Chapter Four
Kas
“Dude, she”s not going to magically appear out of nowhere. I’ve never seen you this warped,” Riley complains, causing me to scowl his way. I know thinking I’ll see her in passing is irrational, but I can”t help it. I’m seeing her everywhere, but it”s like in my periphery.
“Grayson, stop looking at your phone. Damn, don”t you know you”re supposed to play hard to get the first couple days?” Beck jokes.
“What the fuck would you know about dating?” I ask, raising a brow at him right before I get a glimpse of silver glitter from the side, and my head swings in that direction. Shit, not her.
“Holy fuck, can we get out of here? Maybe some sun will do you guys some good. Get your heads out of your asses,” Riley complains, snapping his book shut and turning and walking across the street, not waiting to see if we follow, already knowing we will.
As we make our way down the beach, I get lost in thought. One thought in particular. One that kept me from getting any type of sleep last night: that kiss. She planted it on my lips out of nowhere, and before I even had time to react, she was running away. Was the kiss really that bad? I’ve been waiting to see her wanting to apologize. Not for the kiss. Even if it was out of nowhere, the little taste I got was absolute perfection.
Or was it the scar? Did she get a glimpse of my face when she closed in for the kiss? She probably saw my mangled cheek and ran away in terror. Fuck, now I know she’s probably disgusted and regretting ever meeting me. Still, call me a masochist, but I crave the sight of her. I just need to know she”s okay.
My thoughts keep getting the better of me. Girls love the idea of Beauty and the Beast, but no one actually wants the reality, especially when the Beast can”t afford to give the beauty a library as a bribe to stay with him. What could I ever give a girl like Charli? From what she alluded to, her family is very well off. You would never expect it from her down-to-earth attitude, but what the hell do I know? It could have all been an act. I’m about to turn around and head out, not in the mood to socialize, when I hear Grayson sigh. I look up at him, confused, and follow his direction, seeing none other than both girls lying out on the beach.
My heart and brain start to slow as I get my first sight of her. She’s smiling wide, and I swear I would wrestle a shark just to give that beautiful sight to the world. It”s full of darkness, but with one smile from her, she could change the world. I swear I fall more in love with her right here and now.
An unexpected determination to make this girl mine comes over my body… then it”s immediately extinguished as she glances at me, her eyes go wide, and then she promptly places the magazine she was holding in front of her face. My heart sinks. She was avoiding me.
“I’m such a fucking idiot,” I murmur, ducking my head again.
“Then it”s her loss, man. Don”t let this shit get you down,” Riley says softly, gripping my shoulder in support.
Grayson swaggers his way up to the girls, putting on all the charm, but I stand back and keep my distance. The last thing I want is her thinking I”m some freak psycho stalker or something. Still, my eyes seem to keep making their way back to her, even if she”s doing everything in her power to avoid looking my way.
The conversation continues, but I”m not paying attention. I couldn”t care less about what Grayson is drooling over with his girl. While I”m sitting here, just trying to keep my heart intact when it feels like it”s falling apart. I’m pulled back when I hear her name mentioned.
“Hey Charli, would you mind if I steal your girl away again today? Feel free to say no. I just want as much time as I can get,” Grayson asks.
“Sure, go ahead,” Charli shrugs, still avoiding me.
“Are you sure? We can all hang out together if you want,” he offers, though I can tell he wants nothing more than some alone time with his girl.
“She’s sure,” I speak up before I can think better of it. Not only do I want my buddy to have time with his girl, but I’m a sucker for any little crumbs I can get out of this girl. If her best friend ditches her, she may have time for me.
“You hush. I can speak for myself.” She shoots me a glare, but I see the softness in her eyes as I stare at her. The longer I stare, the more I see it. She holds my eyes, and I know she can see my scar. There is no disgust or cringe in her expression. Something else is holding her back from me, and I want to know what that is.
“I can’t believe we’re getting ditched again. Man, I need to find a girl or new friends around here,” Beck jokes, looking around the crowded stretch of beach. “What about you, darlin’? Want to hang out? Name’s Beck,” he says to a girl walking by with her head in her phone. She simply scoffs and keeps walking without even looking up from her screen.
“Better luck next time,” Grayson laughs as he leads Harper away.
“And then there were three,” Beck says, clapping his hands together. “What do you guys think about a game of corn hole?”
We all nod and head toward the boards closer to the sidewalk. I slip back and let Riley and Beck walk ahead, wanting to talk to Charlie. She”s racing after the other two before I can get a word out.
“I want in on this,” she says, not sparing a glance back my way.
What the hell is going on? Instead of trying to get her attention again, I just join the game. As Beck and Riley apparently want to be funny, they pick teams, leaving me standing beside a very awkward-looking Charli.
Fuck, the last thing I want to do is make her feel awkward. So, instead, I just stand there and watch as the game progresses. I shoot when it’s my turn and sit back when it’s not. I can tell Charli is fidgety, but I don’t know what else to do. She’s acting as if yesterday never happened. If that’s what makes her comfortable, then I guess I have no other option. I was never good with words, anyway. If she doesn’t want me, then I’ll just be her silent protector this summer.
I’ll leave her alone but still make sure she stays safe. I”ll try to keep my distance, but I won”t try to convince her I”m good enough for her because the simple truth is, I”m not. Still, by the time she leaves here, she’ll know that she deserves a man who will give her the world, or if I’m really lucky, she might change her mind and let me be that guy.
We get through the entire game, and Beck and I are coming out as the winners, but it’s been awkward since before we started playing, and I know the guys picked up on that. I know they are wondering the same thing, judging by their glances at each other. What the hell is going on? But instead of being the nosey fuckers like I know they want to be, they make an excuse to bolt on me.
“So, uh, yeah, I need to get to work,” Beck says, elbowing Riley and gesturing, not so subtly, over his shoulder.
“Oh, uh, yeah. I’ve got to get to the… uh, library?” Riley says it like a question before another jab, continuing more confidently, “Yeah. The library. See ya’ll later.”
Then, they both turn around and jog in the opposite direction. I shake my head but turn back to a glaring Charli.
“Well, that wasn”t obvious at all,” she huffs, then rolls her eyes. I see her trying to hide a smile, but I don”t call her on it. I have a feeling that would just push her away. Instead, I turn back toward the diner.
“Want to get some dinner?” I ask, trying to come across casually.
“Uh, that”s okay. I think I”m going to head back to my room and catch up on some sleep.”
“Would it be alright if I walk you back?” I ask.
“Umm, sure,” she says, going back to looking at everything but me.
We walk in silence back down the beach, only interrupted by kids playing and running around us. It seems like only seconds before we are back at her inn. I open my mouth to say goodbye when she sighs heavily before turning to me.
“Look, you”re like the nicest guy I’ve ever known, but I think we should just be friends,” she tells me, making me have to hide a smile. I might have believed her if I hadn’t caught her checking out my ass when I bent down to pick up that ball for some kids on our way back. Or if she seemed at all convinced herself, but I see it. She’s not so unaffected by me, and maybe I can use that in my favor.
I look at her and shrug, “Okay.”
Then I turn and leave, not even chancing a glance back. I can feel her eyes on me the whole way back to the beach. The one thing on my mind is, please, lord, don”t let me have just made the biggest mistakes of my life.