Under My Skin

24 | keep you safe

Chapter Twenty-Four:

Very few things in this world are as mesmerising as being by the frothy cerulean sea on the beach.

She welcomed the warm feeling of her toes wrapped in the blanket of crisp golden sand as she walked along the shore, followed by the ocean pawing inquisitively at the remaining footprints, removing all traces of human encounter. The sky gleamed above them like an apricot, a perfect mishmash of pinks, oranges and yellows; so vivid that one could almost taste the tangy sweet flesh of the fruit melting on their tongue. The tranquil sound of lapping waves crashing against the shore before ebbing to a close, the ocean wrapped in its Neptune blue gown, the ultimate state of peace.

Ria had to squint as she gazed over at him, the sun almost blinding her as though even nature was conspiring against her spending another second alone with him.

"So, you teach, right? Tell me about it," she continued, feigning interest.

Felix grinned at her, giving way to a Y-shaped fissure on his chin. The skin adorning his face was silky smooth, all shaved off, with no hair in sight. She found herself wishing he had the small dent on the left side of his cheek when he smiled up at her, with the sheer quantity of stubble coating his chin and jaw.

"Well, I only got my PGCE last year – that's the qualification you need to start teaching. So, it hasn't been that long, really, only about four months." He explained matter-of-factly.

"Oh, right." She replied, her hands buried in the sand, the grainy substance still coating the webs of her fingers. Only moments before, Hazel had decided to revert to her eight-year-old self and had buried Ria in the sand. And unfortunately, Ria was now having a hard time focussing on the boy in front of her with the loose granular material blanketing her body, "I think we don't appreciate teachers enough. Not everyone can work with kids. Like, I don't think I could ever be a teacher; I'd be terrible with kids – especially teenagers." She shuddered visibly at the thought.

"I can't imagine there would be anything you'd be bad at, Ria," Felix laughed heartily, "But I do agree. Thankfully, I don't teach teenagers. I teach primary school – year three, so seven-and-eight-year-olds. They're still pretty tolerable at that age."

Ria held her tongue, trying to avoid asking him about his five-year plan. She'd remembered having that talk with her father when she turned fifteen and started to gain male attention. Make sure you ask him about his five-year plan and make sure he fits you into it. Her mother had laughed and told him to be quiet, that there was more than just financial stability in a relationship. Yes, it was necessary, but so was love, trust, honesty, and mutual attraction.

Ria found her thoughts straying away from Felix. She was sure as hell that Blaine didn't have a five-year plan.

He spoke, relieving Ria of her thoughts, "Listen, Ria, I like you. And I don't know if that breaks the 'bro code', but Reid and I aren't even close like that. If I were Blaine, I think he'd have a reason to be pissed, but I don't think he'd mind if we started seeing each other."

"Seeing each other?" She repeated as though the words were alien to her. She noticed his gaze drop down to her chest for a split second before returning to her face. And maybe that should have made her feel sexy. Maybe that should made her feel warm and gushy inside but it didn't.

Today, she'd made more effort in her ensemble, pairing a mustard yellow bikini with an aureate-coloured matching sarong. The latter piece of clothing was carefully selected to fall over her hips and upper thighs - a place where the extra cellulite collected on her body. She looked good – and she knew it. But she grew increasingly frustrated whenever Felix glanced at her – it wasn't that he was leering or being predatory. It was more that it was him and not someone else.