I was bored in my free period, my art teachers told me to study Jackson Pollock, but I didn't care for Jackson Pollock, his work was too aggressive for me, even in the mood I was in. I just longed to be at the beach but dreaded it now because I knew what would be waiting for me. It sucked that both our happy places were there, it made me feel trapped, somewhere so significant for me and my whole family, and although I accepted Reece into it, I feel like he's intruding.
He had messaged me a few times last night, and that made it difficult for me to fall asleep. The words he wrote would've been so perfectly carved that it would seem manipulating and like I had no other choice but to reply, but I didn't. Instead, I lay in a cloud of my thoughts, imagining the best outcome from the situation, but all of them involved me speaking to Reece again. In my free period, I decided to think of an alternative way through this.
I flicked through the images I had taken on my phone of the sunsets and different cloud formations that fascinated me, but that unlocked more emotions than I realised. The cherry pink sky with the sun-glazed clouds and dark silhouettes of the birds flying high, the same night Reece and I went out for our first drink together to celebrate me passing my driving test. The pale blue sky with the frosted sun, casting the shadows in a white haze, the night of the house party I went to with Reece, the night we kissed and I felt so attached to him. The navy sky with the golden crescent moon, and the scenery whirring past, creating light trails, that was last night and although I wanted to delete it, I decided to try a new artistic approach. I was inspired by Stephen Woodruff, who paints images he sees out of his car window in the night, with the title 'Terror in the Dark.' I drew a similar picture, except not as detailed and crisp as his, simply because my image wasn't, and for the light trails I used blobs of watered down paint and blew at it through a straw, which I loved as it looked like veins and gave the image a pop of colour. I analysed it, saying why I was inspired, how I was off to the beach to paint but what was waiting for me truly was a 'terror in the dark'. I placed my book gently in the drying rack and opened up my phone, the messages from Reece were shiny brightly at me.
"Shiloh, what you saw was a horrible sight and understand that you probably don't want to hear from me again. This apology is like me covering a bullet hole with a plaster, it's not doing much but at least I can try. I just want to speak with you so you can hear my side of the story, I can only imagine the things running through your head, so please let me clarify."
"Shiloh, if anything, please just let me know you're okay, I'm struggling to sleep because I don't know where you've gone, I hope you're safe."
"I'll be at the beach tomorrow, I'm struggling with my words, which is something I never do, I don't want to offend you anymore with these messages, that's not what I want to do to you. I hope to see you tomorrow, but I understand otherwise x"
I gave it a hard thought whilst painting, but it concluded that I would have to meet up and discuss everything with Reece, even if it would mean that my heart would get broken some more, it sounded like we both needed to get things off of our chest.
I walked over to my car and plugged in my music, songs that would hype me up to face Reece and Wolf Alice seemed like the perfect band to do that.
As I parked up and trundled up the hill, I heard a simple melody being strung on a guitar, and butterflies flurried around in my stomach, I didn't expect him to be here this early. I came early so I could get some inspiration on what to say, but now I was stuck, and it was too late to turn and sit in my car because he had almost definitely heard me.
"Shiloh," he exhaled, placing his guitar down and swiftly getting onto his feet to see me, he looked shocked that I had come to the beach. "I didn't, I didn't think you were coming, I was so worried." he stumbled as he moved closer towards me. I shrugged, placing my shaking hands in the pockets of my aviator jacket. "I owe you an explanation," he sighed as he sat back down, I sat beside him, although not as close as I use to.
"Let me guess, you've written it in song?" I remarked as I stared at his guitar, I knew if I were to hold eye contact with him, I would just about lose it. I could picture his blue orbs, they greyness to them, how they had flecks of gold in the centre.
He chuckled but shook his head, "no, I mean I have been writing songs, but I don't want to share these ones, they're a bit....darker. I'm getting off track though," he began, I watched as he scratched the back of his hand nervously, and something was telling me that there was more to this than I had officially let on. He placed his hand on the grass, but it should've been holding my hand instead, like it was used to, in fact, I ached for his touch just once more.
"Yesterday was a mess, and I shouldn't have done what I did, but it's not at all what you think, as cliche as that sounds. Lara just wanted my opinion on her article, I knew she worked down at the beach and I said that we should meet up on the cliff. It was stupid, I didn't think. I knew that you would come here too and I didn't do it to spite you or to even get a reaction from you, it was pure laziness on my behalf. I won't ever invite her to our place again," he rambled, but I cut him off.
"our place?" I stammered,
"well, it is really, isn't it? This is where I first met you, the place that we always meet up and share all our thoughts. Shiloh I only come to the beach to see you," he spoke, we held eye contact for a second too many and I became absorbed with him.
I shook that feeling away and closed my eyes before telling him the truth, "Reece, I come here because this is where my sister killed herself." I exhaled, opening my eyes and witnessing a startled Reece, his eyes wide his face was pale as if he had just seen a ghost.
His hand instantly found its way on top of mine and he gave it a comforting squeeze, I looked back up at him and simpered a smile, "I didn't know," he whispered, but I shook my head, it was fine. "now I look like an idiot, I thought you felt the same, I just, I don't know," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head and standing up.
"Reece," I whimpered, my hand holding out trying to catch ahold of his, but he turned on his heel. "Reece, wait, I think we both have stuff to say, please hear me out," I shouted after him, he looked behind at me, I couldn't tell what his face held, he looked angry, he looked sad but he looked like there was something inside him eating him up.
"When I first came here I had no-one. I made friends with a guy called Jack and at the time him and Lara were dating, they were all I had and I was thankful that they had befriended me before things got bad again. Lara and Jack then stopped seeing each other, and fuck it I kind of liked Lara so we use to hang out a bit but I was too scared to make a move in case Jack found out and I was scared that I'd lose him as a friend. I got dropped off at the beach by my family, and I was on my way to go down to the shack and meet Lara after her shift, but instead, I saw you. I was petrified, I thought you were about to jump so that's why I came over, I was so intrigued by you Shiloh," he said as he walked back over to me, sitting down."
"So, you really came to the beach for Lara?" I questioned, but Reece shook his head instantly and frowned.
"You're picking up on the wrong part, I kept coming back to the beach in hope to find you," his hand landing on top of mine, and our fingers interlacing, I smiled at him.
"but what about that time we went to get fish and chips, why didn't you say anything to Lara?" I asked him,
he laughed and lifted our joint hands up and gave it a squeeze, "because you whacked my side so hard and took ahold of my hand, it took me by surprise and I knew something was up because that was the most forward you've ever been with me."
"But you were still speaking to her?" I asked and he laughed with me.
"Barely, I stopped speaking to her when I met you, you were the person I was so much more fascinated by, I wanted to put my time and effort into finding you out Shiloh, and when you told me that you didn't like her, then that was it, I respected that, but it didn't stop her from trying to get back to me," I looked away from Reece and bit my lip hard, this is all I could've dreamed to hear, maybe I did just read into it far too much and fooled myself into thinking of the worst possible outcomes. I felt Reece's finger as it carved the outline of my jaw, his hand grazed underneath my chin as he turned my head back to face him, I smiled like a complete and utter goon as I knew what was about to come. I leaned my head in close with, both our foreheads touching, the next thing I know, he slammed his lips against mine, taking all the wind out from my lungs, his hands lingered on the side of my face, his touch was sweet and sincere, and I knew this was exactly the way it should be.
YOU ARE READING
beach//reece bibby
Romance"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...
