Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Liza

Eli pulls up to my house at ten in the morning, towing a Jet Ski. I race outside to greet him.

"Is that for us?" I ask, super excited to see it in front of my house as he exits his truck.

"Yeah, we're going to the lake. Of course I'd bring it," he responds nonchalantly, like everyone has a Jet Ski to bring to the lake and it's totally normal to do so. "Have you ever ridden on one?"

I shake my head. "Nope, never have."

He wraps his arm around me. "You're in for a treat today then."

He kisses my forehead—something I'm really growing to love just as much as him kissing my lips.

"Let's head out."

I hop in the truck, placing my bag on the floor next to me, and put on my seat belt as he enters on his side, puts the truck in drive, then looks at me.

"Your excitement is adorable."

"I've always wanted to ride on one."

"Is there not a lake next to Stockton?"

I chuckle under my breath, shaking my head. "Yes, there are lakes around us, but I didn't know anyone who owned one. We, for sure, didn't. My parents aren't exactly the outdoorsy type."

He reaches for my hand. "Then, I'm glad I get to show you first."

We drive to the lake, and I take in the beauty that surrounds us. I'll never get over how green everything is here. By now, the hills have all turned brown back home. California gets zero rain in the summer months, so everything just dies. The rolling golden hills can be pretty in their own right, but seeing this around me just brings life back to my soul.

The lake is a quick drive, and Eli is able to launch the Jet Ski with ease. He ties it off on the dock, then grabs things he has in the back of the truck to take with us.

"Here are the life vests and towels, and I also packed a lunch," he says, handing them to me.

I take them from him, already having the backpack I brought on my back. "You're so sweet. I only brought some waters and a few snacks. I guess I didn't think we'd be out here that long."

He gives me the best grin. "We've got all day, and I prepared for us to do just that." His lips meet mine, and then we walk back to the Jet Ski, where he loads all the stuff in a special compartment within the seat.

"Wait here, and I'll go park the truck."

I nod and have no problem standing there, just staring out at the world around me once again. I could get used to this lifestyle. Why anyone would live in a big city is puzzling to me now that I've seen what our world has to offer. I had no idea if I'd like it here or not or if I'd stay forever. But now, I'm thinking that I might never go back to Stockton.

He's back in a flash, and we both put on our life jackets before he steps into place at the head of the Jet Ski. Once he's secured, he holds out his hand to help me get on. Feeling unsteady, I let out a nervous laugh as the watercraft tilts to the side.

"It's okay. It's not going to tip over. Just swing your leg around it, then slide up to me and put your hands around my waist."

I do as he instructed and wrap my arms around his waist, loving how it feels, even with these jackets between us.

He turns his head enough to see me behind him. "You ready?"

"I'm ready!"

He cranks the engine, and we slowly move away from the dock.

"This is a no-wake zone, so we have to go pretty slow through here," he says.

I rest my head on his back. "Fine by me."

"You're not afraid to go fast, are you?" He thrust the engine in very fast, but very short jolts.

I let out a yelp and grip him tighter. "No, I'm not scared. Just a little warning next time."

He lets go of the handlebar with his right hand, keeping his left to drive, and places it over mine. "You got a deal."

We ride like this for a few minutes until we pass some buoys.

His hand is still holding mine, so he squeezes it gently, then places it back on the handlebar. "You ready?"

I hold him tighter. "I'm ready!"

He twists the throttle, and we take off so fast. I scream as I grip him harder. We fly across the water that's smooth as glass. The thrill of the motion and the beauty, both directly in front of me and completely surrounding me, make me so giddy.

We hit a few waves, and I laugh out loud as we bounce up and down.

"Are you having fun?" he yells over the wind so I can hear him.

"Yes." I giggle in response.

"I'm not going too fast, am I?" He jolts the watercraft faster just a touch, then brings it back to the speed he was going before.

"No. Why don't you show me what this thing's really got?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

He squeezes the throttle a little harder, and I let out a scream of excitement. This is better than any roller coaster I've ever ridden!

He takes me all around the lake until we get to a small cove, where he turns in and slows the engine down to a much calmer pace as we approach the shore.

"I'm going to jump off and get us pulled closer. Reach around me with your right hand and hold on to the handlebar," he guides me.

I do as I was instructed as he cuts the engine, then hops off to my left. The water isn't too deep, so he's easily able to walk us up to the shore to secure the rope on a rock nearby.

Holding out his hand to me, he says, "Go ahead and jump off. It's not too deep here."

