What Happens Under The Sun

''Crap, crap, not in the mood, overplayed, just listened to this.'' I muttered angrily as I scrolled through the songs on my ipod.

I was sitting on the beach, trying to find some music and watching the waves hit the sand.

I remembered how clear my head had been under water in the hot tub the other day and suddenly the water of the beach looked very tempting. I pulled my headphones out of my ears and shoved the whole device under my towel.

I walked out into the water. It was warm. I continued to walk until I was chest deep in the clear water and then I brought my feet up and began to float on my back. My head was under water enough that my ears were filled with water, but my face was not.

The silence combined with the gentle rocking motion of the waves was soothing even though the sudden realization that there was only five days left of my glorious, of-so memorable vacation had put me in a rather foul mood. That and I couldn't find any music to listen to, and I hadn't seen Tom since last night. I had to admit I was becoming quite attached to that boy, which only made the impending end of my vacation seem that much closer.

It made me wonder what was next for us. We spend two weeks together having the best sex of our lives and when we just go our separate ways? I didn't like that plan at all. I couldn't ignore though the fact that he might live on the opposite end of the world from me.

The acceptance of that fact made me that much more upset. Why couldn't this vacation last just a little longer?

I wanted to see my friends and family sure, but at the same time I didn’t want to leave him. Sure I hardly knew him but still, the thought of suddenly being somewhere without him left an odd longing feeling in my chest. I made a mental note not to ask where he was going back to, I didn’t like the thought of him being anywhere without me either.

My thoughts were interrupted by a disturbance in the water and then someone's hands being placed on my back and the back of my legs, holding me up. I opened my eyes to see Tom's smiling face.

''I take it you're not drowning this time?'' he said playfully and I lifted my head slightly out of the water so I could hear him better.

''Did you have a good night?'' I asked, unable to think of a witty response.

''Could have been better, something was missing.'' He said. ''You?''

''I fell right asleep.'' I replied with a smirk. He adjusted his hands so that he had me in a bridal style hold against his body as opposed to simply keeping me floating.

''What are you doing out here?'' he asked.

''Thinking.'' I replied and he raised his eyebrows curiously.

''About what?''

''The fact that my vacation's almost over, there's nothing to listen to on my ipod, and how I know next to nothing about you.'' I told him.

''What do you want to know?'' he asked. He'd started to walk and we were moving slowly through the water.

When he asked me that I blanked. I had spent so much time thinking about what I didn't want to know that now that he asked what I did want to know, I didn't have an answer.

''Um.'' I said furrowing my eyebrows as I thought and he laughed lightly.

''What if I just talk?'' he suggested and I smiled.

He started to tell me about his life, how he grew up, about his family, about Bill, but I stopped him when he started to tell me where he was headed after this vacation. That I didn't want to know.

''We really are twins you know.'' He said.

''I just can't see it.'' I said, squinting my eyes as I looked at him.

''Maybe I'll show you some baby pictures some time.'' He said with a grin.

We continued to float around the water, Tom holding me, as he kept talking about his life, minus his social status.

''Why don't you want to know about that part of my life Katie?'' he asked, his tone wasn't demanding though, it was simply curious. I shrugged.

''I want to know who you are without knowing who you are if that makes any sense.'' I said. He thought for a minute and then smiled.

''You know it's been a while since someone wanted to know me for me.'' He told me.

''Then I must be quite refreshing.'' I said playfully.

We talked for what seemed like ever, well he talked and I listened. He seemed eager to talk about his life and he was careful to skip over the things I told him I didn't need to know.

We eventually made our way up to the beach. I ended up sharing a lounge chair with Tom. It was quite cramped, but neither of us minded. Our legs were intertwined and he had one arm around me as the other played with my fingers and made gestures as he spoke.

It was the first time we'd been together like this in view of everyone else and I found myself unconcerned that we could end up ''Kom'' or ''Tate'' from this little sitting.

We talked late into the afternoon and when Tom finally seemed to run out of stories to tell, the sun was quite low in the sky. He went silent when he ran out of things to say and we just watched the sun sink lower and lower.

''So what about you?'' he finally asked, looking away from the setting sun to look at my face.

''What about me?'' I replied.

''Now you know all about me, I want to know about you.'' He told me.

''What do you want to know?'' I asked.

''Everything.'' He said and I smiled.

So I told him just as much as he told me. About how I grew up, about how it had just been my dad and me since my mom passed away.

''She died?'' he asked.

''When I was eight. Since then it's just been me and my dad.'' I told him.

''I'm sorry.'' He said, his eyes filled with sympathy.

''Yea, but on the flip side, I'm quite the 'daddy's girl' now.'' I said with a bit of a laugh.

''So I'd better watch out.'' He said playfully and I giggled.

By the time I finished spilling everything I could think of, the sun was completely gone and it couldn't have been earlier than nine o'clock.

Tom listened to every word I said with genuine interest and I found it easy to tell him everything. It was as though someone had opened a floodgate on my memory and everything had come bursting through so fast it was hard to control. But all the same he listened. Listened to everything I said about my life, the good times, the bad times. Listened while I stuttered through things I couldn't quite remember.

When I finally stopped talking, we sat in silence, the same kind of silence we'd shared yesterday morning. While we sat there, I came to a realization that half of me shied away from, but the other half welcomed with open arms.

I was really starting to like this boy.