She wrapped her hand around his wrist and took his hand in hers. “I’m sorry for the way I acted in front of your parents.”
“Cara, hear me out, okay?” He said as he placed his free hand on her knee and let out a strangled breath. “I was out of line. I shouldn’t have demanded anything from you, much less demand you feel and act a certain way.” He mustered up enough strength to put up his bravado. “We’re not there yet and that’s okay. I’m okay with us going back to the way things were. We can just, you know keep it casual.” He forced a crooked smile and shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll always have Mexico.”
“Wait a minute.” She pulled her hand back from his and studied his masked face, confusion in her own expression. “Are you ending things between us?”
“How can I end something that never really began? I’m just saying I don’t want to be that guy that forces you to make a decision you’re not ready to make. We were in a good place before the wedding no?” He cocked his head to the side, staring at her, trying desperately to read the confused look that she wore. “I mean we were good getting to know one another, spending time together. There were no conditions or guidelines we just went with the flow. You were at ease with me, weren’t you?”
“Of course I was.” She shook her head, not quite understanding where this change of heart was coming from. She tried to push back the thoughts in her head that taunted her, telling her she ruined whatever there was between the two of them. “I still am comfortable with you. I just… I freaked out. I don’t regret the other night Luke, that’s not what this is about.”
“I don’t regret it either.” He said sincerely.
She swallowed hard as she peered into his eyes, the dark pools giving nothing away. “Why do I feel like everything is different right now?” She asked fearing the answer.
“Cara, I told you to take time to sort your head. Have you done that? Have you got everything sorted out?” He asked softly.
She swallowed and looked away from him. This morning she awoke, ready to put her past in the past. She was ready to take those first steps, no matter how scary they were, and take them towards her future with Luke. Now here they were, face to face, and the one thing she hadn’t prepared for, was Luke’s retreat backwards. She forced a smile.
“I guess you’ve sorted everything out for the both of us. What a relief.” She wiped her brow to emphasize her point. “It’s all good and here I was nervous things were going to be awkward between us. But you swept right in and saved the day.”
Luke watched her ramble on nervously. Something in the pit of his gut told him she was anything but relieved.
“Everything is normal then? Still friends?” She asked dejected with the fact that she had the single most passionate night of her life and now what? She was supposed to look at Luke and pretend it never happened, pretend that she didn’t want to re-enact that single night every night of her life?
“We’re a little more than friends, Spunky.” He said with a grin as he placed his hands on her knees and spread her legs, stepping between them, like he wanted to do from the moment she sat on the edge of the pool. “I’m not giving you up completely.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and watched as she leaned forward, an act of instinct, he actually debated not dunking her and thought about going in for the kiss instead but reminded himself of the casual label he had just tacked onto their relationship. He tugged her into the water and dunked her.
*
Deb and Joe made their way towards the pool, grabbing some towels for their lounge chairs.
“I wonder where they are.” Deb said as she peered over her sunglasses trying to locate her son and granddaughter.
Joe raised an eyebrow when he heard Cara shriek, turning his head towards the pool, he watched her head go under and Luke laugh. Joe nudged his wife with his elbow and nodded towards the pool. “There you go.”
Deb turned around and watched as Cara popped up from the water, twisting her long locks behind her and gathering her wet hair into a messy ponytail. Luke grinned widely at her as she sulked miserably.
“They’re quite the pair.” Joe said nonchalantly into his wife's ear.
“They’re just fooling around.” Deb said with a smile. “It’s nice to see them both have some fun.”
“Woman are you blind?” Joe asked incredulously, shaking his head, it was clear as day their son was in love with Cara. How his wife didn’t see that was beyond him, leaving him to think maybe she was choosing not to see what was right in front of her.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Deb asked as she claimed a lounge chair, placing her towel over the cushion.
Joe threw his newspaper on the chair beside her and pointed over to Luke and Cara. “That right there isn’t two friends playing around, that is two people who love each other.”