A Fresh Start

by Lexi Bissen

  After my shower, I quickly dry off and get changed, already wasting enough time. Since we’ll be outdoors, I decide to keep the make-up to the bare minimum, only applying mascara to my eyelashes and my daily dose of face cream. After finishing up the last stroke of the brush, I head over to the closet to grab my black vans. Once I’m all laced up, I check myself in my full length mirror. My hair has been air drying since my shower and now my long blonde locks are hanging in natural, loose waves. Luckily the shorts I picked out aren’t too short and the basic tee looks semi-dressy with the skull design on the front. My skin has a nice tan from running out in the sun over the summer and I’m hoping I can keep it for the winter. That’s when I’ll start running at the gym. There is no way you’ll see me running out in the cold.

  Deciding I should get a move on it since it’s almost six, I grab my cross-body purse and head out the door. The drive to Gibson’s feels longer than normal. Maybe it’s because of my nerves? I hope he’s not able to tell when he sees me. I’d like to think I’m coming off as cool and collected. Even I can’t keep a straight face thinking that. The shaking of my hands and tension in my shoulders is a dead giveaway.

  I pull up to Gibson’s house and notice Officer Dan’s car still isn’t here. I wonder how much that guy works. We do have very few officers here and with Officer Jimmy’s wife having their baby, I’m sure he has to work a lot more hours. Before I can even turn my truck off, Gibson’s coming outside, carrying what looks like a cooler.

  He opens the back door to my truck, places the cooler in the seat, and then makes his way to the passenger side. Hopping in, he smiles at me and then leans over, giving me an unexpected peck on the lips. I love this affectionate Gibson. I’m starting to notice it more. When I was at his house this morning, he always had to have a hand on me. When we were making food, he would stand behind me at the stove and have his hands on my hips. On the couch talking, he held on to my thigh the entire time. Even when he walked me halfway to my house—I wouldn’t let him walk the entire way like he wanted in case Sean was home—his hand was either on my lower back or intertwined with mine. It’s sweet and I’m starting to learn I’m the kind of girl who loves public displays of affection.

  Pulling back from the too short kiss, Gibson greets me with a boyish smile. It helps loosen some of my nerves. “You look beautiful, princess.”

  “You’re putting on all the charm today, aren’t you?” I ask, raising my brow.

  He lets out a deep chuckle. “No need for the charm, I already got the date, didn’t I? Now I can act like a complete ass.” I smack his arm while he sits there, laughing at his own joke.

  I put the car in reverse and make my way down his driveway. Like he’s done for the past two days when it’s the two of us in my truck, Gibson takes my hand from the gear shifter and brings it to his thigh where he laces our fingers together. He gives my hand a squeeze and I look over at him. Gibson winks at me and I can’t help but smile.

  Once we reach the stop sign that runs into the town’s main road, I look over at Gibson. “So, where are we headed, rock star?”

  Gibson gives me a pointed look. “Watch it there,” he scolds, his tone playful. I think he likes the nickname I started calling him. And after this morning when I learned I was named after a video game character, I think his is ten times better.

  I repeat my question, hoping he just gives in and tells me where we’re going. “Take a left and keep driving. I’ll let you know when to turn next.” I do as he says, having no idea what to expect.

  The entire twenty minute drive, I try to think of where we could be heading. So far, we’ve passed all the town’s main attractions: the rolling rink, what few restaurants we have, and the small laser-tag arena no one over the age of ten goes to. I’ve run out of ideas and there are only a few more turns until we’re headed into the next town.

  “Take the next right and then our spot will be straight ahead,” Gibson says.

  The small beach I frequent comes into view and I smile at the sight of it. This is my happy place and I fall a little bit more for Gibson Mitchell because he brought me somewhere I love for our first date.

  I pull up in the grass running along the outside of the sand and Gibson gives my hand a squeeze. “Stay here for a couple minutes. I’ll be right back to get you.” He’s out of the car and hauling the cooler down the beach before I can form words. He disappears behind some trees as he heads toward the water. I don’t know what he has in store for us, but my nerves vanish the moment I realized where we are.