When I do, I'm met with a kiss I wasn't expecting. He wraps his hands below my ears to the back of my head and pulls me toward him.

"I love that you loved that so much," he whispers when he pulls back from me, making me laugh.

"Who wouldn't? That was exhilarating!"

He laughs back. "Not a lot of girls enjoy that feeling of speed and wind."

"Well, I guess I'm not like most girls then."

"That you aren't." He kisses my forehead before going to the back of the Jet Ski, where he has all of our stuff stored.

He hands me a few things, and we make our way to a flat area where we can set our things.

I watch as he takes his life vest off, revealing the muscles I knew he had to have underneath. I know I'm only twenty-three, but I feel like this is the first man I've dated. Until him, they were all boys. There's nothing boy about his body, and it's obvious he works very hard to sculpt what God gave him.

He lays out the towels he brought and invites me to sit down on them, so I remove my life vest and join him.

Reaching for his backpack, he unzips it, grabbing a hat that he puts on his head, then handing me one too. "I brought sunscreen and this for you if you wanted it. This is the only adjustable one I have."

I smile at the USA Baseball hat he's handing me, which says Participant on the side.

"Is this your hat from the game?"

"Yeah. This was the year they did snapbacks, so it was easier to get everyone's size down. It's been washed, I promise."

I take it from him and adjust the back to fit my head, then slide my ponytail through the slot provided. "Thank you." I grin up at him once it's in place.

"Looks cute on you."

He kicks his feet out in front of him and leans back on his hands. "I love it out here. It's so quiet." He takes a deep inhale, releasing it slowly. "I could do this every day."

I take in everything around us, seeing not a person in sight. Back home, red flags would be flying, being in this situation, alone with a guy I barely know, with no one else around, but I don't get that feeling at all. It's like we've known each other for years. I'm already so comfortable with him. It's the weirdest thing, but I'm totally okay with it.

Nothing but peace surrounds my soul. And, yes, I could do this every day with him too. Everything about me is so content. It's a feeling I'm not used to, for sure, but I love it.

We sit in silence as I lean down to lay my head on his leg and stretch out my own feet so I'm lying on my back.

"Comfy?" He grins down at me.

"Very."

It's not often when I don't feel like I need something to fill the air around me. Be it music or a television on that I'm not even watching. Right now though, the silence here is the best sound I've ever heard, and I want to take it all in and bottle it to remember this feeling again and again.

I have no idea how long we sit like this, but I almost doze off when I feel him reach for something in his bag.

"Sorry, I wanted some water," he says as I sit up so he can grab it better.

"I'm sorry. I almost fell asleep."

"I know. I was watching you."

I feel my face blush as he leans in to kiss me.

"You're adorable when you sleep. I tried not to disturb you."

He hands me a bottle of water he brought for me before opening his own. "The sun will dehydrate you out here even though we aren't really doing anything."

I open the bottle and take a sip, loving the cold, refreshing taste of it. "You're prepared for everything. What else do you have in that bag?"

He takes out a cooler that has little oranges, grapes, and sandwiches for both of us.

"You're quite the Boy Scout, aren't you? Always prepared."

"Nope, not a Boy Scout. I'm just an athlete with a lot of experience of trying to eat while playing baseball in the summer. You have to grab food while you can, so I've learned what to bring that's quick and easy. Are you hungry?"

I shrug. "Sure, we can eat now."

I unwrap the sandwich that's not just flat slices of meat and cheese. No, this thing looks like a deli sandwich with thinly sliced turkey that's piled up with cheese, salami, and even sliced avocado on top.

"This is some kind of sandwich," I state in awe as I take a bite.

"I told you, years of being at tournaments, you learn what you like to bring to eat," he says with a laugh.

Once we're done with our lunch and everything is put away, he gives me a playful smirk. "Want to go race around on the Jet Ski again?"

"Hell yeah!" I respond, making him smile as he jumps to his feet and holds out his hand to me.

"We can just leave our stuff here."

We put our life vests back on and walk to the water, where he hops on first, then helps me climb behind him.

"Hold on tight, just make sure to not let go, okay?"

I instantly think, I'm never letting go of you , then hide my grin in his back as I wrap my arms around him.

Before he starts the engine, he holds my hand against his body in a way that makes me think he feels the same way, then starts the engine, turning the Jet Ski to leave the cove.

When he squeezes the throttle, I yelp in glee, loving how free everything about this day has made me feel.