Staring out at the inviting water, Quinta undid the button of her shorts and unzipped them before lowering them to the ground. The panties matched the bra and cut into a line right across half her cheeks. Throwing her head forward, she skillfully took one twisted and wrapped it around all others to tie her hair up. Turning to her bag, Quinta dug for a thick scrunchie while Addie got undressed.
Dane was a little less than excited until he saw Quinta take her clothes off. His eyes were glued to her figure because he, like the others, had no idea she dressed herself with such taste underneath her clothes. He couldn't help but admire her figure even though he knew she was built. To see her like this was a new experience. Out from the side of Dane, Leon seemed to have appeared from thin air.
No longer the architect, he was now Leon the man, “God. Damn.” He sighed out.
Dane looked the blonde over. Leon had his sunglasses propped over his bangs just so he could get a full and clear view of the show. Dane's eyes narrowed a bit at the fact that Leon was stuck on Quinta. If he stared any harder he probably would have salivated.
Puckering her lips, Addie decided that it would be best to let things go and join her adopted sister. After a bit of hesitation, Addie stripped down to show that her bra was teal and her panties were yellow. Fashion was something that had went out the window. But to see that THIS is what Quinta looked like beneath her clothes made her rethink this decision to let it go.
A part of Dane was relieved that Leon was far too preoccupied with Quinta to look at his sister. Then again, it didn't quite feel like a relief either. Of course, that was short lived when the next moment Addie skimmed down and Leon brought his hand close to his mouth. Leon bit on the webbing between his thumb and finger all while eye banging Addie. The girl he claimed he had no interest in.
Suddenly, Leon could feel a heat, other than the Florida sun, radiating just a few inches to the left. His blue eyes cut over only to see that Dane had leaned in on him and stared hellfire into his soul. Their gazes met momentarily before he was shocked back to reality and stumbled back with a yelp. Taking off in a sprint, Leon headed for the water while Dane grabbed Addie's shirt and shoved it back against her chest.
“AWWW Dane! What!? Ugh!” Addie groaned out loud.
The look on his face showed that he was not in the mood for her protests to which she gave up. This was, of course, accompanied with muttered obscenities.
Once her hair was in a high, large bun on top of her head, Quinta stood and Addie took off for the water, “Come on! Come on!” Addie exclaimed. She then rushed past the other two, “Hey!” She called out to Leon.
Leon was already waist deep in the blue and splashing around, “Come out here! It's gre--”
A rogue wave came through and knocked Leon face-first under the water. Addie threw her head back with a howling laugh.
Her feet sent water splashing outwards before she got up to her knees and shivered, “I-it's cold!” She yelped out loud.
Leon soon surfaced and sputtered out while he shook his head, “I. Know.” He replied bitterly.
Momentarily distracted by Leon's antics, Dane looked back to Quinta and felt a leap in the deepest lowest pits of his stomach.
Quinta chuckled under her breath while she ran her thumbs along the hem of her underwear, “Yuh ready?” She questioned.
Dane adjusted the hairband on his head, “Yeah I am.” He replied.
The two of them took leisurely steps in the same direction and advanced closer to the wet sand. The gentle waves broke at the shore and soon enough the clear water caught their toes. Dane was completely satisfied by the touch accompanied with the heat of the sun on their backs. Quinta's stomach sank and gave her goosebumps the moment the chilled sensation of the water wrapped around her ankles. She hadn't enjoyed anything in so long as she did this. Crouching down, Quinta scooped water into her palms and tossed it against her arms and chest.
“HEY QUINTA, IT'S BETTER OUT HERE!” Addie, now covered up to her waist, called out.
Not really considering that Addie had yet to call Dane over, Quinta nodded her head before she looked up at him with a grin on her face, “Well den...” She said.
