https://youtu.be/XqXlLPk8DzI

(Author's Note: If you would wish to listen to Chapter 33 parts 1 and 2 on audio, please click the video. I hope you enjoy it)

   We travel in silence, except for the radio in the background. He doesn't have it loud as he always had it before, but it's a soothing and calming noise. How serene after the scene with Meg? I spend most of the journey debating on my decision to come with Chris and whatever the hell he wants to show me. He repeatedly exhales his breath as if intending to say something, but decides against it.

  We have been driving for an hour when he finally pulls his car up to Sea Quincy Street and into the Quincy North parking lot. As I let myself out, I can see the blue ocean close by us, maybe a few walking distances. I can even smell the salty water with a hint of fish scent and rows of boats lined up for miles and miles beyond the horizon. 

  "Are you just going to just stand there gawking at the ocean? Or are you coming?" Chris teases me. 

  "What are we doing here, Chris?" I ask.

  He rolls his eyes. "Isn't it obvious? I'm taking you sailing. Remember that was one of our agreements, first I took you to the Auto shop, and now I am going to take you sailing."

  "Really?" I ask and I can't seem to hide my smile.

  "Yes really," he says and rolls those blue eyes at me again. I want to roll my eyes at him, but since he is taking me sailing, I've decided against it. 

  "Come," he says as he takes my hand and I look down to where his rough hand touches mine. I have to admit when we hold hands, it brings a giddy smile to my face. 

  We stroll with molded hands together, heading to the docks. It's a beautiful day, a little cold, but not too bad, and as we come nearer to the docks, the boats become immensely gigantic. I also notice a huge red building that has enormous white capital lettering, that says:  QYC. 

  "Chris, what is that building?" I ask.

  "This is a club, for people to do activities such as sailing." He points to the red building and says, "Those letters stand for Quincy Yacht Club. It was established in 1847. If you want to, you can rent this building for special general get-togethers such as weddings and fundraisers."

  "This would be a beautiful place to get married."

   He hesitates and shrugs. "Yeah, I guess so."

   I assume Chris is not into marriage, not that I plan to get married soon, but I hope in the future to be married, someday.

   Chris leads me to the docks, where I come across a monohull, and on the edge of the boat, I see the name Suave attached to the vessel.

  "Is this your boat?" I ask.

    "Yes."

    "I noticed you named your boat after your last name."

    "Well, I did not name this boat. It was actually my grandfather who named it. He owned it. I think I already told you, he left me everything, including this boat." 

   "Yes, you did." I just did not know you owned your own boat.

   "So, you're ready to go sailing, or do you want to just stand here all day?" He laughs.

   I roll my eyes and take it upon myself to climb up onto the boarding stairs and head aboard to where I am standing beneath the headsail. I go to the railing and as I stand at the steel rail around the edge of the wooden deck, I grip it with both hands while I close my eyes and tilt my head back to catch the sun's warmth. I notice Chris still standing out on the dockside and I call out to him, "Aren't you coming aboard?!"  

    I glimpse over at him and he shakes his head while smiling. He strides aboard and says, "You are something else, Sussianna."

    I grin and shrug my shoulders. I ignore his comment and look around the deck; there's a deckhouse in the center. I notice there are seats that can seat about six people, and I wander over to them and sit down. I glance down and look toward the blue South Pacific when I turn to the bow to catch sight of Chris unfastening the ropes. He moves to the cockpit, presses some type of large black button, and the engine comes to life.

  I know a great deal about cars, but I have no idea about sailboats or anything that has to do with sailing. 

 He grabs hold of the steering wheel and sails off slowly; further out from the shore. Soon we are out in the open sea.

  I feel the cool wind run across my skin and it feels heavenly with the ocean breeze. The waves are loud under the howl of the wind; the salty air is refreshing. I can't believe I am actually sailing. Since I could remember, I have always wanted to be out in the ocean, and now that I am here, especially sailing with Chris, it's like a dream.

   "Sussianna, come over here," he yells, bringing me out of my dream and into reality. 

   In confusion, I approach Chris and stand a few inches from where he is, steering us further out to sea. He chuckles and says, "I do not bite. Come closer to me."  

    I don't move, and I do not know why I don't come next to him, my feet feel molded to the ground somehow. He rolls his eyes, leaving the steering wheel for a second, and comes over and pulls me close to him. He places my hands on the wheel.

  I look up at him with horror in my eyes. "Chris, I've never sailed before. I can't sail this boat," my voice squeaky, revealing the fear I have at this very minute. 

  "It's very easy, a little kid can sail." He mocks me.  

  I put my hands in the air and shout, "N-no, I can't-"

  He stops me from talking by placing my hands back on the wheel and his hands pleasantly set over mine. "Yes, you can. I will help you." We continue to sail out into the open water and head south. I am beaming with excitement. I never knew that sailing could be such fun. But again, I think it has to do with Chris by my side and him gripping my hands so delightfully, it's a pleasant feeling being this close to him.

