480 Hours

4 | Sand In My Soul

Maggie Bailey

Naked.

Landon had been completely naked!

He had run like a mad man out of his shower to protect me from an unseen danger; a danger that only existed in my nightmares. I wasn't dumb enough to believe that he cared about me, we had literally just met, but he had gone out of his way to comfort me in a way no one outside of my immediate family ever had before.

He must have thought I was completely insane.

After the event with Landon, Duke and I took a walk on the beach so that I could attempt to clear my mind. I was hoping that if I stayed out long enough, both Liam and Landon would be asleep by the time I went back to the house. I wasn't ready to face either of them and was willing to wait them out for as long as it took.

After about a half an hour, I saw all of the lights in the house go out except the one dimly illuminating the back porch. I voiced to Duke that we would wait another ten minutes just to be safe, before I turned back around to face the horrifying sight that was the ocean. I hated the warm blue liquid more than I loved it, but still, I refused to move away.

Neither of us said a thing when Landon sat his butt down in the sand next to mine. I had heard him coming, but refused to turn around when I heard the steady sound of his footsteps growing closer. We sat there together in silence for what seemed like hours, watching the waves crash against the shore.

"So, I imagine Liam filled you in?" He nodded before placing a reassuring hand on my own. I did not want him to think that I was a freak. For some reason, his opinion mattered to me more than I cared to admit.

"Honestly, we don't have to talk about it, Margaret." Although I could tell he wanted to hear about my past, there was no hint of dishonesty in his voice. He was willing to let me keep my secrets and was not going to force me to talk about it.

"I came back here every weekend when I moved inland for school. I told myself I was coming to visit Liam while he was in the hospital, but when visiting hours were over I always found myself here at the beach. No matter how I tried, I couldn't stay away. I know they aren't down there, my parents, they are buried at a cemetery across town. Yet, I feel closest to them here. This is the last place I saw them alive." He didn't respond, but instead simply squeezed my hand reassuringly before nodding.

"I didn't even know my mom was sick. She has known for three years and didn't think to tell Holden or I. I literally found out that she was dying three days ago and I have less than three months to say goodbye..." He wasn't trying to compare sob stories or compete in a "which parent's death was more tragic" competition. He was trying to comfort me, and for that I was grateful.

We held hands in the sand for a while longer before he spoke, "Have you been on the water since?"

"No, and every man I went on a date with while away at school took that fact as a personal challenge to get me out on the water again. I never felt comfortable enough with one of them to tell them the real reason why I avoided the water in the first place; instead I simply told them that I was afraid of the ocean. For that reason, each of them had the unoriginal idea of taking me sailing for the day. Once I freaked out in a way only half as intense as what you just saw, each of them conveniently thought it best if we saw other people." I chuckled before tearing my eyes away from the waves in order to face him.

I knew he had had a long day, but he didn't rush me to go back inside. In truth, I believe he needed to sit there in silence, staring out at the dark ocean just as much as I did. Although I had just met him, I was comforting him just as greatly as he was I. "I'm so sorry about your mom, Landon. Losing your parents suddenly is the worst feeling in the world and not something I would wish on my worst enemy. If you need anything, and I mean anything, please don't hesitate to ask." I wasn't sure how to word what I wanted to say, so it came out awkward and sounded more like a business proposition than a comforting gesture; but I needed him to know I would be there for him, no matter what.