Just Visiting

Annalise, Avery and three guys who were playing soccer were in the ocean with us. The guys names were Josh, Mike, and Paul. They just horsed around a bunch. Annalise and Avery watched them and I swam around.
I found myself swimming further and further against the current, floating on my back and letting the sun hit me.
I kept floating until I was far enough out I could barely hear anyone. I looked up at the cloud. School was over and here I was, in a new place far from what I knew. My best friend Jess wanted to visit and see me this summer, but I didn’t want to go home, ever. I felt so connected to my mom here on this beach.
My father was already fantasizing about college applications and where I’d be going. I wanted to travel, somewhere far, take a year off and go to Ireland. But he wanted me to go to Columbia.
I could do it.... if I wanted to. I tried to talk to him about traveling once, he dismissed those thoughts immediately.
A wave suddenly crashed over my face and water went up my nose, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. I paddled and looked at the shore, it was kind of far. Then I saw someone swimming toward me.
“Arianna,” Liam’s voice yelled.
I swam over to him and looked at him.
“What?” I asked.
“Why are you out so far?” he asked. “Your- Annalise sent me out here to get you,” he said quickly.
I looked at him and laughed.
“She sent you to get me,” I scoffed. He obviously took offense to this.
“Yea, she did. If you were paying attention you would’ve known that you could have gotten pulled under by that wave... oh wait, you did,” he said to me. “This current isn’t a joke, Arianna,” he said. My name just rolled off of his tongue like a flower bloomed from a bud.
“Whatever,” I said before swimming toward the shore and he followed me.
Back on shore my sisters were crowded around waiting for me.
“Thank God you’re okay!” Avery said.
Abby went up to Liam right away and said, “We are so thankful you were around.”
“Yea, he’s my knight in shining armor,” I muttered.
“What was that?” Liam asked me?
“I’m just SO thankful that you were around to save me from the big bad ocean!” I said before heading back to the chairs, grabbing my towel, t-shirt, and heading back to the house.
“She’ll get over it,” Abby said in a high voice.

~*~

My father was in a button down hawaiian shirt juicing some oranges in the kitchen when I walked in.
“Hello, Arianna,” he smiled at me. I walked over to him and he kissed my forehead. “Want some orange juice?” he asked.
I looked at it and made a sour face.
I went into the fridge and got out the iced tea to pour myself a glass.
“We will be having some guest over for dinner tonight,” he said. “Some of my close family friends, the Van Der Gelts. You used to play with their son when you were little,” he said.
“How sweet,” I said taking a sip of iced tea and feeling the sunburn on my cheeks heat up.
“I need you to help set the table,” he told me, “We will be eating on the terrace. I’m barbecuing!” He said happily. I smiled at him and got up to get to plates. Though we had help around the house, my father still made us clean up our own rooms and help out where we could.

~*~
After I set the table I ran to my room and slipped on a sun dress in my bathroom and looked in the mirror at the slight sunburn on my tan shoulders.
“So, next time I see Liam,” she hesitated holding them up toward me, “which of these make my ass look good?” Abby said holding two pairs of my shorts in front of her in the mirror.
“Why do you have my shorts?” I asked.
“You’re a size tinier and they just give me the butt I was never blessed with!” she said as she walked over and put her hand on my shoulder. “Come on!” she gave me the big baby eyes that she gave our father our whole lives.
“Fine,” I rolled my eyes. “But wash them and return them when you’re done!”
She smiled instantly. “Thank you!”
I walked downstairs and found Annalise talking to an older man and his younger looking wife by the door. My father was talking to a younger man whose back was to me.
“Arianna!” my father said to me as I walked down the grand staircase. He came toward the end of the staircase and the young man turned around only to reveal that it was Liam.
I smiled at him and everyone else around the room.
“She looks just like Emma” Mrs. Van Der Gelt said to my father. I’ve heard this a few times in my life about the resemblance between my mother and I. My father never talked about it. I think it hurt him when he looked at me, seeing her. Seeing the only piece of the woman he loved here.
He just smiled at her and Liam stared up at me. Annalise was rambling on at Mr. Van Der Gelt still but the twins were nowhere in sight.
“Hey,” Liam said to me as I started walking down the hall toward the terrace where the dining table was set up with plates and silverware, fully prepped for a meal.
“Hi,” I smiled at him.
“So, I was thinking earlier how you were totally calm in such rough water you’d like this cliff we all dive off of,” he said.
“A cliff?” A different voice said. Now Abby was in the room. “I love cliffs!”
Liam looked at her awkwardly for a moment then back at me, “So a bunch of us go diving once every summer. You’d love it. It’s totally safe,” he said to me.
“Can I come?” Abby pouted and put her hands on his arm. Then he looked her up and down. She bit her lip and I rolled my eyes. I now felt awkward, like I was the one intruding on their intimate moment.
“Dinner will be served momentarily on the terrace,” One of the cooks said and I wandered on the terrace next to Dill.
“Where have you been?” I hissed.
Dill looked at me and raised his eyebrows.
“Well, I was out with my mom today. She needed some help shopping and then you totally abandoned me for the beach and that guy,” he motioned toward Liam.
“Aw, Dillard!” I hugged him tightly as dinner was placed on the table. I jumped up and ran into the kitchen. I grabbed a salad bowl on the island and a plate of burgers to bring to the table. One of the cooks smiled at me. Everybody else remained seated but they smiled at me.
Dinner was served and everybody dug into it.
“Do you girls have any plans for the summer?” Mrs. Van Der Gelt asked us.
“Liam asked me to go cliff diving with him,” Abby said proudly. My father almost choked on his beer.
“What?” my father said.
“Mr. Forrester, I asked Arianna and Abby, all the girls can come. It’s totally safe. I’ve been doing it since I was thirteen,” Liam said, “My dad comes most of the time.”
Mr. Van Der Gelt, a slender man with blonde a blonde head a receding hairline, spoke right after swallowing a mouthful of food, “It is totally safe, I assure you. You can come and check it out, they do it every weekend. But I have some buddies who do it all weekend, I treat Liam and his friends to a day of it,” he said relaxed.
We all just stared at him
“I’d have to see it,” My father said before cutting into his steak.
“Girls, you’ll love it here! The town has a little gala at the end of the season, invitation only. I’m one of the co-chairs and I think you’d have a divine time!” Mrs. Van Der Gelt gushed.
“Is it like a dance?” Abby asked eyeing Liam.
“Oh yes,” She said excitedly. “Liam, dear, you can bring Arianna!”
Suddenly my cheeks flushed, Liam turned red and Abby looked a bit angry. Annalise laughed at this. Dill was in his own little world and Avery was looking at everyone else.
“I think that’s a great idea,” My father agreed.
Liam and I exchanged glances for a moment then he smirked.
“I would love to,” Liam said as he looked at me.
I felt my sister’s glare on my face and I stared down at my lap for the rest of the dinner.