Mr. Cupid

Chapter 24

The next morning I woke up to the scent of bacon and sugar wafting in the air. I sat up and looked around. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I could feel the bags under my eyes weighing my whole body down.

"Good morning pinkie." I heard from the kitchen, which was behind me. I shifted my body and my gaze towards it, where I saw Daniel standing with a whisk and bowl in hand.

"Pancakes-? Woah, you look like you got hit with a bike." Daniel gawked, smile hiding behind his shock.

"I didn't sleep well." I mumbled, getting up and rubbing the tiredness from my eyes. I stumbled towards the stairs and passed my mom coming down from them, to go into the bathroom that was just at the base of the steps.

I opened the medicine cabinet and took out a bottle of migraine headache pain relief pills and took a couple, downing it with some water from the sink.

I looked at myself in the mirror and Daniel wasn't kidding, although it looked like I had been hit by a truck more than a bike, but I think he was trying to be oddly nice. Whatever nice for him may be.

I had nightmares all night and I kept waking up from them, so of course I look like shit this morning. I really wasn't looking forward to going to school today, but if I didn't then people would suspect I had a part in whatever happened yesterday, or at least in my mind they would. The thought of it scares me enough to try and prevent it, just incase my overactive mind isn't bullshitting with me this time.

When I came out of the restroom I saw a plate of pancakes sitting on the little dining table that we have along with orange juice, milk, a plate of toast and bacon, some eggs and a jar of my favorite strawberry jam. That in itself put me in better spirits, but not enough to completely disconnect myself from the negative mindset I've put myself in after yesterday. My mom was already sitting at the table while Daniel put some pans in the sink. I slid into one of the chairs silently and looked down at the breakfast buffet that was in front of my eyes. Without a word I filled my plate with a few things and started eating. By this time Daniel had taken a seat at the table with us. It was silent throughout breakfast. Daniel tried sparking up conversations with me, but I just ended up listening into whatever my mom had to say about the topic.

I couldn't stop my racing mind, the brakes were broken.

~~~

My mom basically forced me to stay home today. She said that she already called the school and told them not to say a word about me. She also reassured me that nobody had seen what happened and Peter isn't stupid enough to spread things around with Daniel on his ass, so that kind of made me feel better.

Daniel was in the kitchen packing some sandwiches and drinks into a small basket. He said that he was going to take us somewhere he always liked to go. My mom had her laptop and a whole bunch of scattered papers on the now cleaned up table. I felt bad that she had to stay home because of me.

"You ready?" I heard Daniel ask gently from behind me. I nodded and looked at my mom.

"We'll be back later I guess." I mumbled,  headed out the door.

"Alright! You boys have fun." I heard my mom call lightheartedly. I couldn't help but frown.

~~~

About an hour of driving later, I started to see white sand and a lot of trees as the car zoomed farther every minute.

"The beach?" I questioned, looking over at Daniel. He took his eyes off the road to send me a brief radiant smile.

"You'll see."

About 10 minutes later we pulled up in a sand covered parking lot and took the first space we could. I got out of the car and looked at the horizon of the sea, splashing up against the shore, feeling the chilly breeze slap me across the face.

"You know it's fucking freezing out here right? Who in their right mind comes out here at the fucking end of the year, Einstein?" I slightly glared at Daniel, who was grabbing the basket that he had packed plus some blankets from the back of the car.

"You'll be fine, shrimp. Shivering is a more affective weight loss program than any workout, you'll be safe." Daniel teased, shortly after receiving a smack from me.

"I'm not fucking fat you drum stick!" I said, frowning at him.

"I know. That's why I brought blankets." He smiled my way. I huffed, crossing my arms. He started walking, but it wasn't the normal trail to the beach. He walked through some brush towards the bunch of trees.

"Daniel, the beach is this way." I pointed out. He looked over at the crashing waves and then back at me.

"Just trust me Caleb." He pleaded. That just made me trust him less, but I followed him nonetheless.

After walking through a whole bunch of trees and tall grass, we made it to the shore of the beach, but it was like a little cozy spot hidden with trees, closed off from the main beach. Daniel set down the basket on a flat topped rock and laid down a thin blanket next to the rock and on top of the sand/dirt. He then unfolded the thick one and walked towards me with it, draping the cloth material around my shoulders and head. "Since you get cold easily."

I couldn't help but blush a small bit, but decided to ignore it. Or try to.

We took a seat on the blanket and took in the view. Autumn color leaves slowly falling off the tree's as the seasons shift. Ocean waves splashing onto the mainland with a slight breeze right after it.

Daniel handed me a sandwich. I took a bite of it. It was silent between us for the most part. My mind wandered to various dark places.

My nightmares, the situation with Alex, the school, Peter, Daniel constantly flirting with me and having a hunch that I fucking like him (not that I denied it, which I should have) and just everything in general going on in my life. I still needed to get my book back from Jennifer.

I looked over to see Daniel watching the midnight blue waves, seeming mesmerized by them. He then looked over at me for a split second just to focus his gaze back onto the water.

"My family used to come here all the time, but we just stopped one day. My mom and dad started working more in their self built business and my sister spent her nights sleeping over at her friends house. I stayed home and listened to my parents argue about different partnerships with more successful companies." He vented in a silky soft voice. I leaned a little closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." I heard myself murmur. "You shouldn't have to go through that."

Our faces turned at the same time. We stared at each other for what seemed like forever, even if it was just a silent second. I felt his hands grip my face ever so gently as my hands grasped the material of his jacket. His lips collided with my forehead. It was a soft and feathery kiss filled with compassion.

I felt a ping in my chest like a fire. He pulled away and looked deeply into my eyes. "We should go." He said ever so softly. I watched him get up and gather the basket and discarded trash. I couldn't help but stare at him until a rough but smooth hand grabbed mine, lifting me up. We walked back to the car together in silence, hand in hand, leaving behind our emotions and stories for the oceans current to slowly carry them away.