Chapter 19: 18- Stop Poking Me

18

After arguing on who was going to pay for lunch (I won), we set off to the beach. The drive after the diner didn’t take us thirty minutes after all, all thanks to the almost car- less road. We had already arrived at the hotel we were staying and were at the front desk, waiting for the receptionist- whose name was also surprisingly Christy, to finished processing the data.

“You originally booked one room, right?” Christy asked as she typed something in the computer.

“Yes.” Blake nodded. “But the hotel had a mix up and booked me two rooms but decided to not cancel the extra room.”

Christy nodded and after a few seconds more, she handed us two different card keys.

“Please enjoy your stay.” She said with a forced smile.

We were the only four occupants as the elevator doors closed on us.

“The hotel accidentally booked you two rooms?” I asked, surprised.

“Yeah.” He responded, running his fingers through his hair as he blushed. “I received the bill of my credit card the day after I met you. And well, I thought…”

Blake trailed off, giving me a sheepish grin then turned away. He was blushing full on now and looked down on the floor.

“And you thought what Blake?” I teased, prodding him as I enjoyed the rare moment. “What did you think of?”

“Shut up.” Blake scowled, his face red, as he scratched the back of his head.

I laughed and adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder. I toyed with the stiff piece of card in my hand.

The doors opened in front of me, and we step out. I took a glance at the card again. 541. We started walking down the carpeted hallway and stop at our respective rooms. I stopped in front of my room, and Blake kept on walking until he stopped at his own room, room 553, 5 rooms away from mine.

“Meet us down at the lobby in ten.”

“Okay.” I answered and slipped the card off the door knob. I opened the door and Liam rushed right passed me, jumping on the bed.

I heard him groan out loud, and the sound of a squeaking mattress greeted my ears.

“You’re going to break the bed Liam.” I told him as I placed the bags on the floor. I kicked off my flip flops and pulled out Liam’s swim clothes from his bag. I fished mine out too. Then I realized that the only bathing suit I had was the bikini. I bit my cheeks, scrunching up the fabric in my hand.

Shaking my head, I went inside the bathroom to change still. Being prepared in not finding anything downstairs is better than having to go back up just to change.

When I was done, I pulled my shirt back and buttoned up my shorts again. Liam already changed and had a towel in his hand, his eyes glued to the television screen as he watched Disney Channel. I shook my head and started rummaging my bag for the sunblock. When I found it, I applied a generous amount to Liam’s body and mine. My sister was coming back this Tuesday and I don’t want Liam and myself, to go home with sun burnt skin.  Dominic would have a field day with my sun burn.

“Swimming! Swimming! Swimming!” Liam cheered, jumping for joy with his towel in his hands. He was smiling. “We’re going swimming!”

I took a hold of his small hand, wrapping my fingers around his palm as we left our room. Blake and Allie were just leaving theirs too. They caught up to us just as I closed the door shut.

“Got everything?” Blake asked and I nodded in response. He smiled, the smile he showed reaching his eyes. “Let’s go.”

We set to the elevator and just our luck; the doors opened revealing an elderly man and woman hand in hand as they walked out. A warm feeling spread through me. I rarely see old couples these days, and it’s even rarer to see them holding hands in public. I wonder if I would grow old like them, being with someone I love, and someone who loves me…if I can manage.

A few levels later, we were exiting the hotel lobby and were heading to the beach. It seemed like luck was on our side today because we had found a shady spot that wasn’t too far from the hotel, near the little mini bar shack, and didn’t have a lot of rocks in the sand which was absolutely perfect.

After setting the towels on the sandy ground, and applying another layer of sunscreen –as per Blake’s request- Liam and Allie didn’t head out straight to the sea. They grabbed their little sand castle making tools and sat a few feet from us and started shoveling sand in the castle shaped pails.

“I’m going to help them and go swimming. ” Blake stood up and dusted off the grains of sand that had stuck on his shorts. “You?”

I bit my cheeks. “I’ll go around for a bit if you don’t mind.”

Blake grinned. “Not at all Bethany.”

