Holly stopped in front of the Flamingo, and gazed up toward the small, darkened window of Number 7. Should she go upstairs? When she and Alexa had parted ways in the lobby that evening, they'd decided that Holly should take the room key for the night. Holly had agreed to leave the door unlocked if she got home before Alexa, and Alexa had assured Holly she wouldn't be back late. I wonder what Alexa and Diego are doing, Holly thought, feeling the faintest prickle of jealousy.
Holly began walking under the Flamingo's arch, reaching inside her bag for the key. This was good.
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She'd get to bed at a decent hour, wake up early, and go for a jog on the promenade. Despite her best intentions, Holly realized, she hadn't gone running once during her time here.
But it was a balmy, breezy night, and something about the full moon and the sway of the palm trees felt so seductive. Holly closed her bag, turned, and walked away from the Flamingo. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do, but she wasn't quite ready for bed yet.
Aimlessly, Holly crossed the street and wandered out onto the beach, slipping off her flip-flops and letting her bare feet sink into the cool sand. There were a few couples cuddling in the darkness. Holly walked past a group of kids in a circle, passing around what she guessed was a joint, but for the most part the beach was empty. Holly drifted toward the ocean and walked briskly along the shore, the cold, foamy water licking her toes. The full moon hung overhead, casting a hazy white glow over the waves.
Up ahead, Holly saw a boy jogging along the shore. He was tall and trim, with wavy, dark-blond hair, and he wore a hooded sweatshirt over track pants. He was running at a steady, rhythmic pace, and his movements were graceful.
Why didn't I think of that? Holly wondered. A moonlight run on the shore would have been the perfect
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way to cap off her evening. He must be a dedicated athlete, Holly thought. And, she couldn't help but notice with a grin, he has a. pretty cute butt.
Curious about the mystery jogger, Holly put on a burst of speed, walking quickly until she was directly behind him. Suddenly, he seemed to sense someone was following him. He stopped abruptly and wheeled around, locking eyes with Holly She gasped, ready to apologize for acting like a stalker, when she recognized the jogger. It was Tyler Davis -- the lacrosse guy from Oakridge. Alexa's ex.
Right, Holly realized, remembering Alexa's story.
Tyler's face broke into a wide smile. "Holly," he said, almost as if he'd been expecting to see her.
"Hey, Tyler," Holly said shyly "Fancy meeting you here."
Back in Oakridge, the mere idea of talking to Tyler Davis would have totally intimidated Holly. He was the school's golden boy: gorgeous and gifted. There was even a rumor that he'd modeled for American Eagle. Holly had had a few classes with him, she'd seen him in the stands at a couple of track meets, and she knew he was dating Alexa. But she couldn't remember ever speaking to him. Boys like Tyler usually made her way too nervous.
But now, standing on this familiar stretch of sand, Holly was utterly at ease. The wind was blowing her
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sun-streaked hair back, and she felt tanned and lithe and relaxed. She had reconciled with Alexa, she wasn't worrying about her parents anymore, and the Diego drama was finally behind her. All that was on Holly's mind was the ocean and the moon and the sultry spring night. Here, none of the rules and hierarchies of high school applied.
Tyler was only slightly out of breath. He must be in good shape, Holly thought. He pulled off his sweatshirt and tucked it under his arm, his shoulders broad in a white Oakridge Lacrosse T-shirt. He rested his hands on his hips as he and Holly stood facing each other at the water's edge. He had the most interesting eyes, Holly noticed -- light brown, with flecks of amber.
"I thought I might run into you at some point," Tyler said. "No pun intended."
Holly grinned at his lame joke. She'd always imagined Tyler as sophisticated, but he seemed sort of boyish now.
"It does make sense," Holly agreed. "Alexa told me you're also crashing at the ever-so-glamorous Flamingo." She giggled.
The moonlight was bright enough that she could make out Tyler blushing.
"You guys are rooming together, right?" he asked. The unspoken sentiment was: So you know everything.
