He moved his hands to get some more speed, which worked.
But as the wave lifted up, along with the board, Flynn was suddenly confused on what to do next.
“He doesn’t like the water,” Leo said. “No matter what shit he’s ever talked, he doesn’t like the water at all.”
“He’ll learn,” Emma said.
“I can’t watch,” Charlotte said.
“Yet you won’t look away,” Kailey said.
Flynn made his move. He jumped up on the board, which wasn’t all that bad.
But then the wave took him for a ride.
“My board!” Britt yelled and she started to run toward the water.
Flynn never strapped the board to his ankle.
The board went one way and Flynn went the other. He smacked the water so hard all of us let out an ooohhh sound. His feet stuck up out of the water for a second and then were gone.
And then Flynn never came back up out of the water.
I waited a few seconds before stepping forward.
“Hey,” I said. “He’s…”
“Shit,” Leo said.
“Flynn!” Charlotte yelled.
She started to run, arms flailing, almost tripping with every third step.
I looked at Elijah and he was the only one who sprang into real action.
He ran faster than Charlotte and didn’t hesitate for a second as he threw his phone behind him and stepped out of his shoes. He dove into the water and swam to where Flynn had gone in.
“Oh, fuck, this is real,” Emma said.
“Did he get hurt?” Aira asked.
“Fuck,” Wes said. “Let’s go.”
We all ran toward the water now.
Elijah went under and popped up a second later with Flynn in his arms.
My heart feared the worst but Flynn was moving perfectly fine. Coughing like crazy. Looking around all confused.
And then…
Something I never thought I’d see in my life.
Elijah stood up and carried Flynn out of the water. Like it was some romantic action movie and the hero was saving the girl from drowning.
“I’m okay!” Flynn yelled.
He gave a thumbs up.
“You idiot!” Charlotte yelled.
“Love you too!” Flynn yelled back.
“You’re letting another dude carry you out of the water,” Kailey said. “Not a good look.”
When Elijah was out of the water, he let Flynn go, dropping him to the ground.
He stepped over Flynn and looked right at me.
“Thanks,” Flynn said.
“Nice job, Elijah,” Kailey said.
Elijah was back in no talking mode.
Until he got close enough to me.
“Hey, babe,” he said.
“Hey,” I said. “You’re soaking wet.”
“I know. I just saved some douchebag from drowning.”
“The bad boy becomes the hero,” I said.
“Maybe I was never a bad boy to begin with,” Elijah said.
“Now that’s a complete and total lie,” I said.
“How much do you hate me, babe?” Elijah asked.
“Scale of one to ten? Four.”
“What about now?”
Elijah quickly hugged me, his soaking wet clothes making my clothes wet in a second.
I let out a scream and he stepped back.
“One to ten,” he said.
“Fifty,” I said.
“Then my work here is done,” he said.
Elijah opened his arms and stepped back.
He really didn’t give a shit that everyone that hated him was watching him. Or that I was once again putting my friendships at risk for him.
I moved toward him.
I grabbed his wet shirt.
“Elijah… take me to your car, right now.”
* * *
To get dry clothes.
That part of my sentence I left out until we were at his car.
Lucky for me I was wearing a tank top under my shirt, and that didn’t get really damp at all from Elijah’s ocean laced hug.
I took that shirt off and threw it into the backseat of his car.
I demanded a hoodie and he gave me one.
As I put it over my head, I slowed on purpose to take in the smell of him. Such a cheap thing to do, but one thing I knew was that the smell of Elijah never hurt me. Elijah himself… that was a different story. But that smell of him…
I let out a sigh as I pulled the hoodie all the way over my head.
I gasped when I saw Elijah push his shorts down right there in the open.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Getting changed,” he said. “Do you mind?”
He dropped his shorts, leaving his bare butt showing.
I looked back to the beach and nobody seemed to notice.
Elijah grabbed a pair of pants and stepped into them.
Then he added a black t-shirt and he was done.
It pissed me off that guys had it so easy like that.
He left the wet clothes in the backseat of the car and shut the door.
“So… are we leaving or staying?” he asked.
“You really don’t care being near everyone?”
“Why would I? Because they hate me? Because they judge me? Doesn’t bother me at all. Half the shit they say is true and half isn’t. And half lies aren’t going to hurt me.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” he said.
“Where’s Cecily?”
“What? Why are you worried about her?”
“Not worried. Just asking.”
“Why?”
“You’re her father,” I said. “I don’t know if you should be leaving your daughter for me.”
Elijah nodded. “As if I need another reason to fall in love with you, babe. You never have to worry about Cecily. Or what I’m doing with her. But since you asked… I worked something out with Rory. I made it very clear what I was doing tonight. That I was going to be with you. And it was her turn to watch Cecily so I could go out. And tomorrow I’ll take Cecily so she could do whatever she wants. It’s time we figured this out for real. Come up with a plan and schedule. Meaning… I’m not going to be with Rory. Not that I ever wanted to be with her, babe. Okay?”
