A Reason to Leave

by Melissa Ellen

  My breathing became erratic. I clenched my eyes closed as he slid me down his body once he was thigh high in the water. I clung to him, refusing to allow him to put me down now. I tightened my arms around his neck and my legs around his hips, hanging on for dear life, burying my face in his throat.

  “Princess,” he said softly. “Look at me.” I lifted my head at his encouraging tone. “I would never let anything happen to you. You trust me, right?”

  “Yes. But I don’t trust the sharks in the water.”

  He chuckled. “I’m going to go deeper now. I won’t let you go.”

  “Okay,” I released a deep inhale. Feeling braver with him holding onto me.

  He walked us further into the water. I flinched at the coldness as the salty water lapped up my lower body. Once he was waist high, he kissed me. His kiss was strong but sweet, firm but soft, making me forget all my fears as he lowered us into the ocean water.

  I was fully submerged from my chest down before he broke our kiss. His smile lit his face. He lowered his forehead to mine. “See. You did it. You’re safe.”

  A smile crept on my face, and I kissed him again. I was safe. Safe as long as he continued to hold me. There was a slimy brush along the side of my foot. I screamed. The thought of safety long forgotten.

  “Shit! There’s something in the water! Get me out! Get me out!” I panicked, trying and failing to climb further up his body.

  He didn’t move. He just laughed. Holding onto me tighter. “It’s probably just a fish or seaweed. Calm down.”

  “I don’t care!” Get me out!

  “Okay!” His amused laugh was unceasing. “We’ll move closer to the shore, but we aren’t getting out,” he commanded.

  I agreed. I would agree to anything, right now, if it meant he would get me closer to the safety of the sandy beach. I would just make another run for it once we got to shallower waters.

  When the water was at his calf I loosened my grip, preparing to run. He loosened his own grip, sliding me down his body. As soon as my feet were submerged in the water and touching the ocean floor, I twisted from his arms, bolting for the shore.

  I heard Liam’s laughter from behind as he splashed through the ocean chasing me. I screamed with laughter as his arms closed around my chest, wrestling us both down into the shallow water.

  “You’re evil!” I laugh-yelled. Struggling to free myself.

  “I told you, we’re staying in the water.”

  His laughter weakened my resolve. He rolled us in the shallow depths, inches from where the waves rolled onto the shore. He pinned me to my back as he straddled my hips. He stared down into my eyes with a carefree expression. His eyes shimmered with happiness.

  I relaxed. No longer able to struggle as I gazed up at him. His body glistened in the sunlight as the salt water dripped down the ripples of his strong, tan body. He released one of his hands from my wrist, running it through his wet hair to brush it back from his forehead.

  My heart fell deeper. An emotion I had never felt before flipped and tumbled in my stomach. Words formed on my lips that scared me. I choked them back.

  “You’re giving me that look, princess.”

  Afraid of what would come spilling out of my mouth, I didn’t respond verbally. I reached my one free hand up to his body, urging him. He lowered his body to mine, kissing me. I clung to the kiss. Kissing him desperately hard. Letting all the emotions within me filter through my lips.

  The rest of the day we rotated between splashing around in the water and laying out on the beach, soaking in the sun and each other while enjoying the company of our friends.

  The tension between Lexie and Jake continued to grow, but Dax kept her distracted. I tried a couple times to talk to her and make sure she was okay. But she would pretend that everything was fine, and there was nothing for me to worry about.

  As the sun started to set, Ethan and his buddies showed up to join us for the rest of the evening. They had spent the day surfing the waters. We now had a loud and rowdy group spread throughout our little campsite. I hung near Liam, Dax, Lexie and Ethan. We all visited and drank around the campfire while we waited for the fireworks to start.

  When the first burst of bright red, white, and blue filled and scattered in the sky, the hordes of people on the beach began to whistle and holler with excitement. Liam clasped my hand as our small clique flocked down the beach to get a better view of the show.

