A/N: Sorry for the delay! Thanks to everyone for the kind words. I hope I can keep it up!
Chapter Four
"You need help with that?" A deep voice calls from beside Emily and startles her. She's wrestling with a way to carry the kayak and paddles she's just rented. This guy must think she's completely helpless. Typical.
"No, it's okay." Emily responds just as she loses her grip and all comes tumbling down onto the sand.
She hears him chuckle at her mishap, but he shuffles over to help her pick it all back up. "I don't mind."
"I guess I need more help than I thought." Emily holds her hand out to shake and he obliges. "I'm Emily."
He's got muscles, but still somewhat lean at the same time. It doesn't match the typical Jersey shore type she's seen wondering about the town.
"Jason." He tucks the paddles into the bungee's that adorn each edge and tucks the life vests into the body of the tiny vessel. They each grab an end, Jason at the back and Emily at the front so she can guide him to the right destination.
As soon as they arrive, they plop the kayak down with a thud. Emily pushes it a little into the water, but just enough so it won't float off and turns back to her helper. "Thanks, Jason. I'm not sure I could have lugged this thing down by myself."
He pushes back the few strands of hair that fall in his eyes. Its beyond sun kissed that it almost looks fake. She notes he'd be better suited with a surfboard in California than stranded in Cape May. "Not a problem. Why'd you get a two seater for yourself?"
"Oh I'm not using this alone, someone's meeting me here." She looks around for any sign of her friend, but comes up empty. "They just seem to be a little late."
"Lucky guy. No girl's ever taken me out for a date on a kayak." He winks at Emily and flashes a charming smile that could melt even the coldest of girls.
Emily smiles back politely, not having the heart to tell him he's barking up the wrong tree. "It's not a date. Just a friend."
"Well, I gotta say, it's pretty romantic for just a friend. Sunset, two of you alone…" He trails off as he wags his eyebrows up and down suggestively.
"What the hell are you doing here?" A very stern voice calls from behind.
Emily looks past Jason to see Alison, arms crossed and shooting the deadliest of daggers towards him. She makes a note to never be on the receiving end of those. If lasers were attached to her pupils, she's pretty sure Jason would be obliterated beyond recognition.
Jason rolls his eyes in the classic fashion. "I was helping Emily carry her kayak down. Is that a crime?"
Alison ignores his answer and instead turns to give a much friendlier gaze towards Emily. "Is this idiot bothering you, Em?"
He looks between Emily and Alison and starts to put two and two together. He mirrors Alison's line of sight back to Emily, pointing at the blonde in disbelief. "This is who you're taking on a kayak? Oh Emily, you seem far too nice to have to put up with that."
Alison interjects before she can respond. "Stop hitting on underage girls, Jason. She's not interested."
"Settle down, tiger." He turns back again to Emily with a grin and a pat to her shoulder. "Good luck. You'll need it with the ice queen on that thing." He begins to wander away laughing to himself and making sure to ruffle Alison's hair as he passes her.
Alison swats his hand off and does her best to fix whatever mess he's just made.
It finally clicks in Emily's mind. She should have guessed it by the familiar eye roll alone. It's that Jason.
"Whatever my brother said to you, ignore it."
Emily shrugs. "He was nice. Helped me out, actually."
"That's a first." Alison looks to the kayak situated behind her. "Is this why you asked me to come earlier?"
"I figured instead of just sitting on the beach, we could watch the sunset from the water."
Alison looks uneasy.
"Look, if you fall in I've been known to rescue certain blondes around here. Plus look!" Emily grabs a brightly colored orange life vest from the front seat and thrusts it in Alison's direction.
"I'm not worried about that." She holds it away from her body like its a diseased animal, upper lip curled in disgust. "This is hideous."
"Just put it on."
Alison does what she's asked and buckles the vest up. She throws two hands on her hips to showcase the new adorned garment and does her best pose for Emily. "How do I look?"
"Like a safe oompa loompa. Now get in, we're going to miss it."
"So pushy." She snags the paddle Emily holds out to her and reluctantly helps push the kayak further into the water.
Water grows higher up their calves with each step as Alison hops into the front seat first and Emily into the back. They begin to paddle out into the horizon in unison and the familiar shades of color hit the calm ocean surrounding them.
