i wanna call you mine
and never let you d o w n . . .
🌊🌊🌊
A long, draining Wednesday spent at the diner and the pier were enough to send me into a coma. Getting home after twelve hours of working felt like walking into the gates of euphoria. The only upside was that I got to see the sunrise this morning, and that's about the only thing worth it for me to get out of bed at the crack of dawn. That, and getting paid.
My ten minute drive from the pier to my house felt like an eternity, until I pulled onto 42nd Street. The sight of my aqua blue abode coming into view put a tired smile on my face.
I pulled into the driveway and locked my car once I got out, then trudged up the lengthy staircase to the front door. My mom was seated at the wicker sofa on the left side of the porch, a magazine in her hands. Tawny hair up in a knot, reading glasses on her nose and a grin pulling at her lips once she saw me.
"Hi darlin'," she welcomed me, patting the spot next to her on the small sofa. I gladly took it with a limp nod of my head, plopping down with a grunt. Although they aren't as comfortable as say, a mattress, the cushions feel like heaven right about now. "How was work?"
"Well you saw me at the diner this morning, and that was fine. But the pier for some reason was crazy today. If I stayed there any longer, I'm pretty sure I would have collapsed," I told her my troubles as I shook my head and put my feet up on the coffee table.
"The perks of working at the shore during the summer," she tittered, flipping to the next page of her beloved printed gossip. My dad and I always make fun of her for buying that junk – the kind that sits on the stands by the checkout lines of the grocery store – but she tends to ignore us and continue on reading it.
I folded my hands and rested them on my stomach, another drawn out sigh escaping from my mouth. We exchanged no other words as she kept drinking in her tabloids and my focus idled on the crashing waves miles away in front of us. People on the beach looked like specks in the sand from this far away, but I still noticed the few surfboards coasting around the waves.
My lips turned up at the idea of Brody being one of the surfers. Thoughts of him invaded my mind, and I barely heard my mom's voice when she spoke up again.
"So who's this new boy you've been hanging around with?" She asked, trying to seem cool about it. But I know my mom and she's just like me – being casual about something isn't an option.
Though I haven't told her much about him, I have mentioned Brody once or twice. Not as anything in particular, only a new friend.
A new friend that happens to be very, very attractive with the ability to hold my heart captive in his hands.
The smile that was already on my face turned into more of a smirk at her question. "Brody Lambert," I started off with his full name. The chills that rose up on my arms were inevitable. "He's really cool, and he's a phenomenal surfer. But he's so different... I don't know. I've never met anyone that's like him."
"Different in a good way?" She queried, raising an eyebrow in suspicion and turning to me.
"Oh yeah," I nodded my head thoroughly. "It's a really good different."
She hummed thoughtfully, pursing her lips. "Is he cute?" She asked next. I shot her an impassive look, and she held her hands up in defense. "It's just a question."
"Mom, 'cute' isn't the right word to describe him. He's gorgeous," I corrected her, sinking down further into the cushions and staring up at the ceiling. I caught her smiling at me out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't look back at her. I was already a little embarrassed from talking to her about the guy I like, which hardly ever happens.
But like I said, Brody is different.
"Well, maybe he likes you too," I heard her say in a small voice, and it made my mouth quirk up in a half-smile. Maybe.
My mom and I stayed out on the porch for a little while longer until we got too hungry. As we walked inside, my dad was already at the island in the kitchen with a few take-out menus in front of him. It didn't take long for us to decide on pizza, so we ordered it and picked it up all within thirty minutes. It was the one thing – besides a certain boy – that lifted my fatigued mood.
I went upstairs to my room after dinner, debating on if I wanted to go to bed this early when it wasn't even 8 o'clock. Knowing I have a shift at the diner tomorrow morning, but no shift at the pier, I'll probably still be dead tired. Sometimes you get used to waking up at 5 AM. Other times, not so much.
