The Siren

I see him coming down the hill just a little too late. My bikini is rather small, and I don't know how my body looks. I've been feeling comfortable with it recently, but you never know how it looks from day to day. I try to pretend I don't see him until he fully approaches.

"You're mad!" he half-laughs as I chase the frisbee into the water. Glacial! I'd shrieked upon getting in. My mother assured me the sun would come over the hill, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Then again, I asked her where the sun rose and set - she was confident, but I know she recently Googled what "lunar event" must have been on when she saw the moon out during the day. Should have taken that confidence with a grain of salt. 

The water is cold. But as long as I move, it's fine. But the view is gorgeous. It looks like summer. It almost feels like summer. 

He has a friend in tow, a mutual one. One I didn't expect. One I was sure hated me. A memory springs up from a party a decade ago. I think I know why he hated me. 

After he sits down to talk, I study his face as much as I can without staring. I'm sure I catch him doing the same. Looking at me every time I speak. Praising me on any little thing that pops up.

His eyes are crow-footed now. They're beautiful, and I know it's from so many smiles and so much laughter. Silver streaks line his hair. A silver fox, I think. 

His nose is slightly different to what I recalled. Perhaps larger, or more crooked. Is there a lump there? He was always self-conscious about it. He needn't have been. Still beautiful.

And his body. He told me once he'd put on weight. If that were the case, it's gone now. Still muscled. Still the same arms. And perhaps his legs are even stronger than they once were. 

He does look tired. He say he's battling a hangover. I had a feeling, I joke as I walked in the other direction, Just a hint! I think he looks pained for a moment. 

I don't know if he still loves me. I just know that when I said I will love you forever, it was a truer statement that I ever could have imagined.

We throw frisbees, eat snacks, chat. I try to involve the others. Two friends with me who seemingly don't approve of his presence, or at least don't make an effort.

When it's time to leave the two of us hang at the back. I secretly hope the other car is full, but the two friends offer me a lift home. 

He suggests we see each other again, and I can only hope it's sooner rather than later.