i wanna feel your body, it's on fire.
❝
Oh me!? Well I think we did the things in the same order actually... Well except the swimsuit contest of course. I don't think I would look as good as you in a bikini." Hailee lightly punched him in his shoulder. Noah was always uplifting her but always failed to see himself the way Hailee saw him.
"Don't put yourself down Noah. You look great and could do well in the contest too. Bikini or no." she said with a slight chuckle.
"I gave my best at the Mantine Surf but wasn't exactly able to make anything out of it." She nodded understanding. That's really all you could do. Just try your best and have fun. As long as he did that then the end results don't matter so much.
"After that I went diving to cool down a bit, found some nice little trinkets so that was really nice and chill."Hailee nodded as she took another sip of her drink.
"Yeah, the fact that we're diving for treasure makes a really good motivator. Plus it's so pretty down there! I really had a good time with that activity." she agreed. She watched him as he turned his gaze up towards the sky before following where he was looking.
"But now I'm here with someone important in my life and honestly that's all I could ask for." Hailee's gaze widened before it softened and she smiled. Noah was important to her too. When had he become such an important person in her life? She wasn't sure. But somewhere down the line Noah had become such a staple in her day to day life that she could no longer think of living this life without him.
Hell, rain or shine, happy or sad, she usually thought of Noah first to share these experiences with.
"You know a day like this really makes me think... It might be a little grim but with how our life has been going lately I fear losing you Hailee. I really do." Noah's words brought Hailee back to reality and caused the small smile on her face to fade.
She really hadn't allowed herself room enough to really dwell on this. Ever since she woke up from a mini coma in the hospital after her mission on Mt. Pyre she hadn't been the same. She was bruised and broken, not just physically but emotionally and mentally too. The life she had been living felt like it had been flipped upside down.
They were living in unprecedented times. Nothing she knew was the same and she couldn't make heads or tails of it. Anxiety seeped into her day to day life and the things she once loved she couldn't really focus on. After all, how do you focus when the world around you is falling into chaos. When the threat of it all ending is looming over your shoulder. What do you do?
Hailee pulled her knees close to her chest and hugged herself.
"After the incident, after dealing with crazy cultists... I don't think I would even be here if I didn't have you in my life, it's really hard to explain." Hailee nodded slowly. She understood what he meant. After what she went through, if she didn't have Noah to lean on she might've succumbed to the anxiety and pressure of this whole thing. Who knows what she would've done in that dark headspace?
Noah had been her safe haven for a while. Whenever life felt like too much to handle she could always trust to lean on him for support. Even if he didn't have the answers, the fact that someone was there that cared for her enough to give her a hug, take care of her, tell her it's alright, and hold her hand, was enough for her.
"You're really special, you know that!?" Noah asked her as a small chuckle escaped her lips. She smiled and found herself leaning against him now. Releasing the iron grip she had on herself and reaching to hold his hand in hers she spoke,
"Not just me." she said softly.
"You're one of a kind too." she said with a little giggle.
"You've saved my ass so many times I can't even begin to count. And...I don't know." she said as she stared down at the sand around them.
"I guess I just started realizing how much you really do for me and it made me emotional you know?" she said as she squeezed his hand. Her voice cracked ever so slightly.
"I...I don't know what I would do without you Noah. Really." she said as she turned to look at him.
"And...I'm terrified that something will happen and I'll be alone again." her lips quivered this time.
"Everyone I've ever loved has always left me behind."At this point Noah knew very well about her backstory.
"Mom, Dad, Ceri..." This had been why she didn't want to think about it. Pandora's box would open up and suddenly the flood gates were open. She wiped at her eyes with her free hand.
"I can't lose you too...." she said in the smallest voice she's ever spoke in. And that was true. Abandonment and rejection were two of the things she feared the most. Those issues that she has, have of course, presented additional problems for Hailee as she's tried to navigate her life dealing with these issues.
That's why she's so committed to enjoying herself at this Splashfest. To forget all of her worries and have the time of her life because she might never get the chance to do so again. As grim as it was to think of. That's probably why she could be honest with Noah here. That and the fact that he was honest with her first.