Holly nodded, remembering the details Alexa had
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told her over lunch. Tyler had been in her room. On her bed, in fact. Weird.
There was a pause, and Tyler looked down at the sand. There was something endearing about his embarrassment, Holly thought.
"I think it's really romantic, what you did," Holly said truthfully She had been bowled over by Alexa's story. What Holly wouldn't give for a guy to hop on a plane just for her.
Now Tyler was definitely blushing. "Nah," he said. "Try impulsive. I just saw that show on Pulse, and boom -- decided to come down."
Oh, yeah. Now Holly felt herself blushing. Tyler had seen the bikini contest. He'd seen her.
Tyler seemed to sense what she was thinking. "Was it cool being on TV?" he asked.
"I guess," Holly replied, feeling some of her earlier confidence ebb away. "Was it weird seeing me?"
Tyler shrugged. "I was surprised at first. But you, um, you looked good."
"Did you even recognize me?" Holly laughed nervously. She thought of herself back home in Oakridge -- usually in a hoodie and jeans.
"Totally," Tyler replied. "You looked exactly like yourself. Just more ..."
"More of me?" Holly cut him off. She giggled and Tyler laughed, too.
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"More confident or something," he said. "Not that you don't seem confident in school and stuff it's just -- " He was stammering, and now he seemed kind of nervous. He must still feel awkward about the Alexa thing, Holly realized. She probably should leave him alone for the night.
"Did you want to keep running?" Holly asked, turning to head back up the beach. "I'm sorry I was trailing you. I like to run myself, so I wanted to see if I could keep up with you."
"No, that's cool," Tyler said. "I'm kind of due for a break, anyway." He lifted the bottom of his T-shirt and wiped his face with it. Holly caught a glimpse of his toned six-pack. "Do you want to sit down?" he asked her. "My towel's over there." He pointed back up the beach.
"That sounds nice," Holly said. She could hang with Tyler for a little while and then go back to her room. It would make for a funny story to tell Alexa later on.
She followed Tyler to his New Jersey Nets towel, which was big enough for both of them to sit on comfortably. He had a cooler with two bottles of vitamin water, which he opened for each of them. He and Holly sat side by side, sipping their water.
"Have you ever gone running at night?" Tyler asked. "It's awesome. I bet you'd like it."
Holly liked the way Tyler said "awesome" -- with
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so much energy and verve. She was surprised at how nice he was to be around. She'd never have guessed he was so down-to-earth.
"I actually haven't been very disciplined about going for runs since I've been down here," Holly admitted with a smile.
"You run track at Oakridge, right?" Tyler asked.
As they sat there, finishing their waters, Holly told Tyler about the team, and he told her about lacrosse. They discussed their respective plans to go to sports camps that summer. Holly always loved talking about sports with Meghan and Jess, but she'd never imagined she could have the same sort of conversation with a boy. She and Tyler seemed to have so much in common that Holly forgot to feel even remotely tense around him. She didn't notice the time passing, until she looked up at the moon. The sky was very dark, and a hush had settled over the beach. It must have been pretty late now, but Holly didn't care. She gazed contentedly out at the moonlit sand and water.
"It's so pretty here," Holly whispered, almost to herself. She didn't want to go back to boring old Oakridge. How could she leave this tropical oasis?
"I know," Tyler said. "Makes me not wa
nt to go back to New Jersey."
Holly grinned. "My thoughts exactly."
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"I've only been here a day, but I think I've figured out what makes South Beach so awesome," Tyler said. "It has this feeling of possibility. Like the most unpredictable thing in the world could happen, and it would seem normal."
The most unpredictable thing in the world. Holly smiled. A week ago, she never would have predicted that she'd be sitting on the beach at night, having a great conversation with Tyler Davis. Which, now that it was happening, felt perfectly normal.
"So what's happened to you so far?" Holly asked, a teasing lilt to her voice. "Did you have, like, a crazy night or do something really wild?"
Tyler smiled sweetly, shaking his head from side to side. "I like to go out now and then, but the whole clubbing vibe can be too intense. Besides, I'm not big into ..." He blushed again. "You know, random hookups or whatever."
