Never Too Late

Chapter Forty Nine

Johan and Ericka told no one about their relationship in the days following their confession to one another. Johan noted that his family had noticed his change of mood but guessed they thought he was just getting over Liz. His heart, however, still ached for her, but having Ericka by his side soothed his pain. He hated hiding he was dating her, especially from his brother but he didn't know how to tell him, only that he would have to eventually, especially since he would be leaving for college soon.

Presently, to celebrate both he and his brother getting into the colleges they wanted, their parents were taking them on a beach trip. It would be their last time doing something together for a while so Johan was looking forward to it. In the past, the thought of leaving home was something that felt dreadful and full of uncertainty but now he knew where he was headed and what he wanted so he was optimistic.

Smiling faintly, he stood in the driveway helping his dad pack their stuff into the trunk of his car as the sun beat down on him and tanned his skin. Luke and Rachel buzzed with excitement, and as he looked over at his parents he could see pride and quiet sorrow on their faces that their sons would be leaving soon.

"Hey Luke, will you send pictures of your dorm when you get to Stanford? I wanna know what it looks like." Rachel asked as she stuffed her beach bag behind the seat of their dad's car.

"Sure, I've already got a few videos of it on my phone!" Luke said, pulling out his phone and showing her.

Johan smiled to himself as he thought of how much he was really going to miss his siblings. Rachel was kind, welcoming and always found a way to make him smile but Luke was the one he'd grown closest to, which surprised him the most. Despite his attitude at times, Luke was a really compassionate person and always looked out for him, which made what he was hiding from him even harder.

"Hey Johan, what about you? Excited for Oxford?" Rachel asked, breaking his train of thought.

"Yeah, but I heard it's really cold over there, even right now." He said casually, hoping that the worry on his mind wouldn't show on his face.

"Remember to pack thick clothes and to stay warm then," his mom spoke up as she walked over and handed him a set of towels.

"I will," he said as he nodded and put them away.

Coming over, his dad opened the trunk wider to fit the cooler in the car, and Johan helped him lift it. "Time really flew by, didn't it?" His father said after they successfully got it in.

"Yeah, it has," Johan agreed. If his father hadn't gone after him that night and stopped him, he didn't know what or where he would be right now. He was more grateful to him than he could express.

"I've missed out on a lot of things in your life, but at least I get to see you off to college," his father said with a smile.

"Yeah, I'll make sure you never miss anything else," Johan replied.

Overwhelmed with happiness he wiped his eyes before turning to Luke. "Luke come here," he called so he left his phone with Rachel and came over to see what was happening.

"Yeah?" He asked perplexed and Jacob put his arm around him before beckoning to Johan and doing the same.

"I'm really proud of you two. I couldn't have asked for better sons." He told them.

"Thanks," Luke said, caught off guard.

"Yeah, Thanks Dad," Johan added.

"You guys look so adorable!" their mom cut in as she took a picture of them on her phone.

"Let's hurry and get everything packed, remember Ericka is waiting for us." Luke said pulling away from his dad and trying to brush off the moment.

"Wait, Ericka's coming?" Johan asked surprised and confused.

"Yeah, I asked Dad if I could invite her and he said it was okay." He said smugly.

Johan said nothing and went back to packing into their cars, however his head swam with thoughts. Finally, after getting everything together they got ready and left but not before stopping by Ericka's house and picking her up. He said nothing to her, nor did she say anything to him the whole way until they were at the beach. Once there, the cool sea breeze filled the air and when Johan looked through his window he saw the ocean lining the horizon with the sun hanging over the beach like a beacon, welcoming them to a peaceful day.

After parking they found a nice spot along the shore, where a few boulders lined the embankment and offered shade.

"It's great we're the only ones here right now!" Rachel remarked as she settled in her spot.

"Yeah, it also means the changing rooms are empty right now," Their mom remarked happily. "We better hurry and go right now!"

Agreeing, everyone grabbed their beach bags, except for Johan who was busy setting up, "You guys go first, I'll come after," Johan said before looking over at Ericka, their eyes locked and wordless communication passed briefly between them.

"Alright, but in the mean time will you inflate my floaty," Rachel asked before handing it to him and heading off.

"Go on ahead without me, I need a minute to find my bathing suit." Ericka told Luke as he outstretched his hand to her.

"Alright," he nodded in agreement before leaving with his dad.

As soon as everyone else was gone, Johan smiled and leaned against a boulder that was half buried in the sand.

"You didn't tell me you were coming." He said, observing her.

"I wanted it to be a surprise." She replied with a mischievous smile.

Leaning off the rock, he took her hand and held her close. The sun had kissed her pale skin, giving it a light caramel glow and added color to her features.

"I've missed you," she whispered in his ear, igniting a flame under his skin. Though they texted every day and snuck out to see each other whenever they could, it never felt enough. Now that he had her again, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her before spinning her around. She laughed joyfully and he never felt more alive to have her by his side. After a moment, he set her down and they kissed deeply before embracing again.

"I'm glad you're here," Johan breathed warmly before burying his face against her hair. A year ago he had no idea of where life would take him and trying to imagine the next day seemed impossible but now he could see himself building a family with Ericka and them growing old together.

"Me too," she said before pulling away and grabbing her bag to go change. Johan went back to setting up the umbrellas and chairs and by the time everyone returned he was done. Getting up to go change himself, he glanced over at Ericka and saw that she was wearing a pale blue two piece with a matching cover up around her shoulders. If it wasn't for his family standing behind her, in that moment he would've pulled her right into his arms again. Johan once again betrayed no emotions as he walked by Ericka, but he thought of how deep his feelings for her had grown and all the things he wanted to tell her even now.

***

Luke watched Ericka silently as she sat on her towel and noted that somehow she was more beautiful each time he saw her. Her hair was being combed by the sea breeze, the sun reflecting the depths of her ebony eyes and her rosy smile was inviting, as if begging him to caress her beautiful skin. Collecting himself, he focused on the reason he had invited her. He wasn't ready to let everything they shared come to an end, simply because someone else had taken his place. His pride still ached from her rejection but he was determined to try again. His father was right, no one knew her like he did, or had been there for her as he had. She'd been charmed by someone else because she was unaware of his feelings but he would change that. He would remind her of all the memories they'd shared together, show her how serious he was and promise to never hide his feelings again.

Smiling to himself, he was confident in his plan because after all, the person she was dating could never compare to him and the connection he had with Ericka was deeper than the ocean before his eyes. He just had to be confident and brave, just like his brother.

***

Sorry for the poor uploads, my job is awful. I'll update again by this weekend!