Anywhere With You

by Danielle Jamie

  Slowly, our kiss comes to an end as Killian pulls his lips away from mine. I finally will myself to open my eyes and look up at him.

  “Stay.” I tell him as he begins to back away from me.

  This isn’t me but desperation is making me be spontaneous.

  Killian lets out a defeated sigh as he says, “The asshole in me really wants to stay here tonight and take this as far as we can possibly go, but you deserve more than that. It will only make me leaving tomorrow hurt more for you. Normally, I wouldn’t care but you’re different, Summer. I want to do this right.”

  My eyes begin to sting again as tears I’m trying so hard to not allow to escape well up in my eyes once again. I’m trying my best to blink them away. I can’t cry in front of him. I can’t let him see I’m hurting. I want us to part ways with smiles on our faces, not with tears in our eyes.

  I bring my fingers to my lips that are still tingling from our kiss and smile against them before folding my arms against my chest. “Thanks again for tonight. I had a lot of fun, and I’ll definitely keep in touch with you while you’re on the road. I loved watching you tonight. I know that everyone else you meet these next few weeks will love watching you perform too. You’re seriously talented and deserve to chase your dreams wherever they take you.”

  He takes a step back towards me, grabs my arms, and pulls me towards him before planting a soft kiss to my forehead as he replies, “Thank you, Summer. I’ll be back. I promise.”

  As soon as I hear the words, ‘I promise,’ my stomach tightens into a knot making me feel nauseous. I hate that I’m doubting him when he has been nothing short of amazing to me. I won’t let him leaving get me down. We’re both young with the world at our fingertips. Call me crazy, but for once in my life, I actually believe that this is a promise that won’t be broken.

  As Killian is disappearing out my front door, I walk into the living room and yell to him just before he shuts the door, “Killian!” He stops when he hears his name and turns around to look at me. The wind is blowing his dark hair around beneath his ball cap as he leans against my doorway and stares at me with a look of hope twinkling in his eyes as I say, “I’ll wait for you.-Just promise me you won’t break my heart in the process.”

  I’m revealing my utmost vulnerability to another person for the first time in my life and it’s absolutely terrifying.

  “I’m going to try as hard as I can to make sure that never happens. My next stop is Riverside and then I’ll be hitting the road and heading to Phoenix, Arizona. I’ll try to catch up with you between those two stops if you want,” he says flashing me a nervous smile. “I heard tomorrow’s going to be a great day for surfers. Something about killer waves or some shit. So I want you to spend tomorrow at the beach, tearing up those waves showing them who’s boss and not allow yourself for one single second to be sad. Okay?”

  I can’t help but find myself falling for him even more with each passing second that he stands here in my doorway. A soft chuckle leaves my lips as I take in this rough looking rocker dude talking about surfing. I love that he’s made me smile when all I want to do is cry. For a few moments I’ve forgotten how sad I am that he’s leaving.

  “I will.”

  Grabbing the doorknob, he gives me a weak smile and says, “Goodbye, Wild Summer.”

  Hearing him call me by my mother’s nickname sends a shiver down my spine. I haven’t had anyone call me that in years. I don’t realize until I hear him say it how much I’ve missed it.

  I wave like an idiot at him with a small goofy grin on my lips while I reply, “Bye, Killian,” before watching as he shuts the door and disappears from my life as quickly as he blew into it.

  Chapter Eight

  It’s been three days since Killian left Newport Beach. Rosie told me he stopped by for coffee Sunday morning and left his number with her. She told me it was in her desk if I want it. Of course I want his number. I want to talk to him but I think giving us a few days to let our minds wrap around everything is needed. It’s been driving me crazy knowing it’s in the diner and that all I need to do is waltz in there, grab it, and text him to see how he’s been, but I’m really nervous.

  I know it’s stupid but I keep thinking, What if he’s already moved on? Was everything he said was just a load of B.S.?

