“She went to have drinks with some of the girls.”
“Oh good. So I just talked to Bain about what to get her and he gave me the best idea ever. You still have her birthday week off of work right?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I can’t tell you, silly. This is for both of you guys.”
“Kinsey, you know I hate surprises,” he says in a firm tone.
“As do I and you always make me deal with them.” I walk off with my dad begging for more details, but I ignore him.
“So you’re dating him,” Aubrey accuses me.
“Hell no. Why would you even say that?”
“I don’t know, maybe because you haven’t been home much this past week.”
I glare at her. “Aubrey, I was gone for the weekend. That’s far from a week. We’ve just chilled together.”
“Well, it sure as hell feels like there’s more going on here.”
I get off the couch to refill my water bottle, honestly wanting to ignore her. “You can deny all you want, but let me ask you this. Why’s this guy so different? I haven’t seen you act like this since Nate.”
“He’s no different than Brady or anyone else. But he’s been through some really fucked up shit, so I’ve been trying to be there for him, and in the process he’s turned out to be a really good friend.”
“You just met him.”
“What’s that matter?”
“Is he your friend or do you fuck?”
“Seriously, Aubrey, what’s your fucking problem? Yeah, we fuck, you know that’s how I am. He’s also a friend. Is that a bad thing?”
She shakes her head, “No, it’s not, I’m just worried about you and trying to figure out why he’s got your head so twisted.”
“Dude, I appreciate your concern, but…” I trail off and decide to head out for a run rather than start an argument with her. She’s only trying to understand things. Plus, I feel Nate pulling me to our spot. Maybe if I go there, I’ll get some answers on how to handle all of this. I know arguing with Aubrey isn’t going to help anything.
I appreciate her concern, I really do, but I need to figure out what’s inside my own head, myself.
“I’m gonna go for a run. Can we talk later?”
“Of course. I don’t want you to be mad at me. I just care about you.”
“I know and I appreciate that. I’ll be back soon.” I give her a hug, then head into my room, putting on a tight pair of black leggings, a hoodie, and my running shoes. Aubrey’s not in the living room when I leave, so I grab my cell phone and bolt. The air is crisp and the sky is gray. It looks like we might get some rain today. I know running in this weather will burn my lungs, but it’ll also take the pain away. We live just a few blocks from the beach and within a few minutes, the pavement beneath my feet changes to sand. I make my way down towards the water, the familiar sound soothing me. The waves are light, but still crash against the shore. My legs pick up speed, taking me on the long journey to my final destination – my spot with Nate. The place where he asked me to marry him, we never had that dream come true as he was deployed quicker than we expected.
For some reason, it’s hard to clear my mind today. Normally a good run is just what I need, but instead, all I hear are Bain and Aubrey’s voices swirling in my head. So you’re dating him? Christ, you’re beautiful.
I don’t even know how to comprehend these two statements. They have my mind on a tilt and spinning in a way I’ve never experienced. Then automatically, all my stress washes away the moment my phone rings and I see it’s Bain calling. For some reason, he has that effect on me. I inhale deeply, trying to calm my breathing, but it’s useless. Breathlessly, I answer, “Hey you.”
“Hey to you. How are you?”
“I’m all right.”
“What’s wrong? You sound out of breath.”
“I’m out on a run.”
“Arion, are you kidding me?”
“What?” I ask confused.
“There’s a goddamn storm on the way.”
I realize then that it’s starting to get nasty outside. The wind around me howls and there are no other people out. “It’s not that bad,” I respond, looking into the gray sky.
“The fuck it’s not. Where are you? I’m coming to get you.”
“No, Bain, it’s fine, I can run back home.”
“Where the FUCK are you?” he yells. “Goddammit, Arion!”
“Ashbury Park,” I quickly respond, not liking his tone.
“Fuck, that’s far from your house.”
“No, it’s not, Bain. I don’t know why you’re freaking out, it’s not even raining.”
“Because it’s going to be pouring frozen rain soon and it’s windy as fuck. Where exactly are you? It won’t take me long.”
I explain to him where I am and within minutes, he arrives. Before I can open the passenger door, he leans over and opens it for me. He looks hot as fuck, dressed in a black t-shirt, his arms bulging through the material. He’s wearing dark jeans and has a soft beanie covering his hair.
“Are you all right?”