Catch My Breath

by Wendy L. Wilson

  I’m twenty feet away from the shower house when my wish is nearly granted. The girls round the corner and hop off of the dock directly in front of me. I stop dead in my tracks, my mind racing with paranoia of whether she’ll think I’m a creep if she sees me. One at a time they walk off the dock heavy in a discussion and girly giggles that I cannot even focus on through my own loud thoughts. Where is she?

  “… skinny dipping later tonight. What do you guys think?”

  My ears perk up and I am fully listening now. Skinny-dipping? Do girls really do that? I sidestep to stand amidst a couple trees hoping to go on unnoticed as I watch for her. Creep is right. This is insane!

  “Alyssa, are you going to join us?” one of the girls calls out, kicking my memory into gear. I think that was her name. My heartbeat speeds up as I wait to hear her reply. Say yes … say yes! Right then, she crosses over the edge of the dock into view.

  “I guess, but I think I need to drink quite a bit more to catch up.”

  The girls laugh and a smile forms on my face. Their voices quickly fade out of ear shot, but I don’t move. I don’t even bother to approach her instead I remain still, watching as she walks away. Damn, I’m such a chicken.

  “Hey man, what are you doing?” Evan calls out from behind me, making me jump and heat up from embarrassment.

  I swing my attention to him and smile. “Being a coward,” I chuckle.

  He looks at me in confusion, so I fill him in, “Ok, this may very well make me sound like a creep, but I kind of accidently may have eavesdropped on all those girls conversation,” I admit, ducking my head and raising my shoulder as if I’m delivering this news to my mom and waiting for a scolding.

  He grabs his waist and belts out a laugh. “Kinda, my ass.”

  I stare at him, clueless on whether to laugh with him or go on the defense.

  “Crushin’ hard on blondie, are we?”

  “Whatever … anyways, one of the girls mentioned that they may go swimming later.” I look over at him as we near the shower house, but he looks bored with the topic already. “Skinny-dipping,” I add with my brows drawn up.

  This gets his attention. Snapping his head towards me, he shares the same expression I’m sure I had on my face a few moments ago when I first heard the topic mentioned.

  “Seriously? They said they were skinny dipping later?” He asks with a shitty grin.

  “Who’s skinny dipping?” Tristan’s voice calls out from behind as I step onto the dock.

  Great. That’s all I need. I zip my lips and walk in so I can quickly wash off. We each disperse into separate stalls and in between water in my ears and the subtle sounds of my fingers scouring shampoo into my scalp, I catch clips of Tristan and Evan talking.

  “… that’s what Judd said he heard.”

  What the hell, Evan?!

  “Are you shitting me? Hell yeah, this summer job keeps getting better and better,” Tristan hollers two stalls away.

  If I had to bet money on it, I’d say he was going back to make lake plans with the rest of the gang. Now I almost wish I hadn’t heard them. I’ll just have to get to her first. No way am I letting any of the other guys slide in there before me.

  I shower off as quickly as possible in cool water to steer off the way she affected me, throw on some board shorts and grab my stuff, but just as I am coming out of the stall, the entrance door creaks.

  “Later,” Tristan yells before I catch sight of the door closing.

  Evan walks out of the shower next to mine as I’m reaching for the door to exit and sprint up to the cabin before Tristan can get all the guys on board for crashing the girl’s party.

  “Wait up,” he hollers as I’m preparing to flee.

  With an antsy rap of my foot on the floor, I resist racing out and hold back, keeping the door held open as if it will quicken the leaving process.

  “Why did you tell Tristan that?”

  Evan laughs, “Are you afraid he’s going to dip into your plate of sushi before you can? Besides, I figured that was right up his alley. Come on, I mean … skinny-dipping?” he chuckles a little harder, but all I can do is stare over at him wondering if he realizes that Tristan will be aiming for any of the girls, not just the one I’m interested in. Smirking back at him as he pokes along behind me, I bring him up to speed on the big picture.