My limp body fell onto my mattress, engulfed by my plush comforter. With the humming of the AC and the light just starting to fade outside, if I closed my eyes, I'd be out in a minute.
Except that didn't happen because my phone started to vibrate by my head. I dismissed it as a text message from one of my friends, but when it was a continuous buzzing, I realized it was a call.
I reached for it with an unattractive grunt, snatching it up and adjusting my eyes to the tiny bright screen. A surge of happiness ran through me at Brody's name written on the screen.
Four days later and I still can't stop thinking about the kiss after Mason's party. Yeah, it was just a kiss on the cheek, but it has to mean something. Guys don't normally do that out of nowhere, right? He gave me a hug afterwards too, which definitely means something. I think.
Before I missed the call, I slid my finger across to answer it and put the phone up to my ear. "Hi," I crooned, my voice involuntarily weak due to the state of exhaustion I'm in, and the fact that Brody called me.
"Oh hey," he said with a smile clear in his voice which just made my heart tremble. "What are you up to?"
"I just ate dinner and now I'm laying in bed. Why?" I asked him, staring blankly at the pastel pink wall across the room.
He paused and I heard him let out a quiet sigh. "Well, I don't wanna disturb you or anything, but I was gonna ask you to come hang out with us," he replied.
"And do what?" I yawned, not meaning to do it, but being tired comes with a price.
"A bunch of us are hanging out at Peter's and I want you here," he told me casually, like it wasn't a big deal that he just told me he wants me. My heart is fine, I promise. "You can bring your friends too."
My first reaction was to roll over, plummet my face into my pillow and squeal like a 12-year-old. But knowing that would probably freak him out, I kept my composure and chewed on my lower grinning lip. Then reality checked in.
My aching body and worn out brain. Work tomorrow at 6 AM. The fact that I'm seconds from falling into a deep slumber.
"That sounds like fun, I'm just so tired," I groaned into the phone, a giggle escaping my lips at his whine.
"It's not gonna be a big thing. It's just like... I don't know," he sighed again. "Please? I really wanna see you."
Those last five words were the only thing that could sincerely change my mind.
"Alright," I cooed, my idiotic smile still in place.
"Cool," he said instantly. I could picture the grin on his face as he said it. "He lives two blocks away from Mason on Crest. It's a big brick house with stones everywhere. You'll know it when you see it."
"Okay. We'll be over soon."
"I can't wait," he chirped, making me breathe out a laugh at how giddy I could be over a guy. I'd say I'm pathetic, but considering how hot Brody is, it's pretty understandable why he makes me so flustered.
We ended the call and I still had my mouth spread out in a grin. It took a minute for me to piece myself back together, and when I did, I sprang up from my bed and changed out of my work clothes. Once I had on a basic tank top and a pair of shorts, I called Sadie first to tell her the plan and of course she said she'd come. Jodie was second, and to my surprise, she agreed to come also. The only thing was that she offered to drive since this past weekend of drinking to no end at Mason's Fourth of July party had her scarred for life. She said she'll be avoiding alcohol for a long, long time.
Considering where I stand with Noah right now, I didn't bother texting him. We haven't talked since Saturday and to me, it's better this way. We both need some space from each other, as well as time to think. It still hurts to know that our friendship might never be the same again, but I had to tell him how I felt eventually.
For a little while though, I can enjoy the time away from him and focus on other things. Like Brody.
Half an hour after my phone call with Brody, the Range Rover pulled up outside my house. With a brief goodbye to my parents eating take out in the living room, I climbed down the staircase and practically jumped into the backseat.
We probably could've walked to Peter's because he's only a few blocks away, but again, this gave Jodie an excuse to stay sober for the night. Brody was waiting outside the big brick house when we got there, a beer in his hand and a smile on his face.
"Hey guys. Glad you could make it," he said as the three of us hopped out of the car.
"Thanks for the invite," Jodie piped up happily, and it made me think that maybe Brody is finally on her good side.