   "Here-" He lets go of my hands and I frown at the loss of contact. "You take charge."

  "What?" I yelp. He can't be serious; I can't drive this thing by myself. I might crash into something or worse, crash into another boat. Alright, I am over-panicking because there's nothing I could wreck into, but still, I could get us lost or...

   "Sussianna, you can do this. Stop debating with yourself. I need to loosen the sails, and when I say to cut off the engine, do it, okay?" 

  "Wait, you are actually leaving me to do this by myself?" I say panicky. 

  "Yes," he grins like he's enjoying this. "You'll do fine, just do as I tell you, and press this button, here." He points to the large black button. "It will shut off the engine."

   He's got to be kidding me.   

   He laughs. "Do not be nervous?" He reassures me as he kisses me on the corner of my cheek and I smile at him. He then goes over to the sails and unravels the ropes. As soon as the ropes become undone, I watch as the headsail flies up to where the wind catches it and instantly I feel it on the wheel. Holy shit!

   "Turn off the engine!" Chris yells through the harsh wind. 

  I nod and press the button. The roar of the engine cuts off, and the boat soars toward the South Pacific.

  I grip the wheel tightly and hold it steady. My knuckles are turning white from gripping the wheel firmly. This is nerve-racking, but at the same time, it feels amazing. This boat can move through the water smoothly and fast just like a car. Alright, this is my new favorite hobby.

  I see in the corner of my eye that Chris heads down to the deckhouse and I shout, "Chris! Don't leave me to do this by myself!"

  He doesn't listen and he has left me to steer this boat alone. I can't believe that bastard left me. I continue to watch the sea in front of me and say to myself, "You can do this. If I get us lost, it would be Chris's fault because he should not have left me to do this alone."

  After a while, Chris comes back with two wetsuits and places them on the ground next to me. Wetsuits? What the hell is he doing with those? Oh gosh, I hope he is not planning for us to go swimming.

  "Let's stop the boat and go swimming. I would hold onto the wheel if I was you," he grins as he goes to the bow and I see a long chain attached to the anchor, he then lowers the chain. Once he lowers most of the chain into the water, he then ties a rope and attaches it to the bow cleat. He goes over to my body and looks at me while smirking as he places his hand on the engine to increase the speed, and instantly the boat jolts to a stop.

   I hold onto the wheel firmly as I was told when Chris grabs hold of me and his hands launch onto my waist. 

  "I guess you were not holding onto something." I tease Chris.

   "As a matter of fact, I was holding onto something, and trust me, I like to hold onto you, especially your hips."

   I blush to a deep shade of red from his obnoxious comment. 

  "So, are you ready to go swimming?" Chris asks me.

   Oh no. "I am not going swimming,"  I shake my head and say, "Especially in late November. The water is freezing around this month."

  He chuckles as he picks up the wetsuits from the floor and holds them up. "That's why we have these. The wetsuits help keep body heat." He waits for a minute and then says with a smirk, "Unless you want to wear no clothes and go skinny dipping."

   I laugh to myself and think about how stimulating it would be to swim with Chris naked, even though it's below 20 degrees in the water. What? I want to go swimming with Chris naked. I have never been naked in front of anyone before, especially a guy, and I am not starting now to be naked, even for Chris.

  "Are you a chicken, Sussianna?" He asks and takes me away from my provocative thoughts. Since I have known Chris he's been having me think such naughty thoughts. What the hell has he done to me?

   "No, I am not a chicken, but I am not going skinny dipping."

  He laughs. "Okay," he says and then tosses me one of the wetsuits. I catch it. "Put that on since you don't want to be naked."

  He starts pulling my dad's, but now it's his t-shirt over his head. My eyes scan his muscular body and the way his tattoos contrast with his shoulders and abdomen. He then unbuttons his blue jeans, slides them down, and bends down to pull them over his legs. He looks up at me as he grabs the wetsuit and pulls it over his thighs- the wetsuit hangs down his hips, showing off his perfect body. "Well, stop staring at me and undress."

   I blush as he calls me out for my actions. "Wait, I am not undressing in front of you."

  "And why not? It's just you and me," he says, like it's no big deal.

  "I don't care if it's just you and me." I quote his own words. "Is there a place I can change?"

  "Are you planning to take off your bra and panties?" He lefts his brow, and my mouth opens wide. "So, just get undressed. I'll not look."

  Sure, he won't look. So this was his plan to bring me here so I could get undressed in front of him? Not going to happen. Okay, a part of me wants to undress in front of Chris, so he can look at me, but not today. 

  "No, I want to undress somewhere else or I am not going swimming," I say when I drop the wetsuit to the floor and I cross my arms, so he knows I mean business.  

  "Fuck, you are stubborn, lady... Alright, come with me," he groans as he grabs the wetsuit off the floor and snatches my hand, dragging me into his cabin. 

