A/N: Picture of who I imagine as Weston on the side (Mathias Lauridsen). Please don't forget to vote if you like!
Part Two
An hour? More like fifteen minutes.
In less time than I imagined, we arrived at Rhode's 'surprise' location. Because the windows had been down, the smell of fresh salt water wafted through the car, tickling my nostrils. It was strong, crisp, and something I rarely had the chance to experience.
Wherever we were stopped, waves were rapidly crashing in the near distance while seagulls noisily squawked from above.
"Time to take off the blindfold." Rhode softly spoke, cutting the engine of his car.
Since the last time he said that was a bit of a disappointment, I wasn't as quick to remove the shield during the second time around. When I did, I was in awe, shock evident on my face. I felt my jaw drop as I took in the endless, dark gray ocean. Its color was a result from the storm clouds brewing above, rolling in the sky and causing the ripples in the water to pick up speed.
The shore, a few yards in front of us, was coated in white, fine grains of sand; something I wanted - no, itched - to sink my feet into. Flinging open the door to the Audi, I stepped out and kicked off my sandals, wincing when my bare feet made contact with the brown, multicolored pebbled surface beneath them. Not bothering to wait or look back at Rhode, I made my way over the assortment of various shades of smooth gray rocks that were lined in a long strip, separating the sand from the pebbles.
I crossed over the barrier, marching down the sandy hill and trudging though the white coating before it evened out and led to the ocean, briefly stopping to scoop up a handful of the powder and letting it run through my fingers. A smile never left my face as I watched the tiny granules fall, amazed at how soft it was on my skin. Beautiful didn't even scratch the surface of how the beach looked and felt, and the mild darkness from the weather only intensified it.
Walking further to reach the edge of the water, I came to a stop, gazing at the scene before me and letting the wind whip through my hair. When two strong arms found their way around my waist, I leaned back into them.
"Welcome to Rhode Island."
A deep voice purred into my ear, my eyes closing at the sound of it. We stayed embraced like that for a few moments before I pulled away.
"It's absolutely gorgeous, Rhode. Thank you for bringing me here." I replied, sighing in content.
"Yeah, you are."
Based on his light laughter, I knew he had been joking, but I still turned around to comment on his corny remark. When I did, my eyes doubled in size, making me lose my train of thought on what I had planned to say.
Up on the hill we just ventured from, sat two identical mansions. Though the fronts of the homes had leveled, manicured lawns, the backs were raised on stilts that elevated them above the water. Okay, maybe they were slightly smaller than mansions, but they were still bigger than any home I ever had the privilege of visiting. The only difference between the two houses was that the one on the right was more of a chestnut brown; the other being a dark chocolate.
Due to Rhode parking at the very end of the driveway belonging to the darker home - which stretched yards past the actual house - I hadn't noticed either of them, but they were more than visible now.
"I can't even begin to imagine how loaded you are." The comment blurted out of my mouth before I had the chance to process it.
Nice going, Aubrey. Now he's probably going to think you're some type of gold digger.
Rhode's dark eyebrows rose, most likely not expecting that to come out of my mouth.
"I'm not, but my family is." He eyed me warily. "This is my grandparents' home, but since they're getting older and don't want to make the drive, they just stay at their apartment in Manhattan."
Yep, definitely rich.
"I'm guessing you're talking about the ones on your father's side?"
"Mm," He hummed in agreement. "My maternal grandparents are no longer living."
"I'm sorry." I responded, out of courtesy.
"It's fine." He chuckled. "I wasn't born when my mother's father passed, and I barely remember her mother."
"Are you close to the ones that are still living?"
"Surprisingly, yes. You know, since all that stuff went down with my father." Rhode rubbed the back of his neck, a pained expression crossing over his features. "They took in me and Adrian when my father and Janine started going out on late night binges, ending in them being sent to rehab. They even paid for both of them to go."
"Wow. They sound like good people."
I wasn't good at replying to situations like those, so anything I said just sounded awkward.
"Yeah, they are." He looked down, a shy smile settling on his lips. "This is the house we moved to and I practically grew up in. My best friend lives next door."
"Will I get to meet him while we're here?" I smiled, excited that I would get to see another person that meant a lot to Rhode.
He looked up at the lighter painted house, squinting his eyes.
"It doesn't look like anyone's home right now, but yeah, you will. I think you'll love her."
