Page 18 of Learning to Love
We stop a few times and take a few selfies.
"I want to put a photo of you on my Instagram." His face is unreadable. His new determination to create memories together surprises me, but also makes me feel cherished.
"Are you sure it's a good idea? People will talk."
He shows me his phone. "Pick a photo. Or however many you want."
I scroll through the photos and choose one of both of us walking side by side through the rainforest, grinning ear to ear.
"Post this one. If anyone asks, you can say I'm your personal trainer."
He laughs so much I think he'll explode. I'm much shorter than he is and definitely not a fitness icon. My Instagram account is mainly photos of Daisy, my garden, and landscapes. I have a total of 15 followers, counting Tayla.
He elbows my arm. "Nah, you're alright." He posts the photo of us on his personal account, and though I'm dying of curiosity, I'll wait until later to see what mayhem he's unleashed. With some luck, it will be glossed over. After all, people shouldn't be interested in his love life. They should care about his sailing performance, right?
Keeping my fingers crossed behind my back for that one, we push onwards hand in hand.
Until I hear a distant sound. "A waterfall!" I'm giddy with excitement. "I love waterfalls so much. How did you know?"
He looks very pleased. "I had no idea. Just thought it would be a good place I could take you."
Another five minutes' walk, and we've reached the base of the waterfall. It's one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen in my life. Water cascades through three ledges and plunges into a clear blue pool below. Drops of water shimmer like jewels in the sun. I take a couple of photos, but I can't do it justice.
Sam puts his hand on my back, and I turn to face him. The sun frames him, and his hair glints in the light like russet fall leaves with golden hues. He takes his sunglasses off, and a storm is brewing in his eyes the color of the deep ocean. Without giving me a chance to catch a breath, he pulls me closer, until I’m immersed in the eye of the storm.
“I missed you.” Sam’s whisper, so close to my lips, makes me tingle from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. Our lips meet with a hunger I’ve never felt before. For any man.
Sam lifts me onto a grass slope, and we drop out backpacks with a thud on the ground. One of his hands has a firm grip on my ass, while the other hand does wicked things to my breast. I can feel his hardness through his shorts, and I know he's burning for me. The idea that this is a public place, that there could be other walkers, makes me want him even more than I thought possible.
Sam pushes down my shorts and swimming briefs, pulls down his own shorts, slides inside me with a moan, and moves with urgency. I've missed the feeling of him. It's like there’s an emptiness in me only he can fill. His whole body tenses, and he comes deep inside me, sending me right over the edge.
We hear voices in the distance, and he gently takes me down off the grassy slope, pulls his clothes up, and helps me lift my clothes. We grab our backpacks and slip away unnoticed.
"I have something else to show you." Sam takes my hand and leads me on a different path to the one we arrived on.
"Oh, you've shown me plenty." My double meaning makes him laugh. He likes feeling wanted, my Sam.
The vegetation seems sparser now, and I can see sand creeping in between the trees. I can hear waves crashing in the background. He's taking me to the beach for a swim.
***
Sam
Ididn't know how I'd feel seeing Ellie again after that shocker of a dinner on Wednesday night. I wasn't prepared for the strength of my feelings for her. I've never believed that absence makes the heart grow fonder, on the contrary. I think it dulls feelings. Or I used to think that until I met and fell hard for Ellie.
It's scary how one day you're your own person, and what feels like the next day, your whole world revolves around another individual. I absorb all her gestures, little smiles, and touches. I still can't read her body language well, but with her, I'm the closest I've ever been to succeeding.
I could tell she was surprised by my Instagram idea. I only hope I'm not throwing her to the wolves. I'm going to protect her as much as I can.
Now we walk hand in hand on the black sand beach, waves thundering in the distance, and no lifeguard in sight. Many people avoid West coast beaches because they're notoriously wild. Adrenaline junkies like me love them because of it.
I brought Ellie here because it's a part of me, one that she doesn't get to see, reckless, wild and carefree. I set down my backpack, take out a towel, take off my shoes and shirt, and leave my cap and sunglasses behind. Ellie takes off her clothes, revealing a two-piece swimsuit. She's small but curvy in all the right places.
I smack her ass playfully. "Last one in the water is a loser." I sprint for the surf, and she trails behind me, laughing. I win of course, and crash into a wave, letting out a cheer. I surface and look for Ellie. She is farther away from me than I would like and moving even further by the second. The water she’s wading in looks calm, but the speed she’s traveling away from me sounds alarm bells in my head. She’s in danger.
"Ellie, darling, don't panic, okay. You're in a rip now. Just relax and try to float. Once you're out of the rip, you can swim sideways towards me." I hope my voice is soothing enough because inside I'm screaming.
Fear gathers in her widening eyes. “Sam.” Her voice is choked with panic. “I can’t feel the seafloor. I'm scared, Sam. Help me." Her plea rips me to shreds. If we go together in the rip, there's no guarantee we'll make it. I look around frantically for a lifeguard but see no one.
