How Lost Souls Love

To-Sua Trench Part 2

DAX POV

Noah and Maisie made up quickly after this morning. When we got here I made sure to pull Maru and Shawn ahead of them so they could talk. I hoped Maisie understood what I meant when I said I wanted her to try and see things from Noah’s side. 

I know when you have as much going on as we do that considering someone else’s feelings on our trauma is the last thing we want to do, but maisie seemed to understand what I meant. 

Maisie called me from the bathroom asking for one of Noah’s shirts, I looked around but didn’t see any. I did know I packed an extra shirt in my stuff in case I decided to crash at Noah’s tonight though so I offered her that one instead. 

She came out of the bathroom with her neon green bikini strings dangling down her tan thighs. My Linkin Park shirt was baggy on her but god damn.. seeing her in my shirt made me wish she’d wear every shirt I owned. 

Looking at her I couldn’t help but look at her lips. I wanted to kiss them and bite them until they were swollen to the touch. I was about to reach out to her when Noah broke me out of my spell and took her away. 

Inside I was pouting like a child. I had gotten to have maisie all to myself when we went to Sami Atua. And now I had to share her. But I also know I can’t complain. She was an amazing person and anyone would be lucky to spend time with her. 

When it came time to jump Maisie seemed excited. She just needed a little courage. I had offered her my hand and she took it smiling. Taking that jump with Maisie next to me was one of the most amazing feelings I’ve ever had. 

Pure joy and adrenaline. 

A beautiful girl by my side. 

Her amazing shining eyes and water splashed face coming back up to meet me.. 

It was absolute perfection. 

She laughed and splashed around with her cousins and brothers before climbing back up to jump again. The first few times she just jumped from the ladder. As her confidence grew she slowly made her way back up to the ledge. 

A few times I couldn’t help but watch her climb up the ladder. Maisie had an amazing figure. Her hips were wide but her waist dipped in giving her a beautiful hourglass figure. 

I wanted to pull her to me in the water and just rest my hands on those hips.. 

“Jesus..” I say catching myself and trying to snap out of it. I really need to get a grip. I even accidentally called her ‘Babe’ earlier. I had to make a lame excuse to try and cover it up. But I had to admit I liked the sound of it. I look over at Noah to see if he caught me staring but he’s just laughing and yelling up at maisie to jump again. 

I can’t help but smile as I tread the water. I look back at Maisie as she squeals and jumps toward me with Maru on her other side. 

I catch sight of a bright reddish pink patch of skin on her torso as the shirt parachutes as she falls and crashes down next to me. 

A small wave pushed me back and splashed me in the face. I hold out a hand for her as she resurfaces and gasps to catch her breath. 

She grabs it and giggles. “Arnt you gonna jump?” 

“Naw. I’ll leave that up to you guys.” 

“Hey! We are gonna go around to the beach side of the trench. Wanna come?” Maru asks as he back paddles to the dock. 

“Nah I'm a good man. I think I wanna just relax for a bit.” I say letting go of maisie and laying back to gloat and look up at the sky. 

“Maisie you coming?” Shawn asks as he shakes his hair out from his spot on the small dock. Noah is climbing up to go with them and looks back at her expectantly. 

“No. I think I’ll stay here and float awhile.” She says smiling and laying back in the water. 

Her hair glows out around her and her skin sparkles with the water on her face. I smirk. She looks like a goddamn goddess. This was so not fair. 

“Hey Dax you cool to stay with Maisie if I go?” Noah asks. 

“It’s not like I need a babysitter Noah..” Maisie says with just a tad bit of annoyance seeping into her otherwise calm words. 

I laugh and turn my head to Her brother and nod. He mouths a thanks before climbing the ladder and going with the guys. 

Maisie and I float silently in the water for a little bit. We don’t speak. We just exist. It’s pretty nice. 

I notice the couple that was here before us start climbing the ladder and eventually we are left to float all on our own. 

After a little while the flat water starts to send small waves against my face. I turn to see maisie swimming towards the walls of the trench. 

“Hey,. Was this rope always here?” She asks splashing at me to get my attention. 

She’s playing with a rope by her legs and I realize it must be low tide if it’s that visible to her. 

“You pull yourself to the other side. It takes you to The Grotto.” I say swimming over to her. 

“What’s that?” 

I smile. “Wana find out?” 

“Is it safe?” She asks looking down the cave in front of us. 

“The current can get a little strong but it doesn’t seem too bad right now. And if you get tired that’s what the rope is for. But don’t worry. I got you.” I say to her honestly. 