  I’m on my way to the beach right now to surf with Mila since I have the day off. She’s been pushing me to stop worrying so much and just text him already. She keeps saying, “What’s the worst that could happen? He found a new girl to swoon over him for a few days? Big deal. You only knew him for two days. Better to have it happen now and not a year later like with Noel.”

  She doesn’t get it. Sure I liked Noel. He was my first and only boyfriend since moving to California. We had fun together. When he left to pursue acting, of course it hurt, and I hated seeing my relationship crumble but I wasn’t devastated. I moved on with my life because I’ve been through worse. That was just a minor bump in the road. But with Killian, it’s different.

  If I try to explain to her what I’m feeling, she’ll have a field day picking on me because... come on...I think I fell in love with a guy the instant I met him? No one really believes in love at first site. That only happens in Disney movies. Not real life.

  Walking down the stairs with my surfboard over my head, we head towards the road to cross and head down to the beach. Mila eyes me then the diner as she tells me, “Go grab that damn phone number, stop being a chicken shit, and text Killian.”

  Sighing, I stand my board up next to me and force my eyes to look from the beach across the street over to the entrance of the diner as I reply, “Fine. I’ll grab his number but I’m not texting him yet. I don’t want to come off as clingy. It’s only been three days.”

  I set my board against the side of the diner and head inside, leaving Mila outside waiting for me. I wave hello to Rosie and a few of our regulars who take in the site of me in a bikini and board shorts. I rummage through the side drawer of Rosie’s desk for what feels like forever before finding a yellow post it note that says Killian and his phone number. I stuff it into my beach tote hanging off of my shoulder and head back outside to Mila.

  “You got it?” She asks as I round the corner of the building.

  “Yup,” I tell her nonchalantly as I prop my board back on top of my head and start walking back over to the crosswalk.

  I hear Mila’s feet coming up beside at a fast pace as the light changes to walk as she lectures me, saying “You can be stubborn all you want, but you’re going to text him tonight, Summer. Even if I have to force you to. I bet you anything he’s impatiently awaiting your text to come through. I can tell this dude has it bad for you, which is pretty insane seeing ya just met. Though if a hottie like him wants you, I say go for it girlfriend. Like we say every time we paddle into a wave: Go big or go home, baby!”

  I reluctantly agree to text Killian after we leave the beach, which Mila holds me to of course. After a few hours of surfing, we call it day and head back to my place to clean up and go out to eat. I’m blow drying my hair when I spot Mila out of the corner of my eye standing in the bathroom doorway with my phone in one hand and the yellow post it in the other.

  “Your hair was dry five minutes ago. Stop stalling and text the poor guy already!” She shouts at me as she yanks the plug out of the wall.

  Snatching the paper and my phone out of her hand, I walk around her and head back into the living room where I plop down onto my futon couch. Blue jumps up, curling into a ball on my lap, as I add Killian into my contacts.

  With shaky hands, I type out a text. I’m so nervous right now that I feel nauseous.

  Me:

  Hey! It’s Summer. Hope your road trip is going well. :)

  I stare at the text for a few seconds as I work up the courage to hit send. Finally I send it and feel a rush of excitement when I notice it says read and a grey bubble appears showing he’s texting back.

  “Oh my God. He’s texting back already,”
I blurt out as Mila plops down beside me.

  I squeal with surprise and excitement as a text from him pops up. Followed by a picture of him standing in front of a sign that says Welcome to Riverside, California.

  Killian:

  Hey, Stranger. I was beginning to think maybe you tossed my digits in the trash. LOL. I made it to Riverside Sunday afternoon. Had my show last night it was off the chain. Crowd was really welcoming. I’m on the road again right now. How’s my favorite surfer chick? I hope you haven’t been working 2 hard.

  Mila is leaning practically on top of me, reading the text as I read it too. “Damn, girl. He looks even hotter than he did when he was here. Must be the whole distance thing. It’s making him appear even hotter, which I didn’t think was even possible! Did you ever get his last name so we can stalk his hot ass online?”

