for the sake of the plot, some details are changed, such as the ages of the characters and how long Aqua has to make a human love her lol. enjoy:))
Claire reached for the phone book, the shelf just above her reach. She jumped onto the counter using her arms, standing on the tile countertop in her socks as she searched through the cabinet. She found the book in the back of the shelf, and she pulled the thin employee phone book out of its hiding place. She searched for Ray's number as she slowly moved to sit on the counter top, plopping down and letting her legs hang over the side. She reached for the home phone - land line, more likely - and thanked whatever God was watching out for her that her grandparents decided to go to cards with their neighbors, meaning she had the house to herself until at least nine, and it was just now going on eight.
She punched in the number on the paper, biting the skin around her thumb as she listened to the line ring. He picked up around the second ring, his voice sounding hoarse as he huffed out a greeting. Her heart started to beat faster just at the sound of his voice. "You gave me a hickey!" She hissed into the speaker, accusation clear in her tone. He let out a chuckle that slowly merged along the lines of hysterical laughter. She felt her cheeks heat up, thinking of him laughing at her. "Ray, it's not funny!" She said, and even then she bit back a giggle at how ridiculous this was. Of course, the first time she'd ever kissed a boy, he'd give her a hickey.
His laughter eventually subsided into just humorous breathing, "You're right baby girl, I'm sorry." He said, and she could tell even through the phone that he had a smile on his face. Her cheeks heated up at the nickname, and she drew her bottom lip between her teeth as she tried not to smile. "Hey, listen, I want to take you out on a date. Like a real one, where you're not soaked to the bone and probably half way to hypothermic by now." His voice dripped into seriousness towards the end, and even with the playful tone, she could tell that he was only half joking.
She wanted to say yes - God, she wanted to say yes - but the beautiful girl she'd befriended with the blue streaks who had been working her tail off to get this boy to love her's face popped into her head. She wanted to say yes, but she knew she couldn't. "Ray," She started.
He interrupted her before she could start the second word, "That sounds like you're going to turn me down," He said, and she could hear the pleading in his voice. "Don't turn me down, baby girl." He called her that again, that stupid nickname that had her stomach doing somersaults. There was no way that she could say no to him after that.
She let out a breath, trying to stay true to her friend. "Ray, I would love to. You have no idea, how much I would like to go on a date with you. But Aqua has a huge crush on you, you know she does, and I just don't think I could do that to her." She told him, and for a second she really thought she could believe that too.
He didn't take that answer for a second, letting out a huff. "Claire, I don't like Aqua. I like you - a lot more than I had ever been willing to admit." She sucked at the inside of her cheek, biting down a bit. "And, judging by the mark you let me leave on your neck, you like me at least a little bit." He told her cheekily, and she gasped.
His laughter only grew when he heard her gasp from the other line. "If you were here right now, I would have punched you in the shoulder by now." She told him with an eye roll. He laughed again, and she bit back a smile at the sound of his boyish giggles.
She fiddled with the swirling wire of the land line, propping her head up on her knees as she leaned against the cabinet. His voice came from the other side of the line again, "So, I'll pick you up at eight tomorrow night? Tacky Jack's sound good?" He asked, and the smile in his voice was unmistakable. She couldn't help the smile that tugged on her lips this time.
She shook her head before answering. "Yes. One date, and that will prove to you that you really like Aqua, not me. I'm really not that interesting, I promise." She said, shrugging her shoulders.
He grew quiet from his side of the line and she was about to ask him if he was okay before his voice broke the silence. "Don't doubt yourself, baby girl. You'd be surprised at just how interesting you are." A blush grew again on her cheeks once more as his voice had grown deeper in the mere moments they weren't talking. Oh, and there was also that nickname. That stupid, stupid nickname that had her pulse racing a million miles per minute at this point.
She moved in her spot, his comment making her momentarily warm. "Alright, alright, there's no point in arguing with you. I'll see you tomorrow." She told him, but she wasn't going to hang up until he did. "Oh, and do you have any tips on covering up a hickey?" She asked teasingly.
She could hear him shifting from the other side of the phone, "Don't cover it up. I like people to know that I gave that to you." He said, half joking and half completely serious. She resisted the urge to tell him that they couldn't tell people about this, it couldn't get back to Aqua. She already felt guilty enough about the whole of it.