  Five minutes go by before Gibson comes running up the beach. He doesn’t have the cooler this time, so I assume he left it wherever he was. I get out of the truck just as he makes it to my door. Before either of us says anything, I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down for a long, hard kiss. Gibson wasn’t expecting it, but once he realizes this isn’t a small peck like the one he gave me in the car, he grabs me around the waist, pulls me to him, and walks me back until I feel the side of my truck behind me. His arms slide from around my back, up to my sides grazing the edge of my breast on the way, until he’s framing my face with his large hands.

  Gibson pulls back, breaking the kiss. He looks down at me and the two of us stare into each other’s eyes, not saying a word. My fingers run through the short strands on the back of his head, encouraging him to bring his lips back to mine. As much as I love looking into this man’s eyes, his lips are damn near intoxicating. Gibson shakes his head at me, resisting my efforts. Running his hands down the curve of my neck to my shoulder and then my arms, he removes them from his face.

  “I really did try, but you made it very difficult for me, baby,” he whispers against my lips.

  My head is still cloudy from our kiss, so it takes me a second to catch what he says. “What did I make difficult for you?”

  He smiles down at me and runs his thumb along my bottom lip. “I was trying to be good and wait until after our date to kiss you. Since we couldn’t have the traditional first kiss at the end of the night after last weekend, I thought I would still wait until after today to kiss you goodnight. But baby, I can only be a good guy for so long and you attacking me doesn’t help.”

  “Attacking you?” I gape. “I did not attack you.”

  He raises an eyebrow at me. “Oh yeah? I’m fairly certain I was strolling up here to grab my beautiful girl so we could enjoy a very platonic date.” I’m surprised he was able to say that entire sentence without laughing.

  “Platonic date my ass. We’ve already kissed, Gibson, you don’t have to be a gentleman now,” I say, pulling out of his grasp and turning toward the beach. “And if you really want to know the reason why I so called ‘attacked you’, it was because I was so grateful for this amazing guy who brought me to my special place for our first date. I guess you aren’t a fan of the way I say—” Gibson grabs my shoulders and twirls me around to face him, cutting me off. He bends down and plants a gentle kiss against my lips.

  The kiss is cut too short for me, much like the others we’ve shared. “I love the way you say thank you and I definitely think attacking should be the way you thank me for everything from now on, but I wanted this date to be perfect for you. For everything to happen like they do in those sappy movies you girls watch. The end of the night awkward kiss is a common factor in all of them.”

  Could it be possible for Gibson to make me swoon anymore? I would have never believed the guy who did everything he could to make this the perfect date for me was the same one arrested four months ago for stealing a car. The same man who had a life of partying and girls surrounding him. I never knew the Hollywood Gibson, and I’m thankful, but the Freedom Gibson is someone I could see myself falling in love with. And that thought scares the crap out of me.

  He places a feather-light kiss on my cheek and grabs my hand, pulling me toward the beach. “Let’s end this talk of thank you surprise kisses. I set everything up down by the water.” Set everything up? I glance toward the beach, wondering what he
has planned down there.

  We make our way toward the sand and the closer we get, I notice it, and my jaw unhinges at the sight before me. If bringing me to my favorite place wasn’t perfect enough, Gibson set up a cute little picnic by the water. The closer we get, the more I notice everything he put together. There are closed Tupperware containers next to two bottles of coke and what looks like chocolate covered strawberries. Did he look up the most romantic gestures to do on a date? If not, he definitely doubted his skills on charming a lady.

  Once we make it to the blanket, the faint sound of music playing in the background can be heard. I spot a stereo sitting in the corner, playing Don’t Look Back by Boston. Not exactly romantic first date music if you ask me, but I love that he’s playing his favorite band for us. It makes me feel closer to him.