I jogged away from the site and towards the row of shacks on the other side of the beach I saw earlier and had my fingers crossed that they sell what I was looking for. This area was a lot busier than one where we were at and it was noisier here with the different music blasting through the speakers of each store shacks. People were still bustling in and out of the doors, some looking like a burnt toast.

As I scanned the window displays of the shops, I noticed most of them were selling food- that explained the huge number of people. I found myself in the furthest shop.

A soft sound of metal clinking together sounded off when I opened the door, getting everyone’s attention. I quietly walked to the metal racks where bright multicolored bikinis lay for the world to see.

“Hello!” a cheerful voice came from beside me. “What can I help you with?”

“Well I was wondering if you have any…less revealing swimsuits.”

The girl pursed her lips as she went through the display shelves. A few moments later she pulled out one, and it was a crappy pink one with unicorns all over it. Why would they even sell that?

“This is the only one we have left but it seems like it’s three sizes bigger than you.”

“Thank you anyways.” I kept my gaze on the ground as I turned to leave.

“But Miss!” she called out. “We have bikinis.”

I shook my head at her. “No thanks. I’m good.”

People were still buzzing around the strip as I left, a few were shouting out orders, talking and laughing.

When I got back to where we set up the towels, they had about half of the sand castle up. It looked like a hill to me.

“You’re back!” Liam stood up, knocking down his plastic pail down.

A smile crawled up my lips. “Well it looks like someone missed me.”

“Beth!” he wrapped his short arms around my legs, hugging me tight. “He said you didn’t love me anymore and left me!”

I furrowed my eyebrows together. “Who’s ‘he’?”

Liam slowly unclasped himself from me, but his hands tugged on the bottom of my shirt. With his right index finger, he pointed at Blake who was blushing and giving me a sheepish smile. He was still helping Allie scooping up sand with a plastic shovel and dumping the contents in the castle tower shaped pail.

I raised both of my brows at Blake.

“Well, did he now?”

Liam nodded.

I walked over to where they were with Liam in tow and dropped to the ground, hitting Blake’s side in the process. He nudged back too but just lightly, not as strong as I had done.

“You should stop scaring Liam.” I whispered to him. Liam sat beside me and Allie, refusing to sit beside Blake who just scared the pants off his cute little butt. Blake chuckled.

“What’d you find?” he asked. “You came back pretty soon so I’m guessing it’s either nothing or a drunk and or creepy old man.”

“It was the latter.”

“Shit seriously?”

I slapped his shoulder causing him to flinch and shot him a dirty look. I hope no one else heard that.

“I told you to not swear! My sister is going to kill me when she hears her son cursing.” Especially at a very young age of four years old.

He gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

“What’s shit?”

I cursed mentally and turned to the owner of the voice. Liam looked at me with an innocent look that made me want to punch Blake for swearing.

“It’s a very bad word Liam that you should never say. Don’t do it again.”

He furrowed his brows together in confusion.

“But daddy just said it!” Allie squealed beside him and I could see a scowl forming on Blake’s face.

“No, no. He didn’t say that.” I lied quickly. “He said  ...uh...he said sheet. You know…sheet of paper.”

“Uh yeah. A sheet of paper., not the bad word.” Blake scratched the back of his neck, looking down at the sand, his face flushed.

Liam and Allie tilted their heads in confusion for a few seconds before shrugging it off and went on to continue with the sand castle. That was extremely close, and nerve wrecking.

I elbowed Blake again at his side, making him double over in pain. I didn’t do it playfully this time. He could’ve cost me my life if Liam were to start swearing.

“Now would you please stop cursing?” I pleaded.  I still wanted to live. “If he starts swearing, I promise you that I will tie you to your bed and set your house on fire.”

He smirked at me. “Kinky.”

Warmth instantaneously spread through my face, my cheeks blushing. I looked down to hide my heated face and decided that the sand was way more interesting than his face, which absolutely was not. The sand was warm, and powdery like. It felt nice.

“Bethany. Bethany. Bethany.” Blake started repeating my name over and over again, poking my shoulder. “Bethany. Bethany. Bethany. Bethany. Bethany.  Bethany.”

“What.” I deadpanned and slapped his hand away. “Stop poking me.”

