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"What?" I shake my head. "No. You've already bought me books. You don't need to buy me a necklace too."
"Yeah, but I want to. Turn around, sweetheart, so I can put it on you."
My mouth goes dry. There's another coincidence to add to the list. Spinning around, I step back enough for him to reach my neck. His fingers are warm and soft on my skin as he fastens the leather. "There, let's see how it looks."
I turn around and adjust the sand dollar to the center of my necklace.
"Perfect. Just like you."
"You're as cheesy as someone else I know."
"Am I? And who might that be?" Closing in on me, I can feel his hot breath against my lips.
Soft plastic hits the back of my leg and we both break apart, looking down at the large, colorful beach ball behind me.
Laughing, the stranger picks it up and tosses it toward the waving kids in the water. "Is it time for me to take you back?"
I want it to be but I also don't at the same time. "Yeah. We can start heading back. We have a long walk ahead of us." And I have a demon to find.
Nodding, he leads the way and I follow. We don't talk for a while, walking in silence, taking in all the calm and beauty of the sea. If only I could stay here forever. Come out to the beach any time I wanted, eat at the cute cafes and see… Rory.
We reach the house and I quickly say bye before running inside, ignoring the shouting behind me. All rooms are empty of Rory. My heart feels heavy. So do my feet as I step into the shower to wash the day and sand off me. I dress, check the messages on my phone, and head to the kitchen. Stopping halfway, I smile at the view in front of me. Rory sings “Tell It To My Heart” while shaking his hips in front of the stove as he flips what looks like grilled cheese sandwiches. He has the floral apron on again, along with a tight pair of black cotton shorts with white stripes on the side. They fit him as perfectly as the white crop top he has on. Yeah, it's good to be back.
"Smells good," I say, causing him to jump.
"Oh, Everly. Didn't see you there. Hungry?"
"Starving." Rounding the table, I fix two drinks and carry them to the table. He's swinging his hips around with two plates in his hands as I'm sitting down. Each one has a small bowl of tomato soup and two grilled cheese sandwiches cut in half on them.
"How long have you been here?"
"Not long. I went for a walk." He sets the plates on the table and takes off his apron. His taut stomach is mostly visible beneath his formfitting shirt. I don't know why but this outfit feels more like him. So does the bright blue nail polish on his nails. How long was I in the shower for? Who knows. I did sit in there until the water turned cool and it took forever to respond to the messages I actually wanted to write back to. My brother's, my best friend’s, and my mom’s. I ignore everything from my dad and Theon.
"Me too. I didn't see you."
He shrugs, lowering himself in the closest chair to me. "We must have missed each other. I hope you didn't fall too much without me."
Reaching for my plate, I laugh. "I'll have you know I only almost fell once."
"Only almost, huh?"
"Yeah."
We joke and laugh all through dinner. When I walk to the couch, Rory goes to his room. As soon as I'm settled in the center of the large cushions with my Kindle in my lap, he plops down beside me, swinging his arm on the back of the couch. "What are we reading?"
Holding my Kindle to my chest to hide the current page I just opened up to, I clear my throat. "We are reading nothing. I thought you were turning in."
"I was going to but didn't want you to get too cold without me. You'll read better when you're warm."
"What will you do then?"
"Watch a movie or show."
Wanting to feel his warmth again, I reach for the remote and hand it to him. "Okay."
Smiling, he puts on an episode ofFriendsand I scoot down on the couch, pressing my back to the edge while I lay my legs over his lap.
His eyes widen in surprise and I go back to the page where I left off, humming softly when he strokes my legs. I do like walks on the beach but I like this too. Mostly because it's with him. Only Rory can warm me up in seconds and make me feel good when hurting me.