  “He won’t just be diving into my plate so to speak. I think my brother would be happier sampling a little bit of everything on the buffet,” a knot settles in my stomach for joking about something that my mother would consider so disrespectful, but then I catch Evan’s changed expression.

  His smile falls and he speeds up to walk beside me. “Yeah, no way, man. I know her and her clothes will stay on,” he says confidently.

  “Ok,” I give up, “Either way, you joining me?”

  He nods in agreement as we fly through the cabin door. My eyes instantly dance to the clock above the fireplace, surprised that it is only a little past 9:00.

  “Judd, just the man we wanted to see,” Mitch says before the door even has a chance to swing shut behind me.

  I look over at Evan and he shrugs.

  “So did you hear what time this event is taking place?” Mitch asks with all the others eagerly listening.

  Sighing, I relent; they’re going to go down there anyways. I’ll just leave a little early and hope to catch her before the other guys come barging onto the beach.

  “All I heard is one of the girls mention a midnight swim. So I’m assuming midnight,” I say without looking at him; I’m not a huge fan of Mitch. He treats Evan like shit and he is exactly the type of friend that Tristan needs to stay away from.

  Reaching into the fridge, I grab a container of meat and a couple slices of cheese and then slam the door shut.

  “So let me get this straight, all those girls are planning to strip down to their birthday suits and go for a group swim?!” Nick asks in amazement.

  “Do girls actually do that shit?” Tyler pipes up with an equally excited tone to his voice.

  “Lucky for us, this group of girls does,” Tristan speaks up, already changing into his trunks.

  Like he will actually keep those on tonight; the only attire he’ll need later is a condom. I’d laugh my ass off if these girls are sensible enough to not fall for his tricks. However, it looks like most of the ladies were tipping back drinks pretty hard on the lake earlier so more than likely most of them will be plowed by midnight, if they keep going like that.

  “Holy shit! I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,” Tyler jumps into the conversation and then the discussion amps up to a whole new level of sleaze.

  I scarf down two sandwiches and a handful of chips while the rest of the guys start hitting the beer. I’ll wait to drink. I’d like to keep my wits about me tonight.

  The minutes drag by, and the familiar urgency that I felt watching the clock tick by on the last day of school rises within me. It reminds me of the nervousness and anxiety that took root inside of me each day that was marked off of the calendar after my mom got sick. At least this time it is exciting. Glancing back at the clock, I come to one conclusion. I can’t wait any longer.

  “Come on let’s go. I’m sick of waiting,” I say, gripping the handle of the door.

  “Well … well, someone has an eagerection about getting down to the beach,” Evan sarcastically comes back at me, immediately pushing a spit of laughter out of me.

  “Where you guys going?” Matt’s question turns all eyes on us.

  “We’re just going down to the vending machine before we head to the beach.”

  Lying to my friends is ridiculous especially since we will potentially be walking in on a handful of naked girls swimming after dark, but I really don’t want anyone to mess up my plan.

  “We’ll see you in a bit.” I wave over my shoulder.

  “Hhhmhuh …” Tristan murmurs as Evan and I head out.

  The skeptical look I get from Tristan tells me that they will soon be followi
ng.

  We head straight forward towards my truck and stop when the sound of female voices fill the air in the direction of the beach. Fortunately, there are no overhead lights so we are able to move in closer, undetected. This girl is going to write me off as a total pervert if she catches me spying on her friends while they strip down.

  Stopping at the edge of the beach, I desperately scan the area for her blonde hair. Evan looks around as well, but I don’t see either of the girls we’re searching for.

  “You going to tell me what’s going on with this girl?” I whisper to him. He has always remained pretty closed off about what happened summers ago with her.

  He snaps his head around and frowns. “I figured you could use a wing man. You’re not smooth enough to pull this off and not get caught.”

  I laugh. He’s right about that. The last thing I am is smooth at scoping out girls; that’s my brother’s department.

  “Besides, come on … a bunch of naked girls, of course I’m going to be willing to join you.” He laughs quietly, his eyes roaming the beach.