“Were you serious about the old dude hitting on you?” he asked me, placing his hand on my bare thigh; I could hear concern from his tone. “Did he do something? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

I kept myself from smiling but failed. My smile stretched from ear to ear, reaching my eyes. He was concerned for me, and honestly it felt good knowing someone cared for me. I placed my hand over his and looked up.

“I was just kidding Blake. I found nothing interesting so I just went back.” I smiled at him. “No old, creepy, or drunk guys.”

He sighed in relief, closing his eye for a second before opening them back revealing his piercing gray eyes. It stared at me, like it was digging and burying itself inside, devouring all of my secrets, wishes, hopes, and fears.

“Oh thank god.”

“No need to worry over me Blake.” I told him. “I can handle things on my own. I’ve been doing well for these past few years.”

“I know you have Bethany.” He said and placed his other hand over mine. “But having someone else doing the worrying for you isn’t so bad.”

I bit my lip and let his fingers graze over my knuckles.

“Let’s go for a swim.” Blake stood up, tugging me with him. “Come on.”

Staying put, I refused so move. I don’t want to go swimming and reveal so much skin, yet I don’t want to swim with my shirt and shorts on. But I really wanted to swim. The weather’s hot, and I feel all sweaty and sticky and disgusting.

“Uh...no thanks. I’m fine here.”

He gave me an ‘are you kidding me’ look. Well, I technically was.

“Don’t tell me you agreed to come all the way here, an almost three hour drive away from the city, just to what- feel sand? Get some sun? Breathe in sea air?”

I kept my mouth clamped shut. Of course I didn’t come all the way here for that, but I don’t want to expose all of my flabs out for the world to see and laugh at. I’ve been insecure enough to last me another lifetime.

Blake kept silent for a moment, reading me. He sighed and ran his hand through his messed up hair and told Allie and Liam that we were going swimming in the sea. After, he turned his attention back to me.

“Someone needs to watch over the things anyway.” I forced out a smile. “Go and enjoy the water, I’ll just stay here.”

“Are you on your shark week, Bethany?”

“What? No.” I answered instantly, and I kind of wished I lied to him so that I didn’t to go in the water.

“Then what’s holding you back?” he raised both of his eyebrows until he dropped them  and had an expression like he had just discovered something. He bent his knees so that we were at eye level. Then in a teasing voice, he said, “Bethany…are you ashamed of wearing a bikini in front of me?”

A blush tinted my cheeks right away. How’d he know? “Is it that obvious?”

He nodded. “Pretty much. Now come on, stop worrying, unless you forgot to shave your armpits or something, but I won’t mind.”

I laughed at his choice of examples. Sometimes, I really do forget to shave. Hey, don’t judge me; I didn’t choose this life, it chose me.

I stood up and slipped my shirt and shorts off and suddenly I regret my decision. We were in a beach where a lot of girls in their tiny bikinis with their perfect bodies were loitering around and I probably look like a big fat whale compared to them.

I heard laughter, and it was Blake’s Great, now he’s laughing at my hippo body. I was in the middle of hauling my shirt back over my head when someone pulled it out of my hands.

“I can’t believe you.” He said.

I frowned at him. “Yeah, how can I have the guts to show my flabs?”

“What? No, why would you even say that?” now it was his turn to frown. “Bethany, you’re ashamed to show your body which undeniably has no flaw. Look at you. You’re beautiful. I can’t believe why you were so worried on how you would look in the first when you look like that. You should stop reading so much magazines and start looking at the mirror.”

I moved my toes in the sand, getting grains in between my toes.

“If I were a girl and looked like you, I would wear that all the time, although I would get charged with inappropriate display, and have absolutely nothing to worry about.”  He stopped for a few seconds before adding, “You’re gorgeous Bethany.”

Blake Greene really did know how to make a woman feel good about herself.

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I know I haven't update for quite sometime now and that's all because of midterm exams. I just finished mine and is still keeping my fingers crossed that I passed. Do pray for me and my grades because if I fail the tests, that justs mean that I need to doubletime my studying and less time for writing :D

They didn't kiss yet and I know some of you wanted them to just kiss already but I'm taking things slow here. I don't want to make this story with them kissing and making out for the entire plot. So please be patient with them