Kindle Edition
Amazon
Heartbeats
Category:
Young Adult/Teen
Publisher: Chaucer Publishing
Type: Fiction
Price: $0.99 (eBook)
Three short stories of teen love and longing
Beneath the Surface:
Lariena can't go in the water, and the mysterious Adrian won't come out. Is that any way to have a summer romance? But eventually Adrian teaches Lariena to face her fears and not be afraid of what's Beneath the Surface, even when it's the scary unknown.
Shortcut to Romance:
An assignment, a snow storm and a detour take Emily on a Shortcut to Romance.
Saskia:
Even ten years after she disappeared from his life, Ben cannot forget the magic of the girl named Saskia. What will he do now that he has the opportunity to see her once more?
Excerpt
The next morning I debated with myself over cereal whether or not to go to the beach. Madeline, one of the lucky few to get a part-time summer job, had to work. I could stay home and organize my room, or read that thick gossipy novel everyone else was devouring.
But as I slurped the last spoonful of cereal I knew I was going to slip into my yellow bikini, pack a picnic lunch and go to the beach. I tried to pretend it was the sun and sand that enticed me, not the possibility of seeing Adrian again. However, I grabbed the large plaid beach blanket, just in case I did run into him, just in case he accepted my invitation to sit on the beach and share my picnic lunch. My heart skipped with anticipation. I had to admit I was entranced by the amused look in Adrian's green eyes.
At the beach I dropped my things in the sand, then scrambled as well as I could up the rocks to the spot where I'd met Adrian. I scanned the cove, hoping to see from exactly which direction he might appear. As I scrutinized the horizon, I was engrossed in examining each wave for a sign of him. I jumped then, when Adrian slicked water on my legs. "Oh! You startled me. I didn't see you coming."
"That's because I was sneaking up on you." Adrian grinned.
"But how? I was watching so carefully."
"Easy." Adrian's green eyes sparkled. "I just swim around near the rocks, then go underwater for a few feet and ...." He snapped his fingers. "... Here I am."
"But ... but where did you come from?" I asked. "What direction?"
"From the other end of the cove. I'm staying there for the summer," Adrian explained. "Now look, I have something to show you." He lifted a clump of brown seaweed out of the water. "This is Rockweed. It's common around here." He held it up for me to inspect.
As casually as I could I fingered the bubble-like floats of the seaweed, trying to suppress an impulse to recoil from it.
"It's fun to pop open the floats with your fingers. Go ahead," Adrian urged. "Try it."
Tentatively, I squeezed a float. I'd rather fling the slithery seaweed back into the water, but I didn't want to disappoint Adrian. He looked as though he thought he was showing me the crown jewels of England. "It ... it won't pop."
"Squeeze harder!"
I closed my eyes and squeezed harder. There was a cracking noise, then water gushed out of the float.
"There!" Adrian said. "That wasn't so difficult, was it?"
"Well ... no." I cracked another float to make Adrian think I was not as squeamish as I felt. I cleared my throat. Perhaps this was a good time to ask him to share my picnic lunch. "Hey, Adrian. I brought some sandwiches today. How about joining me for lunch? There's plenty of food for two."
"No! That is ...." Adrian looked uncertainly at me. "I ... I have to ... join my folks for lunch. But thanks. Thanks anyway."
"Maybe some other time," I mumbled, trying to swallow my disappointment.
"I, uh, really have to go." Adrian sounded as disappointed as I felt, which cheered me a bit. "Can you meet me here again tomorrow? I'll try to find some crabs or something to show you."
"That'd be nice." I smiled. I wasn't too thrilled about the crabs, but seeing Adrian again was something I'd certainly look forward to. "I'll be here. Early."
"Great!" Adrian broke into a wide grin, and waved just before he slipped underwater and swam away.
I tried to see where he went, but I lost track of him only seconds after he dipped beneath the surface. After a few moments I gave up watching. With all the waves and rocks he could pop up anywhere and I'd never spot him.
I climbed down off my rocky perch to the beach and settled myself on my blanket, where I nibbled half a sandwich and dug my toes into the sand. But even the sun warming my back and the sound of the waves could not push thoughts of Adrian out of my mind. I packed up my things and started to head home.