  “Yeah, sure … a wingman, huh? You’re just worried about what I …” her voice pulls me from my train of thought and dead-ends everything I was saying. I already know that voice like I’ve heard it my whole life.

  “I think I am going to take a walk and finish off my drinks. You all are way ahead of me. Maybe the alcohol will help me loosen up. I’ll be back in a bit,” her soft gentle voice sings as several girls throw their suits down to the ground and race into the water without a second thought.

  When I see the two girls she is talking to fling their tops off, I have to focus to see if Alyssa is actually dressed. I cannot believe I am doing this. I’m a freaking peeping tom. I can barely make it out, but I see the small outlines of a swimsuit on her small figure as she walks down the water’s edge.

  “Holy Shit! Did you see that?!” I look at Evan and then back to where he is looking. “No don’t actually look, damn it!”

  Snapping my head back around to him, then over to where Alyssa is walking, I’m at a loss of what he is talking about, but I do not want to lose my chance.

  “Hey man, I’m going to go catch her …” I start.

  Evan interrupts me, his face twisted in shock. “She took off her damn top! I can’t believe she took it off! What the hell?!”

  I look back trying to figure out what he is so aggravated over.

  “Don’t look, man!” he whisper-shouts without taking his eyes off the water.

  I shake my head. I really don’t want to blow this.

  “I’ll catch you later. I’m going after her,” I try to get his attention, but I assume he is no longer listening; he’s too busy fuming about that dark haired girl taking off her top.

  “What the hell! Do you know how long it took before she let me see …” Evan’s words are cut off by shouts and hollers in the distance as the guys finally decide to bust up the quiet, peaceful night setting.

  Damn, I have to go. Last thing I want is for Tyler or Nick or especially Tristan to find her all alone in the woods and start hitting on her; that’s my plan. I’ll just unintentionally run into her and think of a smooth way to explain how I knew she would be down here. My heart speeds up with expectancy of finally being face-to-face with her. I’m on a mission to find her and I’m not wasting another second.

  “I’LL SEE YOU LATER man,” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I am already treading sand.

  I catch all the others joining up with the girls and hear all the excitement arising with their arrival; they waste no time with the whole “clothing optional” party.

  “Holy, son of a …”

  I crane my neck back for a second at the sound of Evan’s voice then twist around so I can focus on the task of running along the dark shoreline. Suddenly, a head of silky blonde hair along with a small framed body only covered by a few pieces of fabric slams right into me. My arms fall around her instantly as we both tumble to the ground. Yeah, smooth; real smooth. This is not exactly what I had in mind when I thought about running into her, but then her soft, perfect body wrenches beneath me and I do not want to move.

  Noticing movement beside our heads, I sneak a glance as she wiggles a wine cooler in her hand. I have to suppress a laugh at her not-so-subtle-spill-check. Pulling my head back just enough to look at her face, I’m hit with the unbelievable fragrance of her skin or hair. Geez, she smells incredibly good, like strawberries. Looking closer at her blank expression, it dawns on me that I may be crushing her while the vibrations of my heart clarify that I am indeed crushing on her hard.

  “Are you ok?” I whisper, lifting up only a few inches above her to alleviate the full weight of my body on hers.

  Her stomach is flush up against mine and with both of us only sporting swim attire, the smooth, soft feeling of her skin has me breathing heavier than normal. Finally her eyes open and she looks up at me. Damn, she’s beautiful.

  Her hand makes contact with my skin and a smoldering heat splinters out from her fingertips and moves through me. My lips lift into a wide grin and my pulse races as her fingers run over my chest. She hasn’t said a word yet. If I didn’t know better I would actually think she is mute. Using one hand to hold my body above hers and with my knee buried in the sand between her legs, I lift my other hand to wave it in front of her face, making sure she registers my presence. Grains of sand cling to my skin and feel half embedded under the bandages I had placed on my cracked open thumb.

  “Did I knock you out or knock the breath out of you?”

  Her deep and heavy breaths that match my own, reach my ears, but she still says nothing.