   The cabin is small but warm and cozy. There's a compact kitchen on the left side. On the far right side, there's a small black leather sofa and in the corner, there's a full-sized bed with black linen sheets and a wooden bed frame. His grandfather liked this kind of theme with black, which must have been his favorite color.

   My eyes catch something else, a long slim wooden cabinet with a lock attached to it. He must not want anyone to go through his stuff if he has a lock. 

   "You can get undressed in here," he says as he hands me the wetsuit and he just stands there.

  "Okay, but you should go," I try to sound authoritative.

   He rolls his eyes and goes out of the cabin, shutting the door behind him. Once he's out of the room, I quickly lift my shirt over my head and bend down to take off my jeans. I fold my clothes and place them neatly on the sofa, then I grab the wetsuit. Slipping it on over my body, I reach for the zipper, but I can't get it up and I am struggling.

  "Hurry up or I'll come in," he shouts, impatient as ever.

  "I can't get my zipper up," I yell as try to zip it up by myself, but it's no use.

  He opens the door and slowly I turn my back to face him. "Can you please help me zip this up?" I ask him.

  "Y-yeah I can help you," he stumbles. Why is his voice raspy? It couldn't be because of me. Can it?

  I lift up my hair and move it to the side. I jump as his fingertips touch my skin and I hear him suck in a breath when his fingers trace my bra strap. My body feels on fire, then all too soon, he zips up the wetsuit. Intentionally, I thrust my behind against him and feel him harden against me. 

  "Fuck, Sussianna... You see what you do to me?" He asks as he grips my hips, his fingers digging into me, but then he moves me away from him and I frown. "Not yet, baby. I want to go swimming with you." 

   "But-" he cuts me off by slamming his lips against mine and kissing me passionately. I moan as our tongues perform a Salsa dance in our mouths. He removes his lips all too quickly and takes my hand and leads me out of the cabin. 

  I let go of his hand and without even thinking, I run towards the deck and dive into the ice-cold water. When I dive in, I feel alive like I was breathing again, like the world suddenly had become enchanting. It's pure adrenaline rushing through me when I kick and splash to the surface, forgetting that there is no ground and deeper than I remembered. I am not scared, but exhilarated. As I came out of the water, I notice Chris shaking his head when he lowers the ladder.

  He doesn't dive in the water as I did, but instead, he climbs down the ladder and slowly eases his long-lean body into the water.

  "Look who is a chicken," I tease him.

  "Well, do you plan to get back on the boat?" He smirks.

  "Oh," is all I say, and then I splash him. 

  "Oh, you are going to pay for that!" He yells and lunges for me under the water. I try to swim away from him, but of course, he is faster than me and catches me by grabbing my waist. I kick and squirm my arms and legs to get away from him, screaming for him to let go of me. He does not oblige and sinks me into the water along with him. I'm thankful when I was younger I mastered staying underwater for a long time, and how to breathe underwater without plugging my nose.

   Splashing at him, I try to get up to the surface, but he holds me down and he grips my waist to hold me still. He finally lets go of me and that's when I turn around. I try to focus my eyes on the water as I look at him. He stares back at me for a second until he snatches my cheeks and kisses me. I close my eyes and hold my own breath when I feel he gives me air to breathe.

   Within seconds, he seizes hold of my arm and swims us up to the surface. I come up for air, and I catch my breath.  

   I smirk as I splash him again.

   "You want me to bring you down in the water, again?" He asks. He's trying to be serious but he lets out a laugh. 

  I laugh along with him and splash him once more.

  "That's it! You are asking for it!" He shouts and hooks his hands around my wrist and draws my body against his. Instead of bringing us down underwater, he grabs my legs and wraps them around his waist. I move my arms around his neck to hold myself, and I am on fire again.  

  The air between us has thickened and I shallow my breathing. Hoping that he doesn't see the effect he has on me.

  "Sussianna, I do not want to be just friends, and I don't believe we are friends, but something more. I do not know what it is, yet..." He shakes his head slowly moving his wet hair from side to side. "But I know I never felt this way for anyone, before," he says as he pulls his lip between his teeth and that drives me crazy when he bites his lip. "You know, you are the first girl I brought here and on this boat. Well, besides my sister."

  I look surprised and I'm not hiding it very well because he smirks at me. So I ask, "You never brought anyone here besides me and your f-family?" I stutter at the end of my speech; my lips quivering from the cold. I am starting to get chilly from this freezing water.

 He chuckles. "No, never, Sussianna... Come, you are getting cold," he says and swims to the ladder while I am still in his arms. 

   He wraps his hands around my waist and lifts me up onto the ladder. I turn and grab hold of the ladder and climb on board. I stand there, feeling how heavy the wetsuit feels on my body, with it being soaked by all the water.

   I wonder what he is going to do now. He's full of surprises.

  Author note: Warning, the next chapter is steamy. Please read with caution.