Rhode slung his arm over my shoulders, walking us back in the direction of the house. I jerked to a stop when I finally took note of what he had just said. It was probably my imagination, so I shook my head and began laughing.
"What's up with you?" An amused smirk was on his face, looking down at me.
"Nothing, I just thought you said her for a second."
Rhode removed his arm from around my body, turning to raise an eyebrow at me. Without his body heat radiating against mine, a wave of shivers ran through me when a gust of wind passed by us.
"I did say that. Her name is Serene."
Oh. Well, that's definitely not what I was expecting.
"That's a pretty name. What's she like?" I began to walk again, not wanting to see his face when he talked about another girl who he clearly felt strongly about.
"She's amazing." Adoration was evident in his voice. "That's why I think you two will get along well."
"Well," Though it was tough, I conjured up the most sincere smile to put on my face. "I can't wait to meet her."
As I was turned to face Rhode, his eyes were trained past me, like I wasn't even there anymore. While they twinkled, his smile grew broader by the second, his teeth on display.
"Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to come home again."
Home?
Before I had the chance to see where the voice came from, a flash of strawberry blonde hair bolted past me, straight into Rhode's awaiting arms. Tanned legs belonging to the head of long hair, wrapped themselves around his waist; his own arms squeezing the torso of the body.
The girl buried her face in Rhode's neck, inhaling deeply. Anger bubbled through me when I saw his thumbs move in circles over her back.
Who the hell greets their friends like that? Not me, that's for sure.
"I didn't think you were home." Rhode spoke, the pair breaking apart after what felt like an eternity.
He set her gently in the sand when she unwound her legs from around him. I quietly stood and watched the two, not knowing what to do.
"Weston and I just got home. As soon as I saw people through the kitchen window, I ran down here."
God, even her voice was sultry. Was there anything wrong with the girl? I mean, how was I supposed to compete with that?
"So you just ran down here without knowing who we were?" Rhode teased.
"Of course I knew it would be you. This is a private beach, remember?"
"How can I forget?" He laughed, his eyes looking down at her with mischief. "We spent everyday here for years."
I debated on whether or not I should go into the house and leave those two alone. It was like I was imposing on a reunion, and being the third wheel just wasn't my kind of thing. In the few minutes she had been on the beach, Rhode never lifted his eyes to give me a second glance.
Did it hurt? Hell yeah it did.
"God, I miss those times." She sighed. "C'mon, let's go inside before it starts to rain. I'll make us some lunch."
"We've already eaten, but we'll still come over."
Speak for yourself.
The pair looped their arms together, finally acknowledging I had been waiting there the whole time. I was given a scrutinizing glance over by Rhode's BFF, raising both of my eyebrows in return.
"Oh, I forgot you'd been standing there. Aren't you going to introduce us, Rhode?" Her hand that wasn't already in contact with him, smacked against his chest. I ground my teeth together at all of her touching.
"Right!" He came to his senses. "Aubrey, this is Serene. Serene, this is Aubrey, my coworker."
Though he didn't exactly say it, I was pretty sure I just got friend-zoned. Plus, a little over an hour ago, I was more than positive we were more than just 'coworkers'.
Being the bigger person - literally, and figuratively - I spoke first.
"It's nice to meet you. Rhode told me a little about you when we got here."
"Aw, what a shame I can't say the same." She feigned sadness, but her steely blue eyes didn't match up. "Since you two already ate, how about we bake some cookies and watch a movie? Just like old times, Rhode."
Enough with the old times! Fucking hell.
"You know I can't say no to that. How does that sound, Aubrey?" He asked me, like what I said would even matter.
"Sure, sounds good." There was no way that I was going to let those two be alone together in that big house while I sat like a sad idiot in the other.
"Good." Rhode snaked his arm around my waist, leading the three of us toward the back of Serene's house.
We got to the wooden staircase under Serene's back porch, the two of them motioning for me to climb up first. I did, and when I turned to look down at them coming up after me, it took all of my willpower to remain calm. Little Miss Perfect was slapping Rhode's ass as he bounded up the steps, laughing like a hyena as she did so.
For only being best friends, she was way too flirty, but what could I do without sounding like a jealous girlfriend? Maybe it would've been different if he introduced me to her under another title.
As we prepared - well, they prepared while I sat on a stool behind the granite counter - the ingredients, the kitchen was filled with loud laughter; none of it coming from me. I couldn't understand what was so funny about baking cookies, either.
