Alex walked happily toward his house thinking about the blue ribbon Priscila had worn. It hadn’t come out of her hair, despite the quick dip. He’d barely reached the door when his older brother closed in on him from the right. He’d seen it all.
“Are you aware she’s a minor? Her parents could report you,” he said sarcastically.
“What are you talking about?”
“You just turned eighteen and the girl next door is still a minor.”
“And?”
“And you two were making out under the water. I saw it, kiddo.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Alex had a smile on his lips as he went into the house.
As was usual for them, Alex and Priscila didn’t have any more contact until three days later, at the beach. What happened then marked another milestone in their strange relationship.
Priscila was with her girlfriends. She had a mixed group of friends, boys and girls, but that day, they had split ways. There was no particular reason for it; it just happened, as it had many times before. They were used to it. Sometimes they liked to do things together and sometimes, not.
The thing is, Alex was with his friends that day too, right next to Priscila’s group. This time, the proximity between them was indeed a coincidence, although it’s also true that they all always came to the same stretch of beach.
Alex and Priscila exchanged glances here and there, but they didn’t actually say hello, not even with a lift of the chin. Each to their own, and both to the other’s. An exemplary couple.
Until Priscila went for a swim and a jellyfish stung her.
It’s quite common in the Mediterranean Sea.
She came out of the water howling in pain. Between her shock—it was her first time—the stinging, the itching, and the redness... she couldn’t hold it back. She didn’t care that she was in the middle of the beach and everyone was looking at her. It hurt. A lot.
Alex was the first to come to her aid, of course. It couldn’t be otherwise. He ran to her side as soon as he saw her coming out of the water in tears. He shoved aside anyone who crossed his path until he reached her.
“Out of my way,” he growled. “Fuck! I said move!”
When he found her lying in the fetal position on the sand, something stirred inside him. He didn’t know what it was, but he didn’t stop to think about it either; he acted fast.
“Let’s take another swim.” He took her in his arms—one under her knees and the other around her waist—and walked back into the sea.
Priscila didn’t object; she hurt too much. And she trusted him.
As they entered the water, Alex kept up a commentary of his actions. “The first thing you have to do when a jellyfish stings you is wash the sting area with saline solution or salt water, never ever with fresh water, okay?”
The girl nodded.
“And since we’re at the beach already...”
Very gently, he lowered her into the water, not letting go of her for a moment. He washed the affected area and then carried her back to the shore.
He sat her down on the sand and asked one of his friends to bring him the cooler they’d brought for their day on the beach. He took a couple of ice cubes, wrapped them in a towel, and applied them to her sting.
“The cold is for pain relief. Are you feeling better?”
Priscila didn’t remember the sting anymore. Alex’s care of her was ecstasy—his tenderness, the fact that he’d touched her all over without kissing her. That was something new. But, mostly, she was mesmerized by his eyes. Those eyes that fixed on her, never looking away. They locked on hers and didn’t let go.
When she realized Alex was waiting for her answer, she nodded.
“Good. And despite what you may have heard out there, never let anyone pee on you. Never, okay? It’s not a good idea.”
Priscila let out a laugh.