Page 42 of Goodbye To Tomorrow

“It’s always cold at first but you get used to it,” he responded. “But we could go later tonight when no one is around if you want to.”

“You want to go in naked?” I asked, shocked.

He looked at me with a twinkle of amusement in his green gaze. “Yes, sure. Why not? I’ve done it before. Haven’t you?”

My brain went blank. Should I lie and say I had before? What if he finds out in the end anyway? That would be embarrassing. Why lie anyway, just to sound worldlier?

"No, I haven’t done it before,” I said, going for the truth. “But I am willing to give it a try if it won’t be too cold later on.”

“It will be cold, but it won’t be unbearable,” he stated, looking at me. A look of doubt crossed my face, and Jiraiya chuckled. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to his body. “You’ll get used to it as soon as you go in. It won’t be as bad as you’re probably thinking, I promise.”

“Well, are you sure?” I said, uncertain.

He nodded, “I am sure.”

“All right then. I’ll go for a dip with you later tonight,” I confirmed.

“Good," he said smiling at me.

We continued to walk along the shoreline, hand in hand. I stared out at the open water and watched as a flock of birds landed on the dry, white sand. I looked down at my feet, my toes wet from the water. We were standing by the shore and my eyes were looking at the blue sky, but my mind was elsewhere. I thought about my mom and sister, wondering what they were doing right now.

“What are you thinking?” Jiraiya asked, bringing me back to the present.

I blinked, reaching up to push away the strands of hair that covered my eyes. I gave him a small smile. “Nothing important.”

“I know it’s not nothing," he said, frowning.

“I was just thinking of my family and the way it used to be when my dad was alive,” I confessed.

His frown deepened. “Oh. I am sure you’re looking forward to going back home, huh? Spending some time with your family… your mother and sister.”

“My family and I aren’t like that,” I muttered.

“Why not?” he probed again.

I shrugged. “That’s just the way it is,” I answered simply.

Jiraiya looked as if he wanted to ask more but I had already shut him out and he knew it. I wasn’t the type to open up about my personal issues; my family had always been a closed door to anyone who had gotten close to me. The only person who knew about my family drama was Nadia, whom I had grown up with. Nadia had seen the worst situations of my life but not a single word had come out of my best friend’s mouth about the matter. I had told my friend Nancy, at the hospital, some things but never all of it. I even left my family out of any discussions I had with Samantha while I worked at the coffee shop.

Nighttime fell, and people had already decided to head back home. By seven-thirty in the evening, no one was in sight. I grabbed my sandals and jammed them into my beach bag as I waited for Jiraiya to get back from the bathroom. He had decided to get changed a half hour ago. I was glad he hadn’t forced me into changing right away. I wasn’t even sure whether I really wanted to go skinny dipping.

“You ready to go get changed?” Jiraiya asked once he came back.

I turned and saw him wearing only a pair of board shorts. A hint of a six-pack showed across his abs, his muscles subtle and not overly dramatic. I found myself captivated, unable to tear my eyes away from his body. My mouth suddenly went dry. Sometimes, it was hard to believe that this man was sick.

“You okay?” he asked, placing his hand on my shoulder.

I blinked, staring back up at those green eyes, I nodded. I felt a rush of electricity run down my body, making me very aware of him even more.

I cleared my throat. “Yeah. I am ready. Let me just go get changed and I’ll be back.”

I left without waiting for his answer and rushed to the bathroom. I locked myself inside one of the free stalls, heart pounding. I placed a palm against my thumping chest, feeling my heart beat faster.

What on earth is going on with me?

Shaking my head, I began to undress and grabbed the two-piece suit I had packed up this morning. There was probably no need to wear them since we would be taking it off later. I walked out of the bathroom and found Jiraiya in the water already. I could tell it was him by the wet shorts waiting by the sand, as if he had thrown them onto the sand after getting into the water.

I felt a rush of excitement as I headed towards him. My nipples were hard beneath my bra, my chest rising and falling with every step I took. Jiraiya noticed me, his head turning around to face me. His hair shone in the moonlight, making it impossible for me to mistake him for anyone else.

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