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“Hey, baby.” Ty whispers huskily from the other end of the line.
I grin. “Uh huh?”
We’ve been going out for three weeks as of today, and every day with Ty has been amazing. I had him over for supper last week before he left to visit his family, and my parents absolutely love him. This looks and feels like there’s something real between us, and I’m grateful.
For once, my anxiety disorder has brought something good into my life.
“You wanna go out today?”
“I’m not sure.” I tease Ty, already picking out my outfit for the day. “I might have…other plans…”
He laughs. “Ethan, you’re funny. But seriously, I haven’t seen you for a few days, and for your information, my aunt and uncle are crazy.” He whispers this last part to me.
“Must have been a great week.”
“Not really.” His voice softens and I melt. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
His voice perks up a little. “How about we watch the second Narnia movie today? I know you’ve been wanting to see it.”
I set up a time to meet up with Ty and hang up the phone. I’m glad we were able to talk by phone every night when he was away, but seeing him face to face will be a great relief. I go to the kitchen and fill a glass of water to wash down my meds.
“What’s on the agenda today?” Mom asks as she finishes a bowl of Cheerios.
“Ty’s house.” I answer, buttering a piece of toast. “You?”
“Dad and I are going over to Kingston again for a movie. Tell Ty I said hello and that he has to come over again soon.”
“I will.” I wave to her as I walk out the front door. “Bye!”
The weather matches my mood; sunny with a clear blue sky, cheery and bright. I smooth my hair back before knocking on Ty’s door.
“Hey-“
His mouth crushes mine before I can finish my sentence. I kiss him back and pull away, both of us grinning.
“I’m happy to see you too.” I laugh, leaving my flip-flops on the mat by the door. He leads me to the couch in front of the television, the movie already set up. He’s also made us both citrus smoothies and a bowl of popcorn. “Ooh.”
“Dig in!” He presses play.
I lean my head on his shoulder and he puts his arm around me, feeding me a piece of popcorn with his other hand. I inhale his scent, a mix of cologne and lake water, which has become so familiar and comforting so very quickly.
“Ty,” I hesitate. “When summer ends, and I have to return to Nappanee, you’ll come visit me, right? It’s not that far away.”
“Ethan,” He turns to me completely, ignoring the movie. “I’m not going to ditch you. No matter how far away, I won’t just leave you. And you’re right.” He takes a sip of his smoothie. “Nappanee isn’t far away at all. I’ll visit you as often as I can.”
I caress his arms, tracing the veins running under his skin, blue-purple lines of life-sustaining sanguine, pumped by the heart of somebody so precious to me.
We met each other for a reason.
“I wish that I dreamt of you at night, not of spiders and the cold.” I whisper. He cups my chin in his hand and looks me in the eyes.
“I dream of you a lot, Ethan. And they’re the best dreams I ever had.” He kisses me lightly on the tip of my nose. “Speaking of night, there is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t think you’ll like this idea very much, but I’ve always wanted to swim in Lake Ontario in the middle of the night. Even if just for a few minutes.” He pauses. “I know you aren’t fond of lakes but there’s nobody I’d rather do it with than you.”
I take a moment to ponder this. It’s true that I’m afraid of water, obviously. But over the last three weeks, I’ve made progress with Ty. He even got me to swim a little farther out, albeit hesitantly. But I did it. Maybe this can be another step to facing my fears. Besides, Ty is there, a lifeguard, to keep me safe.
“What about tonight?” I blurt it out before I can change my mind. My heart is already racing at the thought of it, but I tell myself that I have to do this. I have to face my fears. And who better to face them with, than with my boyfriend and favourite lifeguard?
“We can make it a sleepover.” Ty suggests. “We can come back here afterward and maybe even watch the third Narnia film.”
“That sounds good.” I nod, texting my Mom.
I can’t believe I’m doing this. But I’m really proud of myself for making this decision. I can overcome this fear; I just need a little help.
Ty leans over and kisses me again.
And again.
And again.
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