I considered taking a long way home by climbing over the rocks to the west end of the cove, to see if I could find out just where Adrian was staying. There were summer cottages in that part of town. But I knew that the rocks grew increasingly jagged, and, as I recalled from explorations when I was younger, the formation ended suddenly with water-filled caves. The road leading to that section of the shoreline was owned by the private beach association to which the west cove area belonged. The only other route would be to walk a mile to the end of Shore Point Road, then back yet another mile across hot sand. Dejected, I opted for a direct walk home.
Halfway there, a car slowed down and the driver called out, "How about a ride?" It was Madeline, on her way home from her job at Burger Delight.
"Thanks." I sighed as I plopped into the seat of Madeline's ancient, but prized, '67 Volkswagen Bug. My foot itched and throbbed.
"You look discouraged," Madeline said. "Foot bothering you?"
"Yes." I paused before deciding to continue. "I asked Adrian to have lunch with me on the beach today and he turned me down. He said he'd promised to have lunch with his folks, but I have a feeling that was just an excuse."
"What do you mean?"
"This is going to sound silly ... but I think he just didn't want to come out of the water. It's as if he doesn't want to be seen in public with me."
"That is silly." Madeline laughed. "After all, you refuse to go in the water."
"Yes. But I have a good excuse. My cast."
"Well ... maybe Adrian has a good excuse too," Madeline suggested.
"Such as ...?"
"Oh, I don't know." Madeline drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. "Maybe he's bowlegged. Or pigeon-toed."
"Come on."
"I know!" Madeline whistled. "I'll bet he's skinny-dipping."
"Skinny-dipping?"
"Yes. You know. Nude, naked, no swimsuit."
"I know what it means." I sighed with exasperation. "But that's pretty far-fetched. Maybe no one can see what he is or isn't wearing while he's in the water, but if he walked along the beach like that he'd get arrested!"
"Okay, okay. Let's not argue about it."
"I'm sorry." I shrugged. "I don't know why I'm so upset over it anyway."
"Apology accepted." Madeline hesitated, then grinned. "Maybe he leaves his swimsuit on one of those rocks while he's swimming, then puts it back on before he gets out of the water."
"Oh, honestly." I had to laugh. But I felt myself blush when I realized it would be hard, the next time I saw Adrian, to resist trying to see if Madeline was right.
The next day I slipped away from my beach blanket as soon as Madeline went into the water, and planted myself on what was now my customary rock to sit and wait for Adrian. Within moments he appeared, seemingly from out of nowhere, and, again, he'd brought something to show me.
"Look." Adrian greeted me by holding up a fidgety creature. "I brought a hermit crab. Here. Hold out your hand."
I cringed as I thrust out my open hand. I flinched when Adrian dropped the hermit crab onto it. When the crab scuttled across my fingers I made no effort to grasp it before it sailed off into the water.
"I'll get him," Adrian said, poised to chase after the crab.
"No! Wait." I leaned over and caught Adrian by the elbow. "You can just tell me about it." I'd rather gaze into Adrian's eyes than examine a hermit crab any day.
"Well, okay." Adrian smiled and slid his arm down my fingers until, for a moment, we were hand in hand.
The gesture sent my heart racing.
"You've probably seen hermit crabs before," Adrian said. "They're pretty common."
I nodded, still feeling the effect of Adrian's hand in mine.
"Hermit crabs depend on others to provide them with homes. They force themselves into empty shells, clinging to them by hooks on the ends of their tails. Sometimes, of course, the shells they find are not empty, in which case they don't hesitate to, uh, dispose of the original occupant."
I put my hand over my mouth, trying not to laugh. "I—I'm sorry." I giggled. "That's tragic as far as the rightful inhabitant is concerned, but it sounds funny!"
"Ah, laughter." Adrian's brows flickered. "That's a good sign."
"A good sign?"
"That you're not so worried about the 'denizens of the deep.' Now that you're more familiar with what's beneath the surface you're not so likely to be afraid of the water."
"I never said I was afraid of the water, if you'll recall," I said through clenched teeth.
"That's right." Adrian grinned, and my defenses melted. "You're only bothered by what's in the water. Well, I'm in the water. Do I bother you?"
I blushed. I could say Adrian "bothered" me in the sense that he had an effect on me, but it was in a positive, not negative, way.
"So ...." Adrian smiled suggestively. "I do bother you."
"Oh, no! That is ... I mean..." I knew I was scarlet by now. "I'm...curious." I groped for some logical question to ask Adrian. "Um...what do your folks do? Where do you live—when you're not spending the summer here at the beach?" And why won't you sit on the beach with me?
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