The low crackling of the bonfire is hardly the only noise on the beach, but it is the one I revel in. Yesterday, I thought the only fire I would ever see again was the one burning next to the Aztecan altar. The sounds of laughing and the sound of the waves breaking in the moonlight go unheard by my ears as I move closer to Tanner. He responds by wrapping me in his arms and pulling me into his lap.
Looking up at him, I watch the flames of the fire reflected in his eyes dance merrily. His lips turn up into a smile before leaning down and pressing against mine. Unlike the kiss we shared before I was pulled away to the temple, this one holds no fear or desperation, only peace. Tanner pulls away sooner than I want him too, but the adoring smile he gives me makes up for that.
“Are you warm enough?” he asks.
After that kiss, I am plenty warm. “I’m fine.”
His smile widens into a playful grin. “But you’re shaking.”
Color floods my cheeks and I am glad for the darkness. “That has nothing to go with the temperature. Ever since yesterday, that seems to happen to me every time I get near you.”
I expect more teasing, but Tanner’s face softens. “I’m glad you are near me,” he says. “I was so scared yesterday. It only lasted a second for me, but I was terrified of what you were going through.”
I told him later last night the details of what happened on the temple mesa. Tanner stayed quiet the whole walk home from the church, which I appreciated. Dinner and a movie with my parents in honor of my birthday temporarily banished his questions and worry, but as soon as we were left alone in the living room he begged me to tell him everything.
Telling him was the last thing I wanted to do, but the guilt in his eyes that he hadn’t been able to follow us convinced me in the end. He listened to every word, and even though he knew how it ended, his hands were clenched in fear the entire time. In the end, we held each other until we were both convinced that it was really over. We were on the couch for a long time. Maybe not long enough given the look on Tanner’s face.
“It’s all over, Tanner. I promise,” I say. My fingers come up to his face and drift back into his hair, curling the short strands around my fingertips in an attempt to soothe him.
“I know it’s over,” he says. “It’s just hard not to think about how close I came to losing you.”
An owl hoots in the distance as it searches the woodland floor for little mice. The owls unnerved me the first few nights we were here, but now every sound of life I hear reminds me that I am still alive. So much has changed since moving to Grainer.
“Do you want to know what I dreamed about last night?” I ask him.
I can still see the fear in his eyes, but he attempts to hide it from me by pulling me against his chest. “What did you dream about last night?”
Pulling in even closer, I say, “You.”
“You dreamed about me?”
“Uh huh.”
“What happened?” Tanner asks, his body relaxing.
My grin is thankfully hidden by the darkness, and my giggle swallowed up by the sounds of the fire and ocean. Or at least I thought they were. Tanner’s warm breath ripples across my neck as he leans closer to me.
“What happened in this dream?” he asks again.
“I’m not telling,” I say with another laugh.
“That is not fair.”
“Neither was showing up at my house with a bow as a birthday gift. My mom nearly had a heart attack when she saw it.”
Tanner scoffs and pulls back in mock hurt. “How was I supposed to know you shooting with me was a big secret. You could have told me,” he argues.
I kind of had a lot on my mind this past week. It’s a good argument, too, but I don’t use it. I’m done talking about what happened. Thankfully, Tanner picks up the sudden slack in the conversation.
“But you have to admit, I did a pretty good job of convincing her archery was perfectly safe. She let you keep the bow, at least.”
“No, you convinced my dad it was safe. My mom was still pretty upset about the whole thing. I think she might have tried to hide it last night if I hadn’t slept with it under my pillow,” I say.
Tanner’s deep laugh breaks around me. “You slept with the bow under your pillow? Why?”
“Because I know my mom all too well, and…” I stop myself, not meaning to add anything to that sentence. The and catches Tanner’s attention, though. His eyebrows rise expectantly and I know there is no chance of him letting me squirm out of this one.
“Because I was a little scared of going to bed last night, and since I couldn’t have you with me again I had to settle for the bow.”
I can’t believe I just admitted that to him. My embarrassment has me looking down at my toes squiggling around in the sand. Tanner’s hands pull me back up to meet his eyes. The soft, playful, sensuous glow in them freezes my breath. Slowly, his hands drop from my face and pull the sweatshirt he’s been wearing against the cool ocean breeze off of his body.
In one smooth motion he pulls it down over my shoulders. Autopilot alone makes my arms work to push them through the sleeves. Tanner places his hands back on my face and says, “Since I’m guessing my chances of getting to sneak back into your room for the night are pretty slim …”
He pauses and waits for my confirming, if not much too slow nod. My grandpa made it pretty clear to both of us he’d spill everything if he found out Tanner ever stayed over again. Whether my grandpa understands why I asked Tanner to stay or not, I am still his to protect.
“Well, now you have something else to keep you company if you need it,” Tanner says, slowly rubbing his hands up and down my now covered arms.
A sweatshirt isn’t nearly as good as having Tanner, but it is a lot better than an uncomfortable bow. “Thanks, Tanner.”
Back in his arms again, I close my eyes with no fear for the first time and what seems like years. I had planned very specifically to hate everything about Grainer. It really shouldn’t have taken a near death experience at the hands of ancient Aztec gods to realize how lucky I really am to be here. Somehow, I escaped my centuries old fate and landed the best boyfriend ever since moving here. Not bad for my first week as The New Doctor’s Kid. I just hope the next two years aren’t nearly as exciting. Boring and small sounded pretty perfect right now.