The Gap Year

Chapter 19

'What are you doing?' I staggered against the tide created as Harry stormed in to the water, my annoyance at his manouver at least distracting me from formulating any lingering feelings towards his flashing thighs.

'Trying to get you to swim with me.' He splashed at me, determined to chance his luck with my temper as much as possible, 'although it would seem that you're too much of a posh pussycat afraid of getting her paws wet.'

'I told you that I want to bathe peacefully.' I was giving in to the bite that he clearly wanted way too easily, 'and so I'm merely savouring my entrance instead of making a mess like the big buffoon that you are. Plus it's a very cleansing way to enter the water, actually.'

'It's very cleansing actually, blah, blah, blah,' He was mocking me, his lips flinched tight, trying their best to mimic my facial expression, 'what sort of sentence is that?'

'If you're just going to mock me then you might as well leave.' He really is the most tedious character, thinking that just because he might look remotely appealing in a pair of shorts will somehow mask the rest of the garbage associated with his personality.

'Look, if you kneel down in the water, you can stand on my shoulders and dive in; that way it will be over in a flash.'

'Ew, but that would mean touching you.' I grimaced as forcefully as possible.

'Well that didn't seem to bother you the other day.' He wiggled his eyebrows cockishly, his words laced with invite clearly trying to convince me to take up his offer. If only those blasted little yellow shorts didn't cover his bum so perfectly like he's channelling George Michael in his Club Tropicana hey-day.

'Just bend down and get it over with.' He persisted. Regretably I complied without argument and following his instruction placed my left foot on to his left shoulder as he held his hands up for me to hold on to. God no, not his shoulders, do not look at them or even register their existence, especially that they are tanned and sculpted to perfection. Damn it, why can't he just be fat with a hairy back instead of being so damned...sexy.

'See that wasn't too hard was it? And you almost managed to do it gracefully.' He smiled up at me his tongue gently pressing forward against his teeth.

Denying him the reciprocation of a smile I found my balance, and now standing still held up by the strength of his body, I stared out in to the distance like the captain of a great ship. To the left of the bay the beach crept up the hillside which was crowned by a large orange villa glowing defiantly under the steady heat of the sun. Wow, you'd have to be really rich to own a place like that; it was easily one of the best houses on the island, the sort of place Kate Moss would definitely park her yacht up at.

'Get a move on will you,' Harry moaned, 'my arms hurt.'

'What the hell?' The water rushed against my face and up my nose, swirling in to my mouth like a salty washing machine. Eventually, gasping, my head reached the surface, a strip of slimy seaweed having elegantly wrapped itself around my neck. 'What are you doing?' I plucked a twig from my hair, 'you nearly drowned me!'

'I'm really sorry,' He was obviously mortified by his actions, his eyes wide and fearful that I might be about to punch him, 'but you were taking ages, you got too heavy.'

'Are you saying that I'm fat?'

'No of course not, you're anything but fat.'

'This is just typical, I knew you would ruin everything when you turned up here, and I don't just mean the beach I mean the island too.'

'Like you were having so much fun without me,' he was grinning again, and arrogantly too, 'because Dr Dishwash looks like he's giving you a real good time.'

'I don't know what Liam has got to do with anything.' I'm confused why he's brought Liam in to the argument.

'I don't know what Liam's got to do with anything.' Again he was mimicking my.

'You're such a child and so annoying, both qualities of which I can assure you Liam is not.' I turned to leave.

'But you'll meet me tonight at Zorb's though?' He called confidently as I walked out of the sea refusing to grace him with an answer.