The Truth About Her

05 | Eccedentesiast

Eccedentesiast.

 (n.) Someone who hides pain

 behind a smile.

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SITTING ON THE LAP OF A GUY SHE MET only a day ago isn't something Oceana thought she'd have to go through in her life. Then again, life always surprises us when we least expect it.

She's very aware of his hand resting over her waist. It isn't doing anything. It's just there, but it still doesn't change the fact that he's touching her, and she can't seem to ignore it. Definitely regretting not staying at home, for now, she feels more uncomfortable than ever — not because of Cai's hand on her bare waist but because of the rest of the people in the SUV. They had rented a vehicle for only six people. Theo and Lyla are in the driver's and passenger's seats, respectively, while Freya, Willow, Cai, and Julian — Theo's best friend since high school — are in the back seats. There was no space left for a seventh person, which is why she's sitting on Cai's lap. Then again, it could be more uncomfortable. She could be sitting over Theo's lap, and that'd be undoubtedly worse. So, in a way, she's grateful for Cai. For this boy she just met, who managed to get her out of her house by simply asking twice, while it has taken years of begging for her father.

Laughter fills in the car as Julian tells an anecdote of when he and Theo traveled to Peru a few years ago. But Oceana can't bring herself to pay attention, only looks through the window, desperately wishing for Theo to hit that gas and drive faster, so they can arrive at the beach, and she can get off Cai's lap, away from his touch. Once at the beach, they start setting everything in place. Deciding to behave like a mature person, Oceana gathers every bit of strength she's got inside to keep it cool while helping take the food out of the car. The beach is quite crowded, which isn't a surprise due to the season, but they find a good spot to put all their things in the hope of having a good time without facing any issues.

It starts with Julian. He throws the volleyball high up in the air a few times before hitting Theo with it, who starts chasing the other boy in an attempt to make him pay for such a horrible attack, but if anything, they end up throwing the ball at Cai; it lands right on the top of his head. And next thing you know, the three of them are running around, punching each other. Leaving the four girls alone to finish organizing everything. Oceana tries her best to no think much about it, and when they're all settled, she sits on one of the Ozark trail chairs they brought in the SUV and searches for the sunblock inside her bag. With her hand makes circle movements over her shoulder, applying the sunblock, while her eyes catch sight of Cai, whose eyes are on her. He looks at his friends for a brief second as he says something and then starts jogging towards her.

His eyes glint with mischief, matching the lopsided grin that is plastered on his face. When he's standing only a few meters away from her, Cai says: "Need any help with that?"

She glances at him in silence, wondering whether she should play along or flat-out say no. The spark in his eyes k****e something within her, but the fact that all of her old friends surround them and that her ex-boyfriend is within ear range stop her from playing along and saying out loud the flirty s***h teasing comeback that just crossed her head. "No, I'm good. Thank you," she gives him a reassuring smile and then looks away, continuing to apply the lotion on her skin.

"Would you let me borrow it, at least?" He asks, causing her to look up again. "I left mine," he finishes that request by bringing his hands up together in a pleading manner.

She nods and finishes off with the sunscreen, well aware of everybody else's eyes set on them, ears perked up, paying attention to their conversation. Once done with the lotion, she throws it at him, and Cai catches it with one hand. "Thanks."

Cai pulls his shirt up over his head, revealing his torso. Before she even gets a chance to take a good look at him, her eyes dart away as heat crawls up her cheeks. She's seen shirtless boys before, but there's something about this specific boy being shirtless that makes her feel slightly shy. Oceana grabs her phone, pretending to be busy, in an attempt to distract herself from the sight in front of her — the last thing she needs is to have everyone catch her drooling over him. And when he's done with the sunscreen, she tries to focus on the bottle of lotion rather than on him and gratefully achieves to do so.

For about an hour, the group spends its time playing volleyball. Oceana watches them play from the seat after having rejected their requests to join them twice, arguing she has lost practice and doesn't remember much of the rules, which is a lie. And anyway, they're already three against three, and she didn't want to choose between being in the boys' team, which would've included interacting with Theo, or bring in the girls' team, which means interacting with all three of her ex-best friends. And truth be told, after her last encounters with said individuals, the idea of having to talk, let alone work as a team, with any of them doesn't sound appealing at all.

After the game, the group of friends is left sweaty and breathless. All of them head towards the water except for one person. He makes his way towards her with long strides and takes the empty chair beside her, letting out a deep breath. Sweat is dripping down his forehead, and he brings his hand up to wipe it away. This time, it is impossible for her not to look at his well-defined stomach muscles or the way his shirt hangs precariously to his hip bones. Part of her wants to reach out and touch him. The other part wants to turn around and get away from him as far as possible. He sits there in silence for about a minute before saying, "I can take you home if you want. Or we can do something else, just us. If it's okay with you."

She frowns. "What?"

"You're not enjoying this, and I only invited you because I wanted you to have fun," he explains. "I can tell something happened in the past between you and these people, so if it was so bad that you can't be comfortable around them, then let's go somewhere else."

The tone of his voice is soft and gentle, his eyes look at her in a way that makes her feel warm, and it's evident that there's no second intention behind his words, nothing but sincere empathy. "You came to town to spend time with Theo, not with me. It wouldn't be polite to leave. And I'd feel like a bad person if I ask you to do so."

"But you want to, though. I don't mind, and I don't think Theo will either, or anybody else, for the matter," he reassures her, smiling at her.

"I am enjoying myself. Just because I'm not having fun like everybody else is, it doesn't mean I'm not," she retorts before standing up. "I'll make you happy, though." With that, she pulls her crop-top over her head and slides down her shorts, leaving her body exposed, only covered by the red two-piece swimsuit. Contrary to her, Cai doesn't look away as she strips down, and when she finishes it, he locks eyes with hers and gets to his feet. "That color suits you," he says.