  Setting my phone on my lap, I glance at her before bringing my gaze back to the phone as I decide what to text back as I state, “He does look good. I can’t help but think what has he been doing since Sunday night? Has he been flirting with girls there like he was with me here? I hate this feeling. This isn’t me. I’m Happy Summer. The girl who always has a smile on her face and doesn’t take life seriously. This guy has my thoughts going crazy inside my head. He never gave me his last name. He’s so damn secretive...always saying cryptic things. Sure it makes him appear mysterious and even more attractive, but it's also sending red flags flying.”

  Popping her gum, Mila sits back against the sofa, scooping Blue up onto her lap and comments, “You’re definitely stressing way too much. You need a freaking chill pill, chick. You must really like this dude because I’ve never seen you so torn up like this over a guy.”

  I begin typing a quick reply back, trying to keep my response short and to the point so I don’t come off as some crazy, rambling chick.

  Me:

  That’s so awesome to hear! Mila & I just got back from surfing actually. Now we r heading out for some dinner on the beach.

  “There. I texted him. Now let’s go eat. I’m starving to death after all that surfing. I need a distraction from Killian, so if you can, please don’t bring him up again tonight. I’m stressing myself out over thinking everything. I think a chill night mini golfing or something will be the perfect remedy.”

  Slapping her hand on my thigh Mila grins at me, “I’m the queen of distraction! My high school teachers can back me up on that. Don’t you fret for one second chick—we’re going to have a fun filled night of stuffing our faces with delicious fried food and mini golf!”

  Climbing off of the couch, I grab Blue’s leash and hook it onto her collar. Grabbing her little doggy stroller by the front door, I hand it to Mila to carry down the stairs for me while I carry Blue. After getting Blue situated in her stroller, we head down the street to the same sea side restaurant Killian and I ate at our first night together. My attempts to not think about him are epic fails as every inch of this damn beach reminds me of him.

  We spent the next three hours out eating and playing mini golf before finally deciding to call it a night and head back to my place. I left my phone in my living room because I didn’t want to give into the temptation to continue talking to Killian all night when I’m attempting to not think about him.

  As we’re crossing the street back towards my apartment, I spot a sleek black SUV parked beside my van and Mila’s Jetta.

  “Is that? No...it can’t be?” Mila asks grabbing my arm as we quicken our pace making it to the other side of the street in record time.

  I whip my head towards her with my eyes big and full of shock. My heart is racing so fast against my chest I feel as if I just ran a marathon. My stomach is twisting with nervous excitement as I try to wrap my head around the possibility he’s actually here.

  “It looks like Killian’s car, but that’s impossible. He’s supposed to be on the road to Phoenix right now for his show there this weekend.”

  I’m doing everything I can to calm myself down and not allow myself to get my hopes up. It’s more than likely a tourist stopping by the diner for an evening dinner as they pass through town.

  All doubts vanish into thin air as we round the diner and get to the stairs leading up to my apartment. My heart skips a beat as I look at the stairs and lock eyes with Killian’s as he stares back down at me. He’s sitting on the top step strumming his fingers softly against his knee as he hums a song softly. The moment his eyes catch mine, he stops and stands before bouncing down the stairs. Within seconds, we’re face to face again for the first time in three days but it feels as if it’s been an eternity.

  “Killian?” I blurt out as the reality of him standing here before me sinks in.

  His intense gaze has haunted my dreams since he left. His sexy crooked grin is always there when I close my eyes, making me miss him more and more with every passing second. Now he’s here standing in front of me and I can’t help but feel the urge to pinch myself so I can prove I’m awake.

  Reaching out, he brushes his fingers gently against my cheek that is now flushed from the shock and excitement of discovering him here. “Summer,” is all he says as he cups my cheek in his hand and pulls my mouth up to his for a very delicious, and insanely hot hello kiss.

  I’m most definitely not dreaming. He’s here...back in Newport Beach...back for me.

  Chapter Nine

  Mila was as stunned as I was to see Killian at my apartment. She knew we’d have a lot to talk about so she said goodbye and headed back to her and Rick’s place. Now we’re sitting in my apartment curled up on my futon with the television on low but neither of us are watching it. I changed into a pair of pajama shorts and tank top because it’s very warm tonight and, with no air conditioning, we have to settle on a fan in my living room window to keep us cool.

