Chapter 114

The One In The Pool

NATE

Arielle cuts a circle around me, tempting me into racing her. She looks sexy as fuck as she grips the handlebars on her jetski and stands to her feet, glancing over at me.

It’s been the perfect day—not too hot and not too cold—and we’ve taken advantage of that very fact. I know we live in Miami and have access to the water year round, but we’ve been loving being able to be out on the ocean without interruption. One thing about Florida is that it can be busy. There’s a fuck ton of people who live in the state, which means that beaches are usually occupied.

She smirks before I see her push down on the throttle, spraying me with the rooster tail that forms from behind her jetski. After brushing the water from my eyes, I follow her wake, speeding past her. As I get close, I peter off just beside her, gripping the handlebars as I hit a particularly big wave that sends me launching into the air.

A smile breaks out on my face and I yell out in joy, my knuckles turning white from their grip. I hit the water with a thud and a splash, hooking a sharp turn to drive around Arielle where she’s stopped to watch.

She’s standing on her machine, a hand on her hip. “Show off,” she teases, raising her eyebrows. “I can do that too, you know.”

“I’m sure you can.” I press her buttons, knowing it’s what she’s looking for.

I know she can do it. She will do it. And she’ll look substantially hotter than me while doing so.

Her tongue darts out to wet her full lips and she adjusts her sunglasses on her nose before she grabs hold of the handlebars and then she’s racing off towards a particularly unsettled part of the ocean.

As I observe her, I pull my own sunglasses off, killing the engine because I want to hear her as she hits the wave.

She has to drive around a bit in circles to create some waves, but they aren’t exactly substantial enough for her to jump them. Eventually, a gust of wind grants her some waves with white caps and she grins, hitting the throttle before she jumps one of them, yelling out in happiness. She jumps a second and a third one before racing back to me.

She pulls alongside me, killing her engine as she questions, “So?”

“You not only got more air time than me, but that was a ten outta’ ten, babe.”

She hooks a foot on my jetski, pulling us close and then leans close to press a kiss to my mouth.

Luckily, we ate dinner before renting these, but we still have to head back to the house to clean up and pack our shit. Which, I’m not looking forward to.

We’re leaving Anguilla early tomorrow morning and I’m conflicted about it. I’m beyond happy that we’ve been able to have so much time away from home. It’s a privilege that I don’t take lightly.

We’ve been needing a getaway for a super fucking long time. I know that with the whole death thing, it hurt our mental health—both of ours—significantly. I understood that could be a part of what we were doing, but I honestly believed that the end goal was worth it.

When Arielle told me Zara had plans to go to Greece, I figured it was the perfect time. Arielle and I had a flirty thing going on, but we still weren’t completely together. I’d hoped that Greece would reunite us for good and I’m pleased that seems to be the case. I’ll owe the country something forever because of what it’s gifted me.

We worked through a lot of shit in Greece and I’m glad we were there while we did so. It seemed to relieve extra pressure being in a place so beautiful. Plus, with the encouragement of a few friends, we got the bump we needed towards each other’s arms.

My initial desire to come to Anguilla was simply to stay away from QuickDraw’s basement dungeon. I don’t want to fucking go back home—after having such a long, wonderful holiday—to living in someone else’s downstairs.

At first, I thought maybe I’d stay in Greece for a bit longer. However, one night I was watching some television and an advertisement popped up for Anguilla. A little research later and I booked the house, as well as a few little excursions.

I knew Arielle would say yes.

Once I realized I could ask her to come with me, the only reason I wanted to extend the holiday is because of her. Any time I get to spend with her is a privilege. I want to spend every waking moment with Arielle until I die. It was a no brainer.

Seeing her let loose and finally relax in Greece made me want her to come to Anguilla even more. It’s been incredible to have alone time with her. Even though we’ve been doing quite a few little excursions here and there, my favourite moments are the simplest with her.

The times when I wake up with her in my arms. The dinners we playfully cook and then eat together. Streaming a movie or television show that we equally get into. Even the times when I’ll play a video game and Arielle sits beside me, warning me of oncoming enemies that I don’t initially notice.

We don’t have to do anything overly special. I just enjoy spending time with her. My best friend and the love of my life.

How far we’ve come.

I honestly don’t know if I should keep some sort of tabs on Ezra. It sounds like he’s completely done for good, but would it be smart to check up on him every once in a while? Probably.

But at the same time, I don’t want to live life looking over my shoulder. I’ve already done that and I didn’t fucking enjoy it. If I’m checking in on Ezra every few months, isn’t that just me living in the past? Wouldn’t it remind me of everything that went to shit in my life? All of the horror we faced together?