The Hot Mess called me this morning before my alarm woke me up. I answered the phone with that gross-just-woke-up voice I have and when I realized it was her, I immediately sat up.

“What are you up to today?” she asked.

“Nothing. Probably some writing. Why? What’s up?”

“I’m stuck at home today. I thought we could hang out. I live at the condos in Turtle Bay, so I thought I’d ask if you wanted to go to the beach?”

No, not really. I hate the beach. And the sun. “Yeah, definitely. Although, I should probably warn you now that I’m not a beach person and I will burn and it will be ugly.” Also, I have to mention that Turtle Bay is really far. It’s on the opposite end of the island and takes over an hour to get there without traffic. Nothing in Hawaii should take longer than 20 minutes to get to–it’s an island!

“I’ll make it worth your while. I promise.”

It’s hard to say no to that, so we got off the phone and I tore through my dresser looking for some swim clothes.

The drive to Turtle Bay was as long as I had imagined, but I had forgotten how nice it is.  When I pulled into Turtle Bay, I gave the Hot Mess a call and she came running out in a bikini top and shorts.

When she came into the car, she rested her towel on her lap and gave me a quick kiss on my cheek. “Hey. I didn’t think you would actually come. I’m really surprised.”

“Why not?”

“Because I live out in the boonies,” she laughed. “Nobody wants to make the drive down here. See the parking lot up ahead? You can park there.”

“It was pretty far,” I answered. “But I saw some sheep and a horse on the way, so I think I’ll feel pretty countryish for at least the next week or so. I can brag to my friends about it. It works out great.”

I parked the car and we found a spot on the beach away from most of the tourists. At one point, a rock got caught between my foot and slipper and I was embarrassed when I realized how damn white my legs were. I pulled my swim shorts down a bit. Seriously, I’m not made for the beach.

The highlight of that afternoon came when we went into the water. We waded in the shallow area, talking about our lives while letting the tiny waves pull us back and forth from the shore.

While watching the next set of approaching waves in the distance, I felt her fingers reach for mine under the water. She held on to my pinky and let the rest of my fingers float on top of her hand. It took me by surprise and when I turned to look at her, she just smiled.

It had been so long since someone held my hand that I had almost forgotten how intimate it feels. TheEx was never big on holding hands and when we did, she made sure to tightly weave her fingers between mine. Holding hands with her always made me feel as if she were trying to bind us together, forever keeping us only an arm’s length apart. I would always feel a little claustrophobic whenever she reached for me.

Holding hands with the Hot mess, however, felt casual and yet intimate. I didn’t want to marry her or cook a romantic dinner for her, but I did want to kiss her right then, so I did.

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6 Comments » Posted: October 11th 2009
Filed under: The Good
Tagged In: i wanna hold your hand, i'm not meant to go outside, the hot mess, the long drive to turtle bay, theEx