“Quick but thorough! I can now say for certain that ocean water sucks.”
I hear him laugh as the water turns on. I can’t hide my smile as I open my newly cleaned phone. I’d hastily washed it in the sink, thanking my lucky stars that it was water resistant. It didn’t take any damage in the fall, and I need the distraction so I don’t turn around and look at Nate in the mirror.
I send Mom a few photos from the trip, letting her know we’rehaving fun and leaving out my adventure in the water. Then I scroll social media until my eyes shut.
The second they do, I’m in the water again. I can’t move, I can’t breathe?—
I jerk awake, trying to catch my breath.
“Maisie?” Nate’s voice is soft. I turn to see that he’s done with his shower and is fully dressed.
“S-sorry. Must not be as over it as I thought.” I shake my head and sit up. “How was your shower?”
“It was serviceable,” he says with a half smile. “I’m more worried about you, though. You saw it again, didn’t you?”
I wince, but know this isn’t the first time. When we were eleven, I pushed myself to go to the pool with him. I dipped one foot into the water, panicked, and had nightmares for weeks. “Yeah. Just like last time.”
“Has it happened more on the trip?”
I shake my head. “No. I think it’s beinginthe water that starts it.”
“What helped last time? You had one nightmare, but I can’t remember if you had any more.”
The memories are fuzzy at best, so I don’t blame him for not remembering what happened.
But I do. And I doubt it’ll happen.
“Don’t worry about it.” I wave my hand, knowing better than to even try to lie to him. “It’ll go away.”
Nate gives me a flat look. “Did you just tellme, of all people, not to worry about you?”
The words make my heart skip a beat. He means it in a friendly way, but it feels like more. “Yes, I did.”
“Not happening. You know what’ll help. You just don’t wanna ask for it.” His eyes narrow as he walks to the bed. “What is it? Do you need me to find you a plushie? Or sing you to sleep? I’ve been told I have a very nice voice, you know.”
Oh, I can believe it. “No, nothing like that. It’s ... Well, it’s not something you’d enjoy very much. And I won’t ask it of you.”
His brow furrows. “What? There’s not much I can’t handle, berry.”
I look away. “Seriously, I’ll be fine.”
“Tell me, or I’m calling Judy and asking her what happened.”
I jerk my head to him so fast I worry I’ll give myself whiplash. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would. Try me.”
“Fine,” I hiss. “It was you, okay?”
“Wait, me? What did I do?”
“You spent the night, just like you usually did, but it was quiet because you felt so bad about taking me to the pool. I woke up with a nightmare and you ...” My cheeks are on fireas I say it. “You crawled into bed with me and stayed there.”
“O-oh.”
“Mom and Dad had a rule about that. You could be in my room but not in the bed. That was the first time we broke that rule.”
And it wouldn’t be the last. We’d break it all the time.
