BOY KING (CFTM Prequel)

Chapter 61 (Part 2)

CHAPTER 61 (Part 2) 

Lacey

I pull back from Elias and breathe.

I take in the moment and force myself the Elias sighs into the silence and drops his head to my shoulder in defeat.

"Fine, you win--"

"Why thank you."

"--for now. Let's consider this a "to be continued" situation. You can't kiss a man like that on the freeway and expect to get away with it."

I tilt his chin up and give him a quick peck on the lips.

"Veremos lo que pasa (We'll see what happens). So what's my surprise?" I ask, barely even trying to hide how eager I am to find out.

Elias smirks to himself and then points at the wood-paneled beach shop sitting just a few feet in front of us.

"I've got two presents in there for you. The owner's a buddy of Tanner's so he agreed to let you pick out whatever you want today. You're going to need one of these gifts where we're going next."

Shock washes over me in slow waves as I try to process what Elias is saying. I glance up at the cozy little beach-side bungalow decorated with colorful surfboards and strings of fairy lights along the windows and barely can contain my excitement. 

The entrance is flanked by two racks of beautiful flower-printed sarongs and flowing white beach dresses. My mom would've loved this place as much as I do. The perfect mix of sporty beach clothing and elegant San Diego style. Mom and I were living proof that these two distinct styles could compliment each other. 

She always liked picking out cute sun dresses for me while I stuck to the sporty clothes for comfort. The two of us should have been a shopping disaster duo, but somehow we made things work. Mom had great taste, she taught me how to fall in love with clothes outside of my go-to style. 

I learned to love the idea of shopping for fun because of her. I didn't think I'd find that feeling again after she died. But staring up at this tiny shop sitting on the sidelines of the ocean, I feel the same flutter in my chest as I did with Mom.

I glance over at Elias with tears in my eyes which visibly rattles him a little. He's quick to wipe them away as soon as he spots them.

"I messed up, didn't I? Lace, I'm sorry I thought you'd like this--"

"How'd you know?"

A tiny confused furrow breaks out between Elias's eyebrows.

"How'd I know what?"

I take the side of his face in my hands and press my forehead against his.

"That I'd love this."

Elias leans in and steals a lingering kiss. I don't even try to fight him on it.

"Because I'm amazing. You're dating Elias King, remember? He's only second to one other person in the universe."

"And who's that?"

"This chick named Lacey Sanders. I heard she's pretty great. She has to be if she outdoes yours truly."

I roll my eyes and back away from Elias before his ego consumes the two of us.

"Well, that's my cue to head inside. You can stay here and compliment yourself or you can join me while I go dress shopping."

I pop open the door and step outside into the afternoon sun. Elias is quick to lock the car and come chasing after me as I make my way up the sanded-down stairs leading up to Pelican Surf Shop. He catches me in his arms as I reach the front door and places his lips inches away from the edge of my ear.

"I'm more than happy for you to pick up a dress here today too. But as far as my plans for you are concerned--you're gonna need a bikini."

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Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading! I know Part 2 is a bit short, but I'm working on something major that I'm planning on posting shortly! It's a bit of a surprise but it has been a long time coming and kaelking12 and I can't wait to share it with you! We appreciate you guys for sticking around for all of this time. I'll be updating BOY KING every other week on either Friday or Saturday! A lot more to come :). 

#REALTALKQUESTIONOFTHEWEEK

1. What's the nicest thing a significant other has surprised you with?