The Seaside Retreat

Chapter 21

Seth's POV

I stared at Violet. Her expression was far off, like she was deep in thought. Her eyes were blank, but she kept a strong grip on my hand. We sat there in silence, but peaceful silence. 

Right as I was considering asking her what was bothering her, she spoke up. "Seth, there's some things I need to tell you." Her voice was serious. I looked down at her. Her eyes were wide and confused. "Yeah, I figured." I told her, giving her hand a squeeze. 

She smiled and looked down quickly. She looked upset. "Hey," I soothed her, "What's wrong." I was really concerned. I'd never seen Violet so upset before. "I don't know what to do!" She cried exasperately, throwing her free hand into the air. She pushed aside the hair that had gotten into her face before continuing.

"When your parents offered me that internship-I felt, so...." She laughed. "Well, words couldn't describe the happiness I felt. This is my dream and it could become a reality!" I knew it was coming, so I prompted her, "But...." "But," she said, strain in her voice, "I don't know if I could leave my parents. They do so much for me and I would feel terrible if I left them here alone to take care of the bed and breakfast all by themselves." 

I knew where she was coming from. I would have a hard time leaving my parents too. A tear silently streaked down her face. "Hey, hey, it's okay." I told her gently, quickly wiping away the tear, which had made its way down to her cheek. "Thanks," She said weakly. "I'm sorry I'm being so emotional. I'm usually not. But," she paused, blushing a little, "when I'm around you, Seth, I feel like I can be myself."

When she said this, I smiled at her, pulling her closer to me. "It's okay," I assured her, whispering into her ear. "This is a big decsion." "No kidding." she replied, laughing. Her laugh was so sweet and innocent. I felt the strongest urge I had ever felt before. I had to protect her. It was essential. Nothing else mattered. I rested my chin on top of her head, and we stayed in this postion in silence, the sun finally rising over the vast ocean.

Violet's POV

The sun peeked up over the horizon; slowly, but more quickly by the second. It cast a deep orange, yellow, red, and pink glow across everything. The colors lit up the ocean, making it sparkle like a million diamonds. 

I shifted my body so I could stand up. Still holding hands with Seth, he also got up. "Can we walk around?" I asked him quietly. He nodded his head, and I saw a new expression in his eyes I'd never seen before. I couldn't decipher what it was. 

We slowly walked across the sand, watching the beautiful setting sun. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Seth spoke up, staring at the sunset. "Yeah," I said. "Whenever I can, I always come to this beach to watch the sunrise. It was always so beautiful and peaceful, you know?" I realized what I had said. I blushed. Seth saw my expression.

"What?" He asked me, a small, sweet smile filling his face. "Oh," I started slowly, "It's just that I've never told anyone that before. I was always too embarassed. I was afraid people would think I was weird." I shrugged my shoulders. Seth stared deep into my eys. "I don't think it's weird at all."He responded seriously. I found myself smiling. "Really?" I asked him. He nodded his head up and down. "I think it's aweomse. I mean, how could you not like watching this?" He replied, gesturing with his hand at the sun. "It's so magnificient. People really don't know what they're missing out on." 

"Thanks for coming with me, Seth." I told him, rubbing his hand with my thumb. "I really needed someone, and..." I couldn't finish. Seth pulled me into a hug, his strong arms encasing me protectively. "I'm glad I could be here." He whispered into my ear. 

I didn't know what to say. Instead, I leaned my lips towards his. The kiss was short and sweet. Seth gently carassed my face in his hands. I leaned my head into his hand, enjoying the security it provided. The moments passed. 

"Seth, my head and my heart are telling me two different things." I confessed to him. He nodded his head understandingly. "You know what you have to do, right?" He asked me gently. "Yeah," I answered him, taking a deep breath, "I have to follow my heart."