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That Endless Summer
Chapter Seven: The calm before.
"So I took you hand and we figured out that
when the tide comes I'll take you away."
-Michelle Branch, All you wanted.
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"Damn, I could do this all day, every day." I groaned happily, as the hot rays of sunlight filtered over my body.
"mmhmm… your not on your own there Maddie. This is so the life for us."
"Damn straight." I said, raising a glass and clinking it with hers.
"To paradise." She smiled at me.
"To summer." I replied, shifting my glasses over my eyes, before concentrating on turning so that my body could have even amounts of sunlight.
"To the girls being as lazy here as they were back home." A voice said from behind us.
"You do this every day at Summer Bay. You complained about being so bored with sun baking, yet we've been here a whole day, and all you've done is lay at the beach in your chairs and drink Madori Splices. Someone explain please?" Ric said, his voice clearly confused.
Cassie and I didn't even bother to turn around and greet the boys. And they didn't come anywhere near us. They'd been surfing and knew it was important to stay away from our dry selves until they themselves were dry.
"Mmm," Cassie replied, pulling him closer to her "This place is different to Summer Bay. That's why we can do this here."
"This is heaven." I replied lazily, tracing circles on my abdomen, knowing that Luke would be watching, his pupils beginning to dilate right about….
"Stop it Maddie." He said huskily, moving closer.
Obviously Cassie was distracting Ric in the same manner, as there were no groans or 'Eww's' coming from his direction.
Opening an eye seductively, I allowed my hand to wonder up his leg… inside his shorts.
"Why?" I asked innocently, my hand continuing to rub up and down his leg.
His eyes rolled back into his head momentarily before he pulled my hand out and placed it safely back next to me.
"That." He replied knowingly.
"Lucas Holden, I have no idea what you're talking about." I said, as I pulled him down next to me and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"I'm wet." He mumbled into my hair, as I breathed in his scent… seawater, mixed with his after-shave… and something that was distinctly Luke.
He picked me up and rearranged us, so I was lying down on top of him, his arms around my waist, our hands entangled.
"Mmm, this is heaven." Luke smiled into my neck, his arms pulling me closer towards his body, as we both soaked up the mid-afternoon sunshine.
The afternoon was spent in this fashion for the four of us. There were sweet mummers from Luke and Ric, and Cassie and I basked in the attention they were giving us. Apparently understanding what would befall them if they tripped up at any stage of this trip had had an amazing impact on them. Not that I minded in the least, Luke's attention was the one thing I constantly craved, almost like an addiction.
Sometime later that afternoon, as I was lightly dozing against Luke's chest, I felt a movement as Luke stood up from behind me.
Opening one eye, I saw him lean down and kiss me softly on the cheek, before whispering, "Stay here. Ric and I are going for another surf, we'll come and get you later."
I nodded meekly, and lay back again, loving the feel of the sun, before I felt someone poking my side. I groaned before unwillingly opening an eye to see Cassie standing above me.
"What?" I whined at her, "I was comfortable and warm and almost asleep."
"What better way to get skin cancer?" scoffed Cassie, before she took my hand and pulled me up. "Look at that." She said, pointing out to the ocean.
"The ocean? It's big and blue Cass, big deal!" I cried incredulously, annoyed she'd taken me away from my warm seat for this.
"Open your eyes Matilda Hunter." Cassie snapped "The surf is as flat as."
"And?" I asked
"And the boys said they were going surfing." Cassie replied.
"So? They probably went further up the beach…" I suggested weakly.
"The whole stretch is flat." Cass said, motioning wih her hand to the vast area of the beach. She was right, the swell that had been there this morning had died down, and there were nothing more than a few small waves crashing on the shore.
"So" I said, drawing it out "They lied to us?" I asked Cassie, turning to face her.
"Yep. They are up to something, sneaky kids." She replied, shaking her fist mockingly.
