Sweaty Palms

I called Bennie to join me in the seashore walking barefoot. I saw him signaling that he will take out the food first. So I continue to enjoy the breeze and splashes in my toes, I even close my eyes and raises my both hands upward feeling like flying (imitating Rose in Titanic Movie) I was so into it that I did not notice Bennie beside me, that has a wide smile taking pictures of me. I only notice it when he calls me, I open my eyes and turn my head to where I hear his voice. My eyes go wide when I realized what his doing.

"Yah! How long you had been doing that..!

I walk towards him to snatch his phone planning to delete those photos, but he steps backward and raises his hand making sure I will not be able to reach the phone.

"that's so unfair..! I said but he just continue laughing.

I attempt to jump it out hoping I will be able to reach it out. my first attempt almost got it so he change the position of his hands and hide it towards his back. I attempt to follow the directions where his hands go almost hugging him, but he did not anticipate my reflexes so I got the phone. He tried to get it out of me seeing I'm deleting the photos, but before he could get closer I ran away from him, but having the advantage of being tall, his steps are wider than mine so he catch me in no time. I hide the phone at my back inside my T-shirt, and he attempts to reach it, in my back. I struggle so that, he will not be able to get it. But by the process it makes me fall out of balance, in my panic that I will hit myself in the ground, I reach for him to avoid falling but due to the soft sand where we are standing he was not able to keep his posture and we both fell instead. We were both laughing on the ground realizing what we were doing then he stop laughing and suddenly got serious while looking at me. I get conscious of the way he looks at me it's different from the way he use to look at me. It lasted for a few seconds we both did not attempt to move, that I already felt the weight of his body that press on me, I felt stuffy in my breathing a little.

"I can't breathe.." I finally voice it out.

He finally moved back to stand up and also gesture to hold my hands to help me up. We both shook the sand in our clothes and he help me in my back which I'm having trouble reaching got it more in my back since I lay down flat in the sand not to mention pressed down by his weight on me. So busy shaking off the sand that I forgot the main reason why I got it in the first place. Then I finally notice he stop cleaning my back clothes so I turn to him where I see him silently doing something on the phone, I walk closer to him to see what he doing. He's watching my photos that he took a while ago.

"Yah... Bennie erase that!" I shout at him and attempt to snatch the phone again..when he's not listening.

"I'll agree' but with one condition.." saying with a wide smile on her face.

"What?.." I ask looking at him with a keen eye, I knew it!

"I choose one picture... please just live one picture, for me.." he said and acting like a little girl, he even fluff his eyelashes, which I bet were much longer than mine.

"Fine..!" I respond, well who would say no when he starts acting like a cute puppy, he knows my weakness the most.

He flash a big smile and started to choose the picture he want to keep, and he showed me that picture. I rechecked if it was the only one pic he left. He choose the one, where I turn and look his way still smiling when he called m,e, and make a snapshot before my expression changed. I approve of his choice so I let it be, at least he did not choose the pictures that I look weird. I finally decided to give him the phone.

"Thank you.. my dear Lily!.." he said acting gay and put his hands around my shoulder. I shake my head in disbelief, I really can't win him sometimes.

"Let's go eat I already prepared everything..! pointing to the area where he place the food.

He places it in the center part of the hood of the car, he offers his hands to lift me so that I can sit on the top of the hood. Then he sits on the other side and hands me the lunch box where my favorites are packed. I accept it with gratitude knowing he also likes it but he chooses to give it to me.

"Thank you, you're the best!.. " I said smiling, and started to take off the cover of the container as usual I slice half the food and place it in the cover then hand it over to him and I start mashing the baked mac I added extra cheese when I made it.

After we devoured all the food, I place all the containers back in the basket. And take four cans of beer then we decide to sit on the sand while sipping the beer. He take his phone out of his pocket and play the music that we both enjoyed to listen. It synchronizes with the current ambiance around us.

"It's a perfect celebration..! were finally free from school!" I voice out loud like no cares in the world.

"Hey! You crazy little thing..aha.." he rebukes my behavior though you will wonder if it's for real cause his laughing.

He lay down after he sip the last drop in his second can, which took some time for the beer to wear off in him since his driving back home. I also decided to lay my back down on the ground and close my eyes listening to the music that fits with the sound of the waves then I hear him singing along, it was my first time hearing him singing.