Still, a smile threatened at her lips. "I'll see you tomorrow," She said again. He responded the same - with a baby girl thrown in at the end, the damnable boy - and it was clear that he wasn't going to hang up first, so she took the initiative. It was easier than she had expected, because the grin that grew on her features surprised her. She didn't know why she was so happy, but she was. She would have to get into her grandmother's stash of makeup tomorrow morning to cover up the purple bruise sitting on her skin before she went shopping with the girls, but she was happy. She locked the front door before walking upstairs, grabbing her book from the bedside table and opening her windows, allowing in the salty sea breeze. It smelt like Ray. She tried to read her book, but soon the steady crash of the waves on the shore lulled her into sleep.
She woke early the next morning, and climbed out of bed in a sunny haze. She opened the balcony doors of her bedroom, walking on the white wood with bare feet. It was nearly nine in the morning, and yet the lifeguards were already at work. He sat on the chair, watching as three children chased one another with seaweed, splashing around in the ocean. A smile tugged at her lips, and she wrapped her arms around herself as the cool ocean breeze chilled her skin. Her phone rang from inside her room, and she spun on her heel as she went to pick it up from her desk. Haley's name shone on the caller ID, and she picked it up with the smile on her lips diminishing. She had never lied to Haley before, she didn't know how she was going to keep this new development from her best friend. It was a miracle she hadn't already called her to let her know out of complete guilt.
Haley's voice is peppy even this early in the morning, "Hey, I'm coming to pick you up in twenty minutes, and be sure to bring a couple beach towels for Aqua. I totally forgot to grab some before I left, and I'm picking us all up some bagels on my way to come get you." She said, and it was obvious that she was otherwise distracted.
Claire stared at her reflection in the mirror, poking at the purple mark over her collar bone. "Yeah, sounds great." Her lack of response gave her away. "Are you in the car right now?" She asked, but her tone was accusatory. She didn't like it when Haley talked in the car, it made her nervous, but of course her best friend wasn't one to listen to advice.
Haley's truck must have made a turn, because she could hear the screeching of the tires against a gravel road. "No, why would you ever say that?" Her best friend sucks at lying, even if it's teasing, much like Claire herself.
Claire shook her head as she raked her fingers through her tangled hair. "I'm hanging up now. See you in twenty." She said before ending the call. She moved towards her closet, opening the door and shifting through her clothes. She pulled out a pair of light skinny jeans and a white t-shirt, shrugging them on and throwing on a pair of sneakers. She brushed through her hair quickly and threw it up into a pony tail, before moving into her grandmother's bathroom and searching through foundations to match her skin tone. It ended up being a shade too dark against her pale skin, but with a coat of powder it didn't look nearly as bad.
A horn honked from the front of the house, and Claire grabbed two beach towels as she made her way to the front door. She unlocked it and slipped out of the opening, starting towards Haley's beat-up red truck. She hopped into the passenger seat, throwing the towels into the back and fastening her seatbelt. "Seatbelt," She reminded Haley as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and she tried not to think of Haley driving without one on.
The radio blared as they made their way down the dirt road towards the water tower. Claire grabbed the extra pair of sunglasses from the cup holder, blocking out the sun as they turned into the parking lot. She hopped out of the car first, followed closely behind by Haley. She handed her the towels from the backseat, waiting patiently for her friend to take them. "Are you sure you don't want to come up with me?" Haley asked.
Claire glanced up at the tower before shaking her head. "No, you go ahead. I'll be fine, throw me the keys so I can listen to the radio while you two try not to fall off." She teased before Haley threw the keys in her direction. She walked over to the drivers side of the truck and climbed in the seat just as Haley was climbing the first few rungs of the ladder.
The radio was playing Photograph on some country station, and this was the first time Claire had really let herself think about what had happened last night. Memories of his lips and the scent of sea salt overwhelm her senses, and she shudders as she tries to bring herself back down to earth. Her fingers unconsciously move to the mark he had left on her skin, suppressing another shudder as she comes into contact with the tender flesh. She is careful not to smudge the makeup, but the slight pain is a reminder that the kiss actually happened. A small smile appears on her lips as she thinks about his hands on her skin, the heat of his breath. His presence brings forth an entirely new inflow of emotions. He makes her feel alive.
It isn't long before Aqua is opening the back seat, and Claire climbs over the cup holders and radio to sit back in the passenger seat just as Haley climbs into the drivers side. Aqua taps a finger on her shoulder, a grin on her face as Claire turns around. "Haley and I have an idea that will make Ray fall in love with me by next Friday!" She giggles, and her happiness is so pure-hearted that it's blinding.
And once again Claire is reminded why she can't have feelings for Ray. The sunshine girl with a heart of gold.
