Just One Night || Evan Peters AU

California's sweethearts

      The first half of the next day, you and your mom went to 'girly' shops while your father visited your landlord. They were high school buddies, which is how you could afford to rent a tiny house by yourself in Los Angeles. It wasn't free, but offered a good discount, and paired with all your savings from jobs in Arizona, you were managing. You spent through your thousands quickly though, especially at your previous, lower-paying job. The Glendale Deli paid 4 more dollars an hour than what your made before, so your were now building up again, minus the stumbling block of July's rent; which is where this contract with Evan came in handy.

Hours later when you met back up with your father, he seemed a little more rejuvenated. You got your introversion from him, and you thought over how being alone with an old friend did him some good. Now, unfortunately for you, it was time to head to the beach. In an attempt to look more like the season, you threw on an orange tank top and frayed light-wash shorts. A hoodie was out of the question for a disguise, so you tied your hair up after slathering on the sunscreen, adjusted dark-lensed glasses on your face, and followed your parents out the door.

   "How beautiful," your mother gasped when she stepped out of the van.

Despite the heat and sand and numerous people, you couldn't deny it was quite the view. Water stretched as far as you could see, washing over the wet sand again and again. It was a little after 6, and the sky was a marigold orange fading into a honey gold. The breeze was a godsend: even the swaying palm trees above seemed to agree. You noticed your father grab your mother's hand, and smiled to yourself. You fell behind them as everyone else in the world disappeared but the two of them, and stopped when they stopped at a good spot in the sand. You guys were a good 20 feet away from anybody else on either side of you, and you set down your towel to relax and maybe read the book from your pack.

   "Thanks for coming out here with us," your father said as he watched your mother excitedly run to meet the water. "I know this isn't your cup of tea." You were thankful he knew you well enough to recognize your slight discomfort.

   "It's okay," you admitted. "Look how happy mom is." you two watched her jump around at the water's edge, calling for you to join her. You raised your book in the air and shook it slightly, and she nodded with an understanding smile. Your father gestured for her to 'wait a minute' with his index finger.

   "That boy at dinner looked at you the same way I look at her," he told you, and you tried not to stare at him in incredulity. "I caught it a couple times. For what it's worth, I like the guy."

   "Me too," you stared straight ahead. Your father patted your shoulder and walked slowly over to meet your mother. They embraced in front of the sunset, and you wondered if that'd ever be you.

As the 'leftover firework show' drew closer, more and more people began showing up at the beach. Your parents indulged in piña coladas, swaying back and forth together in a crowd of other fast-paced dancing couples. They hadn't bothered with you in a while, but you didn't mind, you knew they needed the vacation. Your book kept you company anyway; that is, until somebody was gracelessly collapsing in the sand next to you, inches away. You flinched and dropped your book, looking quickly to your right at the shirtless guy next to you. Even if you didn't recognize the maroon beanie and dark sunglasses that matched your own, Evan's dimples and unmistakable smile gave him away. His skin glistened with what you assumed was sunscreen, or maybe tanning oil, and salty ocean air blew through his loose curls.

   You scanned the area around you guys quickly, nobody having taken notice yet, "What are you doing here?"

   "I have news for you, which you can decide is good or bad."

   "How'd you even know where I was?" you squinted at him.

   "I have eyes every where," he teased, waving his fingers at you to appear creepy.

   You waved him off and held back a smile, "So what's the news?"

      "Well as you know, we've been dubbed 'California's sweethearts' by the media," he began, quoting your shared nickname in a deep valley-girl voice. You let yourself snicker at that one, and let him continue. "My team guessed it'd go well, but never this well, so they wanna offer you another grand for an extra two weeks bound to the contract."

You felt many emotions at once: on one hand, you wanted to say yes as soon as he finished his sentence; you were under this guy's spell for sure. On the other hand, that wasn't a good thing, nor would stay an extra two weeks make it easier when you inevitably had to go your separate ways. He sensed your hesitation, and broke the silence.

   "Am I that impossible to be around?" He gave a fleeting smile, but there was sincere insecurity there.

   "No," you closed your eyes a second and shook your head; you decided to give in to the little devil on your shoulder. "I'll do it. I mean who couldn't use an extra thousand bucks?"

   He beamed again, taking your hand in his and lifting it to his lips, "Awesome. Thanks," he placed a quick kiss on your knuckles, then let you go. Your stomach flip-flopped but you ignored it. "Mind if I catch the show with you?" he asked.

   "Might as well," you tucked a book mark into the last page you read and stuck it all back in your pack. "My parents are in their own little world over there."

Your mother looked back as you mentioned her, waving at you, then pointing to Evan once she noticed him, and finally waving at both of you. You two waved back, then a minute later looked to where she pointed in the sky: the show had begun, starting with the tinier fireworks. The exploding blue sparkles looked like a luminescent jellyfish that contrasted perfectly against the black sky, and it completely entranced you. You smiled with an open-mouth and checked to see if Evan was seeing the same beauty that you were, but instead, he was looking at you, an unreadable expression on his face. You closed your mouth and your heart sped; maybe coming to the beach tonight wasn't as bad as you'd thought.