The Searching Secret

Chapter 15

"Riley," Jay whispered in my ear. "Time to wake up, beautiful. We made it to the hotel."

I opened my eyes and found Jay's face smiling at me. I smiled back at him and said, "I was dreaming about you."

"Oh?" He replied, smiling even more. "Well I hope it was a good dream then."

"It was a wonderful dream," I informed him with a yawn.

"Well then," he said, as he started getting out of the car. "We better get you back in bed so you can continue this wonderful dream."

The next morning I rolled over and stretched. I couldn't remember the last time I had that good of a night's sleep. I felt amazing. I sat up and looked around the unfamiliar room I was in. I barely remembered getting to the room and getting into bed. As I looked around the room, I saw a clothing bag on the chair in my room. I crawled out of bed, curious as to what it could be. When I opened that bag I found a beautiful coral sundress with a lace top and an open back. Pinned to the dress was a note written in Jay's handwriting. It read, "For the sun." I pulled that dress out of the bag to examine it closer when I saw another outfit underneath. It was a pair of jeans with a few holes in it. It went with the sunflower yellow top and a light brown cardigan to wear over top. Pined to this outfit was another note. This note read, "For the shade." I smiled as I pulled that outfit out of the bag and nearly dropped in on the floor when I saw the dress underneath it. The dress was a deep purple cocktail dress with a black ribbon at the waist that came to a bow on the left. I put my hands over my mouth trying to cover the giant smile that was now on my face. This dress was absolutely stunning. The note pinned to this dress said, "For tonight."

I sat the clothes back down on the chair and sat down on the bed surprised at this amazing gift Jay had somehow given me. When I glanced at the clock, I could no longer be astonished. I couldn't believe how late in the morning it was. Most of the day was already over. I looked back at the clothes on the chair and grabbed the sundress, and hurried to the bathroom to get myself ready for the day.

When I was was ready, I took a moment to draw back the curtains and take a step out on the patio outside my room. "Wow," I whispered, as I stepped off the patio and into the sand. Jay wasn't kidding when he said our hotel was right on the beach. From where I stood I could see the ocean and the waves, as well as the palm trees that surrounded the hotel. "Beautiful." I said, as I took in the sight.

"That is exactly what I was thinking," Jay's voice came from behind me. I turned around and smiled when I saw Jay was looking at me and not at the scenery. He was sitting on the chair on his patio with a cup of coffee and a book in his hand. "That dress looks great on you," he added.

"Thank you," I replied, as I spun around to show off the dress. "The craziest thing happened. I woke up and found new clothes in my room. They are amazing. So I decided to keep them."

Jay smiled. "I'm glad you liked them."

I returned his smile and took the seat next to him. "So you had a late night and a busy morning, and yet you still found time for a cup of coffee and a book?"

"You have to find time to enjoy the little things, Ri. No matter how busy you are. I couldn't pass up the chance. Plus, I didn't want to wake you." He took a sip of his coffee. "Well," he said, as he put the cup on the small table beside him. "Until six o'clock tonight the day is yours. So what is your plan to find Evan now that we are here?"

All the time waiting to get here, I hadn't actually thought what I would do once I got here. I needed some time to think about it. "First, I think, breakfast... or brunch," I said, remembering how late in the morning it was.

We had brunch at a restaurant inside the hotel. It was a delicious, but ended all too soon. Before I knew it, Jay asked again, "Alright, Ri. Now what is the plan? I am at your disposal for the rest of the afternoon."

I took a moment to eat the last strawberry on my plate, to buy myself a few more seconds. When I finished I looked at him and said, "I was thinking we could start at the beach."

"A trip to the beach sounds wonderful," he said, with a smile, as he stood up and offered me his hand. I laughed back and took his hand.

It wasn't long until we reached the beach and I saw just how crowded and busy it was. My heart dropped for a moment when I realized just how hard this was going to be. There were people everywhere. How would I be able to find one face in this huge crowd. I looked at Jay, honestly unsure what to do next. He forced a smile and said, "I guess we just pick a direction and see what we find."

I nodded as we started making our way through the crowd. I looked at the guys playing volleyball with a group of girls, but I recognized none of the faces. There were people sun tanning and people eating lunch. There were people making sandcastles and people taking photos. Yet, in all of these people I didn't see Evan. I glanced over at Jay and saw him searching the faces of those in the water. I turned my attention back to those on the beach. There were people walking along the beach and people buying ice-cream. I didn't see him anywhere, so I thought maybe I could feel him. I tried to focus on the emotions all around me, but I was soon quickly overwhelmed. There were too many people here and too many different emotions all over the place. I couldn't focus and felt myself start to get dizzy. That was when Jay's hand bumped mine, and all I felt was what Jay was feeling. I breathed a sigh of relief, as his emotions stabled me, but quickly pulled my hand away from his. He glanced at me for a moment, but continued on as if nothing happened.

I didn't try to focus on any of the emotions I was feeling again. Instead I tried my best to push them away, as far in the background as I could. If it wasn't for Jay's slightest touch I don't know what would have happened. We walked like this for most of the afternoon not talking to each other and searching the faces we passed.

As the sun started to move lower in the sky, Jay stopped walking and turned to face me. "I think it's time we start walking back, Ri."

"Yeah, you're right," I sighed in defeat, as we turn to walk back the way we came. A few minutes later my heart starting beating faster and I pulled Jay to a stop.

"What's up?" Jay asked, confused.

"I thought I saw..." I didn't finish the sentence, instead I started walking again, quickly this time, before I lost him. The face kept moving in and out of the crowd, but I could have almost sworn it was Evan.

A/N So sorry for not updating in such a long time, but I couldn't help it. I'm pregnant! and the first trimester was very tough. However I am now in the second trimester and am feeling much better. So of course I had to update the story for all my wonderful readers. Let me know your thoughts about what is happening or just show some love!