  I wrap the hand that isn’t holding Gibson’s around my stomach and lean my head on his shoulder. “You outdid any first date I could have ever imagined. This is perfect.” I sign, taking in everything that Gibson did for me.

  Gibson places a kiss on the top of my head and squeezes my hand. “Google is very resourceful.”

  I can’t help but let out a laugh. I knew it! I don’t even care that he cheated. What he did is too perfect. “You’re amazing,” I tell him, still staring at the layout in front of me as tears prick the back of my eyes.

  I’ve never had someone go out of their way to do something so caring for me. Growing up, my brothers were my parents main focus. Being their coach, my dad usually set me and my needs on the backburner. He would be there if I needed him, but our relationship was never like the one he has with Jerry and Sean. My mom is more involved than my dad is when it comes to me, but she’s always busy going from planning one fundraiser to another for the school. It makes me sad to think about how much they truly don’t know about me and my dreams.

  The pad of his finger wipes at the tear escaping from my eye and I look up. Gibson looks at me, his brows scrunching together. “Baby, why are you crying? I thought you liked the surprise.” His usual deep comes out soft as he talks to me.

  I smile up at him, trying to stop more tears from coming. “I absolutely love what you’ve done. This is the best first date a girl could ask for. Thank you.” I grab his hand away from my face and stop him from wiping the tears. “I’ve never had someone do something so sweet for me before. That’s why I’m crying. You are the sweetest man I have ever met and you don’t even realize it.”

  “Only for you, princess, just for you.” He kisses the last tear on my cheek away. “Now, let’s get back to our date and try to keep the attacking and crying to a minimum. I don’t think the girls were this emotional in any of those chick flicks.” I smack him in the chest, but I’m still laughing.

  We make our way over to the blanket and he has what looks like pasta in the Tupperware containers. He remembered I love Italian food. This guy keeps getting better and better. Once we’re seated, Gibson starts dishing out the delicious smelling food. The pasta sauce looks homemade, but after the last time he cooked for me, I’m not sure I can trust it. After Gibson gets his plate full and begins chowing down, I put a little on my own plate. After playing with the noodles, I take a tentative bite, and moan at the explosion of flavor that hits my tongue.

  Gibson clears his throat and I look over at him and smile, hoping there isn’t any sauce stuck in my teeth. “This is really good. Did you make it?”

  He nods and swallows before he speaks. “Um, yeah. River’s mom told me how to make it when I called her. She made sure it was something simple I couldn’t mess up.”

  Thank you, River’s mom! “You have no idea how happy that makes me. After breakfast this morning, I didn’t think I would have been able to endure another one of your meals.” We both laugh.

  There isn’t much room to talk while the two of us stuff our faces, but I’m content to sit here and enjoy being with Gibson at my favorite place. Listening to the soft rock play in the background reminds me of my dad. He would always have eighties rock playing when he was in the backyard running drills with my brothers. My brothers always wanted to play more alternative rock like Five Finger Death Punch and Slipknot, and Dad told them they knew nothing about real music. They quickly learned forgoing their music meant less running for them.

  I take the last bite of pasta, regretting how much I ate, but the food was too good. Looking over to Gibson, he’s going in for seconds. How can guys eat so much and still stay fit? He sees my empty plate and asks if I want anymore. I shake my head. “I couldn’t eat another bite even if I wanted to. I’m stuffed.” I set the plate down and pat my bloated stomach.

  Gibson laughs around his fork. “Can’t hang with the big boys,” he says after he chews the food in his mouth.

  “Of course I can’t hang with the big boys. You have, like, eighty pounds on me. Really, you should be cutting back on the carbs. Wouldn’t want you to get out of shape,” I joke.

  “Out of shape? This is all muscle, baby. I need the carbs to maintain this figure.” He lifts his arm not holding the plate of food, flexes his bicep, and kisses it. I roll my eyes at his cockiness and reach for the coke on the other side of him, coming too close to his chest.

  “Princess, if you want an up close and personal look at my beautiful temple, all you have to do is ask.”