Oceana rolls her eyes playfully but doesn't say anything, trying to keep her calm, although her flustered cheeks indeed give her away. Before he can say anything else, she starts running towards the waves. The water is at a pleasant temperature, not too hot, not too cold, just right. She dives head in, wetting her hair, something that makes her feel fresh. When she comes back to the surface, the first thing she sees is a pair of green eyes staring at her. Theo shoots her a small smile, but she pretends not to have seen it by looking away quickly. There's this weird feeling clutching at her heart, making her feel uneasy — when she told Cai that she, indeed, was having fun, she meant it. Sitting on the beach, watching the waves crash against the shore, the sound of it, the cool breeze, all of it is comforting, but now, the feeling went away, replaced by something much worse.

"Nice of you to join us," one of the girls says. And she doesn't have to look in their direction to know who said it. Oceana decides it is best to ignore her, for the tone on Willow's voice was unmistakably ill-intended.

Oceana swims away, heading deeper into the water, and notices Cai following behind. She watches him warily while treading water to keep herself afloat because the look on his eyes only indicates trouble. "Cai, whatever you're going to... Don't." She warns him, getting away from him.

"I'm not going to do anything," he pouts, and that's when he splashes water onto her. Luckily, it doesn't get to her eyes or nose. And decides to play along, so they end up having a water fight for a short moment, but then Cai utters a yelp as he raised his hand, asking for a stop. His eyes are covered by his other hand while keeping his head down.

Worry settles on her chest as she moves closer. "Are you okay?" He shakes his head in response, and she wraps her fingers around his wrist, pulling his hand away from his face. "Cai, look at me." And he does so, but the mischievous grin turning up the corners tells her it was all an act. "Oh, asshole."

"You were worried," he pouts, giving her a puppy face. "That's so cute."

"Oh, shut up," she rolls her eyes, but before she can move away, Cai clasps his fingers around her wrist. She looks down at the grip he has in her and then looks back up at him with a raised eyebrow.

He lets go and gives her a sheepish smile before running his hand through his hair. "Are you hungry? I'm hungry. Let's go eat." He turns around, not even giving her the time to utter one word. But not wanting to make a big deal out of that brief interaction, Oceana shrugs it off and follows him outside the water. The sound of voices reaches her ears, and she can tell the rest of the group is heading in the same direction as them.

Cai opens the cooler and gets two drinks out of it. A can of beer in one hand and a can of Coke in the other; he holds both cans in front of her, silently asking her to choose one. Oceana goes for the Coke before thanking him. Then she follows him to where a big brown basket is sitting, leaving the rest of the boys and girls to serve themselves whatever drinks they want. Cai beckons for her to get closer, and she obliges, taking a look at what's inside the basket. All the food has been saved inside Ziplock bags. She can see wraps, cookies, and sandwiches and decides to take the first option. The boy standing next to her goes for the same choice. Both of them walk together, getting a few meters away from the rest of the group of friends, and sit down on the sand, next to each other.

They eat in silence, and Oceana can feel his stare burning the side of her face but decides to ignore him, guessing that if he has anything to say, he'll have the courage to say it whenever he feels like doing so. And she's proved right when, fifteen minutes later, Cai clears her throat, calling for her attention. She takes one last gulp of her drink before turning his face towards him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she responds instantaneously, in a casual manner.

"I know that you and Theo used to date..." His voice trails off as he keeps his gaze down, fixed on the sand.

"Still not hearing a question," She says teasingly while raising an eyebrow.

"Theo was very skeptical about it when I asked him, and I know it's none of my business. But did things end badly between you two?" His eyes finally meet hers, and something pretty close to concern flashes across his brown eyes. "I invited you here to have a good time, and I really don't want to think I put you in an uncomfortable situation."

Now, she's the one to look away. The beach stretches out alongside the water. The constant chattering from the rest of the groups fills her ears as the water comes in her reassuring way as if her joy is to soothe the sand. And in her wake, she gives a chance for life, for the rock pools to refill. Those briny waves come as rain to a dessert, a gift never repaid, as it always is with nature... the strong give, life thrives... and so it goes on. The last time she was here, she can remember as if it were yesterday. She came with the same green-eyed boy that is now standing a few meters away, both acting like they barely know each other when, in reality, they used to know everything about each other— that part might have been one-sided in some aspects. Still, generally speaking, they knew each other pretty well. This beach does bring a lot of memories, she tried not to think about it when they arrived, but the truth is there. It doesn't matter how much she avoids it.

"It's not your fault. You didn't know," she gives him a small smile, trying to make him feel better. "What happened between us happened a while ago. It doesn't matter anymore."

Cai nods, and his lips part as he attempts to say something, but a girl's voice cuts him off. Lyla's voice, to be exact. "Hey! Come here," she beckons for both of them to go closer, and Oceana starts to reconsider Cai's offer to get away from here. Not because Lyla asked them to join the rest of the group but because of the mischievous expression on Willow's face. This is not good.

"What happened?" Cai asks once they're closer enough.

"Well, the sun is setting, it's about to get dark, and we think it's the perfect opportunity to play a nice, old game of truth and dare," Julian is the one to speak this time. The boy runs his hand through his ginger curls and winks. "Come on, let's sit down."

Everybody obliges except for Oceana, whose legs remain the same, not moving, though her shoulders stiffen — she's never liked this game, thinking it's just a stupid game to cause some drama. "I'm not playing, but you guys have fun." She can feel everybody's eyes burning on her back as she turns around. But she doesn't care what they think.

"Come on, are you scared?" Willow's voice reaches her ears.