( tuning in: Make it with you by Bread )

...Hey have you ever tried...

Reaching out to the other side?

I may be climbing on rainbows

But bab here goes

Dreams are for those who sleep

Life is for us to keep

And if you're wondering what this song is leading to,

I want to make it with you

I think that we could make it, girl

Though you don't know me well

And for every very little thing, only time will tell

If you believe the things that I do,

And we'll see it through

Life can be short or long

Love can be right or wrong

And if I chose the one I'd like to help me through

I'd like to make it with you

I think that we could make it, girl

Baby, you know that dreams are there for those who sleep

Life is for us to keep

And if I chose the one I'd like to help me through

I'd like to make it with you

I think that we could make it, girl

He stops singing when the song ended. I open my eyes to say my admiration for the first time for his newfound talent. I turn to him about to say something, but I saw him his lying sideways facing me so I suddenly forgot what to say. I did not notice when did he change his position. Is it just me or is he different today, I also don't know why I am always out of words, it feels like where back to strangers again that starting to know each other for the first time. I really can't read him today. So I give up and turn my head to look at the sky instead, afraid to break the awkward silence, but I heard him made a deep breath then a few minutes he sit down and turn his head towards me.

"I think I'm good.. let's go..?" he broke the silence.

"Are you sure..?" I reach for Hifor s hands that he offered to help me get up.

"Yap!, I think ..hehe, it's getting dark we better start going.. " he suggested, then start walking back to the car.

I manage to keep up by his side, I held his right shoulder which made him stop walking and he turn towards me again and look at me.

"Wait to be safe,..."

I hold his collar with my both hands and pulled him down at my level for me to be able to smell him. Positive, he no longer smells of beer, good thing we brought the light one. I release his collar when I'm sure he can drive now and tap his shoulder as a gesture he can stand straight now, it takes him too long to move his head back again he might not expect what I did that explains his expression is currently blank with wide eyes.

"Hey, Bennie!.. you ok?.." I ask while waving my hands in his face.

He stands straight and started walking without a word. When he was near the car he open the door for me but did not wait for me to get in and go already to the driver's side to get in. He wait for me to finally buckle up my seatbelt then he started the engine. I feel the awkward silence again, and no one attempted to open a topic so I decided to sleep instead, but before I get to be in deep sleep I heard him signing I am no longer able to ask him why because I drown in my slumber already. I feel the breath of someone brushing my face, but a feeling of familiarity in the scent so I thought it was my breath. Thought I'm dreaming, I felt a soft thing tap on my lips can't describe it, though I thought of it as a marshmallow thinking that, I open my mouth,h, and the soft thing pressed into my lips.

it also has moisture that tastes like mint, I felt the warm skin at the back of my neck and felt hugged by someone, the deeper it goes it transmits electricity flowed in my spine, Wow! This is a weird dream, it felt so real. Then suddenly, it pull away living an empty feeling in me, I felt disappointed that it was over when I'm about to enjoy the warm feeling it provides me, I waited for it to come back then I succumbed to slumber again.

I woke up in my bed, wondering how long did I sleep did not even notice when Bennie brought me to my room. Then I remembered the two can's of beer, it caused me a deep slumber and by that thinking, I remembered the dream, wow that felt so good! it's like giving a feeling like your "home" as the clock stops and you want to be in that moment only. I kinda crave that feeling again but don't know what was it since it's kinda blurry in my mind, the only clear to me is the feeling of it. I bend out my body to wash out my sleepy body and start moving to get off in my bed, then I go straight to the bathroom to take a shower. Done refreshing myself so I decided to go out to my room looking for something to eat I'm famished, and upon checking the time on my phone it was already past nine in the evening. The surroundings are so quiet but I do smell the food on the table and when I check on it, it's still warm. Wow! By the look of it, it's just been prepared, in my excitement I pick up one drumstick and start devouring it, it's so yummy, and want to eat already so I went to check Bennie in his room to ask him to dine with me. I knock twice but his not answer so I open the door which is not locked, he might not hear me knocking. I entered the room when I don't see him around standing by the door, but when I'm about to go out into his room the door to his study room opened. I drop the food I'm eating from the shock of seeing someone I don't know come inside, recalling from my mind if Bennie mentioned some visitor to come by and but I don't remember.

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