I Love New Zealand

Chapter Four: Luke

"What the hell was that?"

"What do you mean?" Amy asks, still pissed off at the fact that I dragged her to the diner.

"I mean, why the hell would Celeste bring Terra along when she knows I hate her...?" I stop, remembering how Amy pleaded not to invite Brycen after I had already done so. There was no way that I was not responsible for making Amy angry. I remember what she told me last night, about Brycen and how he got angry at her for splitting him from Phoebe.

But in a way, I was sort of happy. For once, Amy learned that not all guys are curled around her little finger like a ring. Plus, I have never seen a hotter guy than Brycen. He was like a younger version of Brad Pitt; the spawn of Jacob Gyllenhaal and Paul Walker. Was it even natural for someone like him to exist? And not to mention while dating that hussy Phoebe.

After a while, I realize that I might've taken it too far with Amy. "I'm sorry. For bringing you there when Brycen was there."

"It's okay. Although," she begins, "He sure seemed to be having fun staring at you."

This catches me off guard. What did she say? "What do you mean...?"

"Didn't you notice? The whole time he was looking at you." For someone who had an unhealthy obsession with him, she sure is relaying this information with ease.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." She flips her red hair and smoothes out her blouse before plucking a daisy and slipping it behind her ear. She hums a soft tune and walks off, leaving me standing in the middle of the forest listening to the waves on the beach. Did he really stare at me the whole time? Now that she's said it, I guess he was looking, but I never thought he was staring at me. I turn back towards the direction of the diner while hoping that he's somewhere behind me. But it's just silly to believe that someone likes you just because they look at you.

The weather's been warmer for the past few days, so lately I've been keeping the doors in our cabin open to help circulate the house. Every night we lock the screen to make sure that people don't barge into the house while we're sleeping but that barely keeps flies out, so we keep a flyswatter underneath the sink in case of an "emergency." As usual, Tiago isn't inside, so now it's just me and Amy. We settle down in the living room by the TV and watch as Tyra cusses out some old floozy who looks a Barbie doll. Amy's been surprisingly quiet since we got back from the diner and I can't help but feel like she's still angry at me for bringing her to the diner. But I'm hardly paying attention to her now. The thought of a possible relationship between me and Brycen has my heart all excited. And then I remember that he's straight and dating Phoebe.

Eventually, my heart settles down and the silence becomes unbearable. The crickets that are always hanging around outside just make the afternoons seem hotter. "I think Tiago and you would make a great couple," I blurt out, surprising even myself for bringing up such a sensitive topic.

Amy barely looks at me before replying. "Trust me, I know guys like him. He's just another dirty diamond in the ruff. But I thought that Brycen would be special..." She looks down at her feet and sighs. That's when I realized that she wasn't silent because I brought her to the diner; she was mad because she believed there wasn't a chance that she and Brycen could be together.

Faint laughter outside interrupts the tender and awkward silence between the two of us. The sound of a screen door slamming pierces the air, making me more alert to my surroundings. Another fly buzzes around but I ignore it since Amy's finally asleep. Although her blouse has slipped a little, I let her lie on the couch because it's nice to see that she's finally relaxing, not a single thought of Brycen on her mind. After turning off the TV, I slip into a black wetsuit and head off towards The Clam beach. Since it's on the other side of his house, there's a very high chance that Brycen won't be there.