JENNIE
"Dock's a little shaky, but sturdy enough. I need to get someone out here to remodel it . . ." Marco muses as we follow him out to the where the boat's moored.
With their backyard leading directly to the water, the view is incredible. The waves crash along the rocks lining the shore, and instinctively I step behind Lisa.
"What's wrong?" she asks quietly.
"Nothing. I'm just a little nervous."
She turns around to face me, sliding both of her hands into the back pockets of my jeans. "It's only water, baby, it'll be okay."
She smiles, but I can't tell if she's mocking me or being sincere. It's only when her lips brush my cheek that my doubt disappears.
"I forgot you don't like water." She pulls me closer.
"I like water . . . in swimming pools."
"And streams?" Her eyes glitter with humor.
I smile at the memory. "Only one stream in particular."
I was nervous that day, too. Lisa only convinced me to get into the water by bribing me. She had promised to answer one of my endless questions about her in exchange for me getting into the water with her. Those days seem so distant—so ancient, really—but the ongoing theme of secrecy still litters our present.
Lisa takes my hand in her as we follow her family down the dock to the incredibly intimidating vessel waiting at the end. I don't know much about boats, but I think this one may be a giant-sized pontoon boat. I know it's not a yacht, but it's bigger than any fishing boat I've ever seen.
"It's so big," I whisper to Lisa.
"Shh, don't talk about my dick in front of my family," she teases.
I love this playful yet grumpy mood she's in; her smile is contagious. Then the dock creaks beneath my feet, and I squeeze tight against Lisa in panic.
"Watch the step," Marco calls back to us as he climbs onto the ladder connecting the boat and the dock.
Lisa's hand moves to my back as she helps me up the ladder. I try to force myself to imagine that it's just a small ladder at a playground, not something attached to an enormous boat. The reassurance that comes with Lisa's touch is the only thing keeping me from running back up the shaky dock, into the cabin, and hiding under the bed.
Marco helps us each onto the deck, and once there, I can see how nice the boat is, decorated in white wood and caramel leather. The seating area is large, big enough for all of us and then some to sit comfortably.
When he tries to help Lisa aboard, his daughter waves him off. When she's fully on the deck, she looks around and says plainly, "It's nice to see that your boat is nicer than Mum's house."
Marco's proud smile fades.
"Lisa," I whisper, tugging at her hand.
"Sorry," she huffs.
Marco sighs but seems to accept his daughter's apology before walking over to the other side of the boat.
"You okay?" Lisa leans into me.
"Yeah, just be nice, please. I'm already nauseous."
"I'll be nice. I already apologized." She takes a seat on one of the lounges, and I join her.
Jisoo takes the grocery bag and leans down to unpack cans of soda and bags of snacks. I gaze across the expanse of the boat and out onto the water. It's beautiful, and the sun is dancing across the surface.
"I love you," Lisa's says softly into my ear.
The boat's engine comes to life with a light hum, and I scoot closer to Lisa. "I love you," I say back, still looking out onto the water.
"If we get out far enough we may see a few dolphins, or if we're lucky, a whale!" Marco says loudly.
"A whale would surely knock this boat over in no time flat," Lisa remarks, and I gulp at the thought. "Shit, sorry," she apologizes.
The farther and farther we get from the shore, the calmer I become. It's odd: I thought it would be the opposite, but there's a certain serenity that comes with being so disconnected from the land.
"Do you see dolphins a lot out here?" I ask Karen as she sips on her soda.
She smiles. "No, only once. But we still try!"
"I can't believe the weather today, it feels like June," Jisoo remarks.
"Are you working on your tan?" I ask her, taking in her pale torso.
"Or your ghost impression?" Lisa adds.
Jisoo rolls her eyes but otherwise ignores the remark. "Yep, even though I won't need a tan in the city."
"If the water wasn't ice cold, we could all go for a swim closer to shore," Karen says.
"Maybe in the summer," I remind her, and she nods happily.
"At least we still have the Jacuzzi back at the cabin," Marco says.
Enjoying the moment, I look up at Lisa, but she stays quiet, staring off into the distance.
"Look! There!" Marco points behind us.
Lisa and I both turn quickly, and it takes me a moment to see what he's spotted. It's a pod of dolphins leaping through the water. They aren't close to the boat, but they're close enough that we can see the way they move in sync through the waves.
"It's our lucky day!" Karen laughs.
The wind blows my hair across my face, blocking my view for a moment, and Lisa's hand reaches up to tuck it back behind my ear. It's always the simple things she does, the small ways she finds to touch me without thought, that make my stomach flutter.
"That was so neat," I say to her once the dolphins have fully passed by.
"Yeah, it was, actually," she says, sounding surprised.
AFTER TWO HOURS of conversation about boating, the beautiful summers along this spot of coastline, sports, and an awkward mention of Seattle that Lisa halted almost as soon as it began, Marco leads us back to the shore.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Lisa and I ask each other at the same time.
"Guess not." She laughs, helping me down the ladder to the dock.
The sun has marked her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, and her hair is unruly and blown out from the wind. She's so lovely, it hurts.
We all walk across the backyard, and all I can think about is how much I want to hold on to that peaceful sensation of being out on the water.
As we enter the cabin, Karen announces, "I'll make us all lunch—I'm sure everyone is hungry," and disappears into the kitchen.
The rest of us stand there silent and content as she walks off.
Finally, Lisa asks her father, "What else is there to do here?"
"Well, there's a nice restaurant further in town—we were planning for all of us to have dinner there tomorrow. There's an old-fashioned movie theater, a library—"
"So, a bunch of lame shit, then?" Lisa says, her words harsh but her tone playful.
"It's a nice place, you should give it a chance," Marco says, not in the least bit offended.
The four of us head into the kitchen and stand around while Karen puts together a platter of sandwiches and fruit. Lisa, who is being overly affectionate today, rests her hand on my hip.
Maybe this place is good for her.
AFTER LUNCH, I help Karen clean the kitchen and make lemonade while Jisoo and Lisa discuss how terrible modern literature is. I can't help but laugh when Jisoo mentions Harry Potter. This sends Lisa into a five-minute-long speech on why she never has read and never will read the books, and Jisoo tries desperately to get her to change her mind.
After the lemonade is finished and greedily drunk down, Marco says to us all, "Karen and I are going to head down to our friend's cabin a few doors down for an hour or two, if you all want to come."
Lisa looks over at me from across the room, and I wait for her to answer. "I'll pass," she finally says, still looking at me.
Jisoo looks back and forth between Lisa and me. "I'll come," She says plainly, but I swear I catch her smirk at Lisa before she stands up to join Marco and her mom.
