His, Eternally [18+]

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Rationale

Indie's Point of View:

The ocean was a scary place for most. As humans, we have only ever explored 5% of it. For all we know, there could be mermaids existing, or even sirens. There could be an entire new world of species, even supernatural ones, without our acknowledgement. It was a dark blue abyss, and I had avoided it ever since I was young. When my family took trips to the beach, I often threw tantrums until they would find someone to babysit me. To be fair, I wasn't exactly being dramatic. Hell, sharks existed, there were dead bodies in the ocean, jellyfish, and stingrays that could attach their sharp barbs to your heart and kill you in an instant. I was a quite rational child for not wanting to go to the beach.

I stared ahead at the ocean, Thaddeus' hand tightly clasping in mine. I didn't know how to swim, so he wanted to teach me, understandably so. It was imperative to know how to swim.

I scrunched my toes in the wet sand, loving how the waves washed over my feet and created new patterns every time. I felt my heels sink into the sand as I grasped onto Thaddeus tightly. "Baby, nothing is going to hurt you. I just would like to teach you how to swim. There is no current and the waves are gentle, meaning it's safe. You can hold onto me the entire time." Thaddeus said, rubbing my waist. I nodded, squeezing his hand. "I promise I'm not being dramatic, I just-" Thaddeus cut me off by shaking his head. "We all have our own fears, Indie. Do not invalidate your own. Mila didn't learn to swim until she was older, too." We began to walk into the water until it hit about my waist, for Thaddeus it was only his mid thigh. I wrapped my arms around his waist until I was almost fully emerged. My pulses began to pick up considerably, before Thaddeus lifted me up so that my legs were around his waist.

"Let's learn how to float first, little one. I'm right here. I'm going to put my hand on your lower back and you can extend your body completely, okay?" I nodded, complying. I was now floating on my back with some of Thaddeus' help, and I felt a smile grow on my face. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Thaddeus removed his hand and I puffed out my chest slightly so that I would continue floating. I looked up at the clear blue sky above me, listening to the sound of the waves crash on the shore as the sun hit my face — igniting my body with a comforting warmth.

Thaddeus then lifted me back up in his arms, and then demonstrated how to tread in order to stay afloat. I almost learned immediately, laughing and smiling as I was finally able to swim. He showed me freestyle, and I suddenly felt like I could conquer anything. Water was one of my biggest fears, yet with the help of Thaddeus I was able to learn how to swim — an extremely important life skill. I wrapped my arms and legs around his body, pressing my face into his wet chest. I watched at the droplets of water trickled down his carved back, looking like a piece of art.

"Indie," Thaddeus groaned as my bikini clad bottom half pressed against his lower stomach. I giggled innocently at his facial expression. The water suddenly became cooler, so Thaddeus carried me out before we simply laid in the sand. His fingers are intertwined with mine as we laid in complete silence, the only sounds being the waves crashing and birds cawing. If I had died and gone to heaven, this is what I would imagine heaven as. It was paradise.

"I have a question for you." Thaddeus sat up, resting his body weight on his elbow. I shielded my eyes with my hands, trying to block out the sun so I could get a better look at him without the glare.

"What is it?" I asked, waiting for his next words with anticipation. He held up his index finger, before standing up and walking over to where our towels, blanket, and sunscreen was. I watched him with curious eyes as he returned to me, suppressing the urge to drool at the sight of his wet hair and his grown out it was, curling at the nape of his neck.

"I wanted to ask you something." He said, sitting down next to me. He pulled out a small box, making my heart drop into my stomach. He opened it to reveal a small ring with a tiny tear-drop tinted blue diamond in it. It felt like all of my past memories were flashing vividly in my mind, all leading up to thing moment. "Indie, I know you don't like extravagance and you prefer a more intimate situation. I'm asking you here now because what I feel with you right now is nothing less than what paradise would feel like. I want to make a promise to you, thus I am giving you this ring. I love you more than life itself-" I cut Thaddeus off by wrapping my arms around his neck and climbing into his lap. "Yes, yes, yes! I will marry you, yes. I've never been so sure of anything in my life." I felt tears well up in my eyes, but Thaddeus' eyes glossed over with confusion.

"Little one, of course I want to marry you, but this is a promise ring." I felt heat began to creep up my neck and my face flush bright red.

Oh, fuck. "Oh my god." I covered my face completely with my hands. I sounded so desperate. "I'm so embarrassed, I want to die." Thaddeus chuckled lightly, causing me to slap his chest lightly. "Stop laughing at me!" I groaned, laying down on my stomach in the sand. "Baby, don't be embarrassed. I'm sorry for laughing. Hell, you had every right to feel like I was proposing to you. I should've worded things better." I nodded, still not bringing my head up from my arms to face him.

He then gently removed one of my arms and held my left hand, sliding the ring on my ring finger. I looked at the small diamond and how it glittered in the sunlight, making me smile — and almost making me forget about the most embarrassing moment of my life that had just occurred.