“There is always the sea,” says Ash, shrugging. “If you’re desperate. Though it will be colder than those showers at the lido. Still, beer and a dip?”
I look at my phone to check the time. “Lynn is on the radio at nine. We could go and drink some beers and wait for her interview? That way I can build up a bit of Dutch courage?”
We take our place on the grassy bank overlooking the bay and drink beers out of cans as I ravage a portion of hot chips dipped into little pots of mayonnaise.
“These tiny portions are ridiculous,” I say, scraping the last of a pot clean with the edge of a chip.
“Ridiculous,” he says, as he reaches in to steal one and our hands touch. And there it is. That jolt I’ve been feeling. That electric pulse every time we touch, however incidentally.
I pick up a third beer and pull back the ring, feeling a little warmth spreading through me.
“Lynn!” I say, as a reminder pops up on my phone, lighting up on the grass in the darkness. I notice a missed call from Charlie as I open the app that has the local station and fiddle about until I find it and then lay it before me on speaker. I will message her tomorrow, I decide.
“Shhh, that’s her, it’s already started,” I say to Ash.
“Yes, it was a great success, of course. We took in a lot of money and it just goes to show you how with a little bit of creativity, the Broadgate Lido, and indeed all of our neglected community buildings, can really have a new lease on life,” says Lynn.
“And how do you feel about the criticism leveled at you? Running as an independent, potentially splitting the vote?” asks the old, croaky DJ. “Are you worried about the split?”
“Listen, Mark, I haven’t done the splits since 1987. I don’t intend to start now.”
“Evasive,” says Ash, laughing.
“Political,” I reply.
Lynn does a great job of remaining upbeat and optimistic about the future of Broadgate, remembering to focus on things like health, education, and other matters that she called “irritating” during Samira’s media briefing.
“She did well,” I say, switching my phone off. “Good old Lynn. She agreed almost right away to run for the council. She just jumped right into the deep water without a thought about it.”
I look out toward the sea. “I’ve hardly been in there, you know.”
“Really?” says Ash.
“Yes. Nuts. I moved to the ocean, but I am not very at one with the ocean. It always seems like there’s something lurking underneath the surface.”
“Too muchJaws,” he says. “You’re more likely to get nipped on the toe by a crab.”
“Well, now I’m never going in!” I protest. But then a moment later, as his laughter subsides, I think on it again. “These are those moments, aren’t they Ash, where people who are brave and wild and carefree just fucking do it. They just jump in, right?”
“I think it might be,” he replies.
“Well then,” I reply, pulling myself up. “I’d better live a little.”
A minute later we are standing on the edge of the stony bay, the blackness of the sea stretching out before us, with nothing but the twinkling lights of the night sky reflecting on its rippling surface.
“Look over there toward your pub,” I say, stripping down to my underwear. And then there is a sudden rush through me. SomethingI want to do. Something I’ve never done before. I don’t second-guess it.
I glance over at Ash, and when I’m convinced he’s not looking, I yank off everything else and rush for the sea. I plunge deep into the water with a sharp gasp, but it isn’t as cold now. The sun is beginning to gently warm the shallows, and although I emerge breathless, I can stand it.
“Come on!” I shout into the darkness of the shore ahead. “Get your ass in.”
I turn back out to watch the lights of the fishing boats trolling along the horizon. The stars stretch their scattered lights from the horizon up. As I hear the splash of Ash joining me, I turn, but I cannot see him. I wait for him to speak, to spill out from the depths next to me. Then, I feel a hand on my calf and yelp in surprise as Ash rises out of the sea, laughing.
But I am not laughing. I step back as he settles his face on me, his bare chest visible in the spill of the streetlights that just reaches us, like a distant glow, caressing the shallows.
“Mara,” he says, as he takes a step forward. But I stand completely still, feeling the water roll off my skin, my body naked in front of him. I fold my arms over myself to cover my breasts. I can just see it, his arousal below the water surface. I feel the prickle of power and desire course through me. It has been so long since I’ve felt desired. For a moment, I want to reach out and touch him and feel his body hard against mine.
I see his eyes make their way down my neck to my collarbone, and then along the curve of my breasts to the water, just above my hips, rippling along my skin. It is cold, and I feel every follicle, every part of my skin tightening against the chill. I see his eyes,hungry and longing; in our silence I feel the question he’s asking. The question I’ve known was coming.
