A Chance Encounter (Chris Hemsworth X OMC)

Arrival

"I always forget how big this place is," Elizabeth spoke with awe as the four of them walked into the foyer of the sprawling beach house.

Flanked by a private beach shared by some of the other massive beach houses in the area, the house had been in Darren's family for years. He spent every Christmas there with his entire family and was always happy to be back. As they carried their luggage in, Wyatt could see the good cheer on his face.

The house was a three story with sea foam green siding, pristine white shutters and a dark brown roof. A magnificent wraparound porch with swings gave the big house an inviting appearance. When they'd pulled up into the front drive, Wyatt was immediately assailed with memories from all of the times he'd visited through the years.

"Remember that time we got lost on the beach?" Wyatt asked with a big grin.

"His grandparents still bring that up," Elizabeth muttered. "You guys were awful."

Allie shook her head. "They still are. So, which room do I get?"

"Blue room?" Darren asked. His grandmother was an artist and had decorated all of the bedrooms with a color theme years ago.

"I want the purple room," Wyatt decided before bounding up the stairs and down the hall to his room of choice. He opened the door and was met with the familiar sight of the room he always stayed in any time he came here. The walls were a soft, comforting shade of lavender with white crown molding and baseboards. The floor was hardwood, like the rest of the house, but a cream and purple rug sat below the king-size bed. The deep purple sheets and duvet, along with the overwhelming amount of pillow- Meemee loves an accent pillow- were a welcome sight. But it was the view that always managed to take his breath away.

Wyatt wasn't a stranger to the beach. He'd spent more time on the beach and in the ocean than he could venture to say. So much so that his family often jokingly referred to them as Guppy. So many things related to water came naturally to him- swimming, surfing, diving, snorkeling. Living in New York has definitely cut into his beach fun; he was glad to have a whole week of it ahead of him. He walked over to the window and opened. He shut his eyes and allowed his other senses to take over. He laughed to himself, thinking about the Marvel superhero Daredevil and how his lack of vision enhanced his remaining senses. As he stood at the window with his eyes closed, he imagined that the nearby crashing waves were somehow louder and more defined, the salty scent sharper, and the glow of the sun warmer.

"Been a while since you've been here, hasn't it?" Darren said as he stood in the doorway.

"It's been a while since I did a lot of stuff," Wyatt sighed as he turned around and met Darren's smile. "I'm sorry for that."

"Well, you had your reasons," Darren said.

Wyatt shook his head. He knew that Darren was offering him an excuse. But Wyatt didn't want that. "No, i was somehow convinced that losing that job meant I was a failure. So I was wrapped up in trying to make things with Brian work to compensate I guess. I thought that meant I needed to pour all of myself into the relationship. And then, when I saw the truth that I always kind of knew was there, I hibernated when I should have leaned on all of you."

Darren nodded his head. "You're right. You're a shitty friend."

Wyatt reached for one of the numerous throw pillows and threw it at Darren's head. The former football star caught it effortlessly and hurled it back at him and Wyatt promptly jumped aside, dodging it.

"Are you guys going to sit in here and play dodge pillow all day or are we going to go and grab some dinner?" Elizabeth asked as she walked into the room. "By the way, we are not sleeping in the yellow room, I don't care what you say. It's way too bright in the mornings."

"You wear an eye mask anyway," Darren grumbled playfully.

"Well, you can have the yellow room. I'm taking the green room."

"More bed for me," Darren said as he wrapped his arms around Elizabeth's waist and pulled her in for a hug.

"Works for me," Elizabeth remarked with playful sarcasm.

"I don't like it when mom and dad fight," Wyatt play whined as he moved and put his arms around both of them.

"Yeah," Allie added. "I don't want my San Diego vacation ruined."

"So what's everyone wearing to Comic-Con tomorrow?" Darren asked.

"I'm not dressing up," Allie said, drawing the line.

"You don't have to cosplay to go to Comic-Con," Darren explained. "Just wear a superhero shirt or something."

"I guess we're going shopping," Allie decided.

"You mean you are," Elizabeth said. "I already have my shirt. I'm wearing a Black Panther shirt."

"Iron Man," Darren said.

Everyone looked at Wyatt expectantly. "I brought a Spider-Man shirt," he said with a grin.

"You're full of shit," Darren grunted. "We know good and well that you've got a Thor shirt pressed and ready."

"You have to wear a Thor shirt," Elizabeth urged. "How else are you going to get his attention?"

Wyatt rolled his eyes. "I swear, you guys act like I'm obsessed with him just because I think he's hot. Literally everyone has a celebrity crush."

"You're mine," Darren teased.

Wyatt rolled his eyes. "Well, you're aiming pretty low with a D-Lister like me. Anyway. First of all- of course I'm wearing a Thor shirt; don't be ridiculous. Second- do you have any idea how many people are going to be walking around in Thor merchandise, trying to get his attention. I could walk into Comic-Con with a long blond wig and a red cape and it wouldn't mean anything. And third- why does any of that matter?"

"Because it's your birthday present and wouldn't it be awesome if you, I don't know, met him? A cute little photo opportunity and autograph action?" Allie offered.

"There are going to be hundreds of people there," Wyatt pointed out. "Besides, I would probably pass out or something if that were to happen," he said before carrying his toiletry bag into the bathroom.

Darren looked over at the girls and wiggled his eyebrows.

"He still has no idea, does he?" Allie whispered.

"None," Darren confirmed.

"Good," Allie said. "I cannot wait to see his face when he finds out."

"He's going to be so mad," Elizabeth whispered excitedly.

"I can't wait," Darren said.

"What are you guys conspiring?" Wyatt asked as he stepped out of the bathroom.

The three of them quickly shifted the conversation into a different direction.

"So, do we have any neighbors this week?" Allie asked.

"I thought the big house down the way was empty," Elizabeth said. "But I think I saw a few cars in the driveway." She turned to Darren. "Do you know who owns that house?"

Darren shook his head. "Not a clue. Used to be the Bakers but they sold it. It gets rented out now."

"Well, one thing's for sure," Wyatt said as he reached into his luggage and retrieved his swimsuit. "There's plenty of private beach here for everyone."