A Trip To Remember

The Thing We Needed

    After sitting down we took our orders and talked and laughed and played for a long while.       
   I think we were irritating everyone around us and the workers because a waiter came by and basically told us to shut up.
   I looked out over the railing our table was by and I watched the dark waves crash onto he shore one by one, the white foam curling then dissolving within seconds.
    "Ashlyn?" Alysa says touching my arm. I flinched and looked at her as I came back to Earth. "You okay?" She asked, concerned. I glanced around the table and everyone was still deep in their conversations. I looked back into the ocean and looked around a little.
   "Y-yeah. I'm great." I said smiling a little.
She looked unsure, but patted my arm and went back to her conversation. I continued to stare at the water though, something about it so enticing.
   "Hey I'm gonna get some fresh air and walk on the beach for a minute. Text me when you guys get the bill or when they finally kick you out." I said with a light laugh as everyone grinned and nodded in agreement.
   "You need someone to come with?" Alysa asked quietly.
   "No I'm ok I just want to look at the water." I said, smiling, before turning and walking out.
   I walked a ways down the water, far enough so they wouldn't see me from the restaurant, but not too far.
  I loved it here. The way the ocean glowed with every crash of its waves from the bioluminescent algae there was something about it that was just so beautiful...
   "Hey."
   "GAH!" I yelped, jumping and ready to fight. But I turned to see it was just Nathan and I sighed in relief. "What is it with people scaring me?" I muttered with a nervous laugh.
   He chuckled lightly and slowly sat down next to me, looking in the direction I was at the waves.
   "It's beautiful isn't it?" I said in awe, resting my chin on my hand. I sighed and it was silent for a while. So peaceful.
   "Hey I realized I never thanked you for protecting me at the bar the other day." I said, patting his hand and squeezing it gently.
   "Oh don't thank me of course I would help." He said with a smile. I looked at him and smiled back, and his eyes lingered on my face, searching for something. Some kind of tell.
   He reached for my hair and tucked it behind my ear, then let his finger trail to my chin. He tilted my chin up slowly and gently kissed me. I didn't even realize it happened until it did...and something felt off. No...he was one of my best friends. My best guy friend by far. We had some feelings in the past years ago, and I guess we never really talked it out and tried to just let it fade, but I guess there were moments like these sometimes that would just happen.
   But he's never kissed me, and it didn't feel right, so I pulled back gently. His eyes opened to look down at me in question, and I smiled gently.
   "Hm...my best friend..." I said, smiling and looking down. "We never really resolved all of this have we..." I said quietly, hoping what I'd say next wouldn't ruin our relationship forever.
   "I think that just did...Nathan you know I love you right?" I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He nodded with a small smile. He knew what I was going to say. He felt the same.
   "But this wouldn't be right...we just don't click like that...and I think all this time we've been needing something to confirm that...and I think I can speak for both of us when I say that that was it." I said with a gentle smile. He sighed and smiled back.
   "Honestly...I agree...we just don't work like that. It doesn't feel right." He said running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry I kissed you. I just...it's been so long and I decided I just wanted to do it and maybe then we'd find some answers and I think we did." He said with a light laugh. I giggled a little too and nodded.
   "So are you breaking up with me?" I joked lightly, earning a laugh from him.
   "Yeah it's not me it's you." He said, throwing an arm over my shoulder and pulling me in. I laughed and slapped his chest, rolling my eyes.

   I walked into the living room and grinned.     "Dare or Drink?" I said smirking as everyone looked up at me. (Inspiration by thedrummer120.)
   "YESSSSSS." Everyone said in unison. Rianna ran to the cupboard and grabbed a bottle of champagne.
   "When did you even get that?" I asked.
She smirked and shrugged and I looked at Tyler and he shrugged.
   "Well ok then. Circle ." I said clapping my hands together.
   Rianna volunteered to go first and she spun the bottle and it slowly landed on Caleb and everyone cheered while his ears turned bright red.
    "I DARE YOU TO KISS JOSEPH."
    "What? No!" Caleb stuttered looking between her and everyone else.
   "Well that's disappointing." She said handing him the bottle.
   He took a small drink and then spun the bottle and it landed on Sophia. She screamed and threw her head back while everyone laughed.
    "I dare you..." he looked around, deep in thought. "Seven minutes in heaven with Jo."
"NO!" Jo shrieked while Sophia shrugged. I was half surprised half not. I knew Sophia was pretty much fearless and had never lost a dare, but at the same time she was both friends with and despised Jo at the same time. Frienemies.
    "It's just a game you big wuss!" Sophia said standing up at yelling down at him.
    "NO ITS WEIRD." He said while he tried swatting her hands away.
    "Your making a scene. I just want to get this over with. I'm not losing this game."
    He still looked sickened and that look was replaced with a look of regret when he started standing up.
    "DONT HAVE TOO MUCH FUN." Caleb yelled after them.
    Jo flipped him off before the door closed. Alysa creeped up to the door and tried to listen before he kicked the door and yelled at her to knock it off. She jumped and crawled quickly back to the circle.
   "So Alysa how's that thing going with what's his name? Jayden?" I asked wiggling my eyebrows.
     "It's good. We were thinking about hanging out on Saturday, so if you guys wanna come that'd be cool." Alysa said, flicking her hair over her shoulder.
    "Yeah sure. They seem pretty cool." I said smiling. I saw Caleb roll his eyes and clench his jaw out of the corner of my eyes and I turned to him. He glared at me and I gave him a deadly look back. Alysa of course didn't notice, she was texting Jayden.
    After a few more minutes they stumbled out of the closet and shoved away from each other.
Everyone smirked and Jo and Sophia glared.
    "What happens in the Caribbean stays in the Caribbean...." Joseph kept mumbling over and over to himself.
    "IM SPINNING." Sophia yelled as she spun the bottle and it slowly landed on me.           
    "YEEESSSSS."
    I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Whatcha got for me."
    "I dare you...to call your new boyfriend and tell him you've been writing smut about the two of you."
    "Why would I do that we're hardly friend status." I said confused.
    "PFFT. Ok then sweetheart. But you still need to do it." She said tossing me my phone.
    I tapped his contact and it rung twice before he picked up.
    "Hey Ashlyn,"
    "Hey I just felt like you should know I've been righting smut about Sophia and Jo and posting it on the internet. Hope you're having a lovely day." And I hung up, but not before I heard a very weird choking noise.
    "HEY THAT WASN'T THE DARE!" Sophia shrieked, lunging at me and trying/failing to fight.
    After she calmed down we eventually got back to the game.
    "Ok ok my turn." I said trying to talk over the girls shrieking and the guys laughing.
    "I dare all of you to stand up and dance it out!"
    Some people stood up right away and a couple others took a little longer but eventually everyone did and everyone was doing the most stupid dances. Rianna stood up on the coffee table and started dancing like crazy and Sophia started stripping her jacket off and everyone screamed. Ironically, at that moment the lights went out. Power outage.
   "DANCING IN THE DARK
WITH YOU BETWEEN MY ARMS
BAREFOOT ON THE COFFEE TABLE"
Rianna started singing then we joined in fast but we all stopped to laugh while she kept going.
    "YOU LOOK PERFECT TONIGHT,"
We finished and danced it out.