I Don't Want to Fall in Love... With You

For whatever reason I couldn't ignore, for the twelfth time this afternoon I noticed Anya's clothes...

No longer was she wearing the hoodie nightgown that I almost ravaged her in, but now it was a cute and innocent oversized checkered grey shirt and shredded shorts. She topped it off with a cap her father gave her for Christmas years ago, which sported the phrase "A lot going on at the moment". And boy, if that wasn't true!

I promised the girls a few hours at the beach, but as we drove, my attention regularly caught the rearview mirror and my daughter's best friend. She noticed me a few times, smirking.

My mind was reeling with disastrous results. What was I doing? Was I insane?

It definitely seemed so, because as she spoke to Emily, I could only envision those lips kissing mine. Her body so warm as I held her to me, desperate for more of her...

"We're here!" I chirped, begging that such disgusting tendencies leave me.

As we got out, my eyes almost popped right out of my skull. Anya had thrown her shirt off, to reveal a navy-blue bathing suit that showed off her figure. The sides were cut, till all that kept the material up was a string in the middle, leading from her breasts to her pantyline. The dark color complimented her soft skin tone, making her a beacon for the sun.

It could have been from the heat, but my lips suddenly felt all too dry and chapped.

Shaking my head free before she noticed, I laid out our towels and cooler. Immediately, Emily grabbed a popsicle and lay back, soaking in the rays.

My daughter's ensemble wasn't half as bad as her best friend's, so when guys walked past and ogled, the death-glare I sent their way caused them to walk faster.

Anya kicked off her flats and began strolling towards the water, but not without a glimpse over her shoulder... probably just to make certain I was observing. She was tantalizing.

Wiping my mouth to rid of any possible drool, I laid back and attempted to remove her from my mind. Seemed like every time I tried to, something always reminded me of her existence.

"Dad? Hel-looo?"

I turned my head to the side, where my daughter was now lying on her front, chin rested on her hands. The look she gave me was clearly one of teasing.

"Sorry honey, did you say something?"

Giggling lowly, it filled me with a sense of enjoyment. Despite recent events, I could always rely on her to make me feel better.

"What were you thinking about? It looked like you were having a good time."

Don't dare respond, I snapped at myself. Lord knows I would say something inappropriate. Or worse, expose the truth.

So, instead, I just clasped her shoulder firmly and kept my eyes on her. In fear they might wander elsewhere...

"Just thinking." Before she could ask, I jumped in. "I hadn't expected Anya to stay over last night."

Her smile faltered a little, but she kept her cool. She grabbed another red popsicle from the container.

"Neither did I. It seems that my crush-radar is broken. Turns out, Ryan likes her." Biting her lip, she removed the cellophane as she looked over her shoulder, to where the blonde was submerged somewhere under the water, gone for now.

I suppressed growling. On one hand, I was pissed off that this guy would manipulate my little girl, but on the other, all I could think about now was breaking his jaw for the way he kissed Anya on my porch. Both were reasons to get mad for, but very different on why I felt that way.

And it was so stupid. I mean, Anya was her best friend and a minor, nothing beneficial could possibly come out of this. Not to mention she was practically family – which just added more to the ick factor.

I'd known her and her parents for the better part of ten years, due to her father's friendship with my wife. There had never been a time when she was growing up that I'd thought of her as anything other than a child; a second daughter. So, what changed?

Of course, she'd gone through puberty and transitioned from an awkward little kid with braces to a blonde bombshell. I just never thought I'd think that way about her, a girl I used to babysit. I couldn't pinpoint when I started to see her as a woman.

I smiled softly at Emily.

"Well, his loss. My baby deserves the best though, so maybe you're better off."

She chuckled.

"Stop." Sticking out her tongue, she looked back again, but this time I caught on to the shiver that ran across her skin. "I told Anya she could go for it, but she's adamant on staying single."

I swallowed. "Really?"

"I tried asking her but she's useless: why do you think boys like her so much?"

This was the first I'd heard of it – of course, I couldn't count myself, but I didn't know she had a parade of males after her. It had gone unnoticed if she said anything.

Seeing her in the distance finally making her way out of the water, I knew the answer immediately. Obviously, I couldn't tell Emily that.

"Well, why do you think they do?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but the girl in question re-joined us that moment. The droplets of water cascaded down her porcelain skin, soaking her body stocking and tainting her with mineralized salt.

"You guys have to check out the water. It's amazing." Her breathy voice filled my ears, piercing me with a jab so pleasant.

"Can't you see I'm tanning?"

Anya rolled her eyes, grabbing the ends of her hair and wringing out on her body, earning a high-pitched scream. I couldn't prevent the grin that broke out on my face.

"You bitch!" Emily's vicious words were contradicted by genuine laughter, as she grabbed a handful of sand and threw it her best friend's way. "Dad, you go join her. Her breaststroke needs improving anyway."

I wanted to speak, but with a quick peek at the blonde, I knew there was nothing I could say that wouldn't seem fishy. I never used to brush off teaching her things before, doing so now would only make Emily suspicious.

So, we ambled forward, facing the waves that tried to intimidate us with a stronger force than we were used to. The gush sent shells to my feet and broken off seaweed wrapped around my bones.

I swam on my own, putting her out of my mind as best as I could. Regardless of how soothing the water was and how loud the commotion was around us, all I could feel and hear was her.

Resurfacing, I had the idea that the pressure was off... until she popped up also, about a meter away.

Two things happened here. The first was that we were both sizing each other up, taking in the beauty of the scene and how it all seemed to fade away when we looked at one another. It could've been Mount Everest or Venice river, either way they turned into nothing when she was standing with me.

The second was that we were wading through crashing water, to get near. I treaded lightly, but when she was right in front of me, I didn't want to be soft. Soft on thoughts, in mind and on her. I wanted to wrench her in and never let go till she breathed her last breath.

I came up behind her and draped my arms around her petite frame, feeling her rest back on my chest, the weight falling off her completely.

I didn't know what that meant for me exactly, except for the first time in days, I was serene.