human.”
“I…I don’t…” I couldn’t finish it, wasn’t even sure I knew what I’d intended to say.
“Yes, you do . That’s the problem. When I could tell myself that you didn’t, that there was no way I was right…little Katie Snow who always blushed if anyone said anything remotely out of line. I won’t pretend I hadn’t figured you out on some level, Kate, but I could at least pretend it was only in my mind. That it had to be wishful thinking. But now this? I mean… damn !” he said again, punching a fist into the forgiving white sand beside his hip. He sat with one arm around his knees, staring out over the water, his eyes far bluer than the ocean. I noticed, because I had peeked up at him now and found I couldn’t look away.
This was unfortunate. It meant that when he finally turned his gaze on me I was caught out, completely open, the longing in my eyes as transparent as it had ever been. The only way out was straight through, and I only knew I couldn’t keep sitting on that beach next to him, feeling like an idiot and not saying anything. I had to take some sort of action, contrary to my nature as it might be, to get myself away from the situation before I did something even more stupid.
I almost couldn’t believe what I heard myself saying, however, when I finally did talk.
“I guess there isn’t much point in acting like I don’t know what you’re talking about. There would only be one reason to do that, which would be to indicate I wasn’t interested.” I took a minute to look out over the waves myself before going on. “Last night you asked what I’d do if you just ordered me out into the hall, and I told you I’d say ‘yes Sir’ and go out to the hall right away. And you said it was really up to me.” I risked a little look at him. He was watching me expressionlessly.
“The thing is, Jack, I’m starting to realize I actually made my choice quite some time ago. And now, apparently, the issue of mismatched preferences isn’t an issue, is it? It’s just back to the question of how willing we are to risk it. So I think now…it’s actually up to you .”
Before he could answer, I hopped up from the towel and almost sprinted to the water, not stopping at the tide line but diving straight in and swimming against the waves until my body had cooled in the soothing Atlantic water and my head felt slightly clearer. Flicking my hair out of my face and treading water, I looked back at the beach but saw only Kendra by the towels, not Jack.
Bodysurfing back in toward shore until I could just touch down, I bobbed a little on my toes and looked around in growing distress. Jack also wasn’t with the group of conference guys—Steve, Andre, Kevin and Other Kevin—who had stopped splashing each other and were now standing in waist-deep water and chatting with some blonde. It was Jane, I saw, after paddling a little closer. Perhaps none of them realized they had little hope of getting anywhere with her, and it was probable none of them realized the reason was that Kendra was already getting there with her regularly.
“I could have been a shark,” said a low voice too near my ear, making me jump. I splashed around to face Jack, who had approached me silently and spoken from directly behind me. His greater height enabled him to stand much more firmly on the shifting sand, more easily handling the tidal motion. “Or a jellyfish. Or even just some guy with bad intentions. You weren’t paying any attention at all, little Katie. Not very safe.”
“I’m…sorry, Sir?” Please let this be what I think it is…
“We both would have been, if something had happened. Don’t go out that far again, please. Or you’ll hear about it from me later. And Katie?” He had started to swim back toward shore but turned back as if what he were about to say was just an afterthought, instead of being the whole point.
“Y-yes Sir?” He stroked back to me, close enough that his face was just
“I…I don’t…” I couldn’t finish it, wasn’t even sure I knew what I’d intended to say.
“Yes, you do . That’s the problem. When I could tell myself that you didn’t, that there was no way I was right…little Katie Snow who always blushed if anyone said anything remotely out of line. I won’t pretend I hadn’t figured you out on some level, Kate, but I could at least pretend it was only in my mind. That it had to be wishful thinking. But now this? I mean… damn !” he said again, punching a fist into the forgiving white sand beside his hip. He sat with one arm around his knees, staring out over the water, his eyes far bluer than the ocean. I noticed, because I had peeked up at him now and found I couldn’t look away.
This was unfortunate. It meant that when he finally turned his gaze on me I was caught out, completely open, the longing in my eyes as transparent as it had ever been. The only way out was straight through, and I only knew I couldn’t keep sitting on that beach next to him, feeling like an idiot and not saying anything. I had to take some sort of action, contrary to my nature as it might be, to get myself away from the situation before I did something even more stupid.
I almost couldn’t believe what I heard myself saying, however, when I finally did talk.
“I guess there isn’t much point in acting like I don’t know what you’re talking about. There would only be one reason to do that, which would be to indicate I wasn’t interested.” I took a minute to look out over the waves myself before going on. “Last night you asked what I’d do if you just ordered me out into the hall, and I told you I’d say ‘yes Sir’ and go out to the hall right away. And you said it was really up to me.” I risked a little look at him. He was watching me expressionlessly.
“The thing is, Jack, I’m starting to realize I actually made my choice quite some time ago. And now, apparently, the issue of mismatched preferences isn’t an issue, is it? It’s just back to the question of how willing we are to risk it. So I think now…it’s actually up to you .”
Before he could answer, I hopped up from the towel and almost sprinted to the water, not stopping at the tide line but diving straight in and swimming against the waves until my body had cooled in the soothing Atlantic water and my head felt slightly clearer. Flicking my hair out of my face and treading water, I looked back at the beach but saw only Kendra by the towels, not Jack.
Bodysurfing back in toward shore until I could just touch down, I bobbed a little on my toes and looked around in growing distress. Jack also wasn’t with the group of conference guys—Steve, Andre, Kevin and Other Kevin—who had stopped splashing each other and were now standing in waist-deep water and chatting with some blonde. It was Jane, I saw, after paddling a little closer. Perhaps none of them realized they had little hope of getting anywhere with her, and it was probable none of them realized the reason was that Kendra was already getting there with her regularly.
“I could have been a shark,” said a low voice too near my ear, making me jump. I splashed around to face Jack, who had approached me silently and spoken from directly behind me. His greater height enabled him to stand much more firmly on the shifting sand, more easily handling the tidal motion. “Or a jellyfish. Or even just some guy with bad intentions. You weren’t paying any attention at all, little Katie. Not very safe.”
“I’m…sorry, Sir?” Please let this be what I think it is…
“We both would have been, if something had happened. Don’t go out that far again, please. Or you’ll hear about it from me later. And Katie?” He had started to swim back toward shore but turned back as if what he were about to say was just an afterthought, instead of being the whole point.
“Y-yes Sir?” He stroked back to me, close enough that his face was just
Similar Books
