Sunset Love

Sunset Love: Chapter Six

Laurens POV

"Race you!" Eric yelled as he broke into a run down the street. Man, that guy can sprint! How was he managing that while lugging a heavy surfboard at his side?

Nicole and I scampered behind him, attempting to catch up with him. Damn--Nicole's legs were too long! She surpasseed me with ease, trailing right behind him. I huffed angrily and slowed to a walk. Screw that.

As I walked, me myself and I, I heard my phone chime. Nicole and Eric were already out of view by then. I looked down at my phone and read,

JeromeTheCoolestGuyEver: hey I'm already at the beach with the friends that I told you about. Where are you?

I replied that I was just down the street and walked faster. When I finally caught up to the duo, they had been right at the entrance. My phone beeped, indicating that I got a text, but knowing who it was before I read it.

JeromeTheCoolestGuyEver: we are over by the smallest lifeguard tower just letting you know.

Me: okay I see you lol ;)

JeromeThe CoolestGuyEver: that's not creepy at all...

I laughed and nudged Nicole and pointed toward Jerome and his friends. Nicole got Erics attention and we started walking on the hot sand toward them.

"Hey Lauren!" Jerome said, giving me a surprising hug, which made me blush, and when we ended, he started to introduce me to his friends. I already felt Nicole's curious gaze burning the back of my skull.

"Okay, so this is Mitch and Preston. Mah buddies," he said, throwing the other two into laughter.

"Hello. Whats up?" Mitch said to us. He had a thick Canadian accent,

While Preston looked down and waved, giving a quiet "Hello."

Mitch was very tall; he had short spikey-ish hair, which had been sort of like a steep- and he was very pale. Like, he looked like a snowman to put it in nice words. He was slightly taller than Jerome, and his eyes traveled everywhere, but he would always laugh at the smallest things.

Preston was the shortest of them all and had long, reddish- brown hair. His face was pale but blotched with a pink blush on his cheeks and nose, freckles sprinkled all across his face. His green-eyed gaze wandered everywhere to avoid eye contact. Looking at him, I realized he had a medium-sized tatoo of a music note on the inner part of his fore-arm. Studying him even more, he kind of reminded me of a cute little puppy; not to mention that I caught Nicole looking at him longer than nesscary. What I also realized about Preston was that he was wearing the same sort of attire Nicole was wearing: a red T-shirt, which had the word 'Lifeguard +"on it. He was also wearing a red baseball hat and white swim trunks.

Nicole and Eric gave various "hi's" and "hello's." Then I took it upon myself to introduce them to Jerome, Mitch, and Preston.

"Ok so, um, this is Nicole," I said, gesturing to her. She gave a small smile and waved. "And this is her friend, Eric."

Eric grinned and said, "Hey," going to give everyone a handshake. "Nice to meet ya'll."

Nicole scoffed. "There's that southern accent again," she said, smirking.

Eric rolled his eyes while everyone else chuckled. "There's that attitude again," he sassed.

Gasping, she socked him hard on the shoulder, but she was laughing. "Alright, guys, I gotta go."

Preston nodded knowingly. "Yeah, same." She glanced at him for a split second, smiling crookedly. He met her gaze and she saw his cheeks enflame.

After they reluctantly sauntered off, the guys and I assembled beach chairs and gathered the coolers. As I was frolicking on the sand to go pick up a cooler, Jerome teasingly tripped me and I fell on my knees. Sand digging into my skin, I scowled at him, but I was holding back a smile. He chuckled mischievously and offered a hand, helping me stand up. His buddy and Eric guffawed and wolf howled.

Once everything was settled and I was plopped lazily in a chair, burrowing my feet into the sand, I watched Eric fish a beer out of a cooler.

"Want one?" He offered, wiggling his eyebrows.

For a moment, I questioned it. My automatic response was 'no' yet I couldn't urge myself to say it. Drinking a bottle of beer could impress the guys; I mean, they were all doing it. Eric had been drinking since he was fifteen so he wouldn't disapprove. But suddenly, something snapped in my mind like a rubber band- stupid! Drinking certainly wouldn't make me look cool. And if I consumed too much, it'd make me look even less cool.

"No, thanks," I muttered, politely smiling.

He nodded, and put the bottle back in the ice. "Suit yourself."

"Well Lauren, tell me about yourself?" Mitch said sternly, switching the subject.

"Well, I'm a YouTuber; if that helps," I replied to him, rewarded with a chuckle.

"I'd probably forget the password and have to make fifty million accounts!" Mitch admitted with a giggle and a smirk.

After a fit of laughter, Eric hopped up, stretched, and stated, "Well I'm going to go spend my time at the beach surfing. Anyone want to join?"

"I'll go. Need to do something anyway, ha," Mitch said, getting up and giving a wave before retrieving his surfboard and trailing after Eric, both of them trotting toward the high tide.

I gnawed nervously on my lower lip, watching them disappear into the water. It was just Jerome and I. Reluctantly, I turned my head and faced him with a fleeting glimpse. He smiled at me ruefully.

"So, how long are you staying?" he asked curiously, leaning back in his beach chair.

"2 months," I replied, smiling faintly.

He nodded knowingly. "Where are you staying?"

"Bayberry Street. It's right around the corner of Skipper Dipper."

At this information, his eyes eagerly enlightened. "Oh! I'm on the other side of Skipper Dipper." He grinned, his teeth glimmering in the sun.

I returned the grin, and it was genuine. "Then I guess we'll be seeing each other a lot."

I regretted the words once they escaped my mouth. But as I mentally prepared myself for his look of disgust or disdain, to my surprise, he smiled, his cheeks a rosy red. He looked...excited.

We sat there in a peaceful, graceful silence, listening to the ocean's waves crash loudly onto shore. And honestly, as we smiled at each other, my heart was beating just as loud as the waves.