I took the words and tucked them away. I slowly nodded. “That doesn’t answer how it’s all going to work.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Elijah said. “Just because she and I have a kid together doesn’t mean we have to be together. I know who I love. That’s all that counts.”
“You can’t fucking abandon her, Elijah,” I said. “You can’t forget about her. You can’t just come and go when you feel like it.”
He gently touched my face and brushed his thumb across my lips. “Shut up, babe.”
“Excuse me?”
“Shut. Up.”
I swung my hands to knock his hands away from my face.
He quickly put his hands back to my face.
I grinned. “Elijah…”
“It’s just us now, babe,” he whispered. “We get to forget everything else.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked. “Then let’s go down to the beach and celebrate.”
“Want me to carry around more of Wes’s boyfriends?”
I laughed. “That was pretty funny to see.”
“Then let’s go,” he said.
Elijah didn’t even kiss me.
Instead, he turned and started to run toward the beach.
So I ran after him.
Right to the group of people who didn’t like or trust him. The same group that I wasn’t sure how they felt about me.
“Change of clothes,” Britt said. “I know what that means.”
“Yeah, we were wet,” I blurted out.
“I’m sure you were,” Kailey said.
“I can smell the jealousy coming off of you,” Elijah said. “Or maybe that’s the cheap perfume. Hope you can attra
ct anyone with a pulse to sleep with you.”
“Oh, that’s so funny,” Kailey said. “How will I ever get through the night now? Elijah insulted me. Hold me, Charlotte.”
Kailey fell into Charlotte’s arms.
“I’m okay with this,” Flynn said.
“You sure about that?” Elijah asked.
Flynn curled his lip. “What does that mean?”
“All I’m saying…,” Elijah said, shrugging her shoulders. “He either had a seashell in his pocket or he was really excited that I was carrying him.”
They all laughed.
Charlotte even joined in on the fun. “You know, you haven’t been paying attention to me lately. Or what used to be your favorite parts.”
“What? Wait a second…”
Flynn was suddenly flustered.
“Brilliant,” Leo said. “Now can we forget who wants to fuck who for a second and just have a drink?”
“Best news I’ve heard all day,” Emma said.
It took all of five minutes for us to pick a better spot on the beach, build a fire, and start passing around something to drink. Of course, Elijah being Elijah, he walked back to his car to get something for himself.
He kept his distance from the rest of the group but I was surprised that nothing happened. I couldn’t keep calm so I just kept drinking. I figured eventually it would have no choice but to calm me.
As day turned to night, Charlotte cuddled with Flynn next to the fire. His hands kept moving to her chest and she kept pushing his hands away. I guess Flynn really needed to prove himself.
Aira and Wes were on a blanket together next to the fire, facing each other.
And as always there was Leo and Emma. The tough protectors of the group, randomly talking or just sitting in complete silence.
Kailey was down near the water, drink in one hand, phone in the other hand.
Britt was next to her.
I sat in the sand next to Elijah as he smoked a cigarette.
“My mom cheated on my father,” I said.
“What?” he asked.
“She told me earlier. After I saw you. I think I’m drunk right now.”
“That’s okay, babe. I’ll get you back to Cherry’s safe tonight. I haven’t had anything to drink. So you just keep doing your thing. And keep talking about your mother. This is crazy. How did you turn out so normal with your parents being so fucked up?”
“You think I’m normal?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“I’m in love with you, Elijah. That’s not normal.”
“Ouch,” he said. “That was a cheap shot.”
“Oh well.” I laughed. “Um, yeah, my mother though. She’s trying to make sense of what’s happening. She had an affair with someone who wasn’t rich and got scared of having to work. So she got my father to forgive her.”
“So this is his version of forgiveness,” Elijah said. “That’s…”
His voice trailed off as he looked at me.
My mother kept going back for more because it was all she knew and loved.
Tell me I’m not doing the same thing with Elijah?
“Hey,” I whispered. “Let’s go for a walk to those rocks over there. Alone.”
Elijah popped up and offered his hand to me.
He helped me to my feet and I steadied myself. Proving that I was feeling it but I was still okay.
Elijah flicked his cigarette away and we trotted across the sand together, laughing for some reason. Or for no reason at all. Just the two of us, free and together, charging through the uneven sand. Me drunk. Elijah sober. Me having a hard time getting my footing. Elijah’s hands forever touching me as he kept me from falling and eating the sand.
When we got to the large rocks, Elijah kept going.
He took my hand and pulled me to the other side of the rocks.
“There,” he said. “Nobody can see us now.”
“Ashamed to be seen with me?” I teased.
“No, babe, I just have other intentions.”
“Oh yeah?”
Elijah wasted no time in kissing me.
He pushed me up against the rocks and kissed me with all those intentions pouring from him.
His left hand moved to my lower back, cutting under his hoodie and my shirt.
When his right hand touched the top of my shorts, I let out a gasp into his mouth.
“Yes, babe,” he whispered as he kissed me. “It’s been too fucking long…”
Elijah had no idea what that meant to me.
