Moonlight Kisses

the spot: part two

One of his footsteps is like two of mine, but I can tell he's trying to slow down just to remain by my side. Our hands remain interlocked, neither of us finding any reason to let go. Beau keeps a sturdy grip on my hand as I balance on the edge of the sidewalk with my body leaning towards the street. There aren't any cars for the most part, but as soon as he spots one barreling towards us, he'll pull me back to his side and hold me close for a few seconds as the car passes.

Halfway between the parking lot and a crosswalk, Beau pulls my hand back so I stop in my tracks. We cross the street once we're sure there's no cars coming. Of course we didn't have to wait long because there isn't a car in sight for miles. We approach a small dirt clearing between the lining of palm trees. The weeds and bushes lining the path are thick and make it nearly impossible to walk wherever we're going, but Beau seems to have a designated way he does this.

"Perfect place to hide a body, are you sure you're not kidnapping me?" I ask with a small giggle.

He squeezes my hand softly in his and replies in a chuckle, "You and kidnapping."

"I wonder what the headlines will be. 'Teenage girl mysteriously disappears in L.A., last seen sneaking out of her bedroom window with someone the authorities have yet to identify'," I speak in a news reporter voice, a tinge of dramatization to keep people hooked on the story.

"And how would they describe said-unnamed person?" Beau inquires, quite enjoying my little story, as dark as it is.

I exhale in a hum. "They'd probably say," I clear my throat to speak in my excellent reporter voice, "'suspect was wearing all black and very tall. Some conspire that the girl was actually taken by Slenderman because of such strong resemblance'."

"Oh fuck off," he laughs, playfully glaring at me. "You forgot to mention 'insanely hot'." His bragging makes me laugh even harder, not because he's lying, but because he feels the need to flaunt it as if most of us didn't know it already.

"They wouldn't have seen your face dumbass or else you'd be caught within minutes!" I point out his crooked logic.

We start approaching another clearing, this one even bigger. I can't see very clearly through all the dry brush and rocks, but I just know that I'm looking at the spot. "Is that it?" I query in a more quiet voice. Beau nods and starts leading me along faster.

I hear the sound of waves crashing getting closer and closer to us, echoing like they're encased in some way. When the light breaks through the darkness of the thick nature around us, I'm able to get a glimpse of the small bay closed off by a wall of rocks. Beau steps behind me so I can take in the full sight as we get closer and closer to the opening.

"Oh my god," I whisper to myself. The sounds of the water lapping and crashing against the ground echoes off the rocks surrounding the small circle. It's like a small piece of the beach, not big enough to be considered an actual beach, but small enough to be considered private and hidden enough to where no one would think to come this way. The moon shines directly above the crystal waters, its bright white light dancing with the ripples in the water. Unlike the main beach, the sand here isn't littered with discarded beer cans and empty bags of chips.

Beau comes up from behind me, bringing his arm across my torso to rest our hands on my waist. "Do you like it?" he murmurs, an anxious note trembling in his voice.

"I love it," I answer honestly. A relieved sigh of his fans the back of my neck, making the hairs here stand up whilst goosebumps begin to prickle my skin. He lets go of my hand to let me wander around the small space. Taking my phone, I flip on my flashlight and aim it towards the sand in search of any animals to watch out for or shells to pick up. "How did you find this place?" I call out to him from behind me.