Lies, Lies And More Lies✔️

26: Above Water

**A photo of the yacht sundeck in the media box**

"Why are we here, Derrek?" I asked as I got down from his car. I circled round the hood to join him at the other side.

"You don't like the beach?" He asked as he placed his keys in the pocket of his jeans. He glanced at me and I shrugged. My mom was terrified of the sea and my dad didn't fancy the beach either, so, we never went to any beaches growing up and as I became an adult, I never had any interests to go to one. I was okay with just seeing the water from afar.

"I've never actually been to the beach." I admitted, hugging my arms to myself and his eyes grew wide.

"But there's a beach like ten minutes from your house."

"Why are we here, Derrek?" I repeated my earlier question, glancing at the vast sea far ahead of us.

"We're here to have fun." He answered before taking my hand in his. The action took me by surprise and I couldn't help staring at our intertwined hands as we walked into the beach. I felt a weird sensation in the pit of my stomach but I made an effort to ignore it.

"Derrek?" I called as Derrek steered us in the direction of a yacht docked by the shore.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Derrek said as he waved to the man aboard the boat. The man in a white short sleeved shirt and blue shorts with palm tree prints waved back.

"We're not going on the yacht, are we?" I questioned, panicking. I had never been to the beach. I had never been this close to the sea and I sure as hell hadn't been on a yacht before. I was terrified to go on one.

"Of course, we are. It would be fun." Derrek answered and I immediately ripped my hand from his. He turned around with raised eyebrows. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not going on that thing." I shook my head stubbornly.

"What? Why?" He questioned. "Are you scared?"

"No, are you?"

"Tiara—"

"I'm too young to drown in the sea, Dune. I don't know about you but I would love to live a long and fulfilling life." I turned around and headed far away from the death machine. Derrek was crazy if he thought I was getting on board with him.

"I've been on a yacht a total of forty-five times and I'm very much alive if you hadn't noticed." He chased after me.

"No, I didn't notice. I thought you were an annoying, talkative ghost this entire time." I rolled my eyes. He hurried in front of me and placed his hands on my shoulders to stop me from moving.

"Are you really scared of the yacht?" He asked and I was about to give a sarcastic reply but looking in his eyes, I saw concern.

"I don't know." I sighed and shrugged. "The thought of it terrifies me but a part of me wants to get on."

"So, what I'm hearing is," He straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest. "—you're too chicken to come on the yacht with me?" And the old annoying Derrek was back. For just a moment there, I had thought he was actually concerned about me.

"Chicken? Who are you calling a chicken?" I gasped and he glanced around dramatically before turning back to me.

"Well, there's no other chicken in sight, so, it's obviously you." He said, poking my nose with his finger and I swatted away his hand.

"There is a chicken here and he's standing right over—" I drawled, waving my finger around in the air. "—here." I poked him hard in the chest and he seemed surprised by my actions.