Just To Have You Back Again

Under The Sea

The group lounged poolside on the third day. Some were napping, some were sipping fruity drinks, some were chatting with each other, but one, Beth, was reading a book. Jake looked over to her and chuckled at the sight of her. While Jenny, Abby, Alicia and the other two bridesmaids were laying stomach side down on their lounge chairs with their bikini tops unsnapped so they can work on their tan, Beth was laying on her lounge chair under a huge umbrella while wearing the biggest straw hat he has ever seen and a multicolored caftan reading Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. One of these things was definitely not like the others!

She barely read into the first paragraph when Jake sauntered over to her holding a bottle of sunscreen.

"Beth, I need your help, please. You see, I can't reach my back. And sun protection is very important to me. So if you could do me a solid, that would be great!"

"Ang dami mo pang sinabi! Halika nga dito."

Jake smiled because Beth wasn't trying to avoid him. Instead, she shut her book and sat up, making room for him to sit next to her on her lounge chair. Jake quickly took his t-shirt off and sat down, facing away from Beth.

Beth gulped at the sight of Jake's naked torso. Who wouldn't?! His body was perfectly sculpted! One would have to be dumb and blind not to appreciate such...muscle definition, for lack of a better word. She thought she lost count of his abs! The other women now also turned their heads toward the pair, pulled their sunglasses to perch on the edge of their noses to get a better view, and smiled mischievously at her. Abby gave her a playful wink while Alicia's jaw dropped then mouthed the words "Hot" and "Get it" to her.

Beth tried to ignore them and focused on the task at hand. She flipped open the lid of the sunscreen bottle and squeezed some on the palm of her hand. At first she was barely making contact with his skin. But the lotion wasn't gonna rub itself in so there was no other choice but to fully rub it on with her hands. Jake was enjoying her massage on his back...a little too much. He abruptly turned around and faced her before things got out of hand.

"Your turn, baby girl?"

"Baby girl?"

"It just feels right to call you that."

"Stop it! Hindi ako baby girl mo no!" she giggled. "Tsaka I'm good, well protected from the sun's harmful rays."

"I think you need to put some more sunscreen on." Jake cleared his throat. "Ahem! Everyone, get up! I have scheduled a snorkeling adventure for all of us. The boat leaves in an hour so let's meet at the beach then!"

The group cheered and started getting up to get ready for their snorkeling adventure.

"We are going under the sea, baby girl. So put that book away and put your bikini on."

Beth looked at him hesitantly. "Um. Sige. Kayo na lang."

Jake looked at her in alarm. No! This was supposed to be a foolproof plan! "Beth, we can't leave you out here by yourself. We're supposed to be bonding and enjoying ourselves."

"Eh kse..." Beth looked down and smoothed imaginary wrinkles on her caftan.

"I'm sure you'll look beautiful in a bikini," he smiled lasciviously at her while wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

Beth slapped his shoulder. "Loko loko! Ganito kse. I don't know how to swim," she embarrassingly admitted.

"Yun lang ba? I'll be with you the whole time. And you can wear a life vest. Sige na. It will be so fun! What do you say? I promise I won't let anything happen to you. I will hold your hand the whole time."

"Promise you won't let go?"

"I promise! I'll help you float. We'll just float on the surface." Jake smiled his ridiculously radiant smile and mentally high-fived himself. This was going better than planned. He didn't need an excuse to be by Beth the entire time. Holding her, touching her, seeing her in a swimsuit...he was as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning ready to open presents!

***

"Jen, wala akong isusuot!"

"Sis, relax! I brought a bunch of bikinis. Take your pick."

"Sis naman. Di ko keri mga yan. Those are all way too sexy! My goodness naman!" Beth's eyes were nearly popping out of their sockets.

"Kala mo lang yun! Here, try this." Jenny handed her a simple black bikini. It was a halter top with thick straps. The bottoms were just a plain black hipsters. "You'll have a life vest on anyway so you'll be covered up. And sis, ang sexy mo kaya!" giving Beth a wolf-whistle.

"Okay, okay. I guess I can just wear my caftan on the boat. Sige na nga. Once in a lifetime lang naman ito."

"Baka lumuwa mga mata ni Jake!"

"Grabe ka naman. Sis, alalayan mo ko ha."

"May Jake ka na nga diba?" Jenny teased.

"It's better to have multiple lifeguards," Beth laughed.

"Asus! Kaya mo yan, sis! Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

***

The instructor gave them thorough instructions and handed them their snorkeling gear. As predicted by Jenny, Jake's eyes did pop out of its socket at the sight of Beth and his jaw nearly dropped, but he tried his best to control himself. Jake helped Beth into her flippers and life vest and buckled the snaps. He pulled it tightly to make sure it's securely on her and pulled down her mask over her face. He asked if she was ready and she nodded her head.

The two of them were holding hands as they jumped off the boat. Their hands continued to be glued together as they swam on the surface and checked out the coral reefs. Beth had an amazing time discovering the many different tropical fishes. She kept giving him the thumbs up or the ok sign whenever she saw something she liked. He was so caring and nurturing, always checking if she wanted to come up for air, and when they did, he would hold her up and helped her kick her legs to keep her afloat. Beth can feel his thoughtfulness and gentleness and felt very at ease with him the whole time.

Afterwards, they took their boat to a nearby beach and made a makeshift fire pit. They had a small feast of sandwiches, fruit, and beer that they had packed with them. A wonderful time was had by everyone.

Jake and Beth took a stroll along the water away from the group. Beth had her caftan back on, but Jake continued to be shirtless. He was dying to hold her hand! So he did.

"I had so much fun! That was so amazing! Thank you for planning this, Jake! What a wonderful present for the newlyweds to be."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I'm glad you were so brave about conquering the open sea!"

"With your help," she smiled.

"Beth, I'm really having a wonderful time with you. But I'm not gonna lie. I want some alone time with you. I'm not gonna pressure you, just want you to know how I really feel."

"Jake..."

"But if you're not ready, hindi ako magsasawa magplano ng group activities. If this is the only way to spend time with you, so be it."

"Jake."

"Beth," He took both her hands and held it with his own. "I really like you."

"Jake."

"I want you to know that I'm sincere in my intentions.

"Jake."

"What?"

"What time are you picking me up tomorrow?"