“I love being close to you…” I whispered teasingly into his ear.
It was the truth, though. Before Reiner could respond, I kissed the side of his cheek softly before pressing my own cheek against his.
“You’re too honest sometimes,” Reiner commented.
I laughed a little, knowing that he was only half complaining. I was sure that he was feeling lightly shy, and I couldn’t blame him. Reiner walked with me on his back deeper into the water. I wasn’t a big fan of going too deep into the sea although I could swim just fine. However, I felt very safe and reassured since I had Reiner with me. Although I knew that I had probably grown too attached and dependent on Reiner again, I just couldn’t stop clinging to him.
“Do you think I’m too clingy?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Reiner turned his head around to look at me with a mix of confusion and surprise on his face. I bit my lower lip at the slip of my tongue. Obviously, he must have found that question weird and out of place.
“Sorry…it just kind of slipped out…” I began apologizing.
“You’re fine the way you are. You don’t need to worry about anything,” Reiner replied as his eyes held mine.
His response surprised me, and I didn’t doubt that he meant it. However, I wasn’t sure if it was truly fine for me to be the way that I am. Can I really live a life while being so shielded and dependent on Reiner?
“I’m very happy to hear that but…sometimes…I can’t help but think that I’m just a burden to you. Hopefully, one day…I can support you too,” I said while trying my best to pick out the right words to express my honest feelings.
Reiner seemed surprised at my words. I could feel that he didn’t fully agree with me but at least, my words gave him pause and he was considering them seriously.
“You can take your time figuring it all out. I’ll protect you. There’s nothing and no one that you should be worried about,” Reiner said as his eyes searched mine as if wanting to make sure that I understood.
I couldn’t believe that my out of place and random question would lead us to such an intense and serious conversation. The atmosphere clearly shifted, and I could feel Reiner’s tenseness all the way throughout his body as he carried me.
“Thank you. Let’s not stress ourselves out over it. I’m sure that we’ll figure it out together. Just like you always tell me not to worry, you should relax and worry less too,” I said calmly as I tried to shift the conversation towards a more positive mood.
Reiner nodded his head a little in agreement, but I could still sense that he was tense. I wondered if what I said hit a nerve somewhere. Of course, I wanted to ask him more about it, but I had to decide against it. Our weekend getaway had just started, and I didn’t want to ruin in all.
“Do you think that I could carry you on my back?” I asked in wonder.
“…what?” Reiner asked as if he couldn’t believe that I had said.
“You did say that the water would make our bodies feel lighter, so I was wondering if…” I started to explain.
“No. Even if you could, you shouldn’t even try,” he said sternly.
“I want to give it a try, though…” I teased.
Reiner turned around before lowering me down back to my feet from his back. I looked up at his slightly grim face as I continued giggling. Teasing Reiner was something that I truly enjoyed. I hoped no one else got to see this side of him because I didn’t want anyone else to know how adorable he could be.
“Is that a, yes?” I asked, pressing my luck.
“It’s still a no,” he replied immediately.
“Then why did you put me down?” I asked.
“Too long in the water and you’ll get sick. Let’s head back to shore,” he said before wading past me towards the shore.
I willingly followed him as my giggles echoed through the peaceful scene around us. It didn’t take long for us to reach the shore and back to where the towels were laid out on the sand along with our bags. Reiner seemed like he had something in mind, and I waited patiently to see what it was.
“Sit down,” Reiner instructed before handing me a towel.
“Thank you,” I thanked him.
Using the towel that he gave me, I wiped away the sea water from my body until I was sitting on the towel comfortably. The weather was still pleasant and so was the wind. Reiner unzipped a bag and began looking through it while I wondered what he was so focused on searching for.
“Wow, you even brought books…” I said in pure amazement when I saw what he took out of the bag.
Reiner didn’t exactly come across as a bookworm or someone who loved to read. It might turn out to be good news if he loved reading because it was one of my favorite pastimes too; however, I didn’t have a lot of time for it. Reading on the beach was something that I particularly enjoyed for sure.
“Yeah…” Reiner mumbled as he handed me a few paperback novels.
“Do you like this novel? Are these the kinds of books that you read?” I asked curiously.
My eyes focused on the title and front cover of the novels that he had handed to me before my eyes zoomed in on one in particular. The novel was a famous romance. I knew the title and roughly what it was about because I’ve seen reviews of it online, but it just didn’t seem like the type of book that I expected Reiner would read…or know about…
“Not really, the saleswoman at the bookstore recommended this one when I asked…” Reiner confessed with a grin.
“Haha…I see. It’s not a bad choice, thank you,” I replied with a laugh.
I didn’t miss the fact that he had somehow gone hunting for books for me. Looking up from the book in my hand, I caught Reiner staring off at the horizon in the distance. It wasn’t the first time since this date started that it seemed like his attention was somewhere else. Was something bothering him?
–To be continued…