Chapter 12
How It Was
Gale Fears
There was something about the silent, cool air, and the crashing of the waves that had always soothed me. I had come here, alone, many times before. This was the first time that I had come with her. I don’t know why I had taken her hand, but I couldn’t help but enjoy the tenderness of her skin. The comfort she gave me and the feelings she ignited in me. I looked at her, the moonlight falling on her.
She looked like a goddess, her hair cascading and flowing behind her. Her bun had long since come loose after her clumsy antics caused her to trip a few times during the day. She had finally taken it out, and now her hair flew in the wind. Her eyes shone under the moonlight, and she looked like an elf – an enchanting, inciting elf – as she stood there. A small smile rested on her lips as she gazed into the sea.
“I never knew,” she whispered, “that something so beautiful ever existed.”
“I didn’t either,” I found myself saying. Only I wasn’t talking about the sea.
“Let’s go,” she said, tugging my hand.
“What?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Before I could even move, she was taking off her heels and throwing them into the wind. She threw me a mischievous smile, and pulled me towards the sand, running as she did.
“Alright, that’s enough,” I said. “We have to get back to work.”
“Are you telling me you come to look at the sea but you don’t go in?” she asked.
“The water is cold,” I said, but even as I said it, I felt a bit lame.
“Boo-hoo,” she said. “The water is too cold for baby Gale. Grow a pair!”
“I am your boss!” I said, narrowing my eyes at her.
“Oh, really?” she said, smirking. “What are you going to do, Boss? Are you going to fire me? Well, you will have to catch me first!”
“Why do I have to catch you?” I said, but she had already run off. She shouted gleefully, jumping in the sand with her bare feet, her skirt and hair flying. She ran towards the water, and I sighed loudly.
“What have I gotten myself into?” I groaned and then took off my shoes and socks.
I refused to run around like a wild goose, but I slowly made my way towards the sea, where she was standing. She was hugging herself and shivering as the cold wind roared past her. The waves crashed around our feet and I couldn’t help but enjoy the water’s soothing effects.
I took off my coat and slipped it around her shoulders, and she turned to look at me surprised.
“You were shivering,” I grumbled as an explanation.
“Let me shiver,” she whispered melodramatically. “For I am, but a human.”
“That was bad, Hillary,” I said, even as I laughed. “You need to up your poetry game.”
“At least I have a game,” she said.
“Touché,” I said, and she laughed.
“Come on, Gale, enjoy yourself a bit,” she said. “Stop acting so stiff!”
With that, she flung my coat back at me and started to run towards the ocean.
“What are you doing?” I asked, looking around to make sure we were alone.
“Haven’t you ever gone swimming in the sea?” she asked, standing there in her soaking wet body.And then, she waded into the cold water, splashing around happily.
“Hillary, it’s cold,” I said firmly. “You will get sick, and we have work.”
I was cut off by a hand reaching out and suddenly grabbing me into the water. I almost screamed as I was pulled down into the cold water.
