As I lay in bed, suffocated by my duvet, I just wish that it was Reece keeping me warm instead. In a way he was, the feeling he gave me whenever I thought about him, well it burned through me. I hoped he was having trouble sleeping tonight too.
I woke in the morning, a trail of the golden sunlight slept next to me, and River was downstairs singing his heart out to S Club 7.
I trudged downstairs, still in my pyjamas but joined with a throbbing headache and aching belly, Rivers singing wasn't helping to numb the pain.
"Toast?" he asked, holding up a slice of white bread, shaking his hips to the rhythm of the song. I shook my head, throwing my hands to my temple, pressing them up against it in hope to stop this whooshing motion. "Hungover?" He asked, and I nodded back with a disapproving smile.
"Unfortunately," I sighed, taking a seat by the french doors, opening them ajar so the crisp breeze cold cleanse this hangover out of my system.
"Who were you out with?" he asked, throwing a grape into his mouth. I realised that he hadn't been informed about Reece, nor the fact that he was coming with me to his Open Mic Night. I also realised that if I were to suddenly spring a boys name out it would cause River to turn way too overprotective and into a detective to try and find out if Reece was genuinely a good guy, I could save him that time and embarrassment, because Reece is more than a good guy.
"Reece, he's the reason why I've been going to the beach more," I started to explain, "please don't yell at me River, he's a good guy and means no harm at all, in fact I really want you to meet him yourself and realise that." I spoke, giving River no leeway to speak, but instead a preposition to meet Reece.
"Okay cool," he said, taking me aback. He was too chill, having just told him about Reece.
"he sings, beautifully. He's doing an Open Mic Night and would love for me to come, he's bought our tickets." I began but paused, I was getting too obsessed with the idea of Reece, now that we kissed, he was all I could think about.
River looked over, his lips curling into a smile, maybe he was trying to hold in his laughter after gazing upon my appearance and sympathising, or perhaps it was that he could read me like a book and knew that there was something more to Reece than I was letting on.
"Sure, I'll come. There better be a sick after party though, and I better be right at the top of the guest list." he sarcastically remarked.
"And my name is right below," I teased.
I had work this evening and could easily think of ten things I'd find more pleasure in doing. Understandably, dwelling on last night and gaining the same sensational feeling whilst doing so, that was number one on my priority list. It saddened me that I wouldn't see Reece today.
River generously dropped me off, and I took a brisk walk across the stony beach, allowing the salt in the air to revitalise me and prepare me for another tedious shift.
I took position behind my trusty kitchen sink and waited for the fellow staff members to come parading in with dirty plates and cutlery. That sadly, would be the highlight of my night. There was only so much you could take in from this confined kitchen space. Like the two chefs , who had clearly been out last night for much too long and had potentially hooked up. The over-ripe tomato's that we're spilling out of a metal dish. The washing up liquid, the logo and also what it contained on the back in minuscule font.
"Shiloh, there's someone out front asking for you," a preppy waitress asked me. She must be new as I think I'd recognise her platinum blonde hair and Instagram inspired style. I stumbled and stuttered some nonsense back to her, wanting to know who it was as there was no way I was walking out into the front of the restaurant looking like this, but she had already left.
I sighed, checking my reflection in the dull metal of the dishwasher, and from what I could make out, I looked god awful. However, I didn't want to leave this person waiting.
I anxiously cowards out from my safety spot beside the sink and into the open planned lobby, instantly my eyes landed on him.
"Reece?" I called out to him, he turned around beaming from ear to ear.
"Hi," his northern accent breathed a sigh of relief as his nervous eyes finally settled on me. "I was just checking you were okay," he mumbled, jolting from one leg to the other, he scanned around the restaurant, making his opinions on the place.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I smiled, wondering why Reece had come here, especially to check on me. I was fine, what could I do to harm myself at work?
"Good," he simpered, looking at the small clang of the work girls he had attracted in this short moment. "Everyone's going out for drinks tonight, are you going to go out?" He asked me, but this was fresh to me, I had heard nothing. This wasn't unusual though, as a dishwasher I was often forgot about, but that didn't matter, even if they had asked me, I wouldn't go out drinking.
"I didn't know," I stammered as I stared at him. Seeing him look uneasy didn't make me feel the most comfortable either, for Reece was a pretty confident guy. "On a Sunday? I'm gonna have to pass, I have college in the morning," I sighed, looking at Reece who nodded back to me. I wanted to go out again, don't get me wrong, especially after everything that's been happening recently, but I just wanted to linger onto this moment a little bit more, before we both pelt into this together.
"As long as you're okay though Shy," he laughed as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans before walking out, he looked around at my work crew and gave them all a nod, before I dispersed back into the kitchen. I felt their eyes drill into me as soon as he was out of sight.
I wish that Reece didn't have to see me in the state I was in, I couldn't have looked worse if I had tried. I also wish that my work crew didn't hover up him like bees to honey, because I don't think I've ever seen poor Reece so petrified before in my life.
"Go on Shiloh! He's a dream!" Esme, the waitress called out, I wanted to shrivel up and hide, even I hated having this much attention, and I knew these people. I smiled back at her, hoping she'd get the memo to quit this conversation.
"Has he booked this table for the both of you?" she asked, but I looked at her perplexed. This is the first I heard of us going out for dinner together, I hadn't even spoken to him since last night.
"N-not that I know of," I tried. I threw my tea towel on the side and walked over to the pass to get a better view of the place, spotting him in the corner as he sat alone. "Is it booked for two people?" I asked, and she nodded, taking a place next to me and watching intently.
He couldn't do this, surely? The platinum blonde waitress had a girl stuck to her hip, she was walking in the same direction as Reece, suddenly outstretching her arm and pointing over to him.
My mouth gaped open, even Esme inhaled, unsure of what to say to me or whether or not to comfort me. I didn't want to hear that they were probably just friends, or perhaps a cousin, it clearly wasn't. I stormed back into the KP area, propping myself into the corner, head in my hands. The worst part of it all? I had to clean up how fucking mess, literally.
YOU ARE READING
beach//reece bibby
Roman d'amour"You're like a daisy; you've been trod on and become so closed up with every gloomy day that passes, you need to focus on the brighter ones so you can bloom," he spoke as he twiddled a daisy between his fingers. "A daisy?" I questioned, my voice hoa...
