Pull (Seaside #2)(18)

The five-year-old inside of me was pumping his fist in the air when they said it was okay to touch the octopus.

I sighed and walked by the miniature sharks, or whatever the heck they were called. My thoughts took me back to meeting the guy Alyssa had been with. Was he a boyfriend? Maybe I read her all wrong. She didn’t seem to appreciate his protective stance.

But even I had to admit he was some serious competition in the looks department. Obviously I needed to be lifting more and stop being so lazy after work.

“Demetri?” I heard my name, and then a body ran into me so fast I nearly fell into the glass aquarium, to release the tiny shark to feed on every human in its wake.

“Lyssa? What’s wrong?”

Her face was flushed, her nostrils flared. Was she crying?

I leaned in closer. She backed up as if scared. “I, uh, I’m scared of sharks.”

“It’s in a glass cage.” I pointed out.

“You nearly broke it.”

“Because you ran into me.”

“Do you want to hang out or not?” she huffed.

What. The. Hell.

Something was up. But at least counseling had taught me one thing: when girls were upset, you didn’t make things worse by forcing them to talk about it, and then you didn’t try to fix everything and give them a slap on the back when they were done.

So I nodded my head and grabbed her hand. She didn’t pull away. Thrilled that she actually let me hold her hand, I led her out of the aquarium straight by Sam, who looked like he was getting ready to sic Sally on me.

I was never one for drama with other dudes.

Maybe it was because I always won, except when it came to my brother. Hence the need for drugs in the first place. I wonder what that said about my personality? Rejection leads me down a path of destruction? Awesome. At any rate, my motto had always been that when women someday take over the world, I’m going to need all the testosterone on my side that I can get. It was never wise to make enemies with those who’d protect your manhood when a girl wanted to take a machete to you.

“So where to?” I asked once we were out in the warm salty air.

Alyssa looked down the boardwalk. “Wanna go for a swim?”

“Do you have wetsuits?” Last year I tried to get Nat to swim with me in the ocean and nearly froze my toes off. She thought it was hilarious. I wanted to die and was pretty sure my voice, as well as other parts of my body, didn’t return to normal for hours.

“Yup, follow me.” She led me down a few steps, then walked into a surf shop. “I need an extra large and an extra small.”

“The extra large is for me.” I winked at the lady behind the desk. She blushed.

Alyssa hit me. “Pretty sure that’s obvious, Dem.”

“Aw.” I tilted my head to the side. “I have a nickname too!”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it kind of sounds like damn, which means to go hell. I thought it fit.”

God, she was beautiful when she was feisty. “You care.”

“I don’t care.”

“Admit it, you kind of do.”

Our argument was interrupted by the sales lady. I insisted on paying for the rentals.

Alyssa pointed out the dressing rooms, and I ran in to change.

Extra large was not large enough.

Not by any stretch of the imagination.

Who did they make these things for? Fifth graders?

I cleared my throat a few times and tried to give the boys some room. Hopefully, I’d still be able to reproduce after this little adventure.

I felt myself flush when I emerged from the dressing room.

Alyssa had put her hair back and looked like a goddess. Trying not to kiss her today was probably going to be the hardest thing I’d ever done. Even harder than giving up drugs. Hell, she was like a drug. I just wanted to be around her all the time.

“Ready?” She bit her lip and crossed her arms. Her eyes scanned me with amusement. “A little tight?”

“I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Let’s go.” I put my arm around her and led her out of the store.

****

The water was just as cold as I remembered, but it was at least eighty-five out, so at least the air was warm.

“You ever use a skimboard before?” Alyssa called out to me.

“No, but I surf. I think I’ll be okay.”

She shrugged.

I was not okay.

I fell on my ass at least twenty times while she skimmed by me like a pro.

“It’s the wet suit!” I shouted as I fell for the hundredth time.

“Sure it is!” She called to me as she yet again completed another perfect skim across the waves.

I gave up and lay down against the sand, letting the cold water run over me. Maybe if I pretended to need CPR she would have pity.

“What are you doing?” Her body cast a shadow over me, stealing my warmth.

“I’m cold. Hungry. I suck. Take me home,” I whined, though I would rather lie here all day with her than go home.

“You’re cold because you’re sitting there like a beached whale. You’re tired because you keep falling, and you’re hungry because we skipped lunch.”

“I like your deduction skills.”

She put her hands on her hips. “I like that you know how to use a word like deduction.”