  Finally she shakes her head and mumbles “Yes … I mean no …” in a confused tone.

  I laugh at her answer and then decide to tease her, “I did knock you out?”

  She stumbles around with her words, appearing more nervous than me. Maybe I’m not the only one feeling a connection.

  Just as I am fully enjoying this playful banter we have going on and the fact that she is nervous around me as well, a total buzz kill sounds from behind me.

  “Dude, are you doing her already?” Tyler yells out from only a few feet away. Great!

  “Way to go, Judd!” My older brother calls out from further down the beach.

  “Hey, need a condom? I think we have some back at the cabin!” That sounds like Matt and I’m sure she’s ready to get the hell away from me after all that.

  “Piss off guys,” I mutter under my breath, venting my frustrations.

  Rising up and away from her, I immediately feel as if something’s missing. I reach my hand out to help her up, eager to touch her again in any way possible. A sigh of relief slips over my lips when she places her hand in mine.

  “Sorry … my friends stumbled upon a discovery and were getting a bit too frisky for my taste. I figured I would head in the opposite direction.”

  The wildness at the beach picks up with the sounds of girls screaming and loud splashing through the water. Time to find some place more private.

  “You wanna join me?” I ask, praying that she says yes, just as she gives me a gentle nod.

  I stare at her, taking in all her delicate features. Her hair falls around her face in soft waves continuing down to the center of her back. Although it is dark, her high cheek bones seem blushed, possibly from embarrassment due to my friends comments and her lips; Oh, her lips … damn! They are plump, moist and look like they need to be kissed. My eyes proceed to study her as they travel down her neck, but her hand clutched around a bottle suddenly blocks the view I’m so desperate to see. It startles me out of my daze, until I realize she is offering me one of her drinks.

  “A peace offering?”

  I smile and gladly take it, hoping it will push away the apprehension that she seems to bring out in me.

  “I’m Judd by the way,” I inform her as our feet start to lead the way down the shoreline.

  She bursts out in a jittery laugh that matches my shaky h
ands and drumming heart.

  “I’m Alyssa. I’m sorry …”

  Zoning out, I watch how she throws her head back as she laughs and how her hair dips further down, past the center of her back. After craning my neck to check her out, we make eye contact and I try to focus in on what she’s saying, but it’s no use. Once she finishes speaking, all hesitation flies away.

  Strolling beside her in absolutely no hurry at all, a sudden surge of confidence hits me and I want to know everything about her. “So, I’ve never seen you out here. Have you been here before?”

  Looking up at me, she answers my question, “Actually, my parents used to bring me and my sisters out here when we were little, but gosh … it’s been at least ...” My attention flickers in and out of what she is saying like satellite reception during a thunder storm as my eyes continue to drop down lower, watching her chest rise and fall with each word she says. “What about you?”

  Oh shit! Quickly snapping my head back to look at her, my body starts to vibrate with nervousness. I clear my throat to shake off the feeling and hope that I didn’t miss anything she was saying.

  “You know, I’m not sure if I came here when I was little, but I’ve been coming out here regularly for a few years now. This summer I’m giving my best friend a hand on some renovations. His grandfather owns the land and the cabins over here,” I stop speaking for a second and look for a suitable place so we can sit. “Well except for the cabin you’re staying in,” I say, as a nice clearing comes into view.

  Smiling, I automatically think of all those cheesy quizzes on my newsfeed about the ‘best date places’ or those goofy surveys girls would pass around in class about ‘what’s your dream date’. This is perfect.

  I let her sit first, gently placing my hand near her lower back, close enough to touch but not quite. She slides down, settling into a small patch of dirt with no hesitation at all. Quirking my brows, I smile and sit down beside her.

  “Do you go to school out this way?”

  “Nahh,” I answer back and take a swig of the drink she gave me. The bitterness of tequila mixed with the sour tang of lime nips at my tongue, making it numb as if I’ve been sucking on a saltlick. “I actually live about five hours away in Rosemore. I graduated from there just last month.”