Sub Rosa Ties ( A High School Dark Romance)

Zera

It was packed. Like, seriously packed.

I'd always admired beaches from a distance but never actually set foot on one myself. My dad never let me. It was always either he was hollering at me to do chores, study, or I was caught up in the middle of his and Mum's arguments.

I just never got the opportunity to come here and let loose like I wanted to.
It had been almost an hour since Gerard and I arrived.

We plopped down on the sand, our shoes off to the side, watching as people splashed around in the water, getting themselves soaked.

It seemed like such a blast. I was totally into it.

"What's on your mind? Don't you like it?" Gerard murmured gently, brushing a strand of hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear.

I glanced at him, a smile sneaking onto my lips. Gerard had handed me his jacket to cover my thighs, griping that I was showing off all his property to the world.

"Like it? I'm loving it. It's just... I'm just realizing how much I've missed out on," I murmured, looking down at my fingers as I toyed with them.

"I can make it up to you. We can come here whenever you want," he said earnestly, taking my hands and intertwining his fingers with mine.

His blue eyes seemed to shimmer, even as the sun dipped below the horizon, rendering him even more handsome.

"You've already said that before," I chuckled, giving his finger a playful tug.

"I'm serious," his voice took on a serious tone as he locked eyes with me.

I smiled and gazed ahead.

"Gerard?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's take a dip." I nodded toward the sea, but horror crossed his face as he shook his head vehemently.

"What? Don't tell me you're afraid of water..." I laughed, even though it was obvious he wasn't. He'd been with me the last time we hit the beach and spent hours just watching the waves before I finally drew a goofy caricature of him in the sand, causing a ruckus.

"Hell no..." he interrupted, scrunching up his nose in a way I found adorable. "It's just too juvenile. I'm beyond that."

"Juvenile?" I scoffed. "It's a blast." I hopped up, placing his jacket on the ground beside him. "Come on. Just this once." I tugged at his arm gently.

"But Zera..." he trailed off with a groan, clearly not wanting to argue with me. I grabbed his hand, pulling him along as I did a short sprint toward the water.

At first, Gerard had let go of my hand, just watching me with an inscrutable expression on his face as I frolicked in the water with a few other girls I didn't know, goofing off.

But soon enough, I wanted him to join in. I wanted him to get drenched. So, I did what I knew would irk him when he least expected it.

"I gotcha!" I exclaimed, splashing water on Gerard's face, even though he'd made it clear he wasn't a fan of getting soaked, then swiftly turned to bolt away.

We'd come straight from my place after Gerard picked me up because I insisted on changing before hitting the beach. I made sure to wear something airy and short, just to feel uninhibited and do as I pleased.

"Dammit... Zera... Get over here!" his voice echoed after me as he chased me into the water, attempting to catch me.

My laughter echoed around us as Gerard's hand wrapped around my waist, swiftly pulling me back against his chest as he nipped at my right ear. I hissed and squirmed in his grasp, but he quickly released me and shoved me into the water.