Catch a Rising Star

On the Run Again

Catch a Rising Star

A/N: This took a little longer than I thought it would, but I'm not exactly complaining. I've had a crazy couple of weeks, and I hardly had the chance to write anything because of all the things that needed my attention and because it was supposed to be a time to recharge my own batteries.

But, I can say that I really needed it because I feel so much better. Being basically trapped in one place for too long can cause you to go stir-crazy.

Now that that's out of the way, let's get on with Chapter 9. Roll it!

Chapter 9

On the Run Again

Branch casually approached the young woman who was lying in the beach chair. "Excuse me?" He asked her. "Is this seat taken?" He gestured over to the spare chair placed next to her.

There was no answer. "No?" He asked again.

When the woman still didn't answer him, he shrugged. "Okay." He then sat down in the spare chair, placing his duffle bag next to him.

After a few moments of silence, Branch looked up at the sky, loving how the sky looked so clear. "It's a nice day today, isn't it?" He asked her.

She slowly slouched down in the chair, crossing her arms, as if she was trying to get comfy in her chair. "Oh, sorry." Branch apologized. "Were you sleeping?"

The woman shook her head. Branch slightly tilted his head at her. "You sure about that?" He asked, slightly reaching out with his hand to touch her face.

Immediately, at the lightest brush of his fingers, the woman jumped up and fell out of her chair with a surprised yelp. Her stark black designer sunglasses that were perched on her nose fell down, dangling down her chin from her ears, revealing her face.

Staring at him with lightly flushed cheeks was Poppy Summers, just as he had predicted. He looked down at her with a smug smile, making her glower at him for a few seconds, her blush slightly reddening. But then, a look of pure relief came on her face when she saw that it was just him.

"How did you know that it was me?" She asked him, getting back in her chair and brushing off the sand that was on her pants.

"The hat." Branch pointed out, looking up at the sun hat that he let Poppy borrow the night before.

Poppy looked up to see the straw sun hat on her head. "It does have a bit of an odd smell to it." She said. "It's old, but I can still smell a little bit of cherry blossom perfume on it."

Branch snorted. "Are you sure that that's not your own perfume instead of the kind that my mom used to wear?" He asked teasingly.

Poppy just rolled her eyes with a chuckle. She really was starting to get through to him. She then took off her sunglasses and put them in her pocket.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him.

Branch raised a brow at her. "What are you doing here?" He asked the same question to her. "Go home."

"I tried." Poppy answered.

"And?" Branch continued to goad her.

Poppy opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it. "You wouldn't understand." She said.

Branch quirked up his brow again, this time in confusion. Then, he went to rely on his most famous tactic: sarcasm.

"Oh, so you think you're so special that a nobody like me could possibly understand how hard it is to be you." He said dryly.