"See this isn't so bad."
Alison turns halfway around with a sly grin. "I was only complaining about the ugly vest you made me wear. Not hanging out with you."
They come to a stand still, laying their paddles on their laps as they allow themselves to float on the water. Emily peers at the sunset and their surroundings. The two girls haven't ventured too far from the shore, but far enough they would never be bothered.
There's a buoy bell clanging in the distance and she turns her attention back to Alison whose silhouetted by the sunset. It's beautiful and the glowing sun illuminates her frame. Emily reach's down to the waterproof bag situated between her legs. This moment is in need of a photo and she's so glad she's invested in this bag today.
"EMILY." Alison seethes through gritted teeth. "THERE'S A SHARK." She hits Emily's leg behind her, frantic at the possibility of being eaten alive. Her other hand is gripped and white knuckled on the paddle handle.
"Ow!" Emily's head shoots back up and grabs Alison's hand to cease the abuse. "Its probably just a dolphin."
The finned animal nears Alison's side and she wails. "That is NOT A DOLPHIN!" She tries to propel herself backward, but is stopped by the cheap rayon seat backing. Instead she squeezes Emily's hand harder, eyes clenched. "This was a terrible idea."
She runs her free hand back and forth over Alison's in a attempt to comfort her. "I was trying to be spontaneous. Don't people always complain they don't do that enough?" She peers over the edge and she can clearly see the bottle nose of the dolphin through the blueish water. This moment would be a lot cooler if the blonde wasn't so convinced they were about to be devoured. Maybe Jason had a valid point.
"Not when there's deadly sea creatures involved."
Emily smirks as Alison whimpers with each word. "For someone who has such a tough exterior, you're such a baby." She sways the boat back and forth, clearly trying to torture her friend and milk it for all its worth.
"We've all seen Jaws, Emily! There's not exactly a lot of boat here to keep us safe!" She grips her hand even tighter than before. "Now would you stop moving. Maybe it won't see us."
"It's not a T-Rex." She sighs. "Its okay to look now. I think it swam off." Emily peels Alison's clutched hand from her's finger by finger. She's hoping to restore any ounce of circulation or feeling. "Now, look up and enjoy the view. You're missing the best part."
Alison relents, still terrified of whatever animal was circling them. Its breath taking from this point of view and she finds it in herself to relax a bit. She notices the finned fish is indeed long gone and all is peaceful in their kayak. It's silent except for the gentle waves the glide against the small amount of plastic that encases them.
"Turn around for a second." Alison does and Emily reaches back to her bag, pulling out her phone like she had intended before. She holds it up doing her best to position the camera to find its best angle. "Say cheese."
Alison is a ham, so she eats the opportunity right up. The blonde offers up an array of poses and Emily gives her best impression of an art director that she can.
"Wait, we should take one together." Alison suggests.
Emily nods and shifts around so her back is facing her. She feels Alison rest her chin on her shoulder and almost flinches at the contact. She has the longer arms of the two, so she holds the phone out and steadies it as much as she can to take it. She pulls it back down to examine as Alison stays propped at the shoulder to gaze at them with her.
"One more, you can't even see the sunset!"
Emily agrees and holds the camera up again. This time Alison's arms curve around the flimsy seat and encompass her waist from behind. She gulps down the feeling that's bubbled up in her throat and prays her hand doesn't shake from the nerves. Thank god they're wearing these life vest's because she's pretty sure her heart is beating a mile a minute.
They repeat the same actions as before and glance through the photos they just snapped. Alison begins to remove her arms, but not before squeezing both of Emily's sides. "Cute."
Its all she say's, but the twinkle that she catches gleaming out of Alison's eyes is almost too much for Emily to bear. She sneaks in a deep breath as she turns back around to put her phone back in the waterproof bag as contact is officially broken. Stop.
As the sun continues to set, the two girls stay floating on water, away from the rest of the world. "What if we just let ourselves float off into the water? Find an island, live off coconuts and fish."
"I'm sure there will be plenty of sharks just waiting for us to tip over."
Alison reaches back and playfully hits Emily's upper arm. "Don't say that!" Emily watches as her eyes dart past her shoulder and back towards the direction of the lighthouse. "Let's head over there. Its practically an island anyway."