Having enough of watching those two acting like a couple in love, I excused myself to the bathroom.
"Hey, where are your bathrooms?" I impatiently asked a red faced Serene.
She giggled... giggled, like a five-year-old with pigtails. What was so funny about asking someone where their bathrooms were, was beyond me. To answer my question, she flicked her index finger in the direction of a long hallway on the side of the kitchen. I shoved the stool back, having to find the exact location by myself, opening numerous doors before I finally did.
Finishing what I had come in there for, I gripped the edge of the bathroom's porcelain sink. My body was filled with jealousy, but I would not give Serene the satisfaction of seeing that.
Before going back down to the kitchen, I stopped in the hall for a breather. Large, professionally photographed portraits lined one side of the white walls, drawing my attention to the family in them. Always next to Serene was a younger boy - well, man now - with the same colored hair, never smiling into the camera. Even the man and woman, both with hard gazes, had their lips faintly pursed in each one.
Under every framed picture was a year, and as much as I wanted to hate Serene, I couldn't help but smile at one picture of her grinning with her two front teeth missing.
"Man, I always hated taking those."
I turned in the direction of where the voice came from, not expected someone to have been watching me the whole time. When I spotted the source, I didn't know what to say. Standing with their arms crossed and leaned against the far end of the wall, was the guy from the pictures. He smiled warmly at me; actually noticing my presence, unlike his sister.
"Yeah, I can tell." I snorted a laugh.
"I see you've finally had enough of those two, huh?" He uncrossed his arms, running a hand through his shaggy hair.
"You can say that."
It was surprising to see the guy so relaxed. He looked so serious in his pictures with his eyebrows creased and small pout in almost all of them.
"I'm Weston." He strolled over to me, extending his hand.
Weston's eyes curiously peered down at me as my hand was enveloped in his much larger one, causing heat to spread to my cheeks under his gaze. His body was leaner than Rhode's, but he had height on him.
Great, now I'm comparing them.
"Aubrey." I nodded, letting our hands fall.
"So, Aubrey. If you don't want to go back in there with my sister squealing like a pig, you're more than welcome to hang with me."
I thought about it, wondering if Rhode would even notice how long I had been gone.
"As fun as that sounds, I'm sure they're expecting me to come back." As if on cue, a girlish shriek, follow by a whiny "Rhode!", rang through the air. I looked up to a smirking Weston, looking down at me expectantly. "On second thought... let's go."
My fingers were laced between his own as he led me to the end of the hall where he stood watching me. I was surprised to see a narrow, polished wooden staircase that led to what looked like another quarter of the house on the second floor.
"Make yourself at home." Weston grinned, leading me up to the door and pushing it open.
The space that came into view before me, was probably bigger than both levels of my house, and it looked to be only one bedroom.
It was like a sleek, New York City loft, covered in honey colored hardwood flooring. Half of the expansive space was a living area, but the other half was raised by five steps and turned into a platform that housed the bedroom.
Everything was decorated in a theme of black and white, a few grays and blues here and there. Clearly, a man resided there, and in comparison to the beach themes throughout the rest of the house, Weston's room was modernized.
I walked over to the far wall which was made up of all glass windows - a bay window with a built-in bench sat in one corner. From there, I was able to see more of the beach and even a small lighthouse in the distance with rocky cliffs bordering it.
"Do you want to watch a movie?"
With my back turned, I scowled at Weston's question, thinking about how that was probably what Rhode and Serene were downstairs doing since they couldn't be bothered with me. He came to stand beside me, looking out onto the ocean like I had been.
"No." I faced him. "If you don't mind, I'd rather just sit and look at this view. I bet you never get tired of it, huh?"
"That's fine with me." Weston shrugged, going to the corner to sit on the cushion of the bay window, patting the space next to him for me to join. "And no, I guess I haven't gotten tired of it yet."
Before I sat down with him, Rhode and Serene's laughter flowed up the stairs. Being more than done with those two, I practically ran over to Weston's bedroom door to slam it shut.
When I turned to walk back to Weston, he had a slight frown on his face; almost like he sympathized with me. A small, black remote was taken from his jean pocket and used to click on his stereo system. It took a while for the music to pick up in whatever song he played, but when it did, my mood wasn't as bitter.
"Thanks." I mouthed to him, swinging my legs up to bend on the bench.