"And they didn't think we'd ever bother to look at the surf…" I continued "So they thought it would be okay?"
"I'm betting your right on the money there." Cassie said, as she pulled me back to our chairs.
"So, what do we do?" I asked as I sat back down in my deck chair.
"We pretend like everything is normal. And don't let them know that we know." Cassie replied almost excitedly.
"Do you think they had this planned from the start, or that they are still trying to suck up to us?" I asked a moment later.
Shrugging, Cassie replied "Who knows? Let's just milk it for all it's worth!"
"Agreed." I said, nodding, before facing the sun once more, anticipating the events that tonight were about to bring.
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"Do you think they suspect anything?" Ric asked me as we put together the final touches of our masterful plan.
"You're kidding right? Maddie was almost falling asleep on me before we left. The most likely scenario is that they stayed put. Sometimes they'd talk, but you and I both know they don't need to do that on the best of days." I said, smirking at Ric, who understood their love for sun baking just as much as I did.
"You're right, as usual Obi Wan. When will I learn the power of the Jedi like that?" Ric asked mockingly.
"Time young one, time is what you need." I replied, bowing towards him in a manner that was only Star Wars orientated.
We laughed a bit after that, our fascination with Star Wars never ceased to amaze the girls, but that was just another thing Ric and I had bonded over, during our time alone without Cassie and Maddie.
I looked around the room, knowing that there was another just like this at the other end of the hallway. We'd gone all out, knowing this was partly part of our final apology to the girls. It was also our first night here, having arrived in the middle of the day, we'd simply dumped out stuff, and the girls had opted from sun baking by the pool area while Ric and I had checked out the surf.
I knew that if we started this holiday on the right foot, nothing would go wrong. Call it karma, for all the bad things we'd had to deal with last summer. And if this night went as planned, we'd have two blissful weeks, I thought happily to myself as I surveyed the room once more.
"We did good." Ric said, standing next to me and slapping me on the back.
"Yeah, mate, we did brilliantly." I replied, checking my watch. "But right now we better get back to the girls before they actually begin to suspect something is up. Remember, play it down dude."
"Always." Ric replied, as we left the rooms and headed on down to the deck area, ready to find our girls.
We reached the pool area, and Ric immediately pointed Cassie and Matilda out, lying in exactly the same place they had been when we left them hours before.
"Told you so" I smirked at Ric before walking quietly over to Maddie.
Ric simply grunted in response before following me, moving a little further to where Cassie was lying.
"Maddie" I whispered quietly as not to scare her "Baby, wake up." I kissed her cheek gently as I felt her move slightly.
"Mmm, that's nice." She murmured in a husky, sleepy voice.
I laughed at her innocence before rubbing up and down her arms, hoping to rouse her from her sleep completely.
"Maddie, baby, com'on, we've gotta get ready." I said gently, but firmly.
At this, one of her eyes popped open, and she arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
"Ready for what Lucas Holden?" She asked in a suspicious tone, but it was the 'Lucas Holden' that got me.
I sat back from her and watched as she sat up, her arms folding themselves across her chest, her arched eyebrow staying up.
"You know we didn't go surfing this afternoon?" It was more of a statement than a question, but I had to confirm their knowledge.
"I know about more than sun baking thank you." Maddie quipped, as I scoffed.
"Okay fine. Cassie knows more. She saw that the swell wasn't up. And she told me. And now I'm telling you." She said bluntly. "Now, what's going on?"
So they knew we didn't go to the beach, but hadn't pieced together anything more than that. How could they, they hadn't known any of the details we'd planned with the use of sucking up techniques in the 'Bible' Jack and Kim had given us.
"That, Little Lady" I said, scooping her up in my arms and pulling her tighter to me as she squealed "Is for me to know, and for you to find out." I finished sternly, as Maddie rolled her eyes at the cliché I'd used.
"Hmph" She replied as she began to sulk.
Knowing that this conversation was going steadily downhill, I did the one thing that could get her back on side.
