Dark Secrets (Dark Secrets #1)(153)
Author: A.M. Hudson

“How’d you know he spoke French?”

He frowned at me for a second, his eyes falling on my silver locket. “I just assumed, because of the uh—” He pointed to his own neck.

“Oh.” I touched the locket. “Yeah. He did—does—speak French.”

“Well,” Mike said, sounding awfully cheery, “It suits you—French. You should speak it more often.”

“Nah. I don’t wanna learn it, then wake up one day and realise all the disgusting things you’d been saying to those girls all these years.”

“Ha!” His whole upper body jerked toward the heavens with his burly laugh. “Yeah. Second thoughts; don’t learn French.”

I smiled, folding my arms across my body as Mike walked to the trunk, flipping the keys around on his index finger.

“Nice beach, isn’t it?” he said, fussing about, pulling things out.

“Yeah.” I turned and faced the coast, the gentle summer breeze greeting me to the day. Down by the water, families built sand castles and couples walked hand in hand, stopping to kiss and marvel at the horizon. I once had that fantasy—to be right there, standing toes in the ocean with David, kissing as the sun went down, which made coming here with Mike feel kind of strange—kind of…sad.

“Well, what’re you waiting for?” Mike offered his hand to the view before us. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up.”

“Really? You don’t want help carrying all that?” I nodded to the picnic basket, the blanket and a dozen other things.

He closed the trunk and shook his head. “Just go, baby.”

Without further encouragement, I pulled off my shorts and shirt, left them on the ground for Mike to grab on his way down, and flew to the call of the ocean, my feet barely touching the sand before I hit the whitewash with the grace of an elephant. The waves enveloped my ankles, cooling the burns on the balls of my feet, leaving behind a tingle, like sherbet mixed with cola, as they receded.

I could almost believe I was back home in Perth. And even with my eyes closed, unable to see the origins of the noise around me, I could feel the brightness of the day, filling me with the hope that some things in life were still normal. I placed my hands to my knees and bent closer to the water to catch the light breeze coming off it, feeling my toes sink into the soft, grainy sand as the waves swam back out to sea.

“You still look like a little girl—standing there in that rainbow bikini.”

I opened my eyes to the portrait of summer and Mike’s arm around my waist. “Well, I’m not a little girl anymore, Mike.” I pushed his hand off my skin.

“I know. I just thought you looked cute, that’s all.”

“I don’t do cute,” I said sarcastically, but a band of ‘gullsters’ beside us drowned out my retort with their hideous squawking. I jumped inside a little, clutching my locket. “God, I’m not used that sound anymore.”

“Scrat!” Mike said, waving his hand at the gulls. “Get outta here.”

“Don’t you dare kick that bird.” I grabbed his arm as he stalked toward them.

“I never actually hit them, Ara. I wouldn’t do that.”

“Doesn’t matter, what if you did? By accident?”

“Then I would apologise…profusely.” He bowed his head. “But you know what I wouldn’t apologise for?” The corners of his eyes sharpened as he smiled and leaned slowly closer, then, the world came out from under me; I flew through the air, landing on my back in a massive, cool splash, with Mike’s hand catching the base of my neck before my head went under water.

I opened my mouth to yell, gurgling the salty burn of a wave down my nose and throat instead. “You ass**le!” I coughed, sitting up as he jumped back. “I’m so gonna get you.”

“You have to catch me first.” He started running.

I hesitated only for a moment; we both knew I’d never catch him, but it was damn well worth a try.

Each time I reached for him, he darted out of the way—like we were both south poles on a magnet, but at last, I managed to grasp the rim of his shirt; I closed my fingers around it, wearing a victory grin for only the breath it took him to roll his shoulders, leaving me, and the shirt, face down in the sand.

“You’ll have to do better than that, baby.” He laughed boisterously.

I pushed up on my hands and sat hugging my knees, hiding my face in my arms. Sand was stuck to the water all over my body, making me feel like a crumbed steak. Well, it was time this steak got a little revenge!

“Ara, you okay? Did I hurt you?” Mike asked, leaning over me.

Wrong move. He didn’t even see it coming; I grabbed the back of his neck and pushed the entire force of my shoulder into his chest, rolling his head under my arm as I flipped him into the water. His weight came as a shock. He never used to be that heavy. But he went down hard, wetting my legs, arms, shoulders, and the kid a meter down from us, as the water exploded out from under him.

“Well,” he said, clasping his hands over his belly, taking a breath after a wave receded. “Girl; one. Guy; nothing.”

I stared at him, an impish grin making my eyes small, wondering if I should point out that we both knew he let me flip him. “Well, you taught me that move, oh-wise-Master.” I sat down on the edge of the ocean. “You should be weary of your students; they usually supersede you.”

He rolled onto his stomach and smiled at me, the magic of the ocean lighting him like a happy feeling. He seemed more alive, more spirited, sort of…free here. He belonged on the beach, with the sand and the blue skies.

“What ya thinkin’?” He jumped up, ruffling his hair into a mess as he landed beside me.

“I was just remembering home.” I shrugged. “Thinking how easy all this is. Like, sometimes, when I’m with you, I forget they’re gone.” I wrapped my arms around my legs and linked my fingers together. “The sunlight, the beach, all of this stayed with you when I left, and now you’re here…it’s like you’ve brought it all back with you.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

I shrugged again. “I don’t wanna lose that when you go.”

He gave a gentle smile and let his elbows hang loosely over his knees. “You know it doesn’t have to be that way.”

“Mike?” I dragged out each vowel.

“I’m sorry.” His smile dissolved. “I just miss you, too, you know. I went to the beach a few weeks ago—watched the storm come in across the bay, and it didn’t feel the same without you.”