Chapter 90 | Rain, rain, rain

Isabella:

Lucas and I step outside the arcade after killing a good 2 hours inside and it's as if we've stepped into another dimension.

Our crazy, sweaty, delirious states halt to a pause at the sight of torrential rain and stormy weather.

"What the..." I gape as fat droplets of rain pelt onto my skin, my eyes widening as I watch the strong wind begin to pick up and crowds disperse as they run for cover. I let out an irritated groan. "It said it was going to be sunny today!"

"Aw man, I wanted to swim," Lucas frowns from beside me, still gripping OG Mr Bellucas in his hand as Mrs Bellucas is held in mine.

"Me too!" I grumble, staring down at my tote bag where my swimming costume was now sitting at the bottom uselessly.

I had actually grown the courage to pack a swimming costume that I was actually considering wearing today...in public. Sure, I wasn't courageous enough to pick out a bikini but the cute, olive green one piece I had wanted to wear was still a major step out of my comfort zone but now I guess it would just burn a hole at the bottom of my bag and not be used.

I'm surprised that it's disappointment that flutters through me and not relief and I guess the disappointment is etched all over my face because Lucas squeezes my shoulder comfortingly, he knew about my plan because I had told him on the drive over here. "Come, let's sit, maybe the storm will pass after a bit." He says, pulling me to sit beside him on the steps outside the arcade, overlooking the rest of the boardwalk and all the frazzled people running about.

Food, gift and ice cream vendors are trying to briskly shut their shutters to keep the rain out, parents are hauling children into random restaurants and diners to keep them un-wet and people run up onto the boardwalk from the beach portion of the beach to escape the thrashing waves and the sand that the wind is throwing into the air.

It's pure chaos and Lucas and I seem to be the only calm one's simply sitting down and watching this mayhem unfurl.

Lucas tucks me into his side, the rain pattering down on both of us, molding our clothes to our skin and dampening our hair.

"We're gonna catch a cold," I murmur a couple of minutes later just as a shiver courses down my spine. Lucas envelops his arms tighter around me, using his own body heat to preserve warmth. The heat he's emitting is a nice contrast to the windy weather and cool rain.

"But it's peaceful isn't it?" He asks and I pause taking in our surroundings once again.

I find myself slowly nodding in agreement as I take everything in. Barely 5 minutes have passed and the entire beach seems to have completely deserted. Everyone has headed inside away from the rain and the quiet hum of people in the arcade, restaurant and shops can barely be heard over the loud downfall of rain, it makes it seem like Lucas and I are the only ones left outside.

"It is," I agree and lean my head onto Lucas' shoulder as we fall into a comfortable silence just waiting and hoping the storm will soon pass.

As more time goes by however, the rain only seems to increase. The wind does lessen ever so slightly but the rain continues to tumble out of the darkened sky to the point where I'm continually having to rub water from my eyes as the droplets blur my vision.

It's only about 3pm but the sky is so dingy and gloomy it feels as if it's nearing sunset. The smell of rain and salt from the sea is prominent in the air and my clothes are so drenched to the point it's not even uncomfortable anymore. The sounds of the waves violently crashing against each other decrease as the vicious wind comes to a standstill and an eerie sense of serene washes over the beach.

"I don't think the rain is going to come to a stop any time soon," I tell Lucas, my eyes squinting through the rain at the looming grey clouds in the sky. "Let's just head inside."

"No," Lucas shakes his head. "We came to swim so we're going to swim."

"It's okay Luke," I sigh, "it's not a big deal, let's just go inside and get warm."

Lucas gazes down at me and I look up, catching a determined look on his face. "It is a big deal, you know it is."

I lift my shoulder and shrug. "There'll be other opportunities for me to wear the bathing suit."

"No, come with me."

"What do you mean come with me?" I cock an eyebrow at his definitive tone, that brow raising further when Lucas moves away to stand directly in front of me. One deeper glance at his face tells me everything I need to know about where he wants to take me. "Oh God, you're really not considering going swimming in the sea in this weather are you?" I ask incredulously.

Lucas pops one of his own eyebrows proving my statement.

I shake my head. "Lucas no, that's just...no!"

"Why not?" He prompts. "It'll be fun, there's no one here!"

"Fun? That's a crazy idea! It's cold and we could...we could freaking drown!"

"Tomato, tamata-"

I throw Lucas a blank look. "You didn't even use the phrase correctly."

"-Izzy you wanted to swim so I'm gonna take you swimming!"

"No."

"Yes, get your pretty ass up, let's go!"

"No, thanks."

"Um, yes, thanks. Get up!"

When I don't budge, it's Lucas who now throws me a look. "C'mon. Izzy, you really gonna make me do this?"

"Do what?" I ask, my eyebrows knitting together confusedly.

Lucas lets out a huff of breath and murmurs something incomprehensible under his breath before swiftly bending down.