His eyes shifted down to me when I approached him. The right side of his lips turned up, and he pulled me into his side for a quick, but still heart-stopping, hug.
"Come on, party's out back," he gestured for us to follow him once he let me go. Although his hand still lingered on the small of my back the entire way there.
He led us up the driveway to an entrance for the backyard, unhitching the gate himself and letting us through first. The first thing that came to mind was that his friends are attractive, and rich. Peter's yard looked like it came out of a Home & Gardens magazine. Then again, he looks like he came straight from a store called Tall, Dark & Handsome, if there is one.
"Drinks are inside. Take whatever you want," Brody's voice brought me out of my stunned trance. It's probably the only sound that can snap me out of anything.
We all thanked him with a smile, my eyes locking with his for a few seconds longer. I was the first to turn away as a burning sensation took over my cheeks. My two friends and I walked inside Peter's empty house, successfully finding the luxurious kitchen and the plethora of alcohol laid out in front of us.
As Sadie and I made our own drinks, Jodie stood by and waited patiently. My curious brunette friend suddenly turned to me with an intent of getting an answer on something.
"So are you gonna do it?"
"Do what?" I knit my eyebrows at Sadie.
She looked at me as if I missed the point and nudged my arm. "Hook up with Brody," she put the puzzle together for me. I gulped at the idea, anxiety blooming in the bowels of my stomach. "He already kissed you. Now you just gotta take it a step further."
"Wait, what? Why didn't I know this?" Jodie butt into our conversation, looking at me skeptically.
"It was just a kiss on the cheek," I rose my hands in surrender. "No big deal."
Yeah, right.
"It's because you were Mrs. Drunky McDrunk Pants and passed out as soon as we got back to Lena's after Mason's party. We talked about it, but you wouldn't know," Sadie chuckled as she explained Saturday night for her.
Jodie rolled her eyes with a sneer, waving off her behavior. "And both of you just forgot to mention that to me?" She hissed, but then she abruptly shook her head and switched to something else. "Forget about that. He still made a move on you!" She shook my arm gently with an encouraging smile.
"Yeah, I guess," I shrugged modestly. She gave me a pointed stare, and an exasperated breathe escaped from my lips. "I really like him. I don't know what to do."
As Sadie tasted her drink, made a face of disgust, and reached for more juice, Jodie turned to me. She breathed in slowly, looking over me as if she were contemplating what to say. "All I'm going to say is... it's your choice," she started off in a low voice. I raised an eyebrow in return, letting her continue. "You know I'm not his biggest fan, but if you really like this guy, then go ahead. I don't want to get in the way of your happiness."
My eyes were hooked on my high tops, but at Jodie's sudden kind words, I picked my head up with a wide smile. "Thanks, Jod," I said.
"No problem," she grinned back at me with a firm nod.
"Now come on, drink up," Sadie piped up when she was finished making her drink. "We need to get you loose so you can make a move on your boy," she wiggled her eyebrows at me, linking an arm with mine as the three of us walked back outside.
🌊🌊🌊
I was surprised I could even keep my eyes open as the hours passed by at Peter's house. My long day of working was taking a toll on me, and when I checked the time to see that it had barely been 2 hours since we got here, I had to hold back a whine.
It was still so early, but all I could think about was going to sleep.
Sadie and I occupied ourselves with downing our drinks, while Jodie watched over us. We got separated a few times because the handful of people Jodie recognized from Mason's party wanted to talk with her. As long as Sadie and I didn't get out of control, she knew we'd be fine.
The yawn that pried through my mouth was an obvious sign that I was tired. Aiden didn't forget to notice that as the two of us stood off to the side of an intense round of beer pong between Peter, Mason, Brody, and some other guy I didn't know.
"You okay?" He asked me, blonde eyebrows twirled together in concern.
I nodded my head and finished yawning, covering my mouth with my hand. "Yup. Just really tired from working all day. And the fact that I have work tomorrow at six AM doesn't help," I explained. I attempted to put a smile on my face, but it probably just accentuated the fact that I looked beat.