"Me, neither," Holly said, also blushing and banishing all thoughts of Shane and Aaron from her mind. There was a moment of silence so she rushed to fill it. "Anyway," she added, trying to sound understanding, "you're probably still thinking about Alexa." Holly didn't want to break it to Tyler that his lost love was most likely getting it on with another guy at that very moment.
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"Actually, I'm not, anymore," Tyler admitted. "Alexa's great, but we didn't fit well together. I only saw that after she ended things."
"But sometimes you can't help who you fall for," Holly said, remembering herself with Diego. "Even if it's not the right person for you."
"That's true." Tyler smiled at her. "But sometimes, if you're lucky, you do fall for the right person. The one you should be with."
Holly felt her pulse flutter in her throat and at her wrists. Was it her imagination or did Tyler's voice suddenly seem different -- deeper, more serious? Why did she sense this crackling energy between them? Was she just sleep-deprived? Maybe she was still buzzed from the mojito.
"But how do you know?" Holly asked carefully. "I mean, is there any way to be sure that a person is ... fated, for you or ... whatever?" She laughed to cover her embarrassment, but Tyler was studying her intently.
"I'm not sure," he said, his warm brown eyes searching her face. "You almost have to believe in destiny, I guess."
"Do you believe in destiny?" Holly asked Tyler, before she could stop herself.
"Maybe." She saw his Adam's apple bob up and down. "Sometimes stuff is too strange for it to be a coincidence."
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"Like what?"
"Well..." Tyler gave her a shy smile. "Like if some guy came down to Florida to find a girl... but ended up falling for her friend."
Holly thought about how she'd come down to Florida to find Diego. But he'd ended up falling for her friend. She shook her head, but then, with a jolt, realized what Tyler had just said. It almost seemed as if he were talking about himself.
Am I that friend? Holly wondered. It couldn't be. This was all in her head again. She had to be careful not to blow things out of proportion. She gave a little shiver, suddenly feeling the nip in the night air.
"Are you cold?" Tyler asked. He handed her his sweatshirt, and she wrapped it around her shoulders, inhaling the clean, crisp scent. His scent. With his sweatshirt against her skin, Holly felt suddenly safe and, at the same time, brave. She didn't know what Tyler had meant with that friend comment, but she was too curious to let it go.
"But what if..." Holly said, continuing Tyler's earlier train of thought. "What if the guy who came down to Florida didn't even know the girl's friend? How could he like her?" She bit her lip, waiting for his response.
Tyler moved his hand so that his fingers were
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lightly grazing the back of Holly's hand. Holly felt a shiver of pleasure at his touch. "Well, maybe this guy sort of knows this friend, since they go to the same school and all. Maybe he'd always secretly thought she was cute, but then he ran into her outside of school and knew it for sure."
Holly's face flamed as she glanced away. Okay. He definitely meant her. She couldn't believe this moment. But it wasn't in Holly's imagination. This was completely real.
"Maybe the guy met this girl on the beach at night, and they started talking," Tyler went on. His fingers continued caressing Holly's hand. "Would that be destiny or coincidence?"
Oh, my God, Holly thought as his words fully sunk in. Tyler Davis ... and me?
She turned to look at Tyler. Maybe it was a combination of the sultry night air, the confidence Holly had gained during the past several days, or the intensity in Tyler's eyes, but suddenly Holly Jacobson decided to take the plunge. She wasn't feeling reckless the way she had last night; she knew she just had to follow what her intuition was telling her to do.
"Hmm," Holly said softly, returning Tyler's gaze. "Maybe there's only one way for the guy to find out."
"What way would that be?" Tyler murmured, taking Holly's hand in his.
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"Well... let's say he kissed her or something," Holly whispered, trembling.
Tyler's eyes widened, and then he grinned in surprise, as if he couldn't believe his good fortune. He lifted Holly's hand to his lips and kissed it, very gently. Holly wanted to die. She'd never seen anyone do that, except in Jane Austen movies.