There was a bit of hesitation in his advancement as he watched Quinta walk deeper into the water. His eyes were fixated on the liquid that swirled around his feet which in turn caused him to clench his jaw and swallow. Not wanting to let her get away, Dane got the balls to march a step or two further until water hit his shins. Once again, he stopped.
Treading deeper into the ocean which soon became wading by the time the water hit her calves. Though Quinta noticed that an ever so friendly presence was missing. Pausing, Quinta turned back to see that Dane had barely advanced further from where he started which only caused her to turn fully towards him. The water hit against the back of her thighs and backside which only caused her to take a step forward. The sounds of Addie and Leon splashing and giggling were in the background all while Quinta kept her gaze on Dane. Making eye contact with her, Dane felt guilty and chanced another couple of steps until he was up to his knees.
Quinta then took a few steps back towards him, “…...Dane? Are yuh alright? What's wrong?” She asked.
Sighing out a large puff of breath, Dane shook his head in a delayed answer. This only caused concern to Quinta and it wasn't until she was much closer and he saw the look in her eye, did he finally answer.
He wet his lips, “...I don't...know how to swim.” He muttered in a significantly low tone.
The fact that there was another man further out, one who had his eyes on the same woman he did a few moments ago, this was not something he wanted to admit in front of Leon.
Pausing for a long moment, Quinta simply stared at him, “Yuh what?” she asked.
Dane looked out to the ocean, “...I'm scared uh.... you know... of going out there...” He whispered.
This man treated zombies as a way of life and survival, a man who could defeat one with little help now, was afraid of water. He stood taller than most other men who were considered tall and he...was afraid of water. He had nearly drowned once when he was younger on a family vacation at the lake. Even now, these fears stuck with him. His vulnerable, blue gaze took several uneasy glances between her and the other two. He was unable to decipher just what she thought of him and the situation. In the middle of taking another step, a wave rolled in and pushed against his thighs. This only caused him to place his foot back down and freeze once again.
Quinta turned her attention back to the rolling waves once more. She had grown up on the island and so close to the water. Not once did she ever take into consideration that a person simply couldn't.
“Ah, me see.” She started to say. Quinta then turned right back to him, “Well den go up to yuh tummy and lean on yuh knees. Dat's what me mudda told me. Dat way when yuh feel scared...” She trailed off. Raising her arms high over her head, she did a little jump before she continued, “Yuh pop up and yuh not as deep as yuh tink.”
Despite his unease and reluctance about the whole thing, the way she described her mother's advice caused Dane to break into a laugh. That was such a weird way to go about this but it also sounded like a woman who could be trusted.
After all Quinta lived all these years.
Another wave hit against the end of his underwear which caused him to tense up once again. Quinta took another step towards his frozen form with a caring smile on her features. She saw that he was not going to move and so she extended the same gesture he gave to her.
With her hand held out to him, she approached him again, “Me will stay with yuh. But me
warn yuh now. If yuh go out to yuh stomach ah'm going to be nearly under water. So, me nah drown today.” She joked while she waved him over. “Now come.”
Glancing from her face down to her hand, he reached over and took a tight hold of her. He nodded his head in acceptance all while he inched his way closer until they were securely connected. The grip on her hand involuntarily tightened as
he thought about the possibilities of drowning. Still though he moved forward with her. Being brought deeper into the water at his own tolerance, Quinta would jump with the waves when they'd roll past in order to keep from going under completely. There was a sweet burn in her entire body all while she kept a hold of Dane's hand until he had grown comfortable enough to pull away.
Addie and Leon had decided that they'd go beyond where Quinta dared to lead Dane to. Even though she had tied her hair up, the bun on her head sagged from the weight of the water. Her entire face dripped with water and a carefree expression on her face.
Before long, with her mom's advice, he was up to his stomach in water and, just as she said, she was almost to her shoulders. Dane's eyes wandered to the center of her chest. The way her breasts moved under the water as alike to a magnet for his eyes. Clearing his throat, he dared another step forward before he forced himself to look ahead. Quinta would glance over face to face with Dane now that he was on his knees. She had to admit it was nice to look at him without straining her neck. Plus...she would be lying if she didn't admit the fact that to have him this close just made him even better looking than she originally thought.
