Edge of the Water
Chapter Fifteen
Pulling her hair from her face, Zoey took one quick step, so she could match hers in time with Belle’s. The brunette girl had been quiet since their hike. It wasn’t unusual for Belle to be somewhat quiet in a large group, but when Keith snapped a joke at Belle and Belle didn’t retaliate, Zoey knew something was up. She was determined to find out exactly what that ‘something’ was.
“So, Belle,” Zoey said, a large grin on her face. “Are you excited to meet the boys for dinner?”
Belle shook her head, not to signal her opinion, but merely to shake her thoughts away. Whatever was swimming around in her head was certainly doing a number on her ability to focus.
“It should be interesting.”
Zoey glared at Belle, though the girl was too far off in space to see it. Interesting was always Belle’s way of blowing off a question. She must have been too deep in thought to even remember she’d told Zoey that secret a long time ago.
When Zoey didn’t speak, Belle picked up on her pause and quickly spoke again, if only to get a better hold on the situation. She didn’t want it swaying in any direction that wasn’t under her control.
“So you said you wanted sunglasses, right?” Belle asked, moving over to a small hut along the road. “That’s why we split up.”
“A hat, actually.” Zoey pursed her lips, as she cued herself onto every one of Belle’s movements. “But I don’t really need one. I just thought we could use some girl time after that testosterone filled hike.”
“Right.” Belle’s eyes were dead focused on a pair of zebra print sunglasses. The way she looked at them, you’d think they were made of gold. “Girl time.”
Nodding her head, Zoey flashed Belle the most sarcastic smile she could manage. “Girl time.”
Belle’s teeth tugged at her bottom lip, as she attempted to move her head as close to the sunglasses as possible. She was determined to avoid any sort of eye contact with Zoey.
Zoey’s eyes ripped through Belle’s head, heating her body up faster than the Caribbean sun. Every second that passed seemed like hours for Belle, and she wasn’t sure how long she could keep looking at the glasses.
After what felt like an eternity, Belle finally cracked. She peeled her eyes away from the glasses and looked up at Zoey in one quick movement. Zoey’s bright eyes smiled down at her, willing her to tell her every gritty detail of her encounter. It was almost as though she knew exactly what had happened, but there was no way that she could have.
“Nothing happened, Zoey.”
“Something happened, Belle.”
“Nothing happened.”
Rolling her eyes, Zoey pulled the sunglasses from Belle’s hand, placing them on top of her freckled nose. She stared into the mirror a moment, admiring the way the glasses looked against her semi-pale skin.
Belle made a mental note to remind herself that ‘girl time’ was always Zoey’s way of getting you to tell her everything she wanted to hear.
Belle looked on as Zoey casually tried on a few more pairs of the glasses. Each time Zoey set down a pair, Belle worried it would be the time she looked back over to her. Again and again, Zoey kept her attention focused on the glasses. Belle couldn’t take it anymore. She cracked.
“We almost kissed, okay?”
Zoey looked back at Belle with a soft, calm smile, as if she’d known all along.
“What do you mean almost?” Zoey asked, placing the sunglasses back where they belonged. She was so casual about it that it almost infuriated Belle. She’d almost kissed someone other than her boyfriend and Zoey wasn’t fuming or pressing her for details. How could she be so calm?
The tone to her voice set Belle off balance. She wasn’t prepared for the calm reaction and had to readjust her train of thought.
“We almost kissed,” Belle said, her gaze locked on her feet. She couldn’t meet Zoey’s eyes. It would make telling her that much harder. “We were about to. We would have, I guess, if you guys hadn’t caught up so quickly.”
Zoey didn’t respond but Belle could feel her eyes on her. She’d caught onto Zoey’s tactics and knew the blonde girl wouldn’t speak again until she’d gotten exactly what she’d wanted.
“We were swimming and then it just happened. He was touching me and the water was everywhere and I don’t-“
“What about Oliver?” Zoey said, stopping Belle from continuing her sentence.
“What do you mean?” Belle said, refusing to answer the question until she knew exactly what Zoey was asking of her.
