I always thought that at age 19 I'd be in college. Maybe in one of those bullshit sororities partying with nasty frat boys and drinking from a keg, but here I am. 19 and dancing for money. A fake name, faker eyelashes, with a friend, lover, and cus...
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"You aren't hot in all that?" Justin laughs and lies back in the sand. He's wearing the hoodie that he wore when we first met and his glasses cover half of his face.
"It's necessary" he replies and I nod in understanding before admiring the seashells I'd spent the last hour picking up.
"I've never held real seashells before" I mutter absently, my heart flutters with delight when I hold one up to the sun and the mother of pearl inside glimmers back at me.
"I could watch you all day" Justin says quietly and I think he's hoping that I won't reply, but he should know better.
"Watch me do what?" He shrugs and tugs on a strand of my hair where a piece of seaweed must have tangled when I jumped in and out of the crashing waves.
"Watch you do anything really" I set down my seashells and lie next to him, the sand against my back and between my toes is a feeling I think I can learn to love.
" Even watch me dance for other people?" It was an inevitable question,
"As long as it's dedicated to me behind the scenes." He must catch my face of pure shock and lack of understanding because it is then that he sits up and takes off his sunglasses to look me dead in the eyes.
"It's your job Seven. If you think about it I sort of do the same thing" I tilt my head back and laugh and he fixes me with a serious stare.
"I'm not playing! Okay look. You dance for money right?" I nod with a raised eyebrow and he begins to point at himself,
"see I do too!"
"I get groped for money too" I add and he waves it off like it's not a big deal.
"I get groped too. By girls, guys, and sometimes even moms"
"You've got me on the mom part. That hasn't happened... Yet."
"So do you believe me?" He brushes a sandy hand across my cheek and places another at the back of my neck so that when I speak my lips flutter against his own.
"Believe what?"
"That I don't care what you do Seven, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm a pretty confident guy you know" he smirks against my lips and tugs on my bottom lip when my eye roll takes over.
"You promise?" He kisses me then, once, twice, a third time before answering in a throaty voice,
"trust me." I wrack my brain and try to think about when the last time I'd trusted someone had been. Chanel didn't count, did Carlisle? I do a mental head shake and press my lips against Justin's. It was a nice thing to have. Trust.
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Our day at the beach ended when a little girl had pointed at Justin and with a loud, ear splitting scream, shouted his name. She drew everyone's attention and we had to haul ass to his car.
"I can't take you anywhere" I joke and he reaches for my hand and together they rest on top of the middle console.
"Sorry about that," I shake my head and feel super guilty when some sand shakes out of it,
"Oh, it's okay. Back home, in New York, the papz can't get enough of me" he looks at me through his peripheral and a smirk glides across his handsome face.
"Really?"
"Mhmm. Really. They're relentless" I tease whilst trying to move as little as possible as more sand starts to sprinkle off of my body.
"Now that you mention it. I should probably send a detail with you back to New York" his joking tone is gone and replaced with a serious voice, but I laugh anyway.
"My own detail? For what? I'm not the president or anything"
"Once pictures of you going as my date for the MTV Awards surface you'll trend on Twitter for three days. I'm thinking more when they catch sight of
your dress." I nod and wonder how exactly he expects a security team to guard a stripper.
"You know I sleep all day"
"Why's that?" I run a thumb across the back of his hand and he takes his eyes off the road for a split second before focusing once more.
"Because I work all night. I'm nocturnal"
"You slept alright last night" he comments and I blush how did he know that?
"I walked into the guest bedroom to give you an extra blanket and you were out"
"It's a new thing."
"What is?"
"Sleeping in the dark," he brings my hand to his lips and kisses it gently. We don't say anything the rest of the way to his place but the silence is calming. So calming in fact that I start to doze off a bit.
