since moving to shorehaven, olive beckett has had time to get used to the sleepy town. but now that ari gibson has come back since disappearing for a year, will things still be the same between them?
ari gibson x oc
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Let me say now! This book is veeeryyy slow burn ;) but it'll be cute moments between Liv + Ari but also pitted Bodhi/Liv, Ari/Bodhi drama
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I'm doodling with Honey in the kitchen. She's raving about a new finch or robin she saw and checked off in her bird book. "Liv, you gotta believe it! It was this big!" She motions to the size of her hand that's half as small as mine. I chuckle and agree with her.
Thommo's footsteps boom in his dad boots behind me and ruffles my hair. He's cut from the same cloth as Ari since they both have the same haircut and takes-everything-literal mindset. "Hey, kiddo. Go take a break."
"I'm fine, Thommo. Honey makes the time go by fast." I say and hold up a picture of the waves I drew haphazardly with blue crayon that leaves splotchy streaks on the paper. He gives me a thumbs up.
"You're 14. Can't be working all day. Go get the sun now. Ari's already waiting for you." Thommo insists and pulls my chair back, stumbling me out of it. Honey whines since I'm leaving, but her dad hushes her. Something about not everything revolving around birds.
My heart began to pound at what Thommo said. Ari's waiting for me? Why?
I rush to the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. The blue paint in the bathroom makes the lighting bad and emphasizes slight dark circles around my eyes. I fix my two braids and use a bit of the wax left on the counter to fix flyaways. It smells like coconut and sandalwood. Oh shoot. I'm going to smell like Ari's dad.
A knock raps on the door and I look up to see Summer smiling in the mirror's reflection. I frown and toss a rag at her. "What?" I say, pitched and slightly embarrassed. How long had she seen me primping myself?
"You look great. Ari won't take his eyes off you." She winks and shakes my shoulders. It's funny since I'm about a half head taller than her, so getting to my shoulders takes her whole arms length. "You're crazy pretty. Ari's dumb if he can't notice."
"That's funny to say cause he's totally set himself on Bodhi. I saw him staring at animal bracelets online earlier." I snicker and wipe some leaked, dry mascara off my lower waterline. "Who can compete against Bodhi Mercer, princess of Shorehaven?" I say jokingly, putting my arms up in dramatics.
"Don't worry. I'll gas you up to Ari later." Summer says. I smack her back and leave while she laughs and heads back to her room. I hear her skateboard dragging by her feet. She must've gone out for a ride on it.
I grab my bag and surfboard. I got paid on Wednesday, so I was able to go to the shop and pick out a new surfboard. I've been meaning to get a new one since my last board had dents from Marlon being an idiot and dropping a weight on it. The new one I picked out is a cream white with purple and sage green accents. It came with a matching case I can sling behind my back.
Ari was sitting on the porch, a weed in his hair and dirt smudged by his forehead. He must've been pulling weeds again. It's a breezy day and when he tries to wave to me, his hair gets in his face again.
"You should really cut your hair." I say and pull out my bike. Ari takes my surfboard bag off my back and slings it on his shoulder.
"You're right. It's getting annoying."
"It looks cute though. In a dorky Ari way." I smile and pedal forward slowly, waiting for Ari to get his bike. "Thommo said you were waiting for me. Why?"
We pedal side-by-side. Ari's neighborhood isn't the most bustling, so the streets are always empty and flat. Best for bike riding.
"I figured you can get some more practice surfing. I could too." Ari says, wind flapping his voice away so it sounds muffled like on a bad service phone call. My face beats against the cool air. When I get home later, I'll probably have dry spots on my cheeks.
"I need practice? Says the one who got a mandatory year break from surfing!"
"At least I practiced more than you. All you do is hang out with Honey." Ari quipped back. We lock our bikes on a fence. The ride was short since it was downhill and my hairs whipped in a frenzy.
"So you're watching me now? Am I going to wake up in the middle of the night and see you standing over my bed?" Ari's ears tint a small pink after I say that. He gives me a playful frown and rolls his eyes. "I need to put a security camera up now." I tease a bit more.
"Where are the others?" I ask, noticing that none of the group are here. The beach is totally empty. And to note, this isn't the usual beach we all surf at. It's at the back of Shorehaven. The waves are much more choppier here.
"It's just us two."
I smile when he says that and it takes superior self control to not jump on him and kiss his stupid face.
"That's new then. I actually have some snacks in my bag. Honey didn't eat them." I add, trying to act nonchalant and ignore what he said despite being giddy inside.
I pull out some cut fruit on kebab sticks and bread and cheese spread. "You need to be my babysitter instead. Honey takes this for granted." Ari drools. He stares at the watermelon and we walk down to a few feet away from the water that cuts the sand.
We sit down but the wet sand sticks to my shorts. Ari offers his hoodie and I sit on it. I feel a bit awkward since he definitely said he only wanted to be friends that day after the party. But what he's doing now isn't exactly a wanting-to-only-be-friends thing. The both of us kill the snacks I packed and began unloading our surfboards to hit the water.
"I don't have my wetsuit, actually." I just realized.
"I don't either. Let's just hope Mother Nature doesn't scuff us today." Ari says and takes his shirt off in one quick motion. I immediately turn around when he does but quickly turn back since it isn't supposed to be weird to see him shirtless. We've been swimming and surfing together since forever. But with my crush on him and the fact no one's here makes it more awkward.
I also change out of my shirt into the bikini top and leaving my shorts on. They were swimming shorts anyways. I didn't do my laundry often.
He turns around to put his shirt in my backpack and I see his scar traced along diagonally his back.
I couldn't help but touch it and he flinches when I do. "Your fingers are cold." It was true. I was always cold. Ari was the opposite. Whenever we hugged, it was like a giant, warm bear hug.
"Did it hurt badly?" I ask.
Ari turns to face me and picks at rubber guard around the tupperware. "The shock from the impact and the cold water by Stairway made it hurt less. When they stitched it up it hurt like hell." He explains.
"I should've visited you... it must've hurt a lot." I sympathize with him.
"It's old news now. I'm just dealing with the aftermath. I owe you one for helping me out that day and not telling Abbie about my panic attack. Really. Owe you one." Ari says and pats my shoulder. He stands up and walks to the water, turning as if asking if I'm coming. I grab my board and we hit the water.
