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23
Jade
I didn’t know when I would’ve wanted to meet Austin’s parents. He hasn’t talked about his dad much, but from what I’ve gathered, his mom has really influenced him. So much so that she’s the reason he wants to become a teacher. Meeting his mom the other day caused the nerves to build up at first. But she was so sweet, and even better, she had no idea I’m a world-famous musician. To her, I’m just a girl her son is going out with.
“What exactly are we doing?” Austin asks as we drive toward a little-known area of Newport Beach.
“I told you, it’s a secret,” I tell him.
“Yeah, well, it’s kind of hard when you’re keeping a secret from the driver.”
“There, pull into that parking lot.”
We drive into a parking lot along the beach, and I’m happy to see it’s not very crowded today. I brought my oversized sunglasses and a large, beige floppy hat, so I pull them out of my bag and turn to face Austin. “How do I look?”
“Like an undercover agent on a summer vacation,” he jokes. “So, you brought me to the beach for …”
“You’ll see,” I tell him, smiling.
Getting out of the car, I grab my large beach bag, which also holds two beach towels and some sunblock. We’ve already kissed, but I feel little butterflies when he takes my hand, and we walk along the sand. Looking up at him, he glances back with a smirk.
“You’re not gonna take me out into the water, are you?” he asks. “Because I can’t swim.”
My feet stop in the sand. “What?”
“Just kidding.” He laughs, nudging my shoulder with his. “So, we are going in the water. Okay.”
“You’re horrible with surprises, you know that? I bet you were a train wreck when holidays were around, and your parents had to hide presents.”
He seems to stiffen up a little. Every once in a while he does that, and I can’t figure out why. Meeting his mom, she seemed so sweet, so I don’t think it has anything to do with that. But he never mentions his father, so I wonder if he had a bad childhood with him.
Seeming to shake it off, he smiles. “Yeah, I’d bug my mom for days. What about you and your brother?”
I chuckle, remembering my brethren’s antics. “I was fine, but Maddox actually found out what we got a few years in a row. He was an expert at unwrapping presents and rewrapping them, making it look like they were never opened.”
“Wow, impressive.”
“My mom didn’t think so. She started hiding the presents until Christmas morning after that.”
Austin shakes his head, laughing, while we continue to trek through the sand. “I don’t know your brother well, but that’s completely on brand for him.”
Even with the sun overhead, his comment makes me warm. No matter what I’ve hit him with, Austin never blinks twice at me and my life. He doesn’t talk about my shows or my music, except when I’ve asked him about it. He didn’t get nervous around Maddox, or the VIP surroundings at the club like any other person might have. Even his comment about Maddox; he’s not saying it like Maddox is some big superstar. Something I’m sure Maddox would be playfully annoyed with.
We stop closer to a small area that’s nestled into a rocky hilltop, and I set the bag down. Dropping to my knees, I pull out the two towels, laying them out for us. Austin eyes me for a moment before I motion to him to sit down.
As he’s undoing his shoes, I pull out the sunblock and begin lathering my arms and legs. When I look over at him, offering the sunscreen to him, his eyes linger on my legs. “Up here, caveman.” I giggle, tapping his arm with the bottle.
Biting his lip in embarrassment, he wipes some sunblock on his arms, then leans back on his elbows. “Not that this isn’t an amazing spot, but why did you bring me out here?”
“My parents aren’t in the entertainment industry, but they love old movies. My mom in particular.” I look out over the waves breaking over the sand. “The summer after freshman year in high school, the band was really starting to gain popularity. I guess maybe my mom saw it coming and wanted to do something with me, just like a mother/daughter thing. So, we had Friday night classic movie marathon. Gone with the Wind, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, From Here to Eternity, movies like those.” He nods, listening. “Me and a couple of friends came out here one day, and I saw this spot. There’s a beach scene in From Here to Eternity, and this place reminded me of it.”
“Okay,” he replies, scanning the environment. “So what’s this movie about? Eternity? Was it some kind of science fiction thing or something?”
I can’t help the giggle that escapes me, both at his comment and now the moment catching up with me. “Uh, not exactly.” He eyes me curiously. “It’s a … there’s this couple together on the beach, and then they …”
He starts smiling, and his eyes widen. “Oh. Kristen Jade, did you bring me out here to seduce me?”
“Shut up.” I push his arm, knocking him over.
