The pressure of the broken wave pushed them down near the bottom of the ocean, their lips still locked together. The kiss grew more passionate, and Historia's cheeks burned with a sudden flush, butterflies dancing in her stomach like she'd been still a little schoolgirl kissed for the first time by her crush. Their wet bodies stuck together, wetsuit to wetsuit, Levi's arm holding her tight against his chest, strong around her back, their heart beating in the synchronized rhythm. Soon the need to breathe forced them to separate, and they rose to the surface for air.
The rays of blazing sun, glimmering out of a bank of soft clouds, reflected in the water, blinded her first. Historia squinted, her heart still hammering. Levi stood several feet away from her, water up to his waist, with his wide-opened eyes fixed on her, his chest heaving. He looked startled. She tugged on the leash to bring her board back to her. Levi's board, still floating freely in the ocean, bumped into her, and she pushed it away in his direction.
"I am going to check on Armin," she spat finally, breaking the awkward moment between them.
"Right." Levi pulled himself on his board and paddled away.
She watched him go; the perfect taut little ass of his, covered with black neoprene, glided across the waves to his previous position in the line-up, only with a couple of strokes of his toned arms. The burning touch of his lips still lingered over hers, and she dived beneath a surface of the water, cool current washing over her face, cooling her down. Why did she want him so much?
She burst out of the water, gasping for air, and slid over her board, paddling fast towards Armin and Eren, who were straddling their boards in the line-up, chatting and splashing each other occasionally.
"Hi, Armin, Eren." She sat on her board next to both of the boys. "How is the board doing?"
"Epic." Wet blond mane unraveled over his face, and he fiercely shook it off. His eyes lightened up, and his lips curled in a big, cheesy smile. "Thank's for it! You dominated with Levi back there."
"True, no kidding. This was classic," Eren said, cutting in.
"Why don't the two of you try that out? It's easy. You just have to trust your partner on the wave, I guess," she said, her eyes wandering further down the line-up, where Levi sat together with Jean and Mikasa, talking about something. In the meantime, Connie dropped in on Sasha, and they both got wiped out by the wave, coming up for air immediately, both laughing and splashing each other. Armin went after another wave next.
"Cool to see Mikasa with us," Historia said to Eren and cast him a side look. "You two aren't dating anymore?"
Eren blushed as he treaded water sitting next to her.
"No, not anymore." His eyes drooped. "I like her as a friend or even as a big sister, but not… you know… like that."
"Romantically?" she asked with a gentle smile on her lips.
"Yeah, romantically. I just," Eren said, hesitating; his voice held a distant note. "I think I like someone else."
"Oh, that's cool." She nodded. "Do I know this person?"
Eren's face flushed bright red again.
"Maybe," he said with a grin, his teeth flashing white against his tanned face. Then he paddled hard, beating out Isabel to a wave, earning an annoyed shout and splash of water she had sent in his direction.
"Hey, Eren, come back here!" Historia laughed out loud. "Don't you dare run away from me in the middle of the conversation."
Eren caught a wave, crouched a little to gain on speed, and raising to his feet, he turned back and sent her exaggerated kiss. Historia waved back at him with a wide smile. She sighed, and waiting for another set of waves, she watched the horizon, endless ocean ahead of her in one direction, the beach, the cliffs, and their condominiums hidden behind the dunes in the other.
She twirled her feet in the water, skimming over the smiling faces of the kids in the line-up. It was a perfect family afternoon they hadn't had for a long time, and she enjoyed every minute. She turned her head back from following Eren and Armin, trying and failing, to ride one wave together, and she caught Levi looking at her. Their eyes met briefly before both of them shied away, breaking the contact. But that shared moment made Historia thinking of kissing him again.
Historia entered their garden and looked carefully around. Noiselessly, she slipped into their outdoor shower, shut the door just barely, not using the lock, and threw her towel onto a wooden bench. She put her back against the wooden wall and closed her eyes, listening to the distant sounds of the ocean, seagulls' squawking, playful banter of the kids, and the running engine of the car passing by their house. A sudden cool breeze blew over her face, and she enjoyed it, mixing with the warm feeling of the sunlight dancing on her skin.
Historia reached out to unzip the back of her wetsuit, stripping it to her waist, then turning on the shower. She felt the water falling from the top of her head to her neck, the curves of her chest, down her navel, and down the line of her legs. Her palm grazed her chest, basked in the sun as the water-streams trickled across her breasts
/.../ /for the full chapter check my profile on Ao3 under the same name... or PM me /
When she left, Levi turned off the shower and threw on his hooded towel. Then he drew a hand over his forehead. Fuck.
