Through the point of view of Beatrix
"It's so beautiful," I marvel, looking around in awe.
And it truly is, the view of the sky isn't bad from here either.
I can see the clouds clearly, and the sky is painted an orange hue with the indication of sunset beginning.
Anthony takes a seat on a rock near the edge, and I join him shortly. My feet hit the water and I kick them gently, still looking up at the sky.
"Did you have fun today? I hope my friends weren't too pushy?" Anthony's question gets my attention, and I look over at him.
His hair catches my eye as I notice how wet it is.
It's dripping wet now, droplets of water falling from his black curls and onto his body as he moves his head to speak to me.
Gosh..
"Of course not, they were .. really sweet. All of them." I kick my feet in the water as I reassure him, offering an earnest smile while I say the words.
And it was true.
His friends had all been really nice to me, despite the fact that they knew nothing about me.
"Thank you for introducing them to me so I can steal them away," I laugh, and the joke earns me a playful nudge from Anthony's knee.
"You wish." He says, and I lean back on my hands as we listen to the sounds of the waterfall.
"Do you usually not bring friends around? You seem like the social type." I ask him, and he shakes his head at my question.
"Not girls, I've introduced them to a lot of my guy friends before." He explains and I stay quiet to process the answer.
With his looks and personality I'm sure he's had a girlfriend before, and brought him to meet his friends .. but I'm not a girlfriend.
And weirdly, I feel slightly honored in that fact.
"Who were the last girl and guy? That you introduced them to," I hope I don't seem too nosy as I ask, but I can't help it.
I'm intrigued for some reason.
"The last girl .. her name was Kali. And the last guy, I think was my friend Hunter." I take in the info with a nod, kicking my feet in the water while I look out at the waterfall.
"Thank you then," I say, looking back at Anthony.
He looks a little confused at my words and I laugh, splashing him with my foot.
I clear my throat and take my feet out of the water to turn my body to him.
"I'm just happy that you introduced me to your friends. If it's something you don't do often, I'm happy because that means you trust me." Anthony's brown eyes soften at my words and he watches me intently as I finish talking.
"So .. thank you.." I trail off, suddenly starting to feel nervous under the gaze of his pretty eyes.
Anthony's quietness allows me hear the roaring of the waterfall, but I don't dare look away as I wait for his response.
Suddenly, I feel a hand on mine.
Anthony grabs my other hand in his and lays our hands in his lap before looking at me. His palms are warm, and they're much bigger than mine, enveloping them easily.
"You really don't have to thank me." It's the first time I've ever heard him speak so softly, and I can't help but like the sound.
"I'm serious, B." Anthony tells me, squeezing my hand gently. I stay quiet, but my eyes are on his the entire time.
"I wanted you to meet them, and I wanted them to meet you. It's been such a long time since I've been .." He trails off at the end of his sentence, and I watch as a vulnerable expression takes hold of his features.
He's quiet for a minute and looks down at our hands.
"I think .. I'm just really happy, when I'm with you, B." His confession makes my stomach flip and it leave me flustered, not knowing how to respond.
"W-with me?" Is all I can manage.
Anthony nods with a smile, letting go of my hands to grab at my cheeks as he speaks.
"Yes, even though you gave me hell your first day." The teasing remark has me swatting his hands away, making him laugh.
"Ugh! How many times do I have to apologize for that?" I laugh, facepalming in embarrassment as I recount the event that brought us to this moment.
We laugh about it for a minute before Anthony says more.
"It's okay, you know? Had it not happened, we would've never made it this far. Haven't we come such a long way?" He inquires, making me shake my head with a laugh.
It's true and hilarious.
After a couple more minutes of talking, Hannah calls us back to the group.
It's only then that I notice how dark it's gotten, the sun's almost setting now and it's making the water grow colder.
Anthony and I swim back to the group and we dry off before collecting our things. As I'm getting ready to leave, Hannah and Bailey stop me.
They hand me a crumpled up paper. In it, are their numbers with their names written next to them.
"Here Beatrix, these are our numbers. Let's hang out another time," Hannah says, and I take the paper with a thankful smile.
"Thank you guys, really." I say, stuffing the paper into my bag.
We all hug before saying our goodbyes and going our separate ways.
I catch up with Anthony and we walk in silence to back to the car.
The sounds of the water running begin to fade the farther and farther we get, and after a couple more minutes of walking I see Anthony's car.
I check the time on my phone as we approach the vehicle and Anthony offers to take my bag. As he puts it in the trunk, I check a text from my mother telling me to have fun and be safe.
"Do you wanna pick up something on the way home?" Anthony asks, and I open the door before getting in alongside him.
"Any place with french fries is good. I'm having a craving." I say, laying back in the seat with a yawn.
Anthony starts the car and we pull out of the parking lot, as the sun fully sets.
On the way back we talk a little before Anthony stops at a fast food place. There we both order a burger and fries.
"Stop eating my fries," Anthony says, not sparing me a glance as I freeze, holding another french fry from his cup.
"You can't even see me!" I whine, putting the fry back.
"I don't need to, I know what your mischievous self is thinking." He teases as we pull into the school parking lot.
After Anthony parks, we both get out and I hold the food while he holds our bags.
"Did you have fun today?" I ask him as we walk through the doors to the school. He hoists my bag over his shoulder and I wait for his answer.
"Of course. I always have fun with my friends, and I always have fun with you. So yeah, I think I had fun." His answer makes me smile, and when we stop at the door I take my key out to unlock the door.
Anthony places our bags down near my sofa and I close the door behind him.
It's cold in the room, and I place the food on the counter before heading over to the AC to turn it off. Once it's off, I turn back to Anthony and see him leaning against the kitchen table.
"Thank you for today, I really needed it." I thank him, sitting on a stool next to his.
Anthony lips pull up into a smile at my words and I lean back a little as he speaks.
"Of course B .. but if you take anyone else there I'll throw them and you in one of the whirlpools there." He says, making me gasp and slap his leg playfully.
"You're such a dick." I laugh, opening the brown bag. My stomach growls at the sound, and eat a fry as my laughter dies down.
"But I'm glad you had fun, really." Anthony speaks, and I smile at his kind words.
"I'll let you eat in peace," He says, rising from his seat. I watch silently as he gathers his things and comes back to the table to give me hug.
It's quick but firm, and though I'm surprised at the gesture I hug him back as well.
He's warm. Very warm.
"I'll see you around B," He pulls back and clinks our fast food bags together like one would with wine glasses, making me snort.
I wave bye to Anthony as he leaves out the door with a smile, closing it behind him.
When it's quiet in the room, I feel a little lonely. But nevertheless I take my food to my room and watch some television to pass the night.