"Um, what exactly are you doing?" My confusion heightens as Lucas wraps his arms around his waist. That confusion shortly wilting away into shock as Lucas picks me up and freaking throws me over his shoulder.

My mouth gapes open as my whole vision turns upside down. "Lucas what on earth are you doing!"

"Taking you swimming!" There's a smile evident in his voice as he smacks the back of my thighs and straightens back up, me dangling from his shoulder.

I smack his back and try to wriggle out of his strong grasp. "Put me down!" I yell.

Lucas merely laughs and begins walking up the boardwalk. Heading towards the beach. In the fricking pouring rain.

"Hello! Lucas! Put me down!" I scream once again, my hair curtaining my vision. I land a smack to his shapely ass this time.

Lucas ignores me and continues walking swiftly forward but in retaliation drags his right hand up the back of my thigh and smacks my ass.

He continues walking for about a minute or so, all whilst I scream at him to put me down before he comes to a pause. Then I hear him wrestle with what sounds like a door before then the two of us enter darkness.

"Lucas, what are we doing here?" I ask as he props me back onto the ground, onto the wooden floor. It takes a minute for the whoozy feeling from being upside down to pass and when it does I turn to see the door of the tiny room shut closed. "Is this a changing room?" I ask, eyeing the room. There's barely a slither of space between Lucas and me and I get butterflies in my stomach from our close proximity. That feeling never really goes away huh?

"Yes it is," Lucas answers with a smile. "And we're here to change of course." He reaches for my soaked bag, the one I've been carrying around that holds both our swimming costumes and my purse and phone.

Once it's in his hands he pulls out his trunks and gestures for me to turn around.

"Go on, start changing, then." He begins pulling down his black shorts, struggling a bit due to the wet material sticking against his thighs. I merely stand staring at him incredulously for a moment over his plan and Lucas pauses to gaze up at me. "You gonna keep staring at me whilst I change?" He quirks an eyebrow and I quickly avert my gaze.

"No," I blush and shake my head. "I just can't believe you actually wanna do this. It's crazy."

"It's cool," Lucas corrects. "We'll have the whole beach to ourselves, that's fucking awesome."

When I don't reply and he continues to see the hesitant look on my face, Lucas cocks his head to the side, an exasperated exhale leaving his lips. "Fine, Izzy, how about this? You'll get to see me shirtless for an extended period of time wearing only soaked swimming trunks." He runs a hand down his chest suggestively for emphasis. "That enough to get you to agree to do this?"

I pause for a beat in thought.

"Fiiiiiiine," I huff, finally relenting and pulling my own bathing costume out of the bag and dramatically turning around so I'm facing back to back with Lucas.

"No peeking whilst I change," I warn him as I swiftly pull off my shirt.

"No fair," Lucas murmurs, feigning hurt. "You peeked at me."

I shake my head amusedly and focus on getting changed. This is unbelievable.

Once I'm done, I straighten out the strap on my shoulder and shove my wet clothes back into the plastic bag I had brought with me just for this very purpose.

I begin to turn back around just as Lucas does the same. Our bodies brush against each other due to the confined space and in sync, both our gazes roam each other appreciatively, familiar tension zinging the air as we do so.

My eyes drag down Lucas' tall frame, from his dark hair, still wet and sitting mat against his forehead, to his hazel eyes holding a shine as he checks me out, the silver chain sitting against sharp collarbones, his broad shoulders and a toned chest and to that delicious v that disappears into navy blue swim shorts. Yep, I am very, very glad I agreed to Lucas' idea now.

After staring for a good minute or so, my gaze lifts up to re meet Lucas' and another quiver racks through me at the sight of his dilated eyes. Pure want filters through his now darker hazel irises. Goosebumps raise on my skin from the look on his face that Lucas mistakes for me being cold.

Little does he know that I'm anything but cold. Heat flames my cheeks and warmth flows through my blood, my heart thrashing against my chest at the way he's staring at me. He doesn't have to say anything to let me know that he loves how I look.

Lucas' hands find my shoulders and begin to run up and down my arms repeatedly, trying to conserve some 'warmth'. I smile at the gesture.

"You look beautiful," Lucas grins down at me, sending another long flick of his eyes down my body. His breath hitches at whatever he sees and both his eyebrows raise, his teeth pulling at his bottom lip. "Actually, I take that back, you look more than beautiful, baby."

I splay a hand on Lucas' chest, over his beating heart and bring myself flush against him. "Thank you, you look beautiful too."

A laugh pushes past his lips before he inches his head toward me and any trace of humour wilts back into that unfiltered lust. At last, his lips find mine and the beating of his heart beneath my palm triples.

***

The moment Lucas and I step outside the changing room after having a little um...fun, inside, Lucas leaves me behind and begins running toward the sea.

