“Well, get in,” she says once I see her already starting to drift with the current.
I do just as Mia did, lining myself up and getting into the tube the way she did. Although her body is a lot smaller and a lot more graceful than mine. So where her entrance was seamless, mine is anything but. When I lean back and let myself ease into the tube, the weight of my body sends the tube bouncing back and bobbing in the water for a moment before evening out. Mia’s a few feet ahead of me covering her mouth with her hands to stifle a laugh.
“What’s the situation with snakes?” I ask as we float next to one another. Our tubes are strung together with a rope so we don’t end up too far from each other down this river.
“If you see one, just leave it alone.” She shrugs.
“That’s what they tell you?”
“Same for the alligators, just ignore them.”
Alligators on a golf course where I can run if I need to… no problem. But in the water? In their territory? No… just no. I hang my head back and say a silent prayer that I don’t need to show Mia what a fucking baby I am when it comes to water monsters.
“See any headlines this morning?” I ask, clenching my jaw in annoyance.
“No, and you shouldn’t either.”
“Eventually, I’m going to have to make a statement.” My fingers graze the water as we float and I splash some of it on my chest.
“Why? Who says you have to make a statement?”
A low laugh rises in my chest. “My publicist,” I reply, and Mia just shakes her head and waves her hands in the air.
“Well, today we’re floating and unavailable. She’ll have to wait.”
“Today we’re floating,” I repeat casually.
I’ll give it to her, floating down this river is actually really fucking relaxing. The trees hang over the water for the most part so we’re not in direct sunlight the entire day, but we still get the warmth of it as it peeks through. The water is cold, but feels good on this late summer afternoon. A few small boats have passed by and a couple canoes and paddle boats. We’ve seen a handful of other people floating in tubes and some just flat out swimming in the water. There’s a big open area up ahead and a rope hanging off of a tree. Reminds me of growing up and using those ropes to swing from trees into the lakes.
The only sounds we hear are our own voices when we talk or the voices of others passing by, but for the most part, it’s quiet. Birds every so often, or the movement of the water from the current or a splash of our feet or hands.
“Do you want to stop up there? I read about this spot. There’s a tree you can swing from and a little area where we can sit and get out for a while if you want to. It’s your day, so whatever you want to do.” How do I tell her that I want to do whatever she wants to do? Mia somehow always knows what I need, when I need it. She takes me out of the chaos and brings me somewhere that’s peaceful and refreshing. Literally and figuratively.
“That sounds good.” I stand up from the tube and quickly realize it’s definitely deeper here. The water almost hits my chest, but it’s still clear as day to the bottom. “Stay in the tube, it’s deeper here. I’ll walk you to the shore.” Mia stays seated in the tube before it’s clearly shallow enough and slides herself through the center, letting herself go under the water quickly.
“Oh my God, it’s cold. But that felt so good.” She splashes a bit of the water towards me and drops land on my chest and shoulders.
“Are we playing that game?” I taunt. Ready to play whatever kind of game she’ll let me.
She takes the baseball hat she has on and flips it backwards on herself.
“Cute,” I say, standing there in waist deep water as I stare at her. But damn, she really does look cute– she looks more than cute, she looks gorgeous, she looks desirable. A light went on the other night for me. A light that for years I’ve tried turning off, or at least dimming… but it’s getting too strong for me to control anymore and it’s shining like a spotlight over a stage. And it’s shining bright. Being best friends with Mia is everything to me, but my God, do I need her to be more.
Seeing her all dressed up at the dinner and at the engagement party, she was stunning, but this is how I know Mia.
No makeup. Hair a mess. Simple. But effortless. Breathtaking.
Mia grabs her tube and pulls it up onto the sand, tossing her hat next to it before she heads for the tree with the rope attached. She stands near the trunk, assessing the tree she’s about to climb like a twelve-year-old and swing off of a rope.
“You coming?” she asks before she reaches her hands up to a branch and practically does a pull up to swing her legs up with her.
“I’ll wait down here in case you need saving.”
Mia can’t help letting out a hearty laugh as she stands up in the tree gripping the rope with both of her hands.
“I’m a better swimmer than you are, pal.”
And with that she lunges herself off of the tree and the rope takes her small body flying across the water. She’s screaming with happy laughter as she lets go and falls into the cold spring beneath her. I gently push myself into the direction where she lands only for her to pop up behind me, lifting herself up on my shoulders with her hands in a feeble attempt to dunk me under the water.
