CHAPTER 61
I’d rented the biggest towel I could find and wrapped myself in it. I walked out of the change room and Mike was already there, waiting for me. He hadnotrented the biggest towel he could find. Instead, he’d gone back to the car and now had a very small gym towel wrapped around his waist. It was so small that a portion of his upper thigh was sticking out; it looked like a bloody miniskirt with a huge slit in it. I tried to look away, but it was hard. And I could see it was hard for the woman who walked past, too; she did such a double take that I was sure she had given herself whiplash.
“Shall we?” he asked, standing there casually, as if he didn’t know he was the hottest man on the planet, a god, dropped down from above for us mere mortals to look at.
I clutched my towel tighter as a whole swirly array of feelings started surging through me. “Okay. Let’s go.”
I walked past him, towards the beach. This was the last thing I had been expecting to do today. Of all things, this seemed like the most ridiculous—especially in light of how solemn and serious everything was that we were busy uncovering. As I rounded the corner, I was faced with the full glory of this nudist delight.
“Oh my God,” I whispered under my breath. I had known nudists existed, but I’d never seen this kind of gathering before in my life. What was this? A nudist convention? And they were so relaxed about it all; some were even playing a game of volleyball on the beach. And, when I saysome, I don’t mean a bunch of hot models were playing volleyball; I’m talking about people who looked just like my grandparents. But none of them seemed to care. This seemed so natural to them.
“So?” Mike said behind me. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I will ever be, I guess.” I was staring at the sign in front of me. The one that said,No clothes or towels beyond this point.Why?Why?Wasn’t it enough for them that I was naked under the thing. And then, in one swift, dramatic, backlit moment, Mike pulled his towel off. I swear I heard a soundtrack playing—that one that happens when there is a giant reveal . . .Taaa-daaaah!
And, with that note playing in my head, he started walking on to the beach. I looked around to see if people were staring at him. They weren’t. They seemed like they were just going on with their naked day.
“Okay, Becca, oookay,” I coaxed myself. “Just pull it off.Whoosh.Pull. Take it off. In three, two—”
I did. I took it off. I flung the towel over my shoulder, so it draped over me and covered at least one of my breasts. And now for the hard part: walking. Walking and not obsessing that things were jiggling—which they were. Let’s just be clear: there was definite jiggling. And wobbling. I’m sure it was not pretty, but Mike was striding in front of me and I needed to catch up . . .
Okay, note to self: do not speed-walk when naked. Just don’t. I swear, one of my boobs nearly gave me a black eye! I walked across the beach, in front of people, and not one of them looked at me strangely. Not one gave me a peculiar look or even paid me any attention. And the more I walked, the more I began to relax. No—relaxis not the right word. I was as relaxed as someone who was lying on a bed of nails might be. That kind of relaxed. Mike looked at me over his shoulder and smiled.What was he thinking?
This beach was rather spectacular, surrounded by a cliff face, and carved out of the cliff was a large cove. Most people had placed their chairs in the shade of the rocky overhang, and that was where Mike and I headed first. We walked further into the cove, to the place where no one was sitting, where it became darker and more cave-like. I shivered a little as the light of the sun faded and we walked into the dark shadow.
“Shall we go in further?” I asked, feeling unsure. I wasn’t exactly a fan of small, enclosed spaces, especially of late.
“Yes!” Mike continued walking.
“Uh . . .” The space inside seemed to get smaller quickly, as if this massive cove was turning into a small cave.
Mike turned around and looked at me. “You okay?” he asked.
“I’ve recently become not such a fan of smaller spaces,” I said. “You know, since almost dying in an elevator and what not.”
At that, unexpectedly, he offered me his hand. I took it and he immediately wrapped his fingers around mine, protectively. He continued to walk. The cave was becoming darker and smaller, and the floor was no longer sandy, but rocky. Mike stopped at a sign that was attached to a small fence.
“No Entry,” I read.
Mike didn’t waste any time, though; he pushed the small fence out the way.
“Wait—it saysno entry; it could be dangerous or something.” I let go of his hand and wrapped the towel around myself properly.
“Since when has a no-entry sign stopped you before?” he asked.
I looked at the cave and sighed. “Fine.” I held on to my towel with both hands now, and followed Mike inside.
I could see why there was a no-entry sign. A shaft of light was rushing through the roof, and a pile of stones lay on the floor below it. Clearly, a part of the ceiling had given way. But at least the hole provided some much-needed light. The small cave was about the same size as the room under the stage.How had they found all these places?
I looked around at the walls and instantly spotted the etchings in the rock. There were so many clues like this around town, etched into trees and rocks and rooms. This town bore the markings of a great love story that no one knew about, except us. This town held a secret that was always just out of sight, but, if you knew where to look, you could see it clearly. I traced my fingers over the carving. It was exactly the same as the one from the tree.
“It’s them,” I said.
“Has to be.” He echoed my sentiment, and then he took a step closer to me. I knew this, because I could feel the warmth radiating off him. His body was so close, and yet so far away. So far away, because it had been mine to touch only the night before last, and now it wasn’t. I felt his head come closer to my shoulder, until I could see it there in my periphery. I could hear his breathing; I could feel it on my exposed shoulder and neck. It was warm against my cool skin. I closed my eyes; I could feel the tension in the air. I could feel him wanting to touch me, but holding himself back. He took another step closer and his chest came into contact with my back. I leaned back, allowing my body to fully connect with his. Neither of us said a word; it wasn’t as if we needed words. I put my head back on his shoulder, rested it there. He felt warm and safe.
We stayed like that for ages, until—slowly, tentatively—he wrapped an arm around me. I sunk into him and put my hands on his forearms, clutching him closely. I looked at the engraving in front of me—he looked, too—and suddenly I didn’t know if I was Becca anymore.
We could have been them, holding each other in this small, stolen moment, while the world outside disappeared. In here, it was just us. Just this feeling of togetherness and . . .love.Strange, sudden, all-consuming.
But then, just as quickly as it had started, it stopped, and Mike just walked away.
