Falling For Mr. Sundae | ✔

25. Salty Breeze (1)

On any other day I would've been annoyed and moody having to be awake before noon during the summer. But I had this energy when I woke up that made my parents question my caffeine intake.

Dressed in a bikini with bright red flowers printed on it which I covered with a sheer white cover-up, I was ready to go two hours before Julian said they'd arrive. . I busied myself while waiting. Scrolling through my social media feed and commenting on peoples pictures. My excitement over getting to spend the day with Julian spilling out through the use of far too many emojis.

Bobby's car pulled up to the curb as I was playing tug of war with Nova--I had to get rid of some of this energy somehow. She bolted for the fence to sniff out the new visitors. As I went to the porch to grab my tote I could hear Ariel squealing at how cute Nova was.

Giving Nova one last scratch behind the ears I walked over to the car. Julian was already out holding the door opened for me, chivalrous as ever.

"Elisa Robinson," Bobby said, enthusiastically, from the driver's seat, a pair of sunglasses perched atop his head. "You ready for some beach fun?"

I glanced over at Julian as he climbed into the backseat beside me, meeting his eyes, watching the smile slowly form on those lips I wanted another taste of. Fireworks. "Ready."

It didn't take long for me to realize we weren't heading to our usual beach. We'd been on the freeway for too long. 

Ariel, bored of the book she'd been reading, turned and enlightened me on where we were going. "Ever been on a boat before?"

"Once. Went on a cruise when I was seven," I replied. "It was fun until one of the older kids told me a story about ghost ships. Spent most of the trip hiding out in my room."

"You haven't been on a boat since?" She asked and I shook my head.

"I wasn't getting capture by any ghost pirates."

Laughter filled the car, mines included. Once things quieted down, Bobby and Ariel started discussing an upcoming family dinner at Ariel's that Bobby wasn't thrilled about. They were like a married couple, it was cute.

Their discussion faded out when Julian leaned across the seat, his lips close to my ear, warm breath tickling my neck as he whispered, "You look nice by the way."

Heat rushed to my cheeks as he returned to his original position. His eyes focused on the scenery outside the window as if he hadn't just turned my insides into a puddle of mush.

There was a smile on my face for the rest of the ride. Partially because of Bobby's dad jokes and Ariel's squealing every time she spotted any type of animal.

Mostly the grin on my face was caused by Julian's hand in mine. The electricity that shot through me whenever he leaned in close so I could hear him over the traffic and music coming from the radio. We weren't even on the boat yet and I'd already decided that this was my number one favorite boat memory.

When we pulled into the marina almost an hour later that giddiness died. Adam's truck was parked in the lot. My stomach dropped to my feet when I saw him and Melanie tangled together in a disgusting display of affection while leaning against the hood of the truck.

"Shit," Ariel breathed. She turned to me, eyes wide and apologetic. "I am so sorry. She said she wasn't coming."

Everyone's eyes were on me, waiting for a response. My first instinct was to leave. Back out of the trip, go home where I didn't have to watch my ex grope his new girl.

Then I looked at Julian. The guy who was sweet, thoughtful, patient and set this blaze inside me whenever he smiled at me. Why should I care what Adam was doing? I didn't. All I cared about was Julian and enjoying the beach.

"It's fine," I said to Ariel, confidentiality. "I'm not worried about them." My gaze shifted to Julian on that last line, hoping he believed my words as much as I did.

The four of us piled out of the car. Ariel stopped to greet her best friend as I walked a head with Julian and Bobby. 

"You sure you're fine with this?" Julian asked, slowing down our steps so we had some privacy. "We can go. Find something else to do."

Spending some alone time with him sounded amazing. On the other hand, I didn't want to be the type of person to alienate him from his friends. Even if that meant spending the day Adam and Melanie. This was my first official outing with Julian since our kiss and I wasn't letting them ruin it for me.

"It's fine," I said, taking his hand in mine and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I promise."

The boat wasn't a cruise ship. Not by a longshot. It reminded me of one of those motor boats you'd see in action movies during a high speed ocean chase. The seating arrangement was less than ideal, the six of us piling in small space provided while Chris and his girlfriend took the seats in front of the controls. Thankfully, Bobby and Ariel took the seats between Julian and I and them.

Once we were situated on the boat I was introduced to Bobby's older brother, Chris. They were practically twins save for Chris's dark curls reaching his shoulders. And Chris's model of girlfriend, Tarah, who was all legs and blonde hair.

"Where exactly are we heading?" I asked Julian once the boat got moving.

"There's a secluded beach a couple of miles up the shore."

"So it'll just be us?" I asked, a ghost of a smirk on my lips as I slipped my arm around his.

"Yes." His expression mirrored mine. "And the other six people on the boat."

A laugh slipped from my lips. "I'm sure we can--" 

Adam's voice cut me off, loud and booming over the engine and the water, asking about the max speed of the boat. My efforts to tune him, to focus solely on Julian, were wasted. His voice was too distracting. Him being here was distracting. I might have overestimated my ability to handle this situation.

I smiled, trying to shrug it off and continue my conversation with Julian. He seemed to be just as distracted, though. I was so worried about how I'd  handle Adam being here I didn't even think about how it'd make Julian feel. It had to be just as weird for him.

Luckily, we were at the private beach in a matter of minutes. It was a small patch of sand cut off from the main beach by towering rock formations. We immediately started setting up shop. Pulling out coolers full of water, soda and beer, and beach chairs. Ariel set up some music, playing a local radio station that overplayed whatever was popular at the moment. Chris even brought a mini grill and everything needed for hot dogs and burgers.

I was determined to make the most of the day. To enjoy myself. To be with Julian. To prove to Julian just how insignificant Adam has become to me. 

After shedding my cover up I found Julian on the boat, eyes glued to his phone. I managed to sneak up on him, plunking the phone from his hands and hiding it behind my back. He was quick to stand, trying to reclaim his phone. I kept it out of reach, not that he was putting much effort into getting it back.

"We're on this beautiful beach and you're on here on your phone," I said, shaking my head in mock disappointment. "And on our first date too."

He cracked a smile then. "First date?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Unless you got another name for it."

He said nothing as he closed the distance between us and pressed his lips to mine. The feeling was warm and familiar. The moment ended too quickly with a loud clattering. It was his phone that I had forgot I was holding. Scooping it up, I inspected it for damage.

"It's fine," I told him, handing it back.

He tossed it on the seat. There was a daring look in his eyes that took me by surprise. "Since this is our first date I have to make it good," he said, taking my hand and leading me off the boat. "To make sure I get a second one."

+ + +

This chapter was getting kinda long so I had to split it in two.

The second half should be posted in a day or two.

What are your predictions for this beach outing?