"Alecia, what the hell?" Calder lunges for me, grabbing my arm as I throw out my hands for balance. I didn't exactly calculate for the instability of my flip-flops, but that oversight is completely overshadowed as the cool water sends a shiver up my spine. It’s impossible not to grin like a maniac.
I rotate my hand to grip Calder's wrist and tug. It’s what I would do if this were Sam. He looks at me like I just tried to pull him head-first into a lava pit.
"Come on." I laugh, my hair slicking to my forehead. I don’t know why I’m so intent on forcing him to loosen up, but once the idea catches me, I can’t let it go. He just looks like he needs to belly laugh or get a massage or— I halt that train of thought on the tracks. "When's the last time you jumped in a puddle?"
"A long time ago. For good reason."
"What good reason? It's amazing." I slosh out to stand next to him, dirty water running in rivulets down my calves. Our hands are still wrapped around each other’s wrists. "You wanna do it together?" He grimaces. "Come on. You're already wet."
"Whose fault is that?"
I scoff. My pulse rushing as his thumb shifts over my wrist. His hand is warm, his grip tight. I like the feeling a little too much. "I'm going again."
"You're going to fall on your ass."
I hold up our entwined hands. "You'll keep me steady." The rain pounds around us, blurring his edges, making everything soft. I crouch, give a few good pumps with my arms, swinging Calder’s along with mine, then jump into the puddle a second time.
I throw back my head and laugh. It's the most ridiculous thing. Not the puddle jumping, but the fact that as we get older, we become so concerned with getting dirty or having to do laundry or clean ourselves up or be uncomfortable for a few minutes that we miss out on the simplest pleasures.
"You're insane," Calder calls out.
I drop his hand and throw my arms out, lifting my face to the sky. I spin in a slow circle with my eyes closed. "When I was a kid, I used to stand like this and pretend that I was the one who controlled the weather."
Calder’s quiet and I peek a little. He’s watching me, water running over his lashes. "Are you doing it right now?"
"What?"
"Controlling the storm?"
"No.”
“Pretending?"
My grin stretches wide, raindrops falling into my mouth as I slap my arms to my sides. "But what if Iwascontrolling it?"
"Wow."
I open my eyes to see Calder shaking out his hair like a wet dog.
"You're really missing out." I motion to the water that's at least half way up my calves. Now even more muddy since I've churned it up. Calder blinks rapidly a couple of times, draws a breath and holds it, then shakes his head and takes a step back. For a moment I think he’s going to ditch and go back into Smash Point, but then he hesitates. The wheels are turning in his head, and I can almost see the moment he decides.
I squeal in surprise. "You're going to do it?"
"Don’t make this a thing.” He kicks off a shoe.
I’m so excited I can’t figure out what to do with my hands. “No. I love this. Just be careful because you're not wearing any sandals.”
“It'll probably be more stable that way.”
“But there are rocks under here." I shift my feet and a few crude pebbles bite into the foam of my flip-flop.
Calder drops his shoes and socks next to my bag and turns barefoot, his hands on his hips.
I back up, giving him space. "Don't think about it. Just jump."
"That's not how I live my life."
"This is a very low-risk proposition."