  Killian tried to stay in his jeans and shirt, but finally after five minutes, he gave in and is now lying on my couch in his briefs and nothing else. It’s very hard keeping my mind out of the gutter as I take in his body. He’s not bulky in an overly gym rat kind of way we see a lot of here in Southern California, but lean and toned all over. There isn’t an inch of him that isn’t muscle. I spot a tattoo of script down the back of his left forearm but can't make out what it says. All I know is it’s only making him appear even sexier.

  I take a sip of my sweet tea as I tuck my legs under myself, shifting to face him. We’ve stuck to small talk while we get undressed. Now it’s time for me to get the answers I’m looking for. First being, why is he here?

  “So...what are you doing back here so soon? I thought you were on your way to Phoenix?” I ask, trying to appear as relaxed as possible. The last thing I want is for him to see exactly how nervous and bursting with excitement I am over him being back.

  Reaching out, he traces circles on my knee with his fingertips, making my body hum as I feel that all too familiar spark shoot between us as his skin connects with mine as he replies, “I was heading to Phoenix then I found myself turning around and heading back here. It was funny actually because I was on my way here to surprise you when I got your text. I was almost certain you were blowing me off because you convinced yourself I was full of shit when I told you I’d be back...and there was no way I was going to let you think for one second that I didn’t want you. So here I am.”

  Wow.

  My brain just exploded I think from the sensory overload. Between his fingers on my knee, and the things he just said, my thoughts are in overdrive.

  I think I officially just had my mind blown.

  Who the hell is this guy? And what does he see in me that is so special? There are millions of beautiful girls in the world. When I met him Friday at the diner, the second I approached him to take his order and our eyes met, I felt something unlike anything I’ve felt before.

  It’s terrifying.

  But it’s even scarier that Killian is feeling it too. Guy’s like him aren’t supposed to fall for girls like me. I’m simple, carefree and nothing like the girls who chase the
bad boys.

  I take a big gulp of my tea and then gently roll the cool¸ damp glass across my chest letting the perspiration on the glass cool my burning hot skin that’s not only flushed from the heat wave we’re experiencing but also from the heat igniting between Killian and me.

  “What about Phoenix?” I finally ask as I watch Killian eyeing the glass as it rolls across the swells of my breasts. I set the glass back down but can still feel droplets of water on my skin slowly sliding down into the valley between my breasts cooling me. Though att the same time, I feel my body flushing red-hot as his gaze scorches my skin.

  Clearing his throat, he lifts his eyes back up to mine as he replies, “I know this is going to sound crazy, but I was wondering if you wanted to go on the road with me. I have a few gigs lined up over the next two weeks. After that, it’s an open road. Wherever you want to go, we’ll go. We’re young... with our lives wide open...filled with possibility. I say we take advantage of our freedom and travel anywhere and everywhere. There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side. So what do you say, Summer? You want to set out on an adventure of a lifetime with me?”

  Holy. Crap.

  This is crazy. This is beyond crazy. I don’t even know this guy. Sure he’s smoking hot and our chemistry is out of this world but we know absolutely nothing about one another!

  “You want me to do what now?” My eyes are pretty much popping out of my head right now. I’m officially in a state of shock.

  Killian lets out the sexiest laugh as he scoots closer to me on the couch and takes my hands into his that I’ve been twisting together nervously for the last thirty seconds, as he comments, “I know it’s crazy. But I know that if I set out on the road and leave you behind, I’ll regret it. You’re the most fascinating woman I’ve ever met. I know if I’m stupid enough to walk away from you that there will a guy waiting to swoop in and sweep you off of your feet. You may not see it, Summer, but I do. I’ve seen the way guys in this town look at you. You’re so far up on the scale of gorgeous that you’re in a category all of your own. I have not the slightest clue as to why someone as beautiful and big hearted as you is still single.”