Beyond the Sea (16 page)

“Ok,” Amanda said quickly and reached out, cupping a hand around Melia’s breasts. She moved her hands up and down, watching intently. “Yea, I think you’re right. These are real.” As she gave them a final squeeze of approval, Peter and Connor stepped onto the back porch.

“Whoa,” Peter said.

“Ladies, don’t stop what you are doing,” Connor urged.

“I was making sure,” Amanda slurred her words. “Everyone said but they were wrong.” Her hands were still full of Melia’s chest. Melia smiled at Peter, leaning awkwardly away from Amanda.

“What were you making sure of?” Connor asked, a wicked smiled on his face.

“That her boobs were real.”

Peter sat next to Melia. “You could have asked me,” he joked.

“I think I should be the judge of that,” Connor said seriously and extended a hand. He dropped it and laughed.

“Why would anyone want to have fake ones?” Melia asked, thankful that Amanda had finally let go. She had gripped hard. “I just don’t get it.” She continued to sip her drink as Peter and Connor argued the pros and cons of breast augmentation. Melia imagined Jamie sighing and saying “ugh, men!” which made her laugh. When she stood up to follow Amanda inside to dance, she was surprised at how dizzy she felt. Another hour and another drink later Melia was having fun. And she was drunk.

Peter was sitting on the back porch with his guy friends, who were smoking. Melia was glad Peter wasn’t. That was another thing she didn’t understand. Plus, it smelled bad. She stumbled her way across the deck, her heels catching in the wooden planks. She sank into his lap, taking comfort in his arms wrapped around her. The boys were talking about surfing.

“Yea, but I’m afraid of sharks after what happened to Cal Johnson,” a scrawny redhead said, who Melia recognized as Matthew Jones.
“Oh, come on,” Connor countered. “How many shark attacks do you really hear about?”

“It’s not likely to happen,” Peter agreed.

“But it can,” Matthew insisted.

“Well, it does only because humans think they can go everywhere. As if land isn’t enough for them. Nooo! They have to take over the sea and sky too. Like they own the damn world!” Melia swung her arms as they spoke.

Everyone looked at her. For a few seconds, an awkward silence fell over the group.

“You know, humans are land animals,” Keller Martin agreed. “Why
do
humans want to go in the ocean?”

Melia squirmed in Peter’s lap. “Because it’s wonderful and big and adventurous and beautiful and home and full of magical and amazing things!”

“Like flesh eating sharks,” Matthew joked and everyone laughed.

“I want to go in the ocean,” Melia sighed, resting her head on Peter’s shoulder. She wriggled around some more, until she was comfortable, not knowing just how uncomfortable she was making Peter.

“I think you need to take your girl to the ocean,” Connor loudly whispered.

Peter ran his hand up Melia’s leg, enjoying the smoothness. “You want to go?”

“Yes,” she said, nuzzling Peter’s neck. His fingers inched under the hem of her skirt. He would do anything to make her happy. “I’ll even check for sharks and tell them to go home.”

“Well, I think that settles it,” Connor said, standing up. “Let’s go!” He grabbed another beer from the cooler before heading inside. The guys followed suit, leaving Peter and Melia alone on the deck.

“Your heart is beating really fast,” Peter said, pressing his ear to Melia’ chest. Was he concerned? Had Melia had too much to drink? Wait, that would slow it down, right?

“Yea, it always does.”

“Is that, uh, ok?”

“Yea, it runs in my family. It works in my favor. I get more oxygen than you do.” She looked into Peter’s eyes and kissed him. He pulled her close, breathing her in. His hands worked themselves all over her body. In a precise movement, he gripped her waist and leaned back, pulling her down and onto him as he lay backward on the bench. She ran her fingers through his hair, feeling a new sort of desperation with each kiss. She had the urge to unbuckle his pants.

Right as she began fumbling with the button, a female voice called, “Melia, I can see your ass!”

Peter broke away to see Amanda, with a half vacant, half interested look on her face.

“And I thought you were going to the beach. Marnie is driving us.”

Melia shot up. “Yes! The ocean!” She remembered to smooth out her dress. Peter held her close as she attempted to walk in a straight line. In a way, he felt bad she had gotten so drunk. He should have cut her off. She didn’t know her limit. He hoped she wouldn’t get sick, because then he
would
feel bad. He never wanted Melia to experience anything that wasn’t pleasant.

Since Peter hadn’t been drinking, he drove himself and Melia while Marnie, a freshman at the University of San Diego, drove an SUV full of drunken kids down to the public beach. The beach had closed hours ago and was deserted.

Leaving her heels in the car, Melia tried to run to the water. She tripped and fell, luckily landing in sand. Laughing, she rolled over on her back, admiring the stars. Peter helped her up, and, with a strong arm around her waist, led her to the water. Melia, Amanda and two other girls splashed around in the waves. The night air was cool, and the ocean breeze made tonight chilly. After a short time, everyone but Melia was too cold to be in the water.

Sitting along the rocks with a beer in hand, Connor questioned Peter about Melia.

“No,” Peter explained, “her family’s really nice. And laid back. Not what I thought they’d be like.”