"The surprises start now if you're nice." I coaxed her, and she perked up immediately as I put her feet down onto the ground.
"Really?" She asked, like a kid on Christmas.
"Mmhmm yep, in the bathroom in our room." I replied happily as she jumped back into my arms, happier than ever.
Just as Maddie leant up to kiss me, Cassie skipped over gleefully and pulled Maddie's arm, yelling over her shoulder to Ric and I "We'll be getting ready if either of you need us for anything."
"Women" Ric muttered next to me "Do a nice thing for them and they abandon you at the first sign of 'new clothes'."
I could only laugh.
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"This is so exciting" Maddie cried happily as we waited for the elevator to take us up to our floor. It was so like her to act like a kid on Christmas. Although, I had to admit, her smiling was infectious, and soon I was giggling along with her.
"I know" I replied as we stepped in and pressed the number for our floor, "I wonder what exactly the boys have planned?"
"Whatever it is, it's going to be brilliant. I can feel it in my bones." Maddie replied giddily.
"Elsewhere too." I joked, as Maddie shoved me before saying "Shut up."
"Kidding." I replied, "You know I'm just as excited as you are." I finished, as the doors opened revealing a long hallway.
Impatiently, Maddie ran down the corridor, intent on revealing the surprise as soon as possible. I followed quickly behind her, partly because I was excited, partly because I didn't want Maddie getting over excited, as she had a tendency to do. I reached the door seconds after Maddie who was already putting the card into the automatic lock.
Tentatively she pushed the door open, and we stepped into the hallway of our suite.
I surveyed the room quickly, and came to the conclusion that nothing had been moved, or been added. It appeared to be the same room that I'd glanced around quickly this morning before walking out once more, eager to visit the pool deck.
Beside me, it appeared that Maddie had drawn the same conclusion.
"Luke said there would be a surprise." She said, pouting. "There's nothing here. Except…" She said slowly "That." She finished, pointing to a small trail of roses that lead into the bathroom.
"Now what didn't we notice that before?" I asked quietly, as Maddie started laughing.
"Because we were expecting that big gesture that comes in little black boxes from Angus and Coote." She said all knowingly.
"Jewellery, the universal language that every girl knows" I giggled along with Maddie as we followed the trail that lead us towards the joint bathroom. We were so caught up in the giggling that we didn't initially notice the surprise that awaited us in the large shared bathroom.
Well, I didn't notice, until Maddie squealed "New clothes" in delight.
And there they were, laid out over the bench, with notes sitting neatly on top of them.
Wasting no time, Maddie ran over to the pile with the note addressed to her and sat down and quickly began reading, her eyes flicking over the page as a broad, sly smile appeared on her face.
"What?" I asked, suddenly intrigued by the words the letter held.
"Read your own." Maddie said as she snapped the letter out of my reach, "I'm going to get ready." She said firmly, grabbing her new clothes and walking towards the shower.
Taking the huge hint, I took my own pile of clothing and headed back out into the lounge room, sitting down on the couch and tucking my feet under me, preparing to read the letter.
"Cassie" I read slowly "My only one. This was all concocted for two reasons. The first is to apologise again for making you girls angry. Somehow Luke and I always manage to do it. But we also manage to get back into your good graces too."
I bit my lip, knowing a large smile was appearing on my face.
"The second was to show you girls how much we really love you. Cass, since you came into my life, we've had our difficulties, but you've always been there in the end. Always loving me, always needing me, and I don't want that to ever change. I want to promise you that I'll always be there for you, no matter what happens in the future. I want you to know I'll always love you, and you'll always be the one for me."
This was starting to sound suspiciously like a marriage proposal, but I knew Ric had more sense than that. I trusted him with my everything.
"No, I'm not proposing. We're both too young for that. But I am promising you that that day will come later on in life. I love you Cass, always and forever."
