“Ugh. Harls, not again.” Kodi whines.
“Listen, he’sdifferentthis time. He’s already taken me out on a few dates.In public! He even picked me up and drove me to them!” Harley cringes at herself, knowing but refusing to accept just how bad it sounds out loud.
“Babes, that isliterallythe bare minimum,” Sin sighs. As Harley’s roommate, Sin deals with the majority of the fallout he causes. “Promise me that if there is a next time it will be the last time. We can’t keep seeing you get hurt like this.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I promise.” She bites her lip apprehensively, and I fear that maybe it won’t be the last time—or that he’s already making her feel that way. “Okay let’s talk about something different. D, when are you going to take Tatum up on the offer to visit the beach house? Collins says it’s really beautiful and a picturesque sunset viewing location.”
“We are heading out there in a couple of weeks. Work has been killer, and I just need some time away from it all,” I groan, thinking about the sand between my toes and the sun beating down on my skin, the ocean washing my worries away with each wave that crashes against the shore.
“Oh so you’re getting some Vitamin D. By D, I mean di-.” Sin begins.
“No, by Vitamin D, you mean from the sun because that’s the only D I’m getting these days—unless it’s bright pink and vibrates.” I butt in, effectively cutting her off. They all roll their eyes at me as if to say Tatum and I will inevitably end up together.
“D, I hate to tell you this but you and Tate have flirted every time you’ve been around each other. You’re just naturally drawn to one another. Moth to flame and all that.” Kodi, my best friend, can say to me whatever she wants, however, she wants, and more often than not it’s something annoyingly on the nose or a truth I’ve been avoiding accepting for too long. “I’m just saying Mav and I denied our attraction to each other until I had to force his hand, dragging Nik into it. Now look at us, in love and shit.”
Sin mimes puking while Harley is still engrossed in her phone and I resign myself to the fact that she is probably right. I can continue to deny that Tate and I have chemistry and work well together or, maybe there’s a way I can ride the wave and find out if we stay above water or get pulled under.
* * *
Pullingup to the beach house late last night, it was the exact opposite of the condo. The exterior is pulled right out of a coastal living magazine, with a light blue exterior and white shutterboard windows. The interior consists of a mostly open floor plan. The kitchen, with marble counters and beige cabinets, leads into a living room holding a white couch covered in blue pillows, and a coffee table made of driftwood sitting in the middle. Tatum shows me to the room I’ll be staying in, at the back of the house, housing a queen-sized bed and an en suite. Glass doors lead to the back patio. Spotting a brown wicker swinging egg chair, I decide it makes the perfect location for me to sit and drink my one doctor-permitted coffee before we hit the beach.
“I’ll never get tired of the salty air and the crisp sun beating down on my skin.” I exhale as I plop down on my beach blanket next to the umbrella Tatum has set up. I close my eyes, leaving my skin to soak up the only Vitamin D that I’ll be getting this weekend.
“It is peaceful here,” agrees Tate. “Sometimes when I need to get away or think. I just drive out here and sit, no matter the time. The waves crashing against the shore is such a soothing sound.”
“I get why babies like sound machines. This sound could put me to sleep right now.” I can feel my body beginning to relax—the beach has always been my escape. When my parents left me feeling like I wasn’t enough, I would just vamoose to the beach for hours usually with Kodi to decompress.
“Feel free to shower or nap, you don’t have to hang out with me all weekend. If you want, we could reconvene for dinner. I have some steaks to grill, a salad, and potatoes being delivered soon.”
“Mmm, that sounds delicious.” I moan, almost immediately regretting how excited I got over the prospect of a steak. “I think I am going to hit the hay for a bit, see you around five?”
“Perfect, see you soon, Mama,” Tate says, smiling at me as I get up and walk away.
Three hours later we are sitting across from each other with cleared plates and sated appetites.
“The blob must have enjoyed dinner because I feel great,” I say almost too enthusiastically. At this point, few foods don’t, at minimum, make me nauseous.
Tate’s chest puffs with pride, “I’m so glad to hear that, partly because I was going to see if you wanted to join me to watch the sunset. This section of the shoreline is pretty secluded, as you pointed out, so we can just bask in its beauty together.”
“I’d like that a lot.”
We work simultaneously to clean up from dinner, then grab my beach blanket and head down to the shore. Tate helps me down, quickly joining me on the ground, leaning back on his hands, our legs almost touching. We sit in serene silence for a while just enjoying the view of the cotton candy sky. Silence with Tatum isn’t uncomfortable. It's effortless to sit here with him, no words flitting between us. I’ve only ever experienced this type of calm with Kodi. Not even with my parents have I ever felt this relaxed, tension would always coil in my gut making me feel queasy.
“No matter how many times I do this, the view never grows wearisome.” He says as the last rays of sunlight fade, a smooth breeze caressing in the darkness.
“I’d love to live out here one day.”
“I always wanted to, you know?”
“Wanted to live on the beach?” I ask as a chill wracks my body.
Without any hesitation, Tate hands me his black Manta Rays hoodie. I pull it over my head, letting his scent and warmth wrap around me.
“Thank you. Seriously, thank you for this weekend, I needed it.”
He remains close at my side, and our pinkies graze as he makes himself comfortable. His touch sends a different type of chill through me. And as we continue to chat, he doesn’t move his pinky from mine.
“Me too. To answer your question, I’ve always envisioned myself making this home my permanent one. It’s hard when I need to be in Tampa for the guys and, while it’s only an hour's drive, I have always loved the convenience my condo provides.” He looks at me contemplatively, his face faintly lit by the moonlight. I let my mind wander, envisioning Tate and myself hanging out on the beach every day with our growing blob. I think of Tate coming home and finding me swinging our blob on the back porch, and planting a gentle kiss on my forehead while I am taunted by the scent of grilling steaks.What the fuck, D? Get that image out of your head right now, it’s not happening.
