Fourteen Days

Chapter 7.

As much as I appreciated a good burger, I was still praying for some vodka by the time Mike's car rolled to a stop. The sky was dark above us, and a slight wind made my outfit seem like a stupid idea. I rolled up the window, and turned my head towards Mike with a raised eyebrow. 

He was staring straight ahead, with a distant look in his eyes. His dark hair was pulled back, and he had pulled a baseball cap on when we got into his car. His cologne filled the car, and it was a sweet yet fresh smell that seemed just right to me. On his dashboard stood a small doll, the kind where the head moves. A bobblehead I believe, of some guy I couldn't recognise. A cross hung from the rear-view mirror, and I knew for a fact that a black training bag stood in the backseat. 

To be honest, Mike wasn't the kind of guy I would usually fall for. For starters, he's a brunette. And I'd always had a thing for blond guys. Secondly, he was like the sun. People were orbiting around him, like he was the life of the party. Shy guys had always been a weakness for me, probably because I wasn't shy myself. But Mike was the kind of cheerful guy you couldn't help but get attracted to, just like Mat. But Mike shone brighter, and I could tell I would get burned. 

"Mike?" I asked carefully, and he seemed to snap out of his thought. He turned towards me with a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Are you alright?" 

He nodded, and then sighed. "Yes, I was just thinking about Caleb." He stayed quiet for a few seconds, and we were simply looking at each other. 

I cleared my throat, and smiled at him. 

"So, what is the last part of our date? Silently sitting in the car for an hour?" 

"Hey, who said it was a date?" He joked, and a small blush crept up my cheeks. I was eternally grateful for the darkness. 

He pulled off his seatbelt and motioned for me to follow him out of the car. I slipped out of the car, and watched as he pulled a picnic basket from the trunk of his car. Then he pulled out a couple of blanket, before locking up the car. 

"Come on, it's right over here," he said, and I obediently followed along. 

The sound of us walking was the only thing I could hear, along with my beating heart. Call me crazy, but Criminal Minds probably had a few episodes that started out this way. 

Slowly, the sound of waves grew stronger, until I could see the ocean. The moon above us gave us just enough light to see the water beyond us, as we stood on a cliff. I hadn't been here before, and the sight took my breath away. The beach looked far away, and smaller than I remembered it. The waves crashed to the shore, and the sound made me feel safe. The clouds above us were slowly drifting away, and the stars became visible. 

It was magical. 

I turned toward Mike, who had just finished laying out a blanket. He motioned for me to sit, and I did. I sat down with a smile, just far enough from the edge. I could still see the beach, but I wasn't scared of falling. Honestly, I wasn't scared of anything right now. 

"This is... wow," I mumbled, and smiled as Mike sat down next to me. He pulled out a blanket and draped it around the two of us, then he pulled out a mosquito lantern. He really had thought about everything. 

"I figured you'd like it. The three of us used to hang here," he said, referring to his two best friends. The fact that I was here instead of Caleb, struck a cord with me. I looked at him, the way the moon illuminated his features and made his eyes shine. This used to be their spot. 

I slowly placed my hand on his, and placed my head on his shoulder. We both needed the familiarity of another person. 

"Do you..." I paused, biting my lower lip. "Do you want to talk about it? About him?"