I reached up and wiped away the single tear that had rolled down my cheek and hugged the letter into my body. Ric could be sweet, he could be romantic, but I hadn't realised he could be so honest until then.
A noise in the distance broke me from my trance, and I realised that the shower was no longer running, which meant Matilda was getting ready. Finally, the shower was free for me. I sighed as I turned the water on, wondering whether we'd always manage to stay like this, or whether we'd be torn apart, like everyone else.
Because no one's perfect, are they?
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I could hear them the minute we walked up to the door. Their laugher was intoxicating, unlike any drug I'd ever known. She was the drug I lived off; she was everything I needed, plus a million things more.
Luke rapped gently on the door and I heard the room become silent, the only noise being that of a key sliding into a lock.
I could see shadows of body in the dim lighting, but was unable to see their faces; Cass' face, which was what I was desperately looking for. We slowly walked into the room, lit only by candles, and I wondered whether Maddie and Cassie had their own plans for tonight.
"Uh" I said, clearing my throat "Girls?" I questioned, as the lights were suddenly switched on and Luke and I came face to face with too smirking females.
"Too easy." Cassie said, high fiving Maddie next to her.
"You boys looked so totally dumbstruck by the setting." Maddie said, laughing a little.
"Huh?" Luke said, obviously as confused as I was.
"I know what was going through your mind Mr. Dalby." Cassie said as she sauntered up to me in that itty bitty outfit I'd picked out for her. "That maybe we had our own plans…"
I gulped down a huge breath of air, was I really that readable?
"Well" Maddie said from next to Luke "We did."
"But we were more curious about your plans" Cassie added "So come on then." She said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door.
Maddie handed the key's over to Luke and watched as he locked the door from behind him. Then, on a whim, she decided to pull Cassie ahead and skip down the hallway, both acting very mature for their age indeed.
Luke pulled me close and said under his breath "Are you sure it was a good idea to get them those outfits?"
I glanced towards the two bubbly teenage girls infront of me, and watched as their very short skirts began to draw a fair amount of attention from the passers in the hallway.
"Maybe not." I said, shaking my head "But they needed them for the club tonight."
"I guess." Luke said, still not sounding convinced.
As we reached the girls, he took a firm hold of Matilda hand and pulled her almost possessively towards him. Not that it mattered; Maddie only ever had eyes for him any way. But Luke was a worrier, he knew what Maddie could be like under the influence of alcohol. Hell, Cass was the same, I thought, as I pulled her closer to me, snaking my arm around her waist.
Her head leant against my shoulder as we waited for the elevator to take us down to the foyer. Luke and I had booked dinner at a local themed restaurant, and then we had put out names on the list at Club Glover, one of the hottest places in town. Owned by G. Lover industries, it was known for its raunchy dancing and wild nightlife, just the kind of action Maddie and Cassie were craving. After that, well, I imagined we'd be going back to our rooms for Maddie and Cassie's ideal night out. Or rather, ideal night in.
"Get ready for a night you'll never forget." Luke said as we exited the hotel and began walking towards the restaurant.
"Why?" Maddie said next to him, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.
"You'll see." He said kissing her temple and pulling her closer, as Cass laughed softly from beside me.
It felt great, being with friends like this, having fun like this. Nothing was going to ruin this vacation. Or this summer. The pain would come at the end, when the inevitable happened. But for now, I was blocking all that out… living in the past, forgetting about what the future was destined to bring.
"You okay?" Cass asked from beside me, concern filling her face.
I couldn't tell her. She'd laugh at me. I was always more of a realist. Cass was a believer.
"Just thinking about how beautiful you are" I replied gently as I pulled her closer.
Nothing was going to ruin these two weeks. Not even my own insecurities.
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AN: Finally, the drama kinda begins. In like the last 100 words. Thank you to Jade for being ever so patient and reading this over and over, and listening to every one of my ideas. It's much appreciated. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and stuck around while this was written, I swear, the drama really does start next chapter.