His sober hand knew how to move fast. Much faster than my drunk mind. But my body… it knew exactly what was happening and why.
My hips rocked forward and back as Elijah slipped his right hand down the front of my body. My toes curled hard into the sand, each little piece digging between my toes. My left hand moved forward but skipped touching Elijah’s busy hand. Instead, I grabbed for the pocket of his jeans and pulled at him.
Elijah broke the kiss and put his forehead to mine.
Towering over me, leaving me feeling protected… and really really fucking good.
His fingers playfully danced against my body and inside my body. Moving faster as he slowly inched his lips closer to mine. I then had both hands gripped tight against the pockets of his jeans, feeling myself unable to calm myself or control myself. The sound of the ocean. The feel of the sand on my feet. The smell of the salty, cool air and the smell of Elijah’s cigarette laced breath was more than I could take. With everything happening around me, this was the one good moment I could hold onto.
And there was no stopping it as a different kind of wave began to build and crest.
I shut my eyes and felt Elijah’s tongue brush against my bottom lip.
My knees decided they were no longer needed and I began to melt into Elijah’s touch. He held me close and kept his lips against mine even though we didn’t kiss. Instead, I made noises into his mouth. Nobody could see us and nobody could hear me. The rocks kept me hidden and the ocean drowned out the noises.
It was fucking perfect.
Elijah and I were fucking perfect together.
I wanted to be like the ocean with him.
And just keep going… forever…
Chapter 16
Elijah
“I want to fucking fight you, man.”
I felt someone push at my back.
As I turned, I made sure my right fist was ready just in case.
Flynn stood a foot away from me, nodding.
“What?”
“I want to fucking fight you,” Flynn said. “I’m going to drop you.”
Normally I would have already swung.
But I was in a decent mood.
I had Nova all over me all night. I had snuck her away to the rocks and made sure she knew how I felt about her. Each time I looked at her after that, her cheeks turned red. And I knew it was only a matter of time before I took her home to Cherry’s and finished the night the right way in bed with her.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Leo asked Flynn.
Everyone was drunk except myself and Wes.
Of all people, right?
Wes broke away from Aira and got involved.
He pushed at Flynn’s chest. “You know he’s going to knock you out, right? I’m surprised he didn’t do it already.”
“Just ignore him,” Leo said to me.
“Can’t do that,” I said. “Ears don’t forget.”
“Then cover your fucking ears,” Leo said.
I set my sights on Leo. “Whiskey muscles, huh?”
“I don’t need whiskey for muscles, Elijah,” Leo said.
“I’ll fight him,” Emma called out. She started to dance left to right in the sand, throwing punches. “Come on, Elijah. Come try and break my heart.”
“Emma,” Nova said. “What the hell?”
“I started this,” Flynn said. “Fuck you all. Let me do this. He made fun of me. In front of Charlotte.”
I looked at Charlo
tte. “You tell him to do this?”
“No,” she said.
“And you want him to fight me?”
“I don’t know,” she said.
“Charlotte,” Kailey said. “Tell him to stop. He’s going to get hurt!”
“Oh, so Flynn’s a pussy?” Charlotte asked.
“Who called me a pussy?” Flynn asked.
“Your girl did,” I said.
“I’ll kill you!” Flynn yelled. He jumped forward and Wes held him back.
“This is hot,” Britt said.
She was crazy. And I mean fucking crazy.
“Wes, let him go,” I said.
“No,” Wes said.
“Wes, if you don’t let him go, I’m hitting you,” I said.
“You know what?” Wes asked. “Fuck it.”
Wes pushed away from Flynn and walked away shaking his head.
Flynn dove at me, swinging his arms like some inflatable thing in the wind.
I swung my foot and tripped him down to the sand.
Of course all the girls laughed.
That pissed Flynn off even more.
He hurried to his feet and I hooked my arms into his.
“You can hit me once,” I said to him. “To look good in front of your girl. Deal?”
“Fuck you,” Flynn said. “I wasn’t drowning. You didn’t need to carry me like that. I was fine.”
“You weren’t fine, you moron,” I said.
I pushed Flynn away.
He tried to punch me but missed again.
I sighed.
This was where I needed to just knock him out. But I didn’t want to do that.
Flynn came at me again and I took him down to the sand again.
This time he took a handful of sand and threw it at me.
It hit my leg.
I stepped forward and put my foot to his chest.
Flynn’s eyes went wide.
I slid my foot up to his throat.
“Are we done?” I asked.
Flynn didn’t answer.
I added more pressure.
Flynn winced and grabbed my leg.
“Are we fucking done?” I asked again.
Flynn started tapping my leg, giving up.
“Let him go, dirtbag!” Charlotte yelled.
I turned and saw Charlotte coming for me.
Before I could move, Nova appeared, dropping her shoulder, and tackling Charlotte to the sand.
“Holy shit,” Leo said.
HIDDEN CREEK CRY: a hidden creek high noval Page 18
