By The Beach ✔

Part 21. You and Me

THE MONDAY SUN SHINED DOWN ON US AS WE WATCHED A SURFER WIPEOUT, I stood beside Sawyer watching the surfer with my arms around him in a side hug; he had his arm around me with his hand rubbing circles into my side.

"Do you think the cops still have him?"

Sawyer looked down at me with a frown and squeezed me into his side "If they let him go, he better stay far away from you" he said, his voice angry.

I took a breath of fresh air and smelling the beach smell of water as Sawyer put on a smile and grabbed my hands to pull me with him up the beach hill and towards a burger stand we had seen earlier; he pulled me towards it and up to the line.

I haven't seen Dinah or Doug all day, not even when I went back to the hotel to grab my bathing suit. I left her a text message, and she had replied, but that was it.

She was probably enjoying the peace of being away from yours truly.

I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with fries and a coke, Sawyer ordered the same thing I did. He grabbed the bag from the teen guy and we walked around the stand and up to the hotel. He put his arm around me.

"If you don't win the surfing contest, they are holding a wet t-shirt contest," he said, smirking down at me. I elbowed him, which made him chuckle as we rounded the corner and went through the electric doors.

"What are you trying to say? That you want every single guy in Florida to see my bra through a wet shirt?" I teased him. It made him tense up beside me as I laughed.

Sawyer looked like he was rethinking what he had said, "You know what? Nevermind" he mumbled as I pressed the button and looked up at him to see I lost him in thought about something.

"You okay, storyteller? Or is the thought of every guy on the beach seeing something you haven't seen yet worrying you?" we stepped onto the elevator and he sent me a playful glare, I laughed as he wrapped his arm around me and squeezed me to his side.

"I'm not worried about it. From what all I have seen you aren't Dinah, you are more laid back and not as out there."

I huffed. "You didn't get to see me in high school" I mumbled, he must have heard because he hummed and raised his eyebrows looking down at me. "Hey, everyone has a past" I raised my hands in the air making him grin.

"I think I need to hear these stories" he mused as we stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall, as we approached the door to mine and Dinah's room, he stopped completely and looked down at me.

I looked at the door then back at him; I felt bad for ditching Dinah for the day yet I wanted to spend more time with Sawyer, plus I enjoyed today being with him on the beach and surfing while laughing or talking.

Sawyer looked at me then the door "If you don't want to go in just yet, we can go eat our food in my room then I can walk you back," he offered, looking at the brown sack of food.

At that exact moment, my stomach grumbled, and I grinned "You sure know the way to my heart, storyteller" I told him, wrapping my arms around his that was holding the sack, he shook his head as we walked down the hall, around the corner, and to his hotel room.

Isn't it funny how a girl can be won over by food?

He opened his door and shoved it open. He let me in first before walking in behind me and shutting the door. He walked behind me turning on lights and I went over to the couch; I sat down as he opened his mini-fridge and grabbed two canned drinks. He threw me one, and I caught it in my right hand easily.

Being handed the food, I grabbed the TV remote and turned it on to the channel he was watching earlier, Bewitched was on which was one of my favorite shows. Sawