Accidentally Forever/DNF

You Are The Reason

"Alright dad," Sapnap all but mocked and held a hand out for Ashlyn to take.

The tears from before were nonexistent as she trotted along side Sapnap happy as a clam. George rolled his eyes and swiped a bit of sweat from his forehead. It was hot in Florida, almost like summer.

Every few seconds George caught Ashlyn bending down and picking up a rock or shell just to hand it upwards. Sapnap was overly excited with every small treasure and would crack a smile, letting her put it in the toy bucket.

George didn't exactly like the beach-scratch that- he didn't like the memories at the beach. They were far to good to remember when he was now sat alone watching. Jade, sadly, was back from her cruise a week after New Years. And with the passing holiday, George roughly had a few weeks left to spend in the US. A few weeks... then he vowed he'd never return.

Dream acted like a stranger after their kiss and Sapnap seemed to catch onto the weird atmosphere. It was like walking around in quicksand and being pulled surprised it pulled you under. It wasn't like he hadn't tried to clear the air, it was more of Dream wouldn't speak normally to him. Sapnap was even more distant then before, it felt like a lose-lose situation.

And because of this, George planned to leave a month early, he simply couldn't do this much longer. He couldn't pretend like he hadn't ever fallen in love with Dream, like he didn't make a life altering mistake those years ago, he couldn't pretend he was the same person two years ago. It was eating him alive.

George's phone, rested on top of the cooler, buzzed before he answered the call, "mother?"

"Honey!" She shrieked into the phone and George pulled the device from his ear until she quieted down. "How is Miss sunshine?"

George glanced up and found Ashlyn laughing with Sapnap. Her two pigtails shook back and forth while he poured sea water into a tiny moat for their castle. He sighed, "she's having fun."

"Oh no," his mother complained. "You have the face again don't you?"

While scoffing George dug his fingers into the sun warmed sand. He drew small shapes, "what face?"

"The upset one I don't like." She seemed to let the pause linger, "is it Dream?"

"No, mother." That was a lie but George really couldn't talk about it right then. He traced a heart and split it down the middle.

"What he do?"

George shrugged, "nothing. I met his girlfriend... she doesn't really like me. But other than that everything is okay."

"Right?" His mother did not sound convinced. "Why doesn't she like you?"

George changed the subject, "think I'm gonna come home early. Miss being there and all that, the routine."

"You hate routine," his mother countered. He could hear voices in the back of the call, a slight hint of tropical music. George could picture his parents relaxed in a hotel lobby or whatever they chose to do on the island they resided on. Large drinks with little umbrellas, it was a happy thought in the hurricane of darkness. "Is it really that bad, honey?"

George broke a bit, "yeah. It's like... it's like living in a life I should've had but it's all completely wrong."

"George, you shouldn't look at it in that light."

"I know."

His mother sighed, "so not like you thought?"

"No." It was the biggest let down othe century. Being there hadn't lifted his low spirits it only sunk and solodified them. "How's dad?" George tried once more to change the subject, "how's the trip?"