"Damn, that sucks," he grimaced, taking a swig from his beer. "But obviously you weren't too tired when you destroyed Brody and I in beer pong."
"You're right. And I have no idea how we did it," I laughed with him. Sadie and I somehow won over a round of beer pong with Brody and Aiden on the opposing team. We didn't think much of it because neither of us even like the game. We still had an excessive celebration and rubbed it in their faces for a good ten minutes.
Aiden cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his disheveled blonde curls. He hesitated for a second before speaking up again. "So, Brody invited you here?" He tried to seem nonchalant about it. But the way his voice hitched at the end told me this conversation was meant to be anything but unintentional.
"Yeah. He called me earlier," I brushed it off with a slow sip from my drink. He nodded at that, rolling his lips into his mouth.
"He's really glad you came," he admitted quietly, seeming like he didn't want anyone else to hear him. Even though it was a low confession, my heart still did a back flip.
"He is?" I raised my eyebrows at his revelation and turned to him.
He ruffled his hair around and cleared his throat again, unable to stand still. "I mean, yeah. We're all glad you came. You and your friends are really chill. We like hanging out with you guys," he shrugged.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that because we like hanging out with you guys too," I smiled at him, and he shot me a crooked grin in return.
The conversation dipped off then with neither of us saying anything else as we observed the rest of the party. I felt him looking at me a couple times while we stood there, but I didn't think much of it. Right when he breathed in and opened his mouth to say something, Peter's voice cut him off, asking who wanted to play in the next game of beer pong. That seemed to be enough to make Aiden stay quiet.
Part of me wanted to ask him about it, but when Brody stepped off and came walking over to Aiden and I, my curiosity vanished.
"Hey," he smirked at the two of us. All I could manage was a timid smile, while Aiden greeted him verbally. I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear nervously when Brody's eyes stayed on me for a second or two longer.
Him and Aiden talked for a bit, and I participated in the conversation when I could. Until Aiden walked away to get more beer, leaving Brody and I alone.
By now, I was loose enough from the drinks I had earlier in the night. I thought this would make it easier to "make a move" on Brody, like Sadie said. Unfortunately, when it comes to him, it doesn't matter how much I drink. I could be flat-lining and he would still cause an eruption in my chest.
I tried to graciously guzzle down the rest of my warm mixed drink, cringing at the room temperature liquid and the strong taste. I definitely put too much alcohol in that one, but at this point, I don't even care.
Brody stood beside me without a care in the world, it seemed. Taking calm sips from his beer, surveying his surroundings, all while driving me insane. There was only one thing I could think about over and over again.
How the hell am I going to get him to kiss me?
There were too many people around for me to make a move. I'm uncoordinated, awkward, and too shy to do something like that in front of an entire party. Besides, I don't even know if he wants to kiss me. A short kiss on the cheek is nothing. People kiss their family members on the cheek all the time – it could've just been a platonic gesture. A friendly goodbye to a new friend.
Before I could think of another stupid suggestion, Brody's rumbling tone interrupted my thoughts.
"Wanna see something cool?"
I swallowed thickly, ever so slightly turning my head to the right to see him leaning towards me. His eyes weren't on me, but his lips were only a few inches from my ear. I could hear him breathing in and out, the cool air tickling my bare shoulder. When his gaze finally met mine, I just nodded for an answer.
He grabbed onto my fingers and tugged me towards a bamboo garden gate. Our hands weren't even interlocked, but the mere contact scorched my skin, making my craving for Brody that much worse.
Once we walked through the gate, it took a minute for our hands to separate. The loss of touch was disheartening, except when I realized Brody and I were totally alone in the secluded pond area, something became revitalized inside me. This could be my chance.
The fish aimlessly swirling around in the pond water stole my attention briefly. The sound of water trickling down the small waterfall structure put me a little at ease. I was in a trance with the warm colors of all the fish scales, until I remembered the boy standing right next to me.
