By Your Side

15

Gracelyn

Avalon Beach is a quiet, secluded beach, about an hour's drive from the Pearce Manor. It's the first time I'm here, and I'm questioning why it's taken me so long to come to such a stunning beach.

There's currently no one else here aside from Ioannis and I, which is perfect. Today has been a more cloudy day and it's the perfect beach weather but still it seems as though there is something...special in the air.

"This place is so beautiful," I say to Ioannis as we walk along the sand.

Ioannis glances at me with a tiny smile. "It's my favorite beach here. My parents used to take my sister and I here often when we first moved to the States." He goes quiet for a moment. "Sometimes, I still like to come here when work's been stressful or I want to take something off my mind."

I'm curious to ask about his parents, but something tells me not to press it right now. "Hopefully I haven't been stressing you out?" I joke instead.

He chuckles. "Definitely not." Another pause. "It was more so in my old job." He's referring to his previous job as a police officer.

"I haven't been to the beach in so long," I confess. "I definitely resonate with going to the beach to clear your mind. I used to journal at the beach while taking in the ocean view. Something about it is just therapeutic."

"I can picture that." We both stop walking and our gaze meets again before Ioannis breaks the eye contact to stare ahead at the crashing waves. He looks like he's deep in thought, a pensive look marking his face.

As I steal another glance at the man beside me, I can't help but wonder if he knows how attractive he is—not only in terms of his physical appearance, but also just the way he is. His calm and composed, yet firm demeanor. How thoughtful, focused and protective he is.

A gentle breeze blows through my hair, rustling it, and I run a hand through my hair, trying to collect my thoughts together.

The truth is....I can't deny anymore that I probably have a little crush on my bodyguard.

I let out a sigh. Harboring a crush on Ioannis isn't great given he's made it clear that he won't cross professional boundaries.

"What's on your mind?" Ioannis gently asks.

That I like you, you idiot.

I don't say those words out loud because I'm not keen on being rejected by him a second time. Instead, I turn my attention back to the water again. "I was just thinking...I hope the water's not too cold to dip my feet in."

Without awaiting a reply, I shoot Ioannis a cheeky smile before taking off my heels and making my way toward the water. The water reaches a bit above my ankles and thankfully, it's not too cold.

Turning back around, I see Ioannis still standing there in his original position, an indecipherable expression on his face as he stares at me. It's the same look I've seen him give me on several occasions now and it's causing that fluttery feeling in my stomach again.

Butterflies.

He looks at you like you're the center of his world.

Elise's words echo in my mind and I see it now in the way he's looking at me, a gentleness and adoration in his eyes.

If he's going to stare at me like that without kissing me, he might as well be doing something more productive.

"Come on, are you going to just stand there?" I call out.

A hint of a smile crosses Ioannis's lips and I watch as he then kicks off his shoes. He strips off his suit jacket and bends down to roll up the bottom of his slacks and I don't know how he makes a simple move like that look so damn attractive. In no time, he's dashing toward where I'm standing and joining me in the shallow end of the water.