He hung his head. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”
They stood there for a long moment, listening to the guy on the iPod sing about finding someone in his dreams.
Eventually Micah gave her a shy smile. “So . . . maybe it just means we need to get to know each other better?”
Cassie grinned back at him. “Definitely. I just wish . . .”
“What?”
“I still wish it wasn’t so hard. All this should be easier, right?”
Micah shook his head. “I don’t think so. To me it should be like . . . surfing. Surfing is freaking hard—at least at first. But if you really want it, you stick with it. Pretty soon it gets easier. And it’s so worth it. Even when it’s difficult.”
“Yeah.” Cassie could understand that. Suddenly things made a little more sense. Even the music sounded better and the world seemed a little brighter.
She was in the real world and it was a wonderful place.
“Hey, um . . . I was scared to do this before but . . . I have something for you.” Micah reached into his pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag. “Sorry. Didn’t have time to wrap it or anything.” He opened the bag and lifted out a beautiful braided anklet with tiny seashells in the shape of a flower.
“Ohhhh! It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed, holding it up to the light.
“Really? You like it? I was scared you’d think it was . . .”
“I love it! It’s awesome.”
“You’re awesome.”
Cassie’s eyes met his. They were sparkling under the overhead lights. As she gazed, they came closer and closer. Then they closed completely.
She shut her eyes, too, and let other senses take over. She could feel the warmth of his breath, the feel of his hands on her back. And then . . . . . . his lips were on hers. They were kissing. It was soft and yet not soft. Sweet but not too sweet. Scary but not too scary. It was real and amazing and right.
Time passed in some magical, immeasurable way. At some point, the earbud popped out and everything went silent, except for the sounds of the crashing surf. Or maybe that was her breathing.
Eventually, they pulled apart.
“So . . . just to be clear,” he said. “We’re together? Exclusively? Just the two of us?”
“Just us two,” she said, smiling.
“Good.” He grinned back at her. “And now to make it official. Will you allow me?” He took the anklet out of her hand and dropped down on one knee.
Cassie held out her right foot. Once again she felt a little like Cinderella—a modern, tropical, super low-key version. Without all the cheesy Disney music.
“There,” he said. He rose to his feet and leaned in for another time-bending kiss.
I have a boyfriend! Cassie marveled at the thought.
No, even better: I have Micah.
Okay, so maybe she wouldn’t follow Bo’s lead after all. A relationship could be a good thing instead of a distraction, right? After all, she was afraid of getting hurt by Micah and now that fear had been overcome.
And if she could overcome this fear, maybe she could conquer her other one, too.
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“Sorry I’m late,” he said to Cassie. “One of the guys in my bunk thought it’d be funny to pull the plug to my alarm clock.” Lame, but true.
“Don’t worry about it,” Cassie said casually and without a hint of sarcasm. “Tori and I were here chillin’, watching the waves.” Her eyes sparkled when she smiled at him.
“Nice,” Micah said, thinking how cool it was that Cassie was so laid-back about it. If it were Danica standing there, she’d give him her typical icy glare, followed by an all-day guilt trip, ending with an argument. Not wanting to seem like a complete hound, Micah figured he should probably say something to Cassie’s cousin. “ ’Sup, Tori?”
Tori removed her sunglasses. “Hey.”
It was then when Micah noticed that the area around Tori’s eyes was pale but the regions above and below them were a blotchy bright pink. “Dude, what happened to your face?” he asked her.
“Nothing.” Tori glanced warily at Cassie, then immediately removed the mini compact she had sticking out of the side of her bikini bottoms. She opened it and gasped at her reflection. “Oh, no! We came out before sunrise and I forgot to put on my Stila SPF 45!” she cried, inspecting her sunburned face at all angles. “I’m hideous!” She turned to Cassie. “Why didn’t you tell me I was burning? You know my skin is supersensitive—like a baby’s bottom.”
“You mean you have diaper rash on your face?” Micah joked, and Tori cut him a dirty look.
“Sorry, Tor. I didn’t notice it, I swear.” Cassie took her cousin’s chin in her hand. “Let me see.”
“Ow!”
“It’s not so bad. I’ll bet you could, you know, even it out with a little makeup?” Cassie suggested.
“Oh, God. You think?” she said sarcastically, then stomped up the path toward her bunk. “Carlie, Tasha! Get me my bronzer, quick!”
Cassie turned to Micah. “I think she’s peeved.”
Do not laugh, Micah thought, watching Tori scurry away in her platform sandals. Do not laugh at Cassie’s cousin. Do . . . not . . .
On the fifth second he cracked, “Bahahahahahahah!”
“Stop! It’s . . . not . . . funny!” Cassie said, but she was giggling now, too.
A few short minutes later, they’d caught their breath and were left with a slightly awkward silence. Normally this would be Micah’s cue to lean in and kiss her again—a more meaningful kiss—but he held back.
If it were anyone else he might have just gone for it, right then and there, but this was Cassie. He didn’t want to plant one on her because they didn’t know what to talk about. Plus, after all the drama it took for them to finally get together, officially, he wasn’t sure if a bold move would freak her out.
In short, he needed a sign.
Sunset Page 14
