Don't Let Go

Will

I glanced up from the mirror and bit my lip. My exhaustion was definitely showing-- there were dark circles underneath my brown eyes and my skin was pale. Maybe I was just comparing it to the smooth, dark tan Kelsey had and I felt a prick of jealousy. My shoulder-length blonde hair was, as usual, naturally waved, though now it was sticky with sea spray. I gritted my teeth and attempted to separate the tangles. "Ow!" I yelled as I accidentally pulled out a clump. 

"Ready to go?" Kendall asked, peeking over at me from the back seat of the car. We'd parked in the back of a deserted parking lot near the beach and shaded by a few trees. It was almost ten o'clock so the sun had finally set. Only a few streaks of pink had stayed and those too were fading fast. 

"Yeah. Just about," I said, pulling at my hair one final time. I heard Kendall open her door and I hurriedly turned out the car light. As soon as my feet touched the ground I felt sand slip through my sandals. Across the beach, I could see a raging bonfire, sparks flying up into the star-speckled sky and the light wind carried laughter across the pier. 

"I guess that's where we're going," Kendall said cheerfully. She was her usual perky self, excited and smiling. She grabbed my arm and pulled me down to the beach. A small pit of anxiety formed in my stomach and I swallowed. Parties aren't my thing. Especially not in new places filled with people I don't know near the water where anything could happen. 

As we drew closer, I could see the outlines of guys and girls laughing and singing together. I could smell flowery perfume and smoke from the hopefully controlled fire. Damn. That fire was huge. Roaring flames leaped from the pit and sparks flew through the air. One of the girls stumbled away from in into a guy's muscled arms.  

"Hey, girls!" Kelsey came running up to us, her blonde hair curled and swinging down to her waste. "So glad you came!" 

"Yeah, glad we could make it," Kendall responded, smiling back just as widely. I attempted a grin when Kelsey glanced over at me. 

"Lemme introduce you to my friends. Hey, guys! Come on over here," she called over her shoulder. A small huddle of girls came parading over to us, hips swinging rhythmically to the steady hip-hop beat that was blasting in the background. They all wore similar expressions: casually smirking lips and partially raised eyebrows. I felt an immediate surge of dislike.

"I'm Misty," I introduced myself, trying again to force a smile. One of the girls gave me a stiff nod. 

"Kels, guess who came," one of the girls said, pushing forwards. Her black hair was sun-streaked and dyed with odd pink highlights. 

"Who?" Kelsey pounced on the gossip like a bulldog on a bone. 

The girls all giggled as yet another one leaned in to whisper, "Will King!" A series of high-pitched squeals followed this and I rolled my eyes at Kendall. 

My best friend, trying to please everyone as usual, jumped in on the conversation. "Who's Will King?" 

The girl with the black hair glanced at her stiffly. "He's just, like, this really hot guy who made out with Sarah's cousin during Chris Stone's party in April." One of the other girls, Sarah I guessed, smirked down at her flip flops. 

Kelsey grabbed my arm. "You have to meet him, Misty. That boy is hot." She fanned herself with her hands to prove just how 'hot' Will King was. Kendall gave me an excited look and bounced on her heels. 

"I want to meet him! Think you could introduce me?" she asked the black haired girl.

"Kendall," I sighed under my breath. Kendall grabbed my other arm and following yet another blonde girl's lead, we proceeded to march down to where a group of maybe five or six tall, tan guys were standing. My eyes were immediately drawn to the one in the middle. I don't know, maybe it was because he was the most attractive in the group or maybe, just-just maybe, there was something deeper. An attraction that wasn't skin-deep, a connection? Or is that crazy? My head was spinning and it was getting hard to breathe. What was happening to me? 

"And this is her friend Misty. They're both from New York," Kelsey said, shoving me towards the guy. I stumbled and almost faceplanted onto his chest. 

"Hey," I said glancing up to meet a pair of beautiful blue eyes. A strange sensation enveloped me and I gulped on air. 

"I'm Will," he said, reaching forwards to shake my hand. I noticed he was wearing a thick silver band on his ring finger. Was he... married? No. That was stupid, this was his right hand. I smiled, hoping my giddiness didn't show. His hand touched mine and I shivered when he grasped it. Hard and firm. Perfect.

"Um... so," I started. He laughed, sounding easy and care-free. His dark hair was pushed away from his face and messy, I wondered if it looked like that on purpose. But whatever he'd done to get it to fall like that, it was fine by me. 

"New York?" he asked, leaning against one of his buddies shoulders, then pulling back and grinning.

"Yeah. That's, um, where I live." I felt like an idiot. A really stupid, awkward idiot. 

"So I heard. How'd you meet Kels?" 

"Paddle boarding. How do you know her?" I was oddly jealous by this, not that I resented Kelsey but did she have to be so pretty? 

"She's my friend Caleb's sister. I met them at camp over the summer."

"Cool. What kind of camp was it?" I asked, trying not to get distracted by the way he bit his bottom lip just barely and how his eyelashes were just the perfect length.

"It was a- I'm embarrassed to admit this," he laughed again. "Art. Like drawing and painting. Yeah, you can laugh. I'm into that stuff."

But I couldn't laugh. I could see him, sitting serenely under an open window sketching out unimaginable images  that only came from his beautiful mind. It was wonderful. He was wonderful. "No, I think that's great. I like art too. I can't draw, but I like to look at it." 

"Really?" he sat down in the sand and I joined him, my heartbeat speeding up when his arm brushed mine. We were so close. I could feel him breathing gently. "What's your favorite kind of art?" he continued.

"I like the classics. The Mona Lisa, Girl with the Pearl Earring, that kind of stuff."

"Ah, a romantic. I see," he leaned in to look me in the face, smiling. "I honestly prefer contemporary. It's all so unique and no two look quite the same. But all art is beautiful." He brushed his hand through his hair and I felt my lips forming a smile. He was beautiful. Will King was a work of art. He was classic and modern and romantic. 

"Yeah," is all I could manage to say, his eyes were distracting. They were like drowning, but you couldn't remember if you were breathing or not. Dangerous. He was deadly.

"You were great. I hope I'll see you around, Misty." Will smiled at me straight on, his lips formed a perfect arch. Then in a rush of heat and hands we were kissing. His hands fell to rest on my back and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer until we were one. I could feel every inch of my skin warming with his touch. I felt alive, but I swear I've never been closer to death. Will King will be the cause of my demise if I keep falling like I know I am.