“What about him? What are you going to do with him?”
Taking a deep breath, Belle kicked her feet against the dirt, shuffling up a thick layer of dirt around them.
What was she going to do with it?
“So, Belle,” Zoey said, a large grin on her face. “Are you excited to meet the boys for dinner?”
Belle shook her head, not to signal her opinion, but merely to shake her thoughts away. Whatever was swimming around in her head was certainly doing a number on her ability to focus.
“It should be interesting.”
Zoey glared at Belle, though the girl was too far off in space to see it. Interesting was always Belle’s way of blowing off a question. She must have been too deep in thought to even remember she’d told Zoey that secret a long time ago.
When Zoey didn’t speak, Belle picked up on her pause and quickly spoke again, if only to get a better hold on the situation. She didn’t want it swaying in any direction that wasn’t under her control.
“So you said you wanted sunglasses, right?” Belle asked, moving over to a small hut along the road. “That’s why we split up.”
“A hat, actually.” Zoey pursed her lips, as she cued herself onto every one of Belle’s movements. “But I don’t really need one. I just thought we could use some girl time after that testosterone filled hike.”
“Right.” Belle’s eyes were dead focused on a pair of zebra print sunglasses. The way she looked at them, you’d think they were made of gold. “Girl time.”
Nodding her head, Zoey flashed Belle the most sarcastic smile she could manage. “Girl time.”
Belle’s teeth tugged at her bottom lip, as she attempted to move her head as close to the sunglasses as possible. She was determined to avoid any sort of eye contact with Zoey.
Zoey’s eyes ripped through Belle’s head, heating her body up faster than the Caribbean sun. Every second that passed seemed like hours for Belle, and she wasn’t sure how long she could keep looking at the glasses.
After what felt like an eternity, Belle finally cracked. She peeled her eyes away from the glasses and looked up at Zoey in one quick movement. Zoey’s bright eyes smiled down at her, willing her to tell her every gritty detail of her encounter. It was almost as though she knew exactly what had happened, but there was no way that she could have.
“Nothing happened, Zoey.”
“Something happened, Belle.”
“Nothing happened.”
Rolling her eyes, Zoey pulled the sunglasses from Belle’s hand, placing them on top of her freckled nose. She stared into the mirror a moment, admiring the way the glasses looked against her semi-pale skin.
Belle made a mental note to remind herself that ‘girl time’ was always Zoey’s way of getting you to tell her everything she wanted to hear.
Belle looked on as Zoey casually tried on a few more pairs of the glasses. Each time Zoey set down a pair, Belle worried it would be the time she looked back over to her. Again and again, Zoey kept her attention focused on the glasses. Belle couldn’t take it anymore. She cracked.
“We almost kissed, okay?”
Zoey looked back at Belle with a soft, calm smile, as if she’d known all along.
“What do you mean almost?” Zoey asked, placing the sunglasses back where they belonged. She was so casual about it that it almost infuriated Belle. She’d almost kissed someone other than her boyfriend and Zoey wasn’t fuming or pressing her for details. How could she be so calm?
The tone to her voice set Belle off balance. She wasn’t prepared for the calm reaction and had to readjust her train of thought.
“We almost kissed,” Belle said, her gaze locked on her feet. She couldn’t meet Zoey’s eyes. It would make telling her that much harder. “We were about to. We would have, I guess, if you guys hadn’t caught up so quickly.”
Zoey didn’t respond but Belle could feel her eyes on her. She’d caught onto Zoey’s tactics and knew the blonde girl wouldn’t speak again until she’d gotten exactly what she’d wanted.
“We were swimming and then it just happened. He was touching me and the water was everywhere and I don’t-“
“What about Oliver?” Zoey said, stopping Belle from continuing her sentence.
“What do you mean?” Belle said, refusing to answer the question until she knew exactly what Zoey was asking of her.
“What about him? What are you going to do with him?”
Taking a deep breath, Belle kicked her feet against the dirt, shuffling up a thick layer of dirt around them.
What was she going to do with it?