  The booms of the fireworks echoed around us. We all stood silently, watching the breathtaking display of color. Liam’s strong, tall body was folded over me from behind. I held onto his forearms, lolling my head back onto his chest. This moment…this day would forever be one of my most cherished memories.

  The fireworks ended and the crowd departed in various directions. Liam and I remained. The smoke cleared, leaving the sky lit with only the stars and the moon. Liam’s lips pressed against the top of my head. I closed my eyes, tightening my grasp around his arms. I breathed in the salty air around me that was mixed with the comforting smell of Liam.

  “Are you ready to go back?”

  I shook my head no.

  Liam loosened his grip, moving to sit down on the sandy beach. He pulled me down with him, settling me between his bent legs. I leaned back into his chest as he held me close. We sat in a comfortable silence just watching the waves roll onto the shore.

  “Princess?”

  “Hmm?” I responded lazily.

  “Will you tell me something?”

  “What do you want to know?”

  He waited a moment before he spoke again. “Who hurt you? What did they do?”

  Confused by his question I twisted in his arms. I could see a heaviness in his eyes. He was struggling with something.

  “It doesn’t matter anymore,” I said timidly.

  “It does to me.” He ran his fingers behind my ear, through my hair. I sighed, turning back around to face the water. I waited a moment, deciding how much to share with him as I watched the moon reflect across the black sea.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell him everything. It was more that I didn’t know what he was struggling with. I didn’t want to tell him anything that might persuade him to distance himself from me. I inhaled a deep breath, gathering strength and courage, hoping that by opening up to him, he would open up to me.

  “My ex-boyfriend and my ex-best friend,” I paused, closing my eyes, fighting back the resurfacing pain. “Our senior prom…I slept with him for the first time. He was my first. I…I thought I was in love with him, and I thought he loved me. He had tried many times before, but I always insisted I wanted to wait.

  “The night after prom, a classmate of ours threw a big house party. I didn’t go….it was one of those parties were everybody was there, getting wasted, celebrating the pending end of our high school careers….not really my thing.

  “But, it was my boyfriend’s and my friend’s thing. They were both there. They ended up hooking up and having sex that night.” Liam’s hold on me tightened. “Pictures of them making out were blasted all over social media…people tagging me, so I was sure to see it.”

  I could feel the rage start to roll off of him. I wished the story and pain had ended at the one night, but it didn’t. “It turned out I meant nothing to either of them. She was my friend since grade school, and I dated him for two years. He had pursued me for a year before that, so to find out that they only wanted to be seen with me to raise their own social standing, hurt. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen the hurtful things they would tweet about me afterwards. They never once apologized.”

  “I’m sorry, babe.”

  I shook my head, “I still don’t understand it. I mean…it was one thing for him. But she was my best friend. It’s hard for me to believe that our whole friendship was a lie. We went through a lot together. It just….it doesn’t make sense to me. Still.”

  He kissed my shoulder. We both sat speechless for a little longer. I tilted my head up to look a
t him.

  “Liam….will you tell me something?” I asked nervously. A brief worry passed through his eyes. “It can be whatever you want. Whatever you’re ready for.”

  He let out a heavy breath and nodded, “What do you want to know?”

  “Will you tell me who raised you after your parents died? Frankie told me he wasn’t really your uncle…,” I bit my lip with concerned anxiety. I didn’t want Liam to be angry with Frankie.

  “I was in foster care. My parents were both only children. My grandparents had passed away when I was younger.”

  “Were you adopted? Do you have adopted family?”

  “I was an older kid. Angry with the world after their death. Nobody was going to adopt a kid with issues.”

  I glanced down momentarily. My heart broke a little, knowing he had no family in his life. At least, not until Frankie. I looked back up at him, forcing the tears back that were forming in my eyes.

  “Don’t look at me like that, princess.”

  “Like what?” My voice cracked.

  “Like you feel sorry for me. I’m fine. I have Frankie, now. I don’t need legal documents or our blood to be the same. He’s my family.”

