Flirting With Fire

Chapter Eleven: A date and a note

'Maybe I should call you Clumsy instead of Blondie,' Riley squinted down at Whitney sprawled out on the sand. She had been in such a rush to find him once she had, she tripped right over his surfboard clearly lain in the sand next to him. Red faced and embarrassed Whitney wiped the sand off her face and looked over at Riley who was just sitting by his board staring out at the ocean. He looked pretty peaceful and calm, not like someone who would beat a guy half to death she decided.

'Shut up,' she rolled her eyes sitting cross-legged in front of him blocking his view of the ocean, that got his attention. 'Robbie is looking for you again.'

She saw a flash of something in his eyes, 'Is he? Thought you weren't on speaking terms anymore with him...'

Was the flash jealousy? She shook her head getting rid of that crazy idea.

'I ran into him at the shops before, he apologized and everything,' She paused and continued, 'I don't know why I'm even telling you this, you don't even know what he did.'

'He apologised?' Riley practically spat the words out.

'Are you jealous?' Whitney laughed in delight, momentarily forgetting why she had come in the first place. She was ecstatic Mr. Suave, who was forever embarrassing her and making her feel silly was now the one red-faced.

'You wish Blondie,' Riley attempted a chuckle but Whitney could tell it wasn't his usual standard. 'What did he want anyway?'

Her smile faded slightly and realized with a start she had forgotten about asking him, her plan was to spit it right out from the beginning and see if he denied it. 'He said a guy called Warren'- she paused meaningfully raising her eyebrow at him - 'was admitted to hospital this morning with bad injuries.'

Riley coughed, 'And?'

'Did you do it?' There, she said it. She watched his face closely for any sign of recognition.

He smiled at her, 'Nope, but wish I had. That ass deserves that and more.'

Whitney breathed a sigh of relief audibly and Riley grinned at her.

'What do you care anyway? You all worried for me Blondie? Don't want your boyfriend to have to arrest me is it?' He teased her playfully.

Whitey blushed bright red, 'he's not my boyfriend.' She felt like she'd been defending herself against that accusation all too many times in the last week.

He just smirked at her, 'Come here for a second.' He gestured at the sand right in front of where he was sitting.

She just stared at him. 'Why?'

Now he was properly laughing, 'You look terrified, am I that scary?'

Whitney sighed and scooted along the sand stopping in front of him, their knees slightly grazed at the proximity. 'What?'

He leant forward with a look of concentration on his face.

'What are you doing!' She demanded as he paused and rolled his eyes at her.

'Shut up Blondie, you have...' He trailed off, his face was now centimeters from hers and she could feel his minty breath on her face. 'A piece of pink glittery thing on your face.' He used his finger and thumb to flick it off and gave her a grin. 'It probably fell from your roof while you slept or something, who knows in that pink shed of yours.'

Whitney let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and glared at him. Sometimes he frustrated her too much. She wasn't sure what she was expecting just then, but it wasn't that.