"Izzy hurry up!" He shouts as I watch the muscles in his back ripple as he jogs forward into the rain.

I chuck the tote bag against the door of the changing shack. "Dude, wait up for me!" I scream in return, chasing after him. Lucas pauses and extends his hand for me to latch on to as I draw near and we both begin to run closer to the sea.

The rain continually pelts down onto my face, the cool breeze brushing through my hair. Goosebumps trail up and down my skin and the sand feels damp and grainy beneath my feet.

Adrenaline courses through me as we run the wide expanse of the beach until we reach the tide.

"Shiiiittt!!" Lucas yelps as we both enter into the water. The freezing cold water. All adrenaline is washed away by the absolutely icy temperature.

I gasp as the frigid waves lap against my thighs and in reflex begin running out of the sea. Lucas still has a hold of my hand so with a tug of my wrist, he brings me back into the water.

"Oh no you don't!" He yells over the ongoing rain downpour, his teeth beginning to chatter. "You're not leaving me in here!"

"It's fucking freezing!" I whine. "This was a horrible idea!" I try to wriggle my arm out of his grasp whilst simultaneously trying to run out of the sea.

Surprisingly, my struggle against Lucas doesn't last very long when Lucas himself begins running out of the water, shivers racking throughout his whole body.

Lucas runs ahead of me. "Okay you were right this was a horrible idea!" Seeing as he's faster and still has a vice grip on my arm, he's ultimately dragging me out of the water and although my legs are literally splashing and flailing everywhere as a result, I'm just happy we're getting out of this fricking freezer faster.

Unfortunately, just as we're about to reach the sand again, my foot collides with an underwater rock and it sends me flying into the water. I let out a muffled scream as the freezing cold water submerges me, my body dunking under as I fall.

I try to haul myself up with my grip on Lucas' arm but I tug with too much pressure and it only just drags Lucas down into the sea with me. Jesus Christ.

"Oh my fuck!" He screams as we both finally emerge back out of the waves, gasping for breath and both shivering feverishly. I've barely inhaled enough oxygen to get my breathing pattern back on track before I'm half swimming, half running out of the water, trying to do absolutely everything to get out of the sea.

Lucas follows close behind and then begins to overtake me as we at last reach the sand. I run after him as he continues to run forward until I pause, eyeing his back confusedly as he turns around and begins to run in a full circle.

"Where are you going?" I scream as he does this a second time, my arms wrapped around my body as I shiver.

"I don't know! I'm just trying to get warm by running!"

I throw my hands up in the air. "You're never going to get warm outside here in the rain! Let's go inside!" I spin around and jog back to collect my bag before beckoning Lucas with my hand and running back up toward the boardwalk.

"Fuck, I am so fucking cold!" Lucas' teeth chatter uncontrollably as we speed walk to the closest shop. His ears, cheeks and nose are pinched red and his shoulders shake as we walk.

I'm sure I'm in a similar state. I feel like a freaking icicle.

The pattering of our bare feet against the wooden boardwalk is louder than the pelting of rain, that is how fast we're walking/running/moving to get inside and the two of us head into the first shop we see, not even looking at the sign, just rushing inside for the warmth.

Lucas and I simultaneously let out a huge sigh of relief as the shop's air conditioning blasting warm heat envelops us. It is like the best hug ever. Lucas slumps against the wall as I slump against him, completely and utterly spent.

I am sure I have caught hypothermia.

"Hello..." a hesitatiant voice breaks Lucas and I out of dazed, pneumonia sated states.

I look up to a man wearing a formal suit. He looks sort of like a server at those fancy restaurants.

"Welcome to Ambrosia, do...you, um, have a reservation." His eyes trail down both our soaking frames, lingering onto the puddle forming around our feet.

Lucas blinks at the server as I lock up beside him.

"Sorry?" Lucas asks.

"Do you have a reservation?" The man repeats.

I clutch onto the strap of my bag as I suddenly getting the feeling that we're being watched.

My eyes slowly and hesitantly begin to roam the shop that we're standing in as Lucas stands wide eyed in front of the server.

Eyes stare back at me as my gaze follow the expanse of the room and my mouth slowly parts open in shock.

The shop we're standing in isn't really a shop at all but a fancy ass restaurant.

Fancy flower decor frame the walls, the hum of classical music plays in the background as ambience, people dressed in all kinds of formal wear are seated at the tables, some with spoons paused in front of their mouths as they blatantly stare at us. Staring at Lucas and I half naked in our swimming gear, dripping water onto the fancy carpet.

Ah shit.

I nudge Lucas with my elbow. "Lucas..." I whisper, unable to drag my eyes away from everyone staring at us. "I think we should leave."

"Mhm," Lucas murmurs, grabbing my hand and slowly backing out of the door.  He doesn't even respond to the server, we just bolt.

━

AUTHORS NOTE:

HI :D

lots of love - mai x