Mom passed around the bowl of salad and Dad gladly refilled his plate. It was delicious, but there was no way I’d eat anymore. I was too anxious about hopefully seeing Zach again in a bit. I couldn’t leave just yet, though. It would raise too many questions.
“I can’t imagine it ever would. Even if one day she goes ahead and forgives Colleen, there’s always going to be that little voice inside her whispering ‘What if? What if she had never left?’” Dad responded, stuffing a spoonful of potatoes into his mouth.
“Why don’t you invite her over for either breakfast or lunch tomorrow? Even dinner if you want, sweetheart. Might be good for her to get a bit of a break,” Mom stated.
“And leave her dad alone? I don’t know if she will,” I responded.
“No, not at all. Invite the both of them. A change of scenery or a change from the norm might be just what they need.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Dad added while chugging down the last bit of his Coors. My father was never a heavy drinker. He would only drink a beer or two with dinner once in a blue moon. He’d always kept the fridge stocked with bottles, but alcohol never seemed to be his drink of choice.
“I guess I could,” I said as I finished up my dinner and went to place my dirty dishes into the sink.
I then quickly moved away from the sink and went to grab my sandals from the shoe rack where Mom would always make us place our shoes.
“Oh, why don’t you ask her now, since it looks like you’re heading out,” Mom said, raising an eyebrow at me, smirking. I may have been eighteen, but that didn’t stop my parents from wanting to know my every move. I wasn’t ready to go ahead and mention to them that I wasn’t going to see Misty right now. I didn’t want to have a hundred questions thrown my way. I just wanted to get out of there so I could see Zach’s handsome face once more.
“Um, yeah. I guess I will ask her now,” I said, grabbing the doorknob. “I’ll be home a bit later, love you guys,” I called out, and raced out the back door.
3
I don’t think I had ever bolted out the door as quickly as I had that very moment.
I didn’t want to have to explain anything to my parents; even though, what was there to explain? I was going down to the beach to spend some time with... a friend? Yeah, that sounded accurate. It just wasn’t the friend they were used to me hanging out with…
The cool ocean air hit my face, awakening my senses; I could feel my body coming to life with each inhalation. I ran my tongue over my lips and tasted the salt from the sea. Suddenly not knowing why I had grabbed my sandals in the first place, I giggled to myself. Our house was right on the beach, as were the rest of the houses nearby. I guessed it was just out of habit, so instead of wearing them, I carried them in my hands.
I walked a few feet; the soft white sand was so comforting in between my toes. It was as if the heavens above had purposely created this moment for us because, there, all on his own, sat Zach. I saw him sitting on the beach, looking up into the starlit sky. Even though it was already dark, there was no denying just how beautiful he was. His gorgeous face and hair swaying to and fro in the wind was like a captured scene from a movie. He definitely could pass for a celebrity. I didn’t want to get caught staring so I continued walking towards him.
“Hey there, stranger,” I said, interrupting his thoughts.
He looked at me, smiling. There were those dimples again. Lord, help me.
“Hi, pretty girl. How was dinner?” he asked.
Ooh, he was a flirt, and I was just about dying. I was ready to melt into the sand. I could possibly have resembled a pile of mush right then.
When I was close enough to him, he patted a spot on the sand to his left, motioning for me to sit next to him. “Sit with me,” he said.
Complying, I kneeled before sitting down Indian style.
“Thanks. Dinner was good, thank you. How was yours?” I asked, smiling.
“I didn’t have much of an appetite. Have you seen how gorgeous the stars look tonight?” he questioned, pointing towards the sky.
I looked up and saw exactly what he was referring to; each star simulated a diamond.
“Wow, it really is amazing. Do you do this often?” I asked.
“Yeah, every night. It’s sort of like a hobby of mine, something I like to do. I reflect on my day and think about how wonderful it is to be alive, to really live in the moment, ya know?”
He obviously took stargazing seriously and I could see why. It was certainly peaceful and a perfect way to get away from the every day obstacles of life. This was his way of winding down. I could picture myself getting used to sitting out here with him looking up at the stars, while the sound of the ocean lightly lapped and landed against the shore.
Smiling at him, he must’ve thought I found him crazy.
“I’m sorry. How are you?” He smiled at me nervously.
Giggling, I responded, “It’s totally fine, really. I think it’s kinda cool that you enjoy staring up into the night. Most people our age look for trouble come evening. I’m not sensing that from you. You seem… different… deep.”
And sexy, I wanted to say.
“Well, thanks, pretty girl. I appreciate that.”
I chuckled. My cheeks must have been exhibiting a flushed pink hue at that very moment.
“What?” he asked, through that devilish dimpled grin again. God, how had I gotten so lucky to have met this gorgeously, intriguing man?
“Oh, it’s nothing,” I lied, not wanting to let him know he was doing things to my body that I couldn’t control.
“Please,” he said, grabbing my hand, taking me by surprise, “tell me.”
How could I not tell him now? My tiny hand fit snuggly into his much larger one as he squeezed gently.
“Well, you keep calling me pretty girl, making me kind of believe that it’s true,” I said softly.
I knew I wasn’t ugly, but to be called pretty by someone like Zach was incredible.
As he looked at me, his deep blue eyes shone in the moonlight like two shimmering sapphires. Strands of his dark brown hair fell softly, partially covering his right eye. His full lips, so sultry, so kissable, made me want to throw myself at him. God, he was gorgeous. Every little part of him was causing my body to behave in ways I usually had no problem controlling. Sure I’d had crushes before, but this seemed to be so much more intense.
Suddenly realizing that maybe it wasn’t a crush, I wondered to myself if this could possibly be something more? Was that even possible? We had just met.
And yet…
No, it was too soon, too fast. There was no way.
“Braelynn, you are pretty,” he said, and after about two seconds added, “no, I take that back. Rae, you’re enthrallingly gorgeous.”
My heart must have skipped a few beats right away. I didn’t know what to say, what to do. Nervously, I bit my bottom lip and forced myself to look away from the perfectly sculpted human being sitting right beside me.
“Rae, look at me,” he said. There was so much desire in his voice. I was finding it hard to stop myself from wanting to kiss those tender lips of his. I wished I could find the courage within myself to act on impulse.
Gently grabbing my chin, he forced me to look at him and I couldn’t help but notice that his gaze met the want in his voice. It was so demanding, so…