Read Tides for Free Online

when she came back up.
    He waited for almost a minute and couldn’t hear anything behind him. He was starting to worry again when he heard the girl exhale.
    “I was trying to save you,” he said quickly. “Er, I thought you were drowning.”
    She laughed, and Noah felt blood rush to his cheeks. He hated that he blushed so red—a family trait. He was glad he still had his back turned.
    “Sorry,” she said, “to laugh at you, I mean. It’s just—I’m a pretty good swimmer.”
    Noah found himself nodding and pasting an understanding look on his face, even though she couldn’t see it. “I’m sorry,” he said. “And my name’s Noah.” He started to turn around.
    “I’m just getting my clothes on,” she said, and he froze. He concentrated on not remembering what she’d looked like, so suddenly in his arms, all black hair and white skin.
    “All right. Turn around.”
    Noah turned and looked at her. She wore a light blue men’s shirt that was far too big; it sagged over her shoulders, and the hem stopped halfway down her thighs. She’d looped a frayed length of nautical rope around her waist like a belt.
    She turned and pulled herself up the low cliffs in a few fluid movements. Noah hoisted himself up after her.
    She squinted at him, obviously annoyed, her round pale mouth twisted into a smirk. “My name is Mara. For future reference, I don’t need saving.”
    Noah just barely managed to keep from rolling his eyes. “Look,” he said. “I was running by here, and I heard splashing and coughing, and I saw you under the water. I just did what most people would do. I didn’t think you’d be so nu—er, rude . . .”
    “Nude?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. “Because I didn’t really need your help with that, either.”
    “No!” he cried. “I’m sorry, okay? And I didn’t know you were, um, clothesless. I get that you didn’t need my help, but my intentions were good. You’ve got to give me that, at least.”
    “All right.” She grinned, and Noah relaxed a little. She sat down at the edge of the rocks, and Noah joined her. “Noah of the noble intentions. Are you named after the sailor?”
    Noah didn’t know what she was talking about—he’d stopped thinking about her words. Her voice was too distracting, smooth and clear and . . . “Sailor?”
    “You know, the flood, all the animals two by two, the big wooden boat with the window at the top for the giraffes’ heads to stick out. Noah.”
    “Right. Yeah, that Noah.” Somehow Noah had never put his namesake in the “sailor” category.
    He looked at Mara, trying to think of something else to say. He was distracted for a moment by the water dripping from her hair onto her smooth, pale neck, down past her collarbone and under her shirt. He made himself look away.
    “So,” he said, thinking it was her turn to be embarrassed, “are you in the habit of skinny-dipping at five o’clock in the afternoon?” He didn’t know what gave him the courage to make fun of her like that—it must have been because she already thought he was an idiot.
    Her dark eyes flashed. Okay, maybe he hadn’t hit rock bottom yet.
    “What about you? Am I the first damsel you’ve rescued, or does your day not start until you’ve stuck your nose in someone else’s business?”
    Noah groaned. “Look,” he said, “I’m sorry. Again. If I’d known my attempt to help you would be so offensive, trust me, I wouldn’t have bothered. But I haven’t been here very long, I don’t know anyone, and since we’ve kind of broken the ice at this point . . .” He trailed off, once again surprised at his own bravery. He hadn’t talked to a girl his age this much since—ever.
    Mara stared at him quizzically. He wondered if she ever blinked.
    “I thought we could be friends,” he finished with a sigh. He knew exactly how stupid he sounded.

seven
S HOALS
    F RIENDS
. Mara hated how foreign the idea was to her. Still, she didn’t know how to respond to this