  “I know. And I’m glad you have him….but Liam…,” I rotated further in his arms, moving to kneel between his legs. I took his face between my hands, locking my eyes on his. I needed to make sure he heard me. That he saw me. “You have more than just Frankie. You have me.”

  He placed his hands over mine, removing them from his face. He held them in my lap. “Val, I have a lot of shit to work through still. I want to be someone who can take care of you.”

  “I don’t need you to support me. If you hadn’t noticed, my family has basically set me up for life,” I grinned sheepishly.

  He released a quiet chuckle, “I’m not talking financially, princess.” He paused. His intense eyes pierced mine. “I want to be able to take care of you - mind, body and soul.”

  My heart resounded in my chest. His words washed over me, clarifying all the unrecognizable emotions I had been feeling. I loved Liam Stone. I loved him with my whole being - mind, body and soul.

  The realization scared me, yet it made me feel safe. There were still things about his past that were a mystery to me. But somehow those things didn’t matter. I trusted him. I trusted him more than anyone I had ever trusted.

  Needing him to feel me. I demolished the inches that stood achingly between us, throwing myself on top of him. He fell back into the sand, wrapping his arms around me, kissing me with a new determination.

  CHAPTER 13

  The rest of the summer was consumed with my auditions, work and Liam’s concerts. I went to as many of his shows as I possibly could. Knowing when school started, I would have less time to attend. The start of my last semester of school was only a week away.

  Liam and I had planned to spend the next couple of days together. Just the two of us. He had somewhere he wanted to take me for a short getaway. He refused to tell me where. Which drove me completely nuts - how was a girl supposed to know what to pack? But I tried to hide that fact.

  The only detail he gave was that it was one of his favorite places to go growing up. He was sharing another small piece of his past with me. It made me believe he was beginning to heal from whatever plagued him.

  We were leaving as soon as my shift was over at work. He would be picking me up from Sweet Beans. The only downside of the trip was leaving Lexie alone over the next couple days. She and Jake had broken up recently. Again.

  She assured me she was fine. That this time was different. She did appear to be handling this break up better. For once, it was her who had broken things off with him. It seemed she’d had enough of his mind games.

  “Okay,” I said, walking back behind the counter, “all the tables are cleaned and the condiments are restocked.” I untied my apron, folding it up before setting it below the counter.

  “Thanks. Liam’s coming to pick you up, right?” Lexie asked.

  “Yeah, he should be here any minute...Are you sure you don’t want me to stay? We could have a girls’ night. Eat sushi and get drunk off martinis while we watch chick flicks.”

  She rolled her eyes with a shake of her head. “I hate chick flicks. I only watch them because you love them,” she smirked. I rolled my eyes, knowing that was a lie. She just refused to admit it. “And I told you. I’m good. I don’t need you to babysit me.”

  “I’m not saying you do. I just thought I would throw it out there…since we hadn’t done that in a while.”

  She turned away from me, moving to wipe down the coffee bar counter. “We can do that when you get back. Besides, I know you’ve been looking forward to this trip with Liam.” She glanced over her shoulder at me, giving me a small smile, “Plus I have plans.”

  “What plans?”

  “I have a date.” She shrugged an apathetic shoulder.

  I raised an eyebrow at her. “With who?!”

  “Doesn’t matter. The point is, you need to quit worrying about me,” she said, avoiding my eyes. Which only made me more curious.

  Before I could demand she tell me who, Liam walked through the door. “Looks like your ride is here.” She gave me a big smile, knowing she just dodged my interrogation. As happy as I was to see the gorgeous man walking towards me dressed in his standard ensemble of jeans and a t-shirt, I was wishing I had a few moments longer alone with Lexie to force information out of her.

  “Hey, Liam,” Lexie said cheerfully, relieved by the interruption.

  “What’s up, Lexie?” He leaned his forearms on the counter across from her as I grabbed my purse from under the counter.

  “Not much. Just trying to make sure your girlfriend doesn’t back out on this trip you have planned for her.”

