33. Freezing water and realisations

                                    

                                          
"Are you fucking serious?" I yelled at Sabrina. New Year's Day, hangovers in combination with a lack of sleep caused quite some arguments already. Our toes curled in the sand. A towel wrapped around our bodies while we walked into the wind in direction of the ocean. 
                          
We literally drove for more than an hour to the beach to participate in Sabrina's tradition: the New Years dive. Many people had gathered at the beach as well. Some just wanted to watch the idiots in swimsuits like Sabrina and I run into the cold water. I managed to convince Lando to go with us, though he immediately regretted the promise when he took off his hoodie. I hugged myself for more warmth and handed Soph, who already laughed her ass off, my clothes and towel.
                          
I scrunched my face and bit my lip while a small wave of water met my feet. Sabrina, who was the one with the idea to do this, waited for me to walk into the water. "Pussy!" She yelled, I barked in response. I couldn't stand it if people told I didn't dare to do something, it caused some dangerous activities in the past. I rolled my eyes and sighed, quickening my pace until the freezing water stood at the height of my hips. I looked over my shoulder, Lando's mouth hung open as he covered his stomach with his arms. "Is it cold?" Sabrina asked, holding the hand of her girlfriend.
                          
I shook my head and kicked some water in their direction. Sarah flinched and took a step back. Sabrina dragged her along into the water and a scream escaped her lips. Lando wanted to be in the water first and ran in my direction. I still stood on my tiptoes, considering the water always felt extra cold against my stomach. "You said it wasn't cold!" He squeaked out. "Oh dear." 
                          
"Yes?" I chuckled, cupping some water in my hands as I rubbed it over my stomach to get used to it. "Regretting something?"
                          
"So many things," he mumbled, staring into my eyes. It made me slightly uncomfortable for some reason, and I squat down. I squeezed my nose and eyes before taking a quick 'refreshing' dive in the water. I rubbed my eyes when I raised my head above the waves again, my best friends gasped and so did Sarah, who stroked her curly red hair behind her ears. "I'm already regretting doing this." He sighed, poking my ribs. 
                          
I held onto his wrist, I'd pull him right into the water if he started with tickling. He managed to escape my grip and tickled the sides of my waist. I couldn't help but giggle and tried to push him away, but in response, he threw me over his shoulder. I rolled my eyes and kicked with my legs. I looked over at Sabrina who showed a thumbs up and took a dive. "Wave! Wave! Wave!" I yelled, a wall of seawater formed right behind us. I never saw the waves being this high around here, maybe two and a half metres above sea level now. I tapped on Lando's head and he turned around. He quickly put me down and clenched onto my arms, using me as a human shield.
                          
"I love you!" He said. Covering my eyes and nose with his hands while I received a hug from behind. His head buried in my shoulder and I could tell he felt tense. I took a deep breath and waited for the wave to clash with our bodies. Some ran away, but everyone with common sense knew it was too late. A splash of water crashed against us. We automatically reached the surface and needed to swim to the shore, Sabrina and Sarah were drained as well. We all ran towards Soph, who filmed the entire thing, she found it hilarious to see us suffer. 
                          
"I wouldn't be surprised if you go to hell," I mumbled, rubbing a towel in my face before wrapping it around my body. Sabrina and Sarah decided to change into their clothes in one of the toilets, though I highly doubted if the time they spend in the wooden cabins was being used for changing into something different. My bikini dried pretty fast thanks to the wind and I just wore Charles' hoodie over it. 
                          
After a cup of coffee at the restaurant, we went home again. Even though I regretted going into the water, I understood why Sabrina wanted to do this. It felt refreshing and, though I hated to admit it, I had some fun. I went for a quick warm shower afterwards and plopped down on the couch so the others could use my private bathroom.