moment to
register that she was inside a tall cavern. Rocky walls rose far above to what
must have been the top of the cliff.
A small
gap far above them let in a glimmer of light. It bounced off the surface of the
seawater, throwing reflections onto the walls of the cave. It gave the space a
magical and somewhat eerie feel. Kayla stepped out of the water onto the small
sandy beach within the cave and stared around her, taking it all in.
“So?”
Jay was trying to play it cool, but she could tell he was anxious to see if she
liked it.
“It's
amazing,” she breathed. “It's like a little sanctuary, where nobody will find
us. It's just ours.”
He
smiled, clearly pleased, then took two steps forward to close the space between
them. He brought his face close to hers, his eyes raking over her.
“You
know, I kind of liked rescuing the damsel in distress. Getting to be the hero
when there's no actual danger may be the best time to be a hero.”
“There
might have been danger! It was a shark! We're genetically programmed to fear
those things, don't blame me for having a properly functioning biological
response telling me to escape a predator.”
“I bet
you weren't even scared at all,” he smirked. “You just wanted a chance to throw
yourself at me. You can't treat me like a piece of meat, you
thing looked mean and hungry to me, OK?”
“Trust
me, I have no desire to go anywhere the nasty sharks are. We're in shallow
water, surrounded by reef. We're OK.”
Kayla
felt her heart rate start to come back down. As her senses started to work
again, she suddenly became aware of how tightly she was pressed against Jay. He
had pulled her closer to ease her panic, and now, despite the lukewarm water,
she could feel the familiar heat building up where his skin touched hers. Jay
gently released her, and she felt a brief stab of disappointment despite
herself.
“Come
on,” he said, pulling on her hand, starting to tow her through the water. “I have
something to make you feel better. It's a secret spot I found a while back.
I've never taken anyone else there before.”
Still
holding hands, they swam together side by side towards the far end of the beach,
where rocky cliffs rose steeply out of the water. As they came closer, she
marvelled at the craggy surface, the unforgiving drop into the ocean.
“How
long can you hold your breath for?” Jay broke into her thoughts.
“Um, an
average amount of time I suppose? I've never really timed myself.”
“Trust
me, just about anyone can do this. You just have to stay calm, and stay close.”
Kayla
felt anything but calm. She wasn't entirely sure what was being asked of her.
But she didn't want to come across as a scaredy-cat, especially so soon after
panicking about an apparently harmless shark. She pasted a smile on her face
and nodded quickly. Jay gave her hand a light squeeze.
“Deep
breath, and don't let go of my hand.”
They
ducked their heads under the water together, and the movement revealed to Kayla
what they were aiming for. Just under the surface of the water was a hidden
tunnel, leading into the cliff. The entrance was worn smooth from centuries of
ocean currents gradually wearing it down.
Jay
kicked out strongly, pulling her into the darkness. The tunnel must have been
taller than it looked, as a small sliver of light was coming from somewhere
above. Kayla could see the patterns it cast on the sand below them.
Her
lungs started to burn. How much longer? If she ran out of breath now, she
probably wouldn't have time to turn around and head for the tunnel's entrance.
She tried to remember his advice. Stay calm, stay close. Stay calm, stay close.
She repeated it to herself like a mantra. The need to breathe started to build,
more urgent in her chest.
Finally,
just as she was nearing her limit, Jay kicked for the surface, pulling her with
him. Kayla gasped for air, sucking it deep into her lungs. It took a moment to
register that she was inside a tall cavern. Rocky walls rose far above to what
must have been the top of the cliff.
A small
gap far above them let in a glimmer of light. It bounced off the surface of the
seawater, throwing reflections onto the walls of the cave. It gave the space a
magical and somewhat eerie feel. Kayla stepped out of the water onto the small
sandy beach within the cave and stared around her, taking it all in.
“So?”
Jay was trying to play it cool, but she could tell he was anxious to see if she
liked it.
“It's
amazing,” she breathed. “It's like a little sanctuary, where nobody will find
us. It's just ours.”
He
smiled, clearly pleased, then took two steps forward to close the space between
them. He brought his face close to hers, his eyes raking over her.
“You
know, I kind of liked rescuing the damsel in distress. Getting to be the hero
when there's no actual danger may be the best time to be a hero.”
“There
might have been danger! It was a shark! We're genetically programmed to fear
those things, don't blame me for having a properly functioning biological
response telling me to escape a predator.”
“I bet
you weren't even scared at all,” he smirked. “You just wanted a chance to throw
yourself at me. You can't treat me like a piece of meat, you
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