Under the Surface

Chapter Four: Study Date or Not?

I stood thinking I was about to get kissed by Dillion for the first time. The moment never happened. Dillion pulled slightly away from me, letting go of my hand.

"Crazy to think we've been at the same school for so long and never talked before," Dillion said instead.

I chuckled awkwardly. I couldn't tell him it was because I was actively avoiding him. "Yeah, I guess we just have never had any classes together."

"Yeah. To think we could have met earlier. Would we have had this connection if we had met Freshman year instead? Or did we have to grow into these people to be like this?" Dillon wondered out loud, his eyes staring intently into mine.

"I don't know," I said, wondering what would have happened if I had met him before either of us had our tattoos. "Maybe we just weren't supposed to meet until now."

"Maybe," Dillion replied, shifting his gaze out towards the ocean. I watched his eyes flicker briefly to contempt before going back. "Come on, let's get back to the fire."

I looked at him for a moment, wondering what had changed after we came out here. My mind was in overdrive, analyzing every moment, pausing when I thought of him looking at the ocean with contempt. I forced a smile onto my face. "Yeah, it sounds good. I should probably find Maddie, Cierra, and Hope anyway."

I looked away from him once the words were out of my mouth. I could feel my anxiety creeping up. He might have said he doesn't want to take on his father's business, but the contempt he had while looking at the ocean meant he might still have the same prejudice against mermaids. I might be safe with him at the moment heading back towards the bright firelit party, but I couldn't help but feel I wouldn't always be this safe with him.

As we got to the outer edges of the party, I shot Dillion a small smile before excusing myself to find my friends. I grabbed a cup and filled it with the rum punch on my way. I didn't want to think anymore. I just wanted to hang out with the girls and let go.

My eyes barely cracked open the next morning before the room was spinning around me. I fought my way out of bed, rushing as much as I could toward the bathroom. My eyes throbbed even in the darkness of the bathroom. Letting go was not my best idea, I thought as I lay on the bathroom floor, my hangover sending waves of nausea through me. I couldn't be sure how much time had passed before I managed to grab a glass of water and take some ibuprofen to dull out the throbbing in my head. Thank god it was a Sunday, and I didn't have to force myself to go to school like this. I could rest until later this afternoon before I had to finish my homework and study. With that thought I headed back to bed hoping to sleep off the worst of it.

A buzzing woke me. Sleepily I blinked my eyes, trying to find the noise and get my bearings back. I found my phone between my bed and the wall with a notification for a new text from Dillion.

Do you want to get together to study?

I went into overdrive, trying to decipher if he was asking me on a study date or if he really just wanted some company. After last night I was sure he wasn't interested in me as more than a friend. He had every opportunity to kiss me at the bonfire, but he didn't and that spoke volumes to me.

Deciding that it was safe enough to continue being his friend despite the fact my traitorous heart had a crush on him, I texted him back.

Sure! When & where?

I got out of bed as I waited for him to text me back, heading over to my closet to start picking out a casual outfit just in case I had to start getting ready. I pulled out a pair of loose-fit high-waisted jeans and a lightweight cropped sweater before I heard my phone go off again.

Can you want to meet at the park in an hour?

Yes. See you soon!

I had just enough time to take a quick shower, scrunch my hair to bring out the waves, and put on a light coat of foundation and mascara before I gathered my homework and bike. I slid my backpack on, jumped on my bike, and started slowly pedaling toward the park. The sun was shining with a light breeze cutting through trees as I followed the path toward Seaside Park. I hopped off my bike as I approached the entrance and double-checked that my outfit was in place and covering the seashell on my hip. When I was sure everything was in place, I wheeled my bike over towards a park bench in the shade of an oak tree. I set my stand on the bike and got settled in on the bench with my legs crossed and my history book out. I tried to keep my eyes down and focused on my schoolwork instead of glancing around the park waiting for Dillion to show up. I definitely didn't want to come off too excited for him to get here.

I didn't look up until I heard footsteps approaching. Dillion was dressed casually in some jeans and a long sleeve backpack hanging off one shoulder. His eyes pierced mine as a small smile spread across both of our faces.

"Thanks for coming to study with me, Kye," he said as he approached. "There's no way I could have focused on economics with my Dad home."

The small smile that he had faded into a grimace.

"Anytime you need to get out to study, let me know, and I can meet you here," I replied, forcing myself to keep my smile intact. Dillion took a seat next to me, opening his backpack and grabbing out his books. I turned my attention back to my history book, looking over the chapter on the Civil War and marking important dates/events on notecards. We sat in comfortable silence. Each focused on our work until I felt Dillion shift next to me, his thigh pushing up against my knee. Heat rose through my body, and I ducked my head further down towards my books so my hair fell, covering the blush threatening to take over my cheeks. Mentally I scolded myself. This was not a date, he was not interested in me, and he clearly needed a friend right now. It didn't matter how attracted to him; I needed to get a grip. I snuck a look at him from the corner of my eye. The smile was back on his face as he wrote. It didn't appear that he noticed his thigh was against my knee. I willed myself to get back to work, but my mind was more focused on the contact.

Different scenarios played out in my head. What if he put his hand on my knee next or pulled me in closer? Was this contact the reason that he was smiling again? Maybe I was wrong, and he wanted to kiss me yesterday. Dillion's voice broke me out of the dangerous train of thoughts I was having.

"Do you want to take a break and grab some ice cream?" he asked eagerly.

I met his eyes, hoping he couldn't tell that I had just been daydreaming about him.

"I'm always down to take a break and get ice cream," I replied in a happy tone. As much as I liked having his leg pressed against mine, it would be good to get up and stretch, maybe even get a chance to really talk instead of just studying.

Dillion got up first and held his hand, and gently helped me off the bench. We stood face to face for a moment before Dillion's fingers slipped through mine, and he led me toward a nearby ice cream stand. His hand was steady and warm, engulfing mine on the short walk. As we got in line, he gave my hand a gentle squeeze before letting go.

"What do you want?" he asked as we moved up in the line.

"I think I'm going to get a small twist," I said, looking over the menu.

We reached the front of the line. Dillion ordered two small twists and paid for them, refusing to hear my protest that I could pay for mine.

Maybe this was a date, after all?