“Okay… lets do it.” She says getting excited. 

“Just keep your legs and arms moving. If you get tired tell me and I’ll swim you the rest of the way.”

She splashed me right in the face. “I’m a better surfer and swimmer than you are. Don’t pull a Noah and start babying me now.” She says frowning. 

I chuckle. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Just do me a favor and don’t be prideful. If the current gets strong say something.” I say giving her a look to say I’m serious. 

She rolls her adorable blue eyes at me but nods and we set off down the dark tunnel. The rocks are sharp and jagged in certain places but Maisie is careful to keep away from the walls. 

After a full minute or two of swimming I notice maisie slowing down. I try to hide the smile on my face. “You good?” I ask. 

“Don’t get smug.” She says a bit out of breath. 

“Don’t worry we’re almost there.” I say reaching for her hand and dragging her up to swim beside me just in case she needs me. 

We start to see the light of the other side of the tunnel and she starts kicking faster determined to make it to the little shore. Eventually we reach a point where we can walk again. She grabs the rope to just drag herself lazily the rest of the way. I just laugh and stand up. 

There are flowers in bloom around the cave and you can hear the sounds of the little waves against the rocks. In front of us. The cave opens up to the mountain on the other side of the trench so we can see the sky up above us. We basically swam under a huge land mass bridge. 

“This place is beautiful…” she says standing up slowly and soaking in the sight around her. Once again while Maisies looking at the flowers I find myself looking at her. 

She’s amazing. And I love that even with all the pain she’s been through she’s still finding beauty in Samoa with all the broken pieces of her heart. 

“What are all of those?” She asks curiously. I look up in front of us and realize she’s climbing up to the stacks of stones that tourists and locals have built. 

I walk up beside maisie and take her hand. Being in a place this beautiful, I just can’t help but want to share the moment with her as close as I can get. 

“It’s like a tradition or story.” I explain. “People swim across to this side of the trench called the grotto. They choose 9 stones from the ones around us and they try to stack them until they stand on their own perfectly.” I grab, a pebble from the ground and place it in her other hand. She looks up to meet my eyes . “Then, when everything’s standing, you make a wish. When the tide rises, the locals say Poseidon comes in with the tide and takes your wishes with him. If you built a good enough tower, then he’ll make your wish come true.” I say smiling down at her. 

“Have you done this before?” 

“Ehh.. I’ve thought about it. But I don’t really think god or Poseidon is into answering my prayers right now.” I say looking around at the rocks trying to avoid saying why. 

“Would you build one with me?” She asks. “ maybe they’d grant it if it was for both of us? If we both build it…” she says smiling at me hopefully. 

I couldn’t resist those eyes or that smile and I’m pretty sure she knew it. I roll me eyes. 

“Fine..” I say sighing and she just giggles and bends down to chose her stones. 

Once we have the tower of stones balanced just right I look down at maisie. “Make a wish beautiful.” She looks at me and smiles. I can see a hint of a blush on her cheeks and I chuckle. “Why do you always blush?” 

“What do you mean?” She says turning a darker shade of red. She must realize it because she reaches up and covers her cheeks with her hands. 

I pull her hands down and wrap them in mine. “Every time I give you a compliment. You turn all shy. But every other day of the week you're a little spitfire.” 

“I guess.. I guess I just don’t believe in compliments anymore. I just don’t believe them when people give them to me.”

What? Can’t this girl see how amazing she is? How incredible it is that she’s gone through what we’ve been through, and that she’s still here trying?

 “ you know the same thing can be said for you.” She says squeezing my hands and smirking at me. “ your amazing Dax. You make me laugh, and you're always goofing around which makes you fun to be around. And I know, you know your good looking so I don’t even need to remind you of that one.” She laughs. 

I laugh with her. “Yeah I guess you're right. I didn’t really believe anything you just said either.” I say looking around at the ground 

“That can be what we wish for.” She says pulling me down to kneel by our tower. 

“What?” 

“I wish..” she says looking up to look me in the eyes. “I wish that one day.. you’ll believe me when I tell you how amazing you are.” 

Seriously. What is this girl doing to me? I sigh and lean my forehead against hers. 

“I wish that one day, you’ll see what I see.” I say. 

She sighs and turns so she can lay her head on my shoulder. She shivers a little. 

“Come on. We should head back.” I say putting an arm around her shoulder and rubbing her arm to try and warm her up. 

“Not yet.. just a little longer.” 

I smile and rest my head on hers. “Ok.”