Page 75 of This I Promise You
“So cute,” Devina says.
“All’s right in Gay World,” Huxley says, winking at me.
“Anyway,” Aidan pipes up, “what’s the plan for today, Hux?”
“To the beach!”
* * *
The waves of my mind syncopate to the ocean's rhythm
as I’m floating on Her travesty.
Calming tranquility
washes over me like the music of the sea.
It washes over me like the emotions of a first love,
like the feelings of a forever love,
but lingers like a soulmate love.
Two souls diving, drowning, sinking into Her abyss.
Light snuffed out like a candle, like a phantom kiss
as the waves of my mind syncopate to the pounding of your bliss.
To the—
“Whachya writin’?” Easton plops down next to me, his country accent on full display, interrupting my thoughts. Sand sprays across my writing notebook, and water drips from his thick dark hair. The sun has kissed his skin, pronouncing his freckles even more, like constellations in the night sky. He needs to put more sunscreen on before it turns for the worse. But right here, at this moment, I don’t think I’ve ever…loved him more.
Shit.
Excuse me,what?! What just happened to my brain? Whatishappening in my head? My heart clearly hasn’t gotten the memo and my facial expressions are gone for good.
I snap my notebook shut and bury my face in the crook of my elbow, hiding. “Nothing. Just felt inspired by the ocean.”
“Yeah, it’ll do that I suppo— Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. Fuck yeah. All good here.” I look back up at Easton, but the sun is directly above him, so I have to squint to see. “It’s just so…big! The ocean, that is. Like, how fucking terrifying, ya know?” I bury my face again.
I look back up at Easton and he’s eyeing me like I’m in trouble. Then he smiles and laughs. “You seriously love that word.”
“Huh?”
“Fuck. Youloveto say that word.” Easton shakes his head.
“You know, fuck is an extremely universal word, maybe eventhemost universal word in every single language. You can throw it anywhere in any sentence and it would still make sense. It can be a noun, adjective, blah, blah, blah. But thereareother words and I’ve been having fun exploring those options. And I think it’s helped my writing, too.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. Words are important to you blah, blah, blah,” he playfully mocks me. He rubs his hands in my short needs-to-be-bleached-again hair. “I’m just giving you shit ’cause I think it’s funny how flustered you get. It’s cute.”
I lean up for a kiss. “I know.”
Tyler and Aidan are walking back to us from their romantic beach stroll. Tyler’s fully dressed and probably for the best since he would burn the easiest. Aidan is in shorts and a tank top. Huxley and Devina are back up at the house helping her parents. They said they wouldn’t be long, so I’m surprised they’re not back yet.
“Hey, guys, how was your walk?” Easton asks Aidan as he sits down on the large blanket we have sprawled out.
