“I’ll be grilling some barbecued chicken with fries and veggies on the side. I’ll see you later, Braelynn. Are you going to join us tonight to watch the fireworks?”
Evidently, it was the Fourth of July, and every single year, the town of Waverly would all gather on the beach around 9 p.m. to watch the fireworks. It was a spectacular show that every year, I would spend with Misty watching them. Mom always tried to get me to watch them with her, Dad, and Molly. One year, I would. Just not this year.
“I think I’ll be with some friends, sorry, Mom,” I responded.
“It’s okay. I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Okay, bye,” I responded before looking out towards the ocean. Once she was inside, I made my way toward the shore to feel the water with my bare feet. It felt cool and refreshing. I wanted to go for a dip, but I decided to continue walking in the hopes of seeing my dream man on my way.
“You mean you’ve never been on an airplane before?” I asked, not able to believe he had never flown in an airplane.
It was just after 8 p.m. and I had been sitting on our usual spot with Zach in front of the ocean for a little over an hour now. We had easily drifted into a friendly conversation, and I was finding it harder and harder to steady my rapidly beating, racing heart. Every night, we would sit just close enough that we would barely touch, our shoulders softly brushing against one another.
Zach shook his head. “Nope, not once. Never really had a reason to go anywhere else and no opportunities ever came up, so in Waverly was where I stayed all my life.”
I stared at him in amazement. “Wow! I’ve travelled so many times. I can understand where you’re coming from, but one day, you’ve got to get out and see the world; it’s pretty amazing.”
He just smiled at me with his eyes full of want and sorrow, and I immediately hoped I hadn’t offended him.
Crap, Rae. What was wrong with me?
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insult or offend you in any way.”
“You didn’t, pretty girl.” He smiled at me then and as always I wanted to melt into the sand. Those dimples and that gaze alone would have me dreaming of him every single damn night.
We continued talking for the next hour until the crowds settled on the beach. Independence Day on Waverly Beach was always crowded. Tonight was no different, except for the spot that Zach and I shared. We were pretty much secluded from the rest of the people, sitting next to one another on the right side of the crowds. I looked around but didn’t see my parents and Molly anywhere in sight. I was glad and relieved they weren’t around, honestly. Not for nothing, but I just felt better knowing I was really alone with Zach. I couldn’t even seem to locate Misty. I wondered if she was off somewhere with Aaron. I was worried about her. Aaron was bad news, whether she claimed that she wanted to sleep with him or not.
Everyone looked up in wonder as the glittering sky lit up with Peony and Brocade Crown fireworks. They were definitely a sight to see and Waverly did an awesome job every single year putting on a spectacular show.
“So beautiful,” I stated, looking up at the magnificent, sparkling colors.
“You sure are,” he said, and as I turned to look at him, I noticed he had been staring at me.
I blushed, smiled, and dropped my gaze.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable,” Zach said, chuckling.
“It’s okay… you didn’t,” I responded, looking back into his piercing blue eyes. “The way you look at me and talk to me makes it so difficult…”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“You make it so difficult for me to have control and every day I am finding it harder to resist kissing you,” I confessed. In that moment, I didn’t want to hold back from him anymore. I had been dying to kiss him and touch him since the beginning of the two weeks that we had met. Every single night as I lay in bed, all I could think about was Zach and his sweet lips on top of mine.
He inched closer to me and softly whispered in my ear, “Why would you want to hold back,” as he placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. Instinctively, I turned my head and our lips met.
Catching him by surprise, his eyes widened and then he smiled, kissing me back.
Just as I had imagined, his lips were soft, full, and oh my God, so amazing. If there currently weren’t any Roman Candles jetting above us, there sure as hell would have been from the intensity of our kiss. His desire matched mine; he was reciprocating the want and hunger I had kept inside of me for the past two weeks.
His wet tongue caressed mine, as I placed my hand on his neck, pulling him closer to me. Our bodies faced one another, and I didn’t care if anyone were to see us there. I had wanted this kiss more than anything lately that nothing could get me to pull away.
“Wow, Rae. That was intense,” he smiled, after we had been kissing for a while.
The fireworks had long since stopped. Waverly’s Fourth of July spectacular had come to an end. As I looked around, I could see the majority of the people had left. Most were families with young children, so I figured they were heading back home to send them off to bed. I still couldn’t find my parents and Molly or even Misty and Aaron. Our spot on the beach seemed to be a bit isolated from where the crowds chose to sit. It was absolutely perfect.
I smiled. “It was, wasn’t it?” I responded. He gave me his perfect smile once more and with his left hand, moved his dark hair that had been hanging in front of his eyes. Then, he took that same hand and placed it softly on my cheek.
“Pretty girl,” he whispered.
My insides turned to mush. The butterflies in my stomach were fluttering so hard they caused me to quiver. Nothing compared to the way he made me feel.
I couldn’t stop staring into his eyes as he looked at me. No other kiss I had ever received had been as passionate as the one we had just shared.
“I’ve never met anyone like you before,” he continued.
“Me neither,” I replied.
“I really like you, Rae,” he added.
“I really like you, too, Zach.”
Caressing my cheek, he bit his bottom lip. I wanted to feel them on me once more, and as if reading my mind, he kissed me again.
Zach was everything I had ever wanted. He was sweet, affectionate, sexy, drop dead gorgeous, and all I wanted to do was make him mine so that I could kiss him over and over again any time I wanted.
At that very moment, I knew I had lied to him when I told him I liked him. I didn’t really like him. I had fallen in love with him, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t realized it sooner.
5
“So, where were you all night?
I was looking for you so I could introduce you to Zach finally, but I couldn’t see you anywhere. Were you hiding away with Aaron?”
Misty and I had been sitting on the beach for a little while that afternoon. She had come to my house around nine, asking me if I wanted to grab breakfast. I had said yes, of course, and off we went. We had so much to catch up on.
It was a gloomy day, looking as if some treacherous thunderstorm was about to make an appearance. The ominous clouds threatened the beachgoers, leaving it practically empty for the two of us. You could literally count the number of people either sitting as we were enjoying the cool breeze, or fishing off the shore. A few kids were flying SpongeBob SquarePants and Despicable Me kites, and Misty and I just watched and talked. The two of us were fully dressed this time, having left our bathing suits at home. There was no need for them today.