Leon and Addie were in the distance yet the water hit against their thighs which confused Dane. He watched the two knuckleheads splash, push, and dunk each other which only gave Dane the idea to do the same thing. He pulled his hand away from her and proceeded to swat water. Of course, he didn't know his own strength and instead of a light speckle across her skin, he sent a hefty wave of water in her face. With another wave rolling through, Quinta once again jumped and lost a hold of Dane's hand.
Quinta rubbed a hand over the entirety of her face only for him to practically drown her himself. Stumbling back and under the water, she soon resurfaced and shook her head from side to side. She wiped roughly across her nose and mouth before she looked at him and just how dry he was from the neck up. Dane's eyes widened before he laughed out and tried to distract her from revenge that was sure to come.
He held one hand in front of his body to defend himself while he pointed with the other, “How are they doing that?” He asked of their comrades.
Quinta blew water from her nostrils as she answered, “Dey on da sand bar. Yuh got ta swim dere...” In the middle of her sentence she pushed both her hands in his direction and smacked a wave of salt water over in his direction, “Me was takin yuh feelins into consideration, but now? Me gonna dunk yuh. Com’mere!” She called out.
“Oh, then I'm not going there.” Dane said with casual defiance.
He was drenched in water across his chest and face and his mouth hung wide open from the shocking cold. The moment she yelled out for him, he grew giddy and instinctively tried to turn around towards shallower waters with a laugh. Too bad Quinta knew better than him and cut him off.
Her body felt heavy and weighed down under the constant movement of water. Yet she pushed herself over in his direction and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. Grunting slightly, she pulled herself over to him with her chest pressed against his back and her leg hooked around his. Dane shouted out while he reached back and grabbed her legs to support her added weight. He began to spin and turn in faked urgency as though he fought to get her off him.
This only caused Quinta to hold on tighter and throw her head back. The feeling of her warm, soft, and voluptuous curves on him was something he could not ignore. Being that they were both wet, hardly dressed, and pressed body to body sparked an excitement in him. Now he only wondered through all this if Quinta had the same intuition.
It was then that Addie's cries caught their attention that there was a large wave heading right for them. This alerted Dane and in an instant, it felt as though a stone dropped in his stomach and he froze once again.
Quinta pressed her cheek against the side of his neck and whispered to Dane, “Don't panic. It will not 'urt yuh. Stand up and jump when me tell yuh to. Me right 'ere. Me not goin’ anywhere.” She said.
With her soothing and instructive voice in his ear, Dane stood tall and waited for her cue. He still naturally felt sick. She could feel how quick and shallow his breaths became all while he nodded his head and waited for the right moment.
Quinta proceeded to hook her other leg around his waist and watched the large, blue-green wall approach closer, “NOW!” She cried out.
Quinta's arms squeezed him tightly all while she placed her face into his neck and braced herself against him. When she shouted this broke the mold of his fear and he jumped. The wave barely struck them and simply drifted past and didn't hurt him, just as she said. Dane had an intense charge of adrenaline and fear that surged through him and when it turned out for the better, he let out an exhilarated laugh.
That felt great!
Her slippery body detached slightly from his wet body only to lift her head and grin from ear to ear, “Yuh did it!” She said happily.
Addie threw both her hands in the air and cheered her brother on from afar, “WOOO DANE! YOU'RE DOING GREAT!!”
Quinta expected him to give up and back up but instead he continued closer to the bar. He took a few bold steps forward with his hands still gripped to Quinta's thighs. Another smaller wave came their way and once again he felt the prickled sensation of fear once again. This was alike to a terrifying roller coaster, something he didn't fancy either, but by the end of the ride he always wanted to go again.
