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It was a long time coming for a guy like him. Walking around school like he owned the damn place, with a certain swagger and his stupid, long blonde hair that fell perfectly on the sides of his chiseled face, as if he was some sort of Greek God or something. He was tall for sixteen, way taller than my five-foot-four frame. I assumed he was probably a little over six foot. His intense hazel eyes had a hint of green running through them that I imagined would really pop when he wore green. Not that I was imagining him in any way other than annoyance.
He was built like a man. He could definitely pass for someone much older than he actually was. Needing to stop all the thoughts I was having about him, I shook them away before they consumed me again and took over. That’s when I realized I was lost. I looked around for a sign, but instead saw a restaurant on the beach. I decided to stop in and ask for directions and maybe grab something to drink or a bite to eat while I was there.
As soon as I walked in, there was a warm, welcoming feeling in the air. The restaurant was beautiful and homey with an open view of the beach. All you had to do was walk across the open floor plan
and your toes would be in the sand. There were tables everywhere. The smell of delicious food assaulted my senses, making my stomach growl. I knew right then and there it would become one of my new favorite places to eat. The hostess said I could seat myself, so I decided to walk towards the back to sit by the deck where I could enjoy the warm, salty air of the ocean when I came to an abrupt stop.
Dylan.
I rolled my eyes when I noticed that he was with a girl. Shocker. I had just called him out on all his bullshit, and there he was already sitting with another girl. I shook my head in disgust, but it was suddenly replaced with curiosity. This girl was tiny and not his usual type from what I had heard. She didn’t look familiar in the slightest. Our school was small enough to know most of the students, even if only by appearance. She looked too sweet and innocent for the likes of him. I had the urge to go over there and warn the poor girl to stay away from him, that he was nothing but trouble. He would dispose of her like she was yesterday’s trash once he got what he wanted.
I didn’t.
I couldn’t.
I just stood there unknowingly, staring at them without even realizing I was doing so. He was helping her with her homework. Now that didn’t strike me as the Dylan I encountered and heard of. He was attentive with her, patient. They appeared as if they had known each other their entire lives. I knew it couldn’t be his sister, they looked nothing alike, but he was treating her like she was. And what really shocked the shit out of me was that he looked at her with love and adoration. Even respect. Which was completely different from the guy who stood in front of me, less than an hour before, the same guy I confronted in the school parking lot who didn’t seem bothered by what I was accusing him of in the slightest. I don’t know how long I stood there watching the two of them. Taking in every laugh and smile. They seemed so carefree, their banter effortless.
He unexpectedly looked up, as if he felt my presence from across the room. Our eyes once again tethered, and for a moment, I saw a certain vulnerability pass through him that I could feel deep within my core. However, just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. Whatever it was had me questioning my beliefs about him. His gaze immediately made me peer down, shutting off the connection that we briefly shared for just a few seconds in time. I walked to a table on the other end of the restaurant, needing to get as far away from him as possible.
I ordered a drink and food, and then started playing with my phone, when I felt someone crouch down beside me. There he was, balancing on the balls of his feet, just a few inches from my face, in all his glory. For the first time it made me nervous.
“You stalkin’ me now?” he asked with a grin.
I resisted the urge to smile. “I’m not the one sitting at your feet, am I?”
He grinned, wider, putting his dimples prominently on display. His jaw was clenched and there was a gleam in his eyes like he was amused with my banter.
“Well, sweetheart, you are the queen and I am the asshole, as you pointed out earlier, so it seems as though I am right where I belong.”
“Who’s the girl?” I blurted out of nowhere. The words were out of my mouth before my brain even registered what I asked.
He smiled, his straight white teeth shining with the glare of the sun. “Jealous?”
“You wish, buddy. I’m not one of your minions.”
“That you aren’t,” he replied with a hard edge.
“What do you want anyways? Need me to call you out on more of your bullshit?” I snidely questioned, ignoring his last remark.
“Can’t a guy just say hello to a friend?”
“We’re friends now? When did that happen? I don’t even like you.”
He narrowed his eyes at me as if he was calling my bluff.
“That really hurts, suga’,” he replied with a smirk, holding his hand over his heart in a dramatic gesture.
“You’re full of it.”
“And you’re beautiful,” he asserted, not missing a beat.
I couldn’t help but smile. “So this is how it works, huh? I don’t know if I should be offended or flattered that you’re already hitting on me. An hour hasn’t even gone by since I chewed you up and spit you out, and you’re back on the horse again?” I mocked, throwing the same statement that I overheard his friend say while he was pulling out of the parking space.
He chuckled, a throaty sound escaping his lips. “If I had to choose I would prefer the latter.”
“Well, thank God you aren’t then.”
He slowly nodded. “This how you gonna play it? Cuz I’m fixin’ to be a gentleman here, but that sassy lil’ mouth of yours is makin’ me all sorts of crazy, baby.”