Then, Tyler gently put his hand under Holly's chin and inclined his head, bringing his lips to hers. His kiss was slow and soft, almost teasing. Electric. Holly felt a spark race down her body. It was the smoothest, most delectable kiss she'd received in her short history of kissing.
Tyler slowly ended the kiss, and rested his forehead against Holly's, his expression rapt. Boldly, Holly slipped her arms around Tyler's neck, and pressed her lips against his, and they were kissing again, seriously kissing, Tyler cupping Holly's face in his hands and she massaging the back of his neck. As their kissing intensified, Tyler lightly bit Holly's bottom lip, then pulled back.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Did that hurt?"
"No," Holly managed to reply, dizzy with desire. But, before they resumed their kiss, she wanted to ask him something.
"Tyler," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair. "Does this feel strange to you?"
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"You mean us kissing?" Tyler asked, his warm breath tickling her ear.
She nodded. "I mean, I feel like it all happened so suddenly."
"I know," Tyler said with a grin. "But sometimes that's how the best stuff in life happens." He put his arm around Holly and drew her into his chest. "It doesn't feel strange at all," he whispered. "It feels awesome."
"Awesome," Holly echoed, and they started kissing again.
This is awesome, Holly thought. Their being together felt so natural that she didn't hesitate for a second as Tyler laid her back on the towel. They snuggled warmly, holding each other tight.
For the briefest instant, Holly wondered if Alexa would be upset if she knew what they were doing. But, no; Alexa had ended things with Tyler. Holly couldn't help but wonder why. He was amazing. Holly felt a little sorry for Alexa maybe she just didn't know how to fully enjoy herself. Holly hoped that her friend would one day experience the exquisite happiness she was now feeling here, on this beach, under the full moon.
Funny. The moon had also been full that night when Diego had kissed her all those years ago. But
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Holly felt older and wiser now. Kissing Tyler felt meaningful, but Holly wasn't going to turn this sweet moment into anything more than it actually was. And no matter what happened between her and Tyler down the road, Holly would never let it change the memory of this magical night.
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Forever
The sun was rising over the ocean, streaking the horizon pink and gold, as Alexa stepped out of Diego's car onto a silent, serene Ocean Drive. She shut the car door, blew Diego one last kiss, then waved him on. She watched, clutching a bunch of orchids to her chest, as the dark-blue Honda slowly
pulled away from the curb and drove into the misty dawn.
As Alexa walked under the Flamingo's arch and pulled open the door, she gave a sigh that was equal parts sadness and satisfaction. She was missing Diego already. She crept up the stairs, almost tripping over a stray can of Bud. Her hallway was utterly still. Alexa figured that her neighbors were either conked out, or still drunkenly weaving their way home. And Holly, Alexa thought as she turned the knob to Number 7, is
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probably sleeping peacefully after her chill dinner with Ida. Alexa quietly opened the door and tip-toed into the room.
Holly lay on her bed, sleeping in her tank and skirt from the night before. And, nestled at her side, his arms holding her gently, was a boy with dark-blond hair. He, too, was fast asleep, and his bare, muscular chest rose and fell at the same time as Holly's. Alexa froze in the doorway. The sunshine peeking through the shade cast dappled shadows on the couple's blissful faces. If Alexa hadn't known the two people on the bed, she would have thought they made the sweetest, most adorable couple she'd ever seen.
Instead, all she saw was her ex-boyfriend cuddled up with her oldest friend. And all she felt was pure, hot astonishment -- and rage.
"What the hell is going on here?" Alexa demanded, effectively killing the idyllic moment.
Tyler and Holly were jolted awake at the same instant. Tyler sat bolt upright, his hair mussed and his cheek bearing the pillow's imprint. He looked from Holly to Alexa in bewilderment. Meanwhile, Holly rubbed her eyes and struggled to sit up, also clearly surprised to find herself in the current situation. They both seemed totally vulnerable and caught off guard, but Alexa didn't care. She wanted some answers.
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