Remember When #featured #AllStars

Chapter 31

THE PRINCE OF TIDES

I must have passed out shortly after my unanswered prayer the night before, maybe even as early as ten o'clock, so when I woke up, it was still completely dark outside. I figured it had to be the middle of the night, so I tried to close my eyes and get back to sleep. But the extra shuteye, combined with my humiliation over what I'd said, kept me wide awake, tossing and turning for the next hour. When I saw a hint of grey seeping through the window blinds, I figured morning wasn't too far off, and decided to get out of bed.

My hair was an absolute rat's nest because I'd never gotten around to blow-drying it the night before, so I gathered the whole mass into a ponytail. I threw on a pair of black biker shorts and a chartreuse green tank top before tip-toeing out of my room.

I had to pass by Trip's door, so I did so as quietly as possible. But at the first creak on the top step, I heard him whisper, "Layla?"

I stopped dead in my tracks, hoping that he'd go back to sleep and leave me to go on my merry, mortified way, but of course I was having no such luck.

"Layla. What are you doing?"

I spat out a silent dammit, and took the two steps back to stand in his doorway. He was lying in his bed, the sheet tangled around his hips, his bare chest exposed, an arm propped behind his head. God. Even at five-something in the morning, the boy managed to look irresistible.

I could barely look him in the eye. "I can't sleep. I thought I'd go for a run on the beach."

There. Good enough. I managed to speak to Trip without blurting out any further avowals of my undying love.

I started to turn when he whipped the sheet off and said, "Hey, give me a minute. I'll go with you."

Shit. "Oh, okay. I'll meet you downstairs."

Since I didn't have to worry about waking him up anymore, I allowed myself to pee and brush my teeth before heading down into the kitchen. I grabbed a glass of water and was just finishing it when Trip showed up, dressed in grey nylon basketball shorts and a white T-shirt. I didn't allow myself to speak and just headed out the back door, Trip following on my heels. We walked across the street and up to the boardwalk, the hum from the streetlamps offering the only sound between us. But once we started down the walkway to the beach, I looked toward the ocean and couldn't help the, "Oh!" that escaped from my lips.

The sun was just starting to rise, offering a hazy orange glow along the horizon, shooting off purple and pink streaks into the rest of the ashy sky. In the minutes it took us to reach the water's edge, the sky had lightened considerably, the first edge of sun making its way out of the sea.

It was happening so quickly, this dawning of a new day, and my only instinct was to plant myself down to watch every second of it.

Trip sat down with me, and I wished things were different between us at that moment. All I could think was that I had possibly ruined everything that could have happened between us because I just couldn't keep my big mouth shut.

I tried to push those thoughts aside and just enjoy the view. But having Trip sitting right there with me was proving to stress me out, in spite of the peaceful sight in front of my eyes. Finally, I knew I wouldn't be able to pretend there wasn't an elephant between us.

"So, what, is everything gonna be all weird between us now?"

Trip gave me a confused look and asked, "Why? Because we..."

"No. Because I... Because of what I said after."

His head dropped down and his shoulders started shaking.