Chapter 11
When he wants to be, Patrick can be punctual. Any time he has ever shown up at my window it has been almost in sync with the clock flipping to 11:00. Tonight is no different. He doesn't knock for risk of waking my father, but instead just shows up in my uncovered windows with a seeking expression.
When we arrive at the beach, I get off the back of his bike and remove my helmet. When he has done the same I take a step toward the beach, but he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me back. I look up at him and the distance between our lips quickly diminishes. When he finally pulls back after the kiss, he smiles and my stomach does a cartwheel.
"Come on," he says, leading me toward the sand. We walk along the beach in silence for a while before I speak.
"So, you've met my family," I begin, "When am I going to meet your family?"
There's a slight hesitation before he sighs, "My family…"
"Yes, you know, the people you're related to."
"Or the people I wish I wasn't related to."
He doesn't have to say much more for me to imply that his home life isn't nearly as ideal as mine, with people that care. As much sense as it makes now that I know, I wasn't expecting that to be true.
"Oh."
"My dad died when I was thirteen," he explains.
"That's why you went through the trouble of saving my mom's records for me…because you can relate."
"It had something to do with that," he says, a smile appearing at his lips but quickly fading as he continues. "That picture that you saw in the keychain was the last picture that I took with him. That's why I keep it with me."
"What about your mom?"
"She drinks," he says as if that sums her up entirely, and there's a good chance that it does. "She disappears for weeks at a time so I basically live on my own. My grandparents have money to spare, so they pay for the rent and the car and everything. Of course if I weren't in the picture it wouldn't be that way."
"Not much of a parent."
"My family pretty much fell apart when my dad died," he says. He's quiet for a moment as we walk, his gaze focuses only on the long stretch of sand in front of us. I decide to lighten the mood a little bit.
"You know," I start, "I haven't actually been in the ocean since I've lived here."
"Oh really?" he asks mischievously. He quickly sheds his jacket, takes me hands and starts to pull me toward the water. I dig my heels into the damp sand beneath my feet.
"We can't go in now!"
"Why not?"
"It's dark!" I say as if going into the water at night causes instantaneous death, and for all I know it does. A smile indicates that he is amused by the oddity of this point.
"So?"
"Can't we wait until…daylight hours?"
"But we're here now; it's more convenient," he argues. I stop resisting and go toward the crashing waves with him. The water is cool as it washes over my feet and it feels oddly refreshing. I feel the sand pull from beneath my feet as it washes back into the ocean. He smiles and continues to walk me into the water, his pants becoming soaked with salt water, and my shorts eventually doing the same as we go even deeper. When the water is up to my waist we stop and he moves closer to me. The waves rush over my shoulders, covering me in a warm blanket and quickly snatching it away.
"Like it?" he asks with a knowing grin. My answer is obvious because I'm beaming. I let go of his hand and put my arms around his neck, trying to resist the rough sway of the water that makes us dance. His wet black t-shirt is fixed against his chest, making the contour of his body as visible as it would be if he didn't have a shirt on at all. My heart is pounding as I let my hand trail down his chest, a devilish smile spreading across my face. His expression begins to match mine and I know I have him.
"Love it," I say as I playfully push him. As planned, the unexpected force causes him to stumble backward and fall all the way into the water. He grabs my hand as he is going down and we both end up fully entrenched in the salty water. When I regain my footing and stand up I swipe my soaked hair out of my face and let myself fall into the water toward him and kiss him. He chuckles and cuts the kiss short.
"Apparently so," he leans back in and we continue. I don't know how long passes between then and the moment I say we should get back, but it seems as if it is only a few short minutes.
As we approach his bike he hands his jacket to me. I glance at the jacket and then up at him questioningly.
"You'll freeze if you ride home like that," he says. I know it's true so I accept the jacket despite my worry that he might get cold. Gradually the warmth that the jacket provides stops my shivering and I get on the back of his bike and he takes me home.
When we arrive at my house he walks me to my window. When we stop, I rise to my tiptoes and kiss him goodnight.
"Thanks for taking me swimming," I whisper. He wipes a strand of wet hair away from my face and smirks a little bit because we both know that it wasn't the swimming that we enjoyed so much.
"Goodnight," he says and he begins to walk away. Suddenly I realize that I'm still wearing his jacket.
"Wait," I call. He turns around to look at me. I unzip it, "Your jacket."
"Keep it for now. It looks good on you."