Never Too Late

Chapter Twenty Two

"I don't understand why you guys like this place so much?" Johan complained as he leaned against his brother's car. He and Luke's friends were in the parking lot of Shelly's Cafe and loud music was blaring all around.

"Come on, you know this place is cool!" Max, one of Luke's friends said as he downed a can of beer.

"You have to lighten up Johan," Luke said as he lit up a cigarette.

"Do Mom and Dad know that you smoke?" Johan questioned as he stood straight and looked at his brother disapprovingly.

"No, but you don't need to let them know," Luke said eyeing Johan seriously.

"If I wanted to tell them, they would've known long ago," He said leaning back against the car.

"What?" Luke asked confused.

"I've known for a while." He sighed. "I've seen you trying to hide your breath with mints and going off to smoke by yourself."

"I can't believe it, ugh!" Luke said putting both hands on his face as he mulled over his carelessness.

"Oh, also the pack of cigarettes I found in your car confirmed my beliefs." Johan laughed.

"Promise you won't say anything to them!?" Luke asked after calming down.

"Alright, I already said I wouldn't," Johan smirked. "As long as you don't say anything about me missing school."

"Okay, It's a deal," Luke agreed, and both brothers chuckled as they fist-bumped.

Unexpectedly, Johan felt a wave of happiness because he never expected that he and his brother would get along this well, but as the night dragged on, they laughed and joked with each other as if they'd known each other their whole lives.

"It's already 8:30," Johan said looking at his phone.

"So? The night's still early!" Luke laughed and turned to his friend Elliot. "Hey, you remember that place you were telling me about earlier?"

"Yeah," Elliot responded intrigued.

"Let's drive out there tonight; come on, Johan!"

***
The place they ended up going to was along the coastline, right off the highway on the other side of town. Johan, Luke, and his friends arrived not long after leaving Shelly's but were surprised by the number of people already there.

"Damn, it seems we weren't the only ones who had the same idea." Adrian, Luke's other friend, commented as he scanned the coastline where countless people were sitting on the large rocks that bordered the roadside.

"I can see why; it's nice out here," Luke said, observing the waves in the distance and the lights that lined the shore.

"It's cold," Johan mumbled as a breeze swept by. "I think -"

He was unable to finish his sentence as he spotted a familiar face not far away. It was Ericka, she was with a group of girls who were sitting near one of the large rocks. His heart raced as he watched her and it took his brother tapping him on his shoulder to bring him back to reality.

"Huh?" He said confused.

"The guys and I are going to get more beers, are you coming?" Luke asked as he gestured to the store up the street.

"No, I'll wait here," Johan told him and Luke shrugged.

"Alright, we'll be back soon." After they left, Johan approached the group of girls where Ericka was, and as soon as she noticed him she jumped up.

"Hey, Johan, I didn't expect to see you here!" She said as she went up to him. "These are my friends, Olivia, Leah, and Julie."

Johan greeted all of them but his mind was set on Ericka alone. After inviting her over to where Luke had parked, they sat together on a rock nearby. Ericka played with her hair nervously while he felt his heart pounding louder. It was obvious to him now that he couldn't keep convincing himself that he only wanted to be friends with her and as she turned towards him and the lights hit her face, he could feel himself falling harder.

"Um, Johan," She finally spoke, but a gust of wind blew by again, and she shivered. Instinctively, Johan drew closer to her, then took his Jacket off and gave her it so she could keep warm.

"Are you alright now?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah, thanks." She smiled. "By the way, I like your Jacket." She said tugging on the long sleeves.

He watched her fiddle with the zipper idly, the innocence on her face captivating as she gave a dimpled smile.

"Hey, Johan is blue your favorite color?" She asked offhandedly which caught him off guard.

"Well, why do you ask?" Her question was so out of pocket that he didn't know what to say.

"I've noticed you mostly have blue stuff, like this Jacket." He hadn't given it much thought because his parents had bought most of the things he had but he didn't mind the color one way or the other.

"I guess," he told her, and she smiled.

"I knew it!" She said triumphantly which he found amusing but cute. "I also saw you practicing on the field today, you were great!"

"Thanks, it wasn't much." He said, surprised that she watched him play.

"No, you were really good." She said leaning closer to him. "You looked absolutely fearless."

His face instantly felt warm and he wondered how long he could keep his feelings hidden and if his brother was ever planning on going out with Ericka. Was there something stopping him? Was he playing with her? He pondered quietly for a while before realizing that a long silence had passed between Ericka and him.

"Do you ever not know what to say," She broke the silence and asked him. She was holding her hands together to keep them warm but worry lit up her face.

"What do you mean?" Johan asked in return and she sighed.

"I get nervous sometimes when I talk to him." She said breathing warm air into her palms.

"Do you mean Luke?" Johan guessed.

"Yeah, since elementary school, he's always been so cool and nice to me." She smiled sadly. "I wish I could find the words to tell him how I feel."

"How you feel?" As Johan repeated those words his heart sank. She was just as in love with Luke as he was with her.

"Yeah, I hope I can find the words one day. He means a lot to me." She said looking off over the horizon as more waves came crashing in.

Slowly, Johan rose to his feet and realized how ignorant he had been. He had come between what his brother and Ericka had. Although he didn't understand his brother's reasoning, he knew he'd crossed the line in hopes she'd have feelings for him but now it was clear that his brother was the one she loved.

How could he have been so selfish?

How could he have tried to hurt his brother?

"Thanks for lending me your jacket," Ericka said getting up too and handing it back to him.

He took it back wordlessly, too ashamed of himself to speak. Just then he saw Luke and his friends returning.

"Hey Johan, you'd never believe how much hassle they gave us just over some beer!" Luke said, obviously upset, until he saw Ericka. "Ericka what are you doing here!?"

"Hey Luke, I was wondering where you were." She smiled and they exchanged warm glances.

Johan watched them before turning to look at the black sea, the waves folding in the darkness and crashing into the rocks, replicating the feeling in his heart.

What a fool he had been