Emily follows in the direction she's been advised and they sync their rowing just like before. They don't row for long, though, docking their kayak on the beach's shore. As they jump out onto the wet sand, Emily takes notice of the marshes that surround them. It's much more tranquil on this section of the beach then the bustling area she's been used to frequenting.
"Welcome to Higbee Beach." Alison plops down onto the sand and tears off her life vest, now using it as a make-shift pillow and strips off her shoes. Emily follows suit and clips off her vest in the same fashion. Their still close enough to the water that it hits just the tips of their now bare feet and they gaze up at the newly emerging stars.
"Did you know this section is haunted?"
"How so?" Emily asks, inquisitive.
"They say that the ghost of Old Man Higbee roams the coast during dusk." Alison's voice is gruff and lower than usual, making Emily feel the eeriness of their surroundings. "He walks the strands of the beach with a large dog. And up there…" Alison points to the higher dunes that stop just before a mini forest. It's lined with what Emily believes looks like hundred year old driftwood lined fence trails. "They say the ghosts of the old Cape May towns people roam around, just waiting for people like us to taunt."
Emily stares up as Alison trails off with her story and out of nowhere two hands roughly grab her sides. She screams and nearly jumps a thousand feet as Alison dies laughing next to her. "Dammit, Ali!"
"Whose scared now?" Alison's clutching her stomach as she continues her laughing spree.
Emily can't help but find the laughter contagious and cracks a smile. "You're the worst."
Alison giggles and asks a question that feels like its pulled straight out of the sky above them. "So Em, who was your first love?"
Emily arches a brow at the abrupt question. "What? Where'd that come from?"
She shrugs, curious look planted on her face at the reluctance. "Just making conversation."
Emily gulps and wonders if its time to tell the real truth. "Uh, well…there was someone, but I don't know if I was in love."
"Who was your first kiss then?"
"This guy named Ben…" Emily let's out a barf noise, eliciting another giggle from her companion. "We met on the swim team and I think he took it a bit too literally. He kissed like a fish."
"Gross."
"It was so wet and slimy and way too much tongue." Emily gags again at the memory. "What about you? Pining away for your first kiss?"
Alison responds with a simple, "Nope". Its dismissed entirely and Emily never has the chance to probe on. Alison turns on her side, propping her head up with one hand. "So swimming, huh? That explains a lot."
"Explains what?"
Alison has a devious smirk planted across her face and her eyes rake down Emily's body, appraising her every limb. "Those arms for one."
Emily can feel herself turn crimson and thanks the ghosts of Higbee Beach its dark. "Can't be out of shape if you want to win."
"I can see that." Alison smiles all-knowing, unnerving every inch of Emily before returning to lay in her previous position. She scoots a bit closer than before so their shoulders now touch and picks Emily's hand up into her own. "Have you ever had your palm read?"
"Can't say that I have."
Alison's fingers ghost over the lines of Emily's right hand. It sends a chill straight up to the top of her shoulder. "This is your heart line, it's close to the fingers so that means you can be passionate and maybe get a little jealous."
"Go on."
Alison's index finger treads each indent with surgical precision. "Hmm, your life line is interesting." She's teasing Emily now, eyebrow raised, but remaining pensive.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You have a strong, deep life line. Not a lot of people do."
Emily narrows her eyes. "Is that good or bad?"
"It means you're enthusiastic about life and trying to reach your full potential. Depends on how you view it, I guess."
"You're bullshitting me. Where did you learn how to palm read?"
Alison shrugs again. "I watched a youtube video."
Emily bellows out a laugh. "Such a pro."
"We should go to the pier tomorrow." Alison's still playing with her hand, tracing absently now, but still driving Emily's insides mad. "Reacquaint ourselves with the public."
"Maybe." Emily bites the inside of her cheek. She's watching Alison's puzzled reaction to her answer, the faint white light from the lighthouse illuminating her face with every turn.
"Maybe? Come on. I went on a kayak for you. We can get fat on funnel cake." Alison gives her the biggest wounded puppy dog eyes, and god dammit. "Pleeeeease!"
Emily sneaks a glance down to their hands and knows she's already long gone. "Fine." She makes it sound painful, but she's feeling the pain in the same way she's felt it before. Hanging out with Alison is beginning to feel like the best and worst feeling at the same time.