She knew that she couldn't stay on him but now they were so far out she would have to swim, “D-Dane.”
Addie could barely believe her eyes.
The sun beat down on Addie's back while she watched her brother with a touch of concern. He always pushed himself further than he should have, “What is he doing?” She whispered.
Jumping over the second wave, Dane was really enjoying himself. He waded out far enough to where the water was up to his collarbone and still attempted to jump. Quinta was unable to touch the ground a few steps ago and the currant was far stronger now. This in turn pulled Quinta away from his body and she simply began to float.
Just as she was about to hold her breath and dunk under, Quinta felt Dane's large hands grip around her midsection and thigh and pull her towards him. Suddenly struck with this necessity to keep her safe, Dane held her close to his body while she bobbed in the water. Naturally her hand found to wrap around his shoulder and anchor herself to him. Quinta's lips slightly parted while she felt her body brush against his and her eyes were locked on his face.
They stared at one another without a word being said.
That was until a large wave advanced towards them, “‘old yuh breath” She announced.
The water crashed over, dunked them both under water, and parted them for good. Dane found his footing, thankfully, rather quickly before he broke through the water with a gasp. Coughing, he pushed his hair back all before he rubbed water from his eyes.
Quinta was tossed twice over and ended up about halfway back towards the shore. A burning sensation shot up her nose, one that she hadn't felt in so long, before she surfaced. Standing up, Quinta began to huff out to clear her nose while she stood there and cleaned her face off. One. Two. Three. She saw three heads which was a good sign and began to laugh out loud. After a few minor readjustments to her “bathing suit” she once again braved the deep to meet up with Dane at her leisure. This was the start of a good day.
Clearing out his ear with his pinkie finger, Dane could head Quinta's hard laughs. Glancing up, he saw how her bathing suit had gone askew and for a moment lost himself. He stared at her through the water that dripped over his brows and down his jaw when from behind he heard Leon call out.
Seeing the whole spectacle, Leon knew this was his chance. Quinta could take care of herself of course but Leon called out her name and dived into the water for an attempted rescue. He was fit and a great swimmer which showed in how he glided right past Dane like a bullet to get to Quinta.
The moment Leon bolted away, Addie watched after him and called, “H-hey! W
hat about me?!” Seeing that he was far too interested in the woman who waded in their direction, Addie released an open mouthed sigh, “This asshole.” She muttered to herself.
Helping Quinta up, Leon looked her body once over, “Are you alright? You scared me so bad it took me less than thirty seconds to get here!” He stated with a pant.
Quinta's hair had fallen from the tie and down along her back. She tossed those saturated ropes over her head before she paused at the sound of Leon's advancement.
She shook her head as she attempted to tie her hair back up, “Me not 'urt. Da waves back 'ome worse den dis. Tank yuh doe.” She answered.
Leon gave her what he imagined was a charmed smile, “You're very, very welcome. Please, call me any time you need help.” He replied.
“Right.” Quinta muttered.
He did have a very attractive face, great hair, and a good heart but this man was foolhardy through and though. Or maybe a better word was foolish? Better yet, he was both and it showed through his charisma most of the time. Just like the men before him who had tried to woo her, they failed. Although there wasn't anything wrong with Leon she simply wasn't interested in him. The reason now more obvious to her than she dared to realize.
Dane shook his head with a raised brow as he then glanced back at his sister and waved her over. There was something about the way she doggy paddled over with that foolish expression that brought back memories. A small, redheaded girl swimming towards him in their community pool back in Colorado. He held her up the moment she was close and laughed in her face.
Addie exhausted herself and was happy to get to her brother.
She pulled him into a hug and squeezed him tightly, “I can't believe you did that! You're actually in the water!” She laughed with her brother.
Dane grinned as he spoke under his breath so Quinta and her savior didn't hear, “Do you see Lifeguard Leon in action? He must have trained in the same place he got his fake license.” He laughed.
The World We Once Knew Page 19