“Hey, if ten year olds can handle it, surely the great Ruby Walters can too,” he teases. “Weren’t you looking for a little adventure?”
I bite my lip, and he pauses. I feel him taking in my tensed stance. His voice softens. “You’re really nervous.”
“I—I know it’s stupid.” I flush. “I like swimming just fine. It’s just always freaked me out a little having my face under the water. Maybe I got dunked too many times as a kid.”
“Hmmm.” Will’s teasing drops. “Freaking you out was definitely not one of my goals for today. I already have the boat hired, and it’s a gorgeous day. What if we rent the equipment so we have it, and then see how it goes? No judgment here if you decide to spend the entire time sunning on the boat.”
I exhale slowly. “Okay. That sounds fair.”
It only takes Will a few minutes to pick out masks and flippers with the help of the storeowner. Once I’m sitting on the deck of the boat, the breeze in my hair and the equipment tucked away behind the cabin, my tension starts to unwind. The sun is warm against my skin, even through the cover-up I’ve got on over my bikini. Plus I’ve got a nice view right there on the boat: Will in the light tee and swim trunks he’s changed into.
I guess it was too much to hope for a Speedo.
We spot a few dolphins arcing through the water as we head toward the reef Will wanted to check out. The spray is pleasantly cool against my cheeks as I lean against the metal railing. When we come to a stop, the boat rocks at a soothing rhythm. I peer into the turquoise depths.
It doesn’t look dangerous. The water is totally calm, barely a hint of a wave. And I am kind of curious what sights lie in wait down below. No Starfleet cadet would let a little uncertainty stop her from setting off into strange new worlds. Am I really going to let Will show me up?
“On a clear day like this, you can see right down to the reef,” Will says, as if recognizing that I’m wavering. “More kinds of fish will go by in a minute than you’ve probably had in front of you your whole life before now.”
“We’d stay right near the boat?” I ask.
“Sure. There’s lots to look at in this spot. And I’ll be there with you the whole time.”
I look at the bundle of snorkeling gear. My chest constricts again, but I breathe through it. “I guess now that we’re out here, I might as well give it a shot.”
Will smiles at me as if I’ve just made his entire day, and all at once I can’t remember what other reason I’d have needed to try.
I’m expecting my nerves to gnaw at me when we’re gearing up, but I keep getting distracted: by the brush of Will’s fingertips against my bare back as he helps me position the flotation belt, by the sight of him pulling off that T-shirt to reveal the firm planes of a chest my fingertips remember all too well. Suddenly I’m feeling warm, and I can’t say it’s just because of the sun beaming down on us.
“Try breathing through the snorkel before we get in the water,” Will advises. “It can feel strange—better to get used to it before you have other things on your mind.”
I have plenty of other things on my mind already with so much of him on display, but I decide not to mention that. I fit the rubbery mouthpiece against my teeth and suck in air. It’s a bit more of a strain than regular breathing, but after a few inhales and exhales I’ve adjusted. I can do this. No problem.
Will jumps off the side of the boat into the water. I follow more cautiously, swinging my legs over and then sliding off, keeping one hand on the side. The floatation belt catches my weight. I bob in the sunbaked water. Then I remove the snorkel’s mouthpiece and lie back, letting the ocean cradle me as I soak up a little sun of my own.
Will taps the sole of my foot. “Other way around, newbie.”
I stick my tongue out at him, and he grins. Even with that bulky mask over his face, the gleam in those gray-green eyes still makes my body tingle.
“Ready?” he says.
I nod and shove the mouthpiece back in. One breath, another. My finned feet churn the water below. My throat’s gone tight. I reach out my hand, not letting myself think about how childish the gesture feels, and Will takes it. He squeezes my fingers.
“Right here with you,” he says, and pops his own mouthpiece in.
For the first moment as I tip forward, my heart pounds so hard I’m sure even Will must feel it. But air keeps coursing steadily through the snorkel, and the floatation belt holds me right at the surface of the water without any effort on my part. I blink and find myself gazing down at a spectacular interplay of light streaking across the knobs and whorls of a coral reef.
I was imagining the stark white coral pieces I’ve seen in beach shops. The living reef looks more like an impressionist painting, vivid swaths of red and orange and purple. Dozens of fish in even more brilliant hues dart under and around its outcroppings. Directly below me, a lemon-yellow anemone waves its grass-like tentacles.
I forget how I’m breathing, or really that I’m breathing at all. Will twines his fingers through mine. I look at him, and he smiles around his mouthpiece, and I’m not sure which sight is making my pulse flutter more. He motions with our joined hands, a gentle tug that’s more a question than a demand.
One kick of my legs with those fins makes me soar across the water. A laugh bubbles in my chest. I was scared of this? I can’t believe I almost didn’t give it a chance. It’s a pretty far cry from my childhood public pool, that’s for sure.
Will points, and I gasp into my snorkel. An immense sea turtle, its shell so wide I’m not sure I could wrap my arms all the way around it if I tried, is gliding by several feet below us. A school of tiny silver fish scatters in its wake.
My fingers tighten around Will’s. His thumb strokes over the back of my hand, reassuring and electrifying both at once. I can’t say thank you with this thing in my mouth, but I hope I’m transmitting the message clearly enough through our joined hands. Whatever else happens today, this makes it all worth it.
Chapter Fourteen
Strolling through the town after we return the boat, I feel as if I’m tagging along with a local celebrity. Everyone we pass gives Will a smile or a wave, and not just out of general friendliness.
“My sister is so looking forward to performing for your guests next weekend,” one woman tells him.
“Oh, yes, he’s up and running around like usual again,” a guy answers, beaming, when Will asks if his son is over his flu.
Another man jogs over to let Will know he’s sorted out the “bicycle rental situation.” Before we’ve even sat down in the homey little restaurant he’s picked out, Will is joking with the owner about the change in music since the last time he was there.