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“Right. Romantic hero. Got it. And I’m hiding a deep and tragic wound which I mask with arrogant wit and pained grimaces?”
“Absolutely. Comes standard.”
Duff picked up a shell, too, and rubbed the sand from it. “What if that weren’t a lie?”
“Right,” Adina said, saluting him. “Moon’s high. Stars are out. Your deep and tragic wound, take one.” She clapped her hands together. “Action.”
Duff tossed the shell into the sea. “Never mind. Let’s head back.” “Wait!” Adina grabbed at Duffs arm. “What did I say?”
“You think I’m an ass**le.”
“What? No! I — I’m sorry. I’m not great at this.”
Duff rocked back on his heels, his hands in his pockets. “You do make it hard for a guy to open up.”
“I’m sorry,” Adina said. “Deep and tragic wound, take two. For real. How did you end up on this ship of fools?”
Duff walked in the tide and Adina kept pace. “It was my sister’s idea, actually. She thought I should audition for season four. She kept bugging me about it.”
“Wow. Your sister really wanted the PlayStation to herself, huh?”
“No. She died of leukemia.”
Adina closed her eyes briefly in embarrassment. “Oh God. I am so sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. That was such a jerky thing to say and —”
He held her hand and she felt the warmth in her toes. “Adina, it’s okay. Really.”
She nodded. “I’m sorry about your sister.”
“Thanks,” Duff said. He picked up a conch and wiped the sand from it. “Anyway, I went a little crazy after that. Ditching school. Breaking and entering. Me and some blokes I knew stole a car and ended up in jail. I was headed for nowhere good when I saw the casting call notice for season four. The producers were looking for a bad boy. I was looking for a way out of Newcastle.” He shrugged. “There you go. Deep and tragic wound explained.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Hey, do you fancy a swim with me?”
“What, now?”
“Why not?”
“Because …” And she couldn’t really think of a reason not to.
“Last one in’s a rotten egg,” he said. He shucked off his pants and shirt, and Adina, who had taken a life drawing class, Adina, who prided herself on her body comfort, that Adina blushed very hard. There was a world of difference between a body in the abstract and a body you desired, and Adina desired Duff’s body very much.
“The water’s bloody lovely,” he called, shaking the water from his hair.
“It’ll be fine,” Adina said to herself. She stripped down and eased into the waves. He was right. It was bloody lovely.
It is said that the moon is very powerful. It influences tides and weather. It has been worshipped and deified. Perhaps it was the moon that loosened the bindings on the night and the secret wounds held so close. For hours, Adina and Duff allowed the waves — also under the sway of the moon — to carry them as they talked easily about life, school, music, family. The rum lost its effect on Adina, and something more intoxicating took over.
“It’s just that my mom had been married five times. Five times!” Adina said. “And every time, she says, ‘This is The One, Deen. This is the guy I’ve been waiting for. My real life starts now.’ Except it doesn’t.” She let a tiny wave ripple her up and back down. “It’s so painful to watch. I just don’t want to be like that, you know?”
“I know. My dad played the field. Once he and my mom split up, I lived with him. He was always ‘the man’ and I idolized him. Always out with these beautiful women. Always a bespoke suit and a twenty for the guy at the door — and believe me, he knew all the guys at the door. Real flash.” Duff swam long, slow circles around Adina. “But after a while, I realized he couldn’t do it.”
“Couldn’t do what?”
