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After another ambitious day of surfing, Billy took Beth to the northern side of the beach in order to achieve a better view of the settling sun.
As they walked, Billy interlocked their hands and rubbed soft circles around the smooth parameters of Beth's smooth skin with the rough pad of his thumb.
Sand drooled over their bare feet, yet they still remained as careless as they could've been. They didn't have to worry anymore which gave then plenty of reason to let go of stress and fear of absolutely anything.
Gentle summer winds kissed their cheeks, the heat comforting Beth as she allowed her eyes to peacefully rest on the beauty of the waves lapping against one another.
Once they reached the towels Billy had set up for them in the previous hours, they took their seats and positioned themselves perfectly so they could see the sun in all of its glory.
"Here we are." Beth breathed, letting her pale blue eyes fall on the ocean waves that glistened beautifully in the sun's setting beams, resting her head on Billy's shoulder.
Her hair flew in wisps around her face, the messy and twisty curls swinging around in the gentle breeze.
Billy's hand rested on the small of her back, rubbing soft circles every now and then as he breathed in the scent of the water that he missed oh so dearly.
"Finally home." Billy grinned.
The sun sank as Beth occasionally rubbed her stomach that was growing as she went on nearly six months of her pregnancy.
Beautiful shades of purple and pink swirled together and painted the horizon, the tide slowing as the wind came down to a gentle whisper.
Waves lapped against each other, creating the calm and only sound that rushed by the couple's ears.
"It's beautiful here, Billy." Beth leaned her head on his shoulder, sinking her toes into the sand and letting the grains coat her skin.
She could feel some sand getting on the inside of her flowy dress, but she didn't mind, they were finally at peace and far away from what they left behind in Hawkins.
Beth was leaving Dustin and her mother behind, but they knew she would come up every couple of weekends with Billy and the baby to see them and Billy's family.
Of course, Max would be the only person in his family he would like to see because he despised his excuse for a father and his stepmother who was too afraid to save her stepson due to her visceral husband.
"We belong here, Beth." Billy breathed, not taking his eyes off of the sun.
"This place, it's not like Hawkins was. There isn't any of that here." he told her, letting his eyes close in bliss.
"Here, you're left to live your life in peace. We don't have to be afraid anymore. " Billy explained, his eyes beginning to tear up as the sun sank further into the ocean and let the moon take over.
"It's perfect." Beth sighed, letting her eyes close as the moon rose to the occasion above them.
And, together, they slept beneath the stars.
•
Wind breezed through Beth's twirling strands of brown locks through the open windows of her Mustang that Billy sped down the long highways of California to reach Beth's afternoon doctor's appointment.
"I wonder if it's a boy or a girl." Billy grinned, placing his hand over Beth's and curling his fingers around the soft surface of her skin that was lightly dotted with freckles.
"I have a feeling of what it might be." Beth sighed happily, leaning her head back on the headrest of the seat and watching as palm trees and people cycling alongside the busy roads flew by.
Billy briefly gazed at Beth while she let her eyes rest on the scenery outside of her open window. Before averting his focus back to the road, he allowed himself to admire her beauty that seemed to never disappear.
She kept her eyes still, calmly relishing in the peaceful environment she was swelled up in.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Billy asked softly.
Beth just smiled, letting her eyelids dip and close. "I'm just so glad we made it here."
Billy traced gentle patterns on the back of Beth's hand, his fingers occasionally running over the cool metal of the few dainty rings she wore. "I couldn't agree more."
Beth opened her eyes once again, letting them go wherever they wanted: this time it was the ocean to left of them. "Hawkins was just so," Beth paused, drawing in a hissed breath before exhaling it. "I don't think we would've been able to raise the baby there. Not with your dad. Not with our pasts and not with what we went through over the summer. I wouldn't continue putting us through that, and I refuse to put our baby through anything close to that."
Billy just nodded, knowing Beth had said it all perfectly.
"It was time to get away." Beth concluded.
Billy knew she desperately missed her mom, Dustin and Max, as did he, but he knew they couldn't have stayed in Hawkins any longer.
Staying in that town could've damaged them forever, given them wounds that were simply incapable of healing. It would take an eternity just to attempt at getting the horrid memories of July out of their minds, much less any other emotional damage that place did to them both.
"I think everyone should've left, if I'm being honest." Beth admitted.
"How so?" Billy asked, keeping his eyes focused on the road but also occasionally stealing a few glances at Beth who was, again, lost in deep thought.
"My mom, Dustin, Max, Mike, Lucas, Erica- all of them. Hawkins isn't safe, we all saw and experienced that first hand." Beth told Billy, sighing in annoyance as she finally got her thoughts out that evoked certain emotions out of her she just couldn't describe.
Billy hummed in agreement, urging her to continue.
"They all should've gone, just like us and Joyce. I was actually gonna ask you if my mom, Dustin and Max could come out here with us, but I realized we don't have the room and we can't leave Lucas and Mike alone in Hawkins. I just want everyone to be safe, at all times." Beth's voice got lower as she began to finish explaining her thoughts she'd been forming since they began driving to California originally.
"I have a bad feeling, Billy." Beth whispered, yet it was still loud enough for Billy to hear.
"I just don't know what it is yet."
•
i'm not dead! i know, i know, i've been gone for waaaaay too long but i'm back! i hope you enjoyed this short chapter :/ i'll definitely start back up writing again now. i was sooo sick my entire christmas break and i didn't even have the energy to hold my phone until the last few days of my break and i'm back in school again :,) i hope you had a happy holidays, or if you don't celebrate christmas, i hope you enjoyed your time off! have a good day, lovelies! i love you!
