“Yeah, you’re getting it!” I encouraged Xander as he pushed the oar through the water, the kayak bumping into my chest as I held it in place. “You want to try paddling up the river?”

“Yeah, let’s go, I’ve got this.” He grinned confidently at me as he spiked his oar into the sandy mud below for stability.

I felt my heart beat a little faster in my chest and quickly turned away, grabbing the grip at the front of the boat and pulling the nose onto the bank quickly. “Let me get mine in the water and then we’ll head out.” I walked towards our belongings at the log. “I’m going to throw these in the well so no one runs off with our things.” I shouted back towards Xander.

Gathering everything up, I rolled the important items into our towels to keep them safe, then walked over to my kayak. Popping open the hatch on the back, I placed our items into the well then latched it shut again. Dragging my boat towards the river, I slipped back into the water, pulling it in behind me. “All right, go ahead and push off, I’ll hop in and follow you.” I used my oar to steady myself as I hopped in the boat, while Xander pushed off the bank.

I kept a close watch on Xander. “Put your shoulders into each stroke, you’ll feel it when the movement is right. Watch how I do it, here.”

I demonstrated the proper movement, dipping the left, then the right paddle of the oar into the river smoothly and swiftly. “It’s… a little like twirling a baton. Very smooth movement. If you’re not careful to do this properly you can hurt yourself so don’t force a motion if it doesn’t feel right.”

I looked back over, watching him try the movement again, this time gliding forward evenly as I just had. “Perfect! You’ve got it, you’ll be a pro in no time.” I smiled to myself and paddled forward to catch up. “Let’s head down to the bridge and back, don’t want to do too much today or you’ll be next level sore tomorrow.”

Xander chuckled. “Okay, let’s do it.”

We paddled down the wide, gentle river, the sandy banks to our left turning to dense shrubs. Gentle slopes faded into a steep wall, leading up to the highway that ran through town. I took in the view, enjoying the warmth of the sun, finally peeking through the morning’s marine layer. A lone fisherman waved to us as we passed, and I waved back with a friendly smile.

“So what made you think I was so perfect?”

I glanced over at Xander, who had paddled closer so that his boat was alongside mine, as he smiled over at me. Instantly I felt my face go bright crimson again.

He laughed. “It’s too easy to get you to make that face.”

I looked away, embarrassed. “If you could just forget I said that…”

He cut me off. “I’m just teasing you. Come on, I’ll race you to the bridge.”

He pushed off the nearby shallows and began to paddle smoothly and swiftly ahead.

I stared after him, embarrassment and confusion churning in my stomach.

He'd noticed...? Dammit...