“I’d be scared shitless to meet Edward VanBurren, and I’m
not
dating his daughter,” Matthew said.

Peter nodded. “I was, uh, beyond nervous to meet him the first time. And I have to say, the guy is intimidating.”

“What about her mom?” Connor asked. “I hear she’s a total babe.”

Peter nodded, feeling guilty for admitting it. “I’ll just say I can see where Melia gets her looks.”

“She’s not from around here,” Matthew chimed in. “My aunt said she saw her at the grocery store before. Said Mrs. VanBurren has an accent.”

“Yea, I think she’s Greek,” Peter speculated. Nyneve had worn a necklace with Greek symbols. Plus she looked like Aphrodite.

“You don’t know?” Matthew seemed shocked.

“Melia doesn’t talk about her family much,” Peter kicked at the sand.

“Speaking of,” Marnie interrupted, looking around and counting heads. “Where is she?”

Everyone grew silent. Peter looked around. Connor and Matthew were to his right. Marnie and the other girls were to his left. Where was Melia?

Oh, God, how could he have been so stupid? He let his drunk girlfriend go into the ocean all by herself. His heart raced. He felt like he might puke.
Idiot!
he cursed and raced to the shore. Marnie, the only other non drunk, did the same. It took the others a minute to catch on.

“Melia!” Peter cried, his eyes unable to focus on anything over the dark water. The waves were suddenly too loud. He couldn’t hear anything. “Melia!” he called again. Marnie ran down farther and did the same. The rock that Peter had been tossed into loomed ahead like it was mocking him, big, dark and steady. Then he thought he heard humming.

He dove into the water. She had to be here. He had to find her. Images of a waterlogged and dead Melia flashed into his mind. Fully panicked, he swam out. “Melia!” he called once more, just as a wave dunked him under. He popped out of the water coughing.

“Peter.”

He knew he heard it. A voice. A female voice. Her voice.

“Melia?”

“Hi Peter!”

It was Melia’s voice. And she was calm. Then she began singing, and it wasn’t in English. A note of familiarity struck in Peter’s mind, but he was too scared to think about it. “Where are you?”

“I’m up here, silly!”

He looked around, finally focusing on the large rock. She waved her foot at him.

Struggling to stay in one place amongst the waves, Peter asked, “How the hell did you get up there?”

Melia stood. “There are things about me you don’t know, Peter Anderson.” Then she swan dove into the water. She emerged next to Peter. He kicked his legs feverishly to tread the water. Melia wasn’t moving. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a very passionate kiss. They sunk under water and Melia kept kissing Peter. Choking, Peter broke their embrace and shot back up for air. He coughed.

“Sorry! I forgot!” Melia said with a laugh. Peter took her hand and led her back to land.

“I got her!” Peter called to Marnie as he sank down on the shore. His lungs burned from inhaling water. Melia put her arms out and spun in circles. She started for the water again. Peter sprung up and grabbed her around the waist, picking her up and twirling her around. And then they were kissing again. Peter staggered backward, bringing them back to land. Melia’s drunken mind wasn’t focused, and she tangled her feet with Peter’s and they fell.

“Are you ok?” she asked Peter. She had landed on top of him.

“Yea,” Peter said with a laugh, the fear finally leaving him. “I’m glad you are.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Melia rolled off of Peter and unsteadily rose.

Peter jumped up. “You could have drowned.”

Melia doubled over in laughter. Amanda and Connor made their way over, relieved to see Melia alive and breathing. Amanda cocked her head at Melia’s sudden fit of laughter and Connor gave Peter a look. Peter shook his head.

Melia took a deep breath and regained as much control as she could. “I can’t drown,” she giggled.

“Uh, pretty sure you can,” Connor said, laughing.

“Nope. I promise.” Melia straightened and looked at the ocean. “Want me to prove it? I’ll stay underwater for twenty minutes!”

“That’s ok, I believe you,” Peter said to humor her, taking her hand.

“No one can stay under water for that long,” Amanda said, staggering forward.

“I can!” Melia exclaimed and dashed for the water. Peter rushed forward and picked her up. He spun her around, and, still carrying her, led her back to shore. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

“I’m gonna take this little fish home,” he informed his friends.

“Have fun,” Connor said with a wink, trying to surreptitiously eye Melia’s wet body. He was too drunk to not be obvious. Peter hugged her tighter, unhappy with how instantly angry he felt toward his best friend. Yes, Melia was beautiful and her dress left little to the imagination. But she wasn’t a piece of meat.
 
There was more to Melia than her looks; she was smart, compassionate, funny…just to name a few. She was a woman, and she deserved to be respected and – wait, what? Peter shook his head.
Calm down,
he told himself.

“Do you want me to take you home?” Peter asked when they got back into the Mustang.

“Where else would I go?” Melia reclined her seat to look at the stars.

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted to go to Jamie’s.”

“She’s probably asleep by now.” She glanced at the clock. “Or pretending to be. Jamie hates being awake at three AM.”

“Ok,” Peter chuckled. “Home then?”

“I don’t want to go home.”

“You can come over to my house,” Peter said shyly. “If you want to, of course,” he added quickly.