***IM AWARE THERE IS NO BEACH IN NY LOL JUST IMAGINE IT YO.
After my shift ended, I grabbed my jacket from the rack along with my other belongings before heading out of the bar.
As expected, Julian's car was parked outside of the bar when I left. A smile immediately formed on my face as I walked to his car, getting in on the passenger side.
I looked over at him when I got in, throwing my jacket in the backseat.
"So, where are we going?" I asked again as we pulled away from the bar.
"You'll see." he said.
...
We had been driving for about thirty minutes, and Julian still refused to tell me where we were going.
We pulled into a large parking lot. There was no building anywhere near, instead there was a large beach.
"We're here." he said, parking the car.
I had been to this beach many times before in the past. It was always my favorite spot. This wasn't what I had in mind when he mentioned we were going somewhere. But it was much more than I could've expected or wanted. We both got out of the car and headed for the beach.
It looked beautiful here at night, the water was calm and still. I walked along the beach, Julian following closely behind as I sat on the sand by the water. I looked out to the water as Julian suddenly sat down next to me.
"It's really beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, looking out at the water with me.
I laughed quietly, slowly nodding my head. "You know, I always used to come here as a kid." I said, never moving my eyes from the ocean.
I could see his eyes move from the waves to me as I said this.
"Really?"
"Mhm. It was my mom's favorite spot. We used to come here almost every day."
"I'm guessing you're really close with your mom?" he asked, still looking at me.
"I was.." I said, then turning to him. "We used to be inseparable. She was my best friend."
He looked confused, as if he was debating on saying something.
"Were? What happened?"
"She and my dad got into a wreck on the way to the hospital when I was twelve." I sighed. "He was paying more attention to her than he was the road. She was in labor. My dad survived, but she didn't."
Silence.
"I'm so sorry, Jade." he said. I could feel the tears coming. Julian was the first person I was talking to about my mom like this. One on one.
"Things just kinda fell apart after she died." I said, my voice beginning to break. "My dad started focusing more on drugs than his own children. I don't even know where he is right now.." I laughed, trying to ignore the tears as they were starting to stream down my face. "Maybe things would be okay if I had just gone with them.
I suddenly felt Julian's hand reach my jaw, forcing me to look over at him. My eyes were full of tears. I probably looked like a complete mess.
He just looked at me for a second, then wiping the tears with his thumbs.
"It wasn't your fault." he said, his voice breaking now too. Was he going to cry?
"But I could've stopped it.." I mumbled.
He shook his head, putting his hands on my waist and pulling me closer to him. He wrapped his arms around me tightly as I rested my head on his shoulder. I was now sobbing, him rubbing my back comfortingly. Never would I have imagined this night turning into... This.