  His brow furrowed, “Back out?”

  “I wasn’t trying to back out,” I threw her an annoyed glare as I stepped up beside Liam. “I just felt bad for abandoning my roommate all the time. Excuse me, for trying to be a good friend.”

  Liam stood, straightening his tall frame, putting his arm around my shoulder. “Do you want to stay? We can do this another time.”

  “No!” Lexie yelled abruptly. “You two get the hell outta here. I have plans. I don’t need you around ruining them.” She threw her hands on her hips.

  I rolled my eyes at her. “She has a date.”

  “A date?”

  “Yes a mystery date she refuses to tell me about.”

  Liam’s brow furrowed deeper in thought with some kind of understanding passing across his facial features. “Seriously you two. Leave now. Before I throw you out,” Lexie demanded.

  “Fine. We’re going,” I said, grabbing Liam’s arm, pulling him with me towards the door. “I’ll see you in a couple days, and I expect details when I get back.”

  She shook her head, laughing. “You two have fun.” She waved us off.

  “Are you going to tell me where we’re going, yet?” I asked Liam as I catalogued another road sign that we drove passed on the 210. I was trying to determine our mystery destination by our route. Besides the fact we were heading East, I had no idea. The state of California was huge, especially compared to my tiny home state of New York.

  His mouth twitched with a smile. “You can’t stand it, can you?”

  I shrugged, feigning disinterest. “Just trying to make conversation to kill the time.”

  “I can think of other ways to kill the time,” he smirked. His hand skirted up my thigh, under the summer dress I had chosen to wear.

  “Focus on the road, rock star,” I smiled smugly. “There will be plenty of time for that later.”

  He laughed. “Is that a promise?” He glanced between me and the road.

  “I think we both know it’s a guarantee.”

  “You’re right. I don’t plan on letting you leave the bed other than for necessities. I’ve had dirty thoughts all day long and every one of them has been inspired by you.”

  I blushed. I loved
that he thought about me when we were apart. I was more than happy to see his plan through.

  “Don’t pretend you haven’t been having the same thoughts, princess,” he teased me.

  I grinned, shaking my head in dismay. The need within me was growing, and his hand was moving dangerously close to where I needed him. I intertwined my fingers with his hand, stopping his progression.

  “Focus,” I commanded again.

  “Oh, I’m focused,” he smirked mischievously, glancing to the side at me as he tried to move his hand north again.

  “On the road!” I laughed, nodding my head towards the road in front of us. He lifted our locked fingers to his mouth, kissing the back of my hand, chuckling to himself.

  After about an hour of driving, we changed directions and roads, headed north into the mountains. In less than an hour we were pulling into Big Bear Lake. Liam turned onto a narrow, winding, dirt road absent of a road sign that was shaded by the canopy of the tall trees that lined the roadway.

  The sunlight filtered through the forest, creating an enchanting ambiance. My stomach fluttered with the suspense. The trees opened up as we neared the end of the road, reaching our final destination. My eyes widened. A modest but well-kept secluded log cabin sat facing a piece of the lake.

  The cabin was wrapped with a covered wooden deck that gave you breathtaking views of the lake and mountains beyond. It was a little piece of serenity within the forest.

  Liam slowed the car, pulling it under a carport before putting it in park. He glanced over at me, studying my expression carefully. I locked my eyes with his.

  “We’re here,” he finally said, breaking our silence.

  “Where’s here, exactly?” I didn’t have to explain that I wasn’t asking geographically. He understood my line of questioning.

  “My family’s cabin…..my cabin.” His face dropped as he corrected himself.

  I reached my hand across the car to rest it on his thigh in comfort. “It’s beautiful,” I spoke softly.

  He gave me a small smile, laying his hand over mine, squeezing it lightly before opening his car door to exit. I sat back, taking a deep breath, knowing this was a big step for him. I needed to be the strong one this weekend. I needed to be strong for him. Being here was likely going to stir up some memories. The fact he was sharing this with me meant a lot.