  “I’m thirsty, you dork.” The moment the words leave my mouth, I realize how they sounded. A huge smile crosses his face.

  “You make it too easy sometimes.” He shakes his head at me and continues to eat as I take a drink of my soda.

  While he’s finishing his food, I lay back and stare up at the darkening clouds above us. This is usually what I come to this spot to do. The sound of the water and the smell of saltwater makes me calm. Watching the sunset here is one of my favorite things. The colors are stunning right before everything goes dark and you can’t see the ocean anymore. Having Gibson here is even better. He’ll get to experience one of my favorites with me.

  “What are you smiling at down there?” I hadn’t realized I was, or that my eyes were closed. When I open them, Gibson is leaning above me, blocking my view of the sky. He looks beautiful with the colors of the sunset coming around him. Unable to stop myself, I take my hand and run it across his cheek. He’s too perfect not to touch. Gibson grabs my hand and places a kiss on the inside of my palm.

  “Because everything about right now is perfect,” I say.

  Gibson smiles down at me, eyes bright and glowing. “So, you’re enjoying your first date? I know we couldn’t go out anywhere, but I thought you would like this. I figured your favorite spot would be a good place for us to go.”

  “There’s nothing I can think of that would top this.” I lean up and plant a soft kiss on his lips. “Lay with me. I love staring up at the change of colors while the sun sets.” He moves our plates out of the way so we can lay side by side. I grab Gibson’s hand and interlace our fingers.

  After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Gibson says, “I see why you love this place so much. It’s peaceful.”

  I smile. He understands exactly why this is my favorite place. “It’s always been somewhere I can come to when I need to get away. It’s easy for me to clear my head here.”

  Gibson is quiet for a second and I think he may have fallen asleep. When I turn my head to look over at him, he’s staring at me. “What would you need to get away from?”

  “Sometimes you need a break from everything. I love this town and my family, but I’m tired of being known after my parents and brothers. I’m never Ronnie to anyone. I’m always Michael and Ann’s daughter and Jerry and Sean’s sister.”

  Gibson looks back up to the sky. “I get where you’re coming from. You never feel like you are your own person.”

  “Exactly. No one introduces me as Ronnie Hamilton, and if I go anywhere, all I ever hear is ‘Oh, look, it’s Hamilton’s daughter’. I love my dad, but I’d like for people to care about who I am. Know me for me.”

  “Or not hav
ing a negative label put on you right at birth because of who your parents are,” he spits out.

  I give his hand a squeeze. “The good thing is you’re not the guy those idiots write about in the stupid gossip magazines.”

  He looks over at me again, a frown replacing his usual smile. “But I was. I became what they labeled me at birth because I figured why even try. I could have been a straight A student all my life and never gotten into trouble, but I would still be the troubled kid because I’m the product of a guy who parties, drinks, and uses women, and a mother who is high more than sober. With parents like that, I was destined for a fucked up life.”

  Rolling onto my side, I lay my hand on Gibson’s cheek. “Look at the positive, you have the ability to change your future and you want to. Looks like we both have a goal to work toward.”

  “Yeah? What’s your goal for the future? You’ve read my paper, so you’re at an advantage.”

  It seems stupid to be nervous to tell him my goals, especially since he’ll be reading them in my paper, but I’ve only told Allen and while I’m sure Gibson will understand better than anyone, telling people makes the reality of having to tell my parents sink in further.

  “I want out of Freedom.” Smooth, Ronnie, just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “Wait, what I mean is I want more than what Freedom offers. My parents expect me to stay here and go to the local community college and that’s not what I want to do.”

  “What do you want?” he whispers.

  “A better life than the one my parents have. I love my town, but my dad has to work so hard and makes just enough to get us by. He’s not able to save much and what he does save is for my brother in case he doesn’t get a full football scholarship. School is something I’ve always loved and that’s why I want to go to a university that can teach me more than the small community college here.” I take a deep breath and let it out. “It’s also why I applied to the University of Northern Florida…and plan on going there next year.”