Weston copied my actions, leaning his back on the side wall behind him like I had done. We looked at each other for a few seconds before he shook his head and used the remote to lower the volume of the music.
"I didn't ask you up here to talk about Rhode, but if you want to, I'm all ears. And if it makes you feel any better, he's being a dick right now. There's no way I would ditch a girl for another one, no matter who she was."
I bit my lip and lightly laughed at him, looking out to the water. "You're right. He is being one right now, but I'm not going to say anything because he hasn't seen your sister in a long time. We're not even together, so I don't want to keep him all to myself. Let them bake their stupid cookies. What do I care?"
Weston cocked his head to the side, looking at me strangely. "Is two months really such a long time?"
"What?" My head whipped to look at him. "Only two months, are you sure? When we first got here, they were acting like they hadn't seen each other in years."
"Am I sure?" Weston imitated, looked amused that I had even questioned his sincerity. "My twenty-second birthday was two months ago. I'm pretty sure Adrian, Rhode, and their annoying cousin were there at the party. Though, I could've just been drunk out of my mind and imagined it."
My nails dug into my palms from me squeezing my fists so tightly. Why did Rhode even bring me all that way if he was just going to ignore me?
"Happy belated," I managed to get out. Weston nodded his thanks. "and you don't look like someone who would get drunk out of their mind."
"Hmm," He winked. "I guess you're right. I actually find the taste of alcohol to be repulsive."
That must be his way of saying he didn't drink that night. Rhode can live happily ever after with Serene for all I care.
"I see."
"Hey, don't worry about it." Weston's foot nudged mine. "Screw them, and why the hell aren't you wearing any shoes?"
I looked down and shrugged when I saw my bare feet, laughing when I remembered how I flung my sandals when I got out of the car.
"Next door somewhere. Um, I was a little excited to go on the beach."
"Yeah, a little excited." His eyebrow arched at me, fingers air quoting 'a little'. "Normally when people get like that, they still know where their footwear is."
"Shut up." My eyes rolled while I reached out to shove his shoulder. Not expecting it, my own shoulder was shoved in return. "You did not just push me."
"I did." Weston grinned wickedly. "What are you going to do about it?"
"Nothing." I lied, retaliating by kicking him in the shin.
Before I saw it coming, a pillow was whacked against the side of my head. My jaw fell agape as Weston hopped off the bench, swinging the soft weapon in his hand.
"What the fuck?"
"Bring it." He smirked.
Oh, it is so on.
"With pleasure."
I yanked the pillow from behind my back, jumping off the bench toward Weston. We circled one another, neither actually going in for a hit. While I had to occasionally look where I was going, Weston moved around the room with ease. He reminded me of a cougar, making its move to go in on its prey.
He made the first leap, lunging at me but missing. Though I knew I wasn't in any danger, I screamed from the thrill of being chased. Running around the room and trying to dodge furniture, Weston was right behind me.
We ended up on the few steps on the other side of the room, the raised platform below us and surrounded by his bedding area. He was trying to corner me, but I wasn't going down that easily. I ran across the black, shag carpet, going full force toward Weston, preparing to tackle him to the floor. He tried to sidestep me but lost his footing, swiping the rug from under us.
I wasn't going to end up dangerously hurt, but my heart still leapt in my throat when the two of us were falling. It was like it happened in slow motion. Weston reached out to grab me, turning us around so I would land on top of him. When we did make contact with the floor, a deep thump resonated throughout the room, and possibly house.
His lids briefly squeezed shut before opening again. I gazed down at him, flushing when the sea green eyes burned into my own. With one look at his pained expression, I burst into a fit of silent laughter. I was laughing so hard that no noise was coming out of me, Weston quickly joining in.
My head rested on the hollow of his throat will I tried to calm down. His chest rapidly rose and fell under me, making me go into another fit. Not even a minute later, the door to Weston's room swung open, the hinges sounding like they were about to come apart.
The two of us snapped our heads in the direction, seeing a frantic Rhode looking around the room. When he stepped further into it and turned around, his expression was livid as he took in the scene before him.
"What the hell is going on in here?" His voice dripped with venom, looking between me and Weston.
Like you actually care...
"Are the cookies ready?"
Weston beamed, sounding like an excited little boy. When Rhode looked at him, the expression on his face was one like, 'Are you fucking kidding me?'
At that point, my laughter was no longer silent.