I looked up with caution to see Brody's profile. The beautiful curve of his nose and the sharp angle of his jaw. Our faces being inches apart made it that much easier to see the intricate sun freckles sprinkled across his skin, and a small scar right on his cupid's bow. When he turned to me, I almost drowned in the sea held in his eyes, the waves resembling those that he so effortlessly coasts across on his board every day. His ocean met my rain forest, and it flooded out everything else around us.
"There's something I've been wanting to do and it's driving me fucking crazy," he suddenly uttered, his voice smoky and smooth.
It was almost impossible for me to respond with my heart lodged in my throat. "Well, maybe we're thinking about the same thing," I strained out in just above a whisper.
My one eyebrow raised slightly as a challenge, my focus shifting to his lips that were just out of my reach. I watched the side of his mouth lift up, a cheeky expression crossing his face as he licked his lips. He so did that on purpose.
I felt my lower lip fall at the provocative action, putting a slight gap in my mouth. It wasn't even three more seconds, the inches between us disintegrating and my eyes fluttering shut, that his lips caressed mine.
I dropped my cup.
His hands carefully grasped my face, pulling me closer to him. I grabbed onto his sides and the moan that left my mouth was incapable of being held back. A sound of reassurance that this was actually happening, that it wasn't a dream. And I kissed him like it was my only way to survive.
It was senseless to me to kiss anyone but him. His lips made the rest of the world seem pointless. They were intoxicating and dangerous. It was the kind of kiss you think is made up, a fictitious ploy that's created to keep hopeless romantics like me alive. But when you kiss that one person that makes it all seem so real, the lies and false accusations disappear.
Brody was that one person for me. That one person who couldn't and would never be able to compare to anyone else.
My fingers tangled themselves in the thick hair at the nape of his neck, and the way his hands tightened their grip on my waist told me to keep holding on. But no matter how tight he held me, or how much of him I held onto with my own hands, I couldn't possibly get as close to him as I wanted to.
In the midst of having Brody's blazing lips locked on mine, I thought I heard a rustling behind us. I clearly ignored it because kissing Brody was way more important than a couple of leaves on the ground or branches blowing in the wind.
But it wasn't a few leaves, or just the trees. It was an exceedingly drunk and equally-as-loud Peter.
"Oh shit- sorry!" His intoxicated blab caused Brody to slowly pull away from me.
He softly chuckled at his wasted friend, so I spun around to see Peter leaning onto the bamboo to stand up, an unmistakable, shit-eating grin on his handsome face. A red hot blush coated my entire face at that look.
Peter waved his hand in the air to dismiss himself, shaking his head. "No, no, it's alright. J-just go back to what you were doing. My bad. I-I... yeah," he stuttered out a response that made no sense, to which Brody and I both laughed at. With that, Peter stumbled away with his grin still in place, leaving us alone again.
I turned back, still latched in Brody's arms, and came face to face with his lopsided, devilishly sexy smirk. A smile pulled at the corners of my mouth at how tousled his hair was from my fingers.
"So where were we?" He rasped, obviously a little breathless from our intense make out.
"I think we were right here," I mimicked his tone. Then we both leaned in and continued on like we never stopped.
🌊🌊🌊
A/N - well........ it happened you guys. THEY. KISSED. WHAT. lol i know some of y'all are still bitter about noah and aren't the biggest fans of brody, but just give him a chance!!! i promise you'll fall in love ;) hehe. also i know it seems like they're already moving really fast, but i don't think i need to remind you to go back and reread the description of this book. it kind of says it all.
so yeah i'm very hungover from going out for st. patty's day (i'm not even irish) (i don't care for the holiday) and i kinda feel dead inside!!! ha ha good job sab!!!!! lmao anyway thanks for reading, i hope you're enjoying this book, you're AWESOME, and i love ya lots!
song: over & over by smallpools
photo: lena
xoxo, sabbbycat