Twenty-Nine // J.G.

seventeen.

Day 14.

"Jack, you're insane!" I yelped, an incredulous look washing over my face as I stared down into the large body of water in horror. "You want me to go into the water with sharks?!"

"No," Jack insisted, "I want you to go into the water of sharks with me."

Getting over a two-day sickness was one thing I could barely manage to do, and now he was expecting me to just dive into waters filled with creatures that could potentially be the cause of my death. When he rented us some flippers and snorkeling goggles, I thought we were going to swim with sea turtles and other small, harmless fish, but instead we're on a boat with dozens of sharks below us.

"Never in a million years will I ever do this!" I proclaimed, shaking my head with such fervor that I dizzied myself for a split moment. "I can jump off rocks and ride a rogue horse, but I cannot and will not do this for you."

"Marley, come on," He pleaded with a pout that, no matter how cute, couldn't persuade me even in the slightest bit. "Relationships are built on trust. Are you saying you don't trust me?"

"Not with this, no!" I had yet to verbally express my trust to him, but jumping into the ocean with sharks just to prove it was not something I was willing to risk. "You're crazy."

"And you're scared." He retorted.

"I'd rather be scared than crazy." I blustered, for once in my life resolute enough to stand up to Jack's intense gaze, giving him an equally strong glare.

"So are you two love birds going into the water or not? We don't give refunds here." The middle-aged man running the whole tour thing cut in, a mixed expression on his face.

"Yes," Jack summoned, his large hand grasping mine into a tight entanglement, which left me struggling to liberate myself from his brawny grip.

"No!" I roared, and it didn't take long to figure out that being physically inferior to Jack was never going to change, no matter how much determination I put forth. My eyes narrowed in pure obstinacy, a huff passing my lips to dictate the fact that he'd have to drag me down into the water.

And so that's what he did. Sort of.

Soon my feet were lifted clean off the ground as his muscular arms captured my figure, which inevitably melted my mind into thoughts of him and his burning touch. I lost all sensible instincts to his prodding fingers, too occupied with the diminishing space between us to realize what was at stake. He gathered me up, and on instinct, I wrapped my legs around his waist to keep from plummeting right into my death bed without him.

"No, please, no!" I cried, resembling nothing less of a child throwing a tantrum. It was too late, though, as Jack secured a firm grip around my body and jumped into the transparent waters. My eyes were screwed shut behind my large goggles, me being afraid that if I opened them, I'd be faced with the sharp-toothed mouth of a tiger shark. I stayed attached to Jack, and when he released his hold on me to rise back up to the surface, I clung tighter onto his torso.

"Baby, relax." His chuckle filled my ears, which only made my blood boil along with the uncontrollable blush filling my otherwise cold and pale cheeks with a rosy color. "Look, it's been thirty seconds, and we still have all our body parts."

"Ha-ha-ha." My laughs were discontinued as I rolled my eyes, though my sharp attitude was quick to drop as I noticed the dark shapes moving around us and held onto Jack for dear life. "Jack, I don't want to do this!" I buried my face into his shoulder, my body trembling with anxiety.