A Guide To The Opposite Sex (Discontinued)

The Townies

Riley POV

"Thank God you called me when you did, Luk. I swear you saved me from the most tense moment of my life," I heard his warm chuckle through the line.

"I'm happy to be of service then. So tell me, what is it that I saved you from?"

I sighed and gripped the phone tighter. "Grant."

"Ahh the ex?"

"The one and only. I swear, the moment I saw him stare at me like I'd grown a second head I wished the ground would swallow me whole."

"I'm confused. Start from the beginning."

"My friends and I went to the beach today and since they're all pretty cool with the guys, they invited them to come too. And Grant showed up with them. I guess he didn't know I was back..."

"Oh. And then what happened?"

"Well I tried saying hello. You know, be civil. But he just kinda looked at me like I was this stranger. And it hurt. He looked like he wished he hadn't seen me. Like he wished I'd never come home."

"I bet he was just surprised. And you changed so much, Riley. He probably didn't think he'd see you again."

I groaned as I paced on the wet sand by the shore, the waves coming towards me to whip at my feet before retreating. "But I--"

"Lukey?" I heard a small voice say in the background.

"What's wrong, Tamara? Can't sleep?"

"No! I had a dream Riley's plane exploded." My eyes widened as I heard this. Really, this girl has either seen way too much pain in life or watched one too many James Bond movies.

"Tamara! Don't cry. Planes are very safe. In fact, I'm speaking with Riley right now."

"Really? So she's not dead?"

I heard Lukas laugh lightly and I could practically imagine him shaking his head. "Here, talk to her."

"Riley?" she asked in a timid voice. Almost as if she didn't expect there to be an answer.

"Hey Tammi. So what's this I hear about me dying in your dreams?"

"Riley! I was so frightened. It was so real..." I repressed the laugh and settled for a smile.

"No, honey. I'm okay. You'll never guess where I am right now..."

"Where'' she said in an adorably excited voice. When she couldn't sleep and Lukas wasn't around, she and I would play our own version of "I spy". We would describe everything around us and created a calm, serene atmosphere where nothing could harm us. It calmed her enough to fall asleep easily, which is exactly what she needed right now.

"I'm at the beach. The sun is shinning down at me, warming my skin. The wind by the shore is whipping at my hair. And the water beneath my feet is just the right temperature."

I smiled as I looked up at the clear sky. "The seagulls are soaring above my head, calling out to each other. The sand is warm, almost hot to the touch. And it shimmers in the light like a diamond."

I paused for a second and proceeded to close my eyes, following the rules of the game. "The room is dark," she began. "It's cold. But I'm in a sweater so it's alright. A bit of light shows from the window in the attic, where Lukas and you slept. It's bright enough to show my shadow on the old wood floors. And it lights up his bed where he sits now. His eyes are closed so I can't tell you how pretty his crystal irises are. But I'm sure you remember. He wears a smile now, as he leans his elbows on his knees, his head resting back on the wall. Beside the bed is a table and a lamp, but it isn't on. On the other side there's a dresser. The top drawer is open and a shirt or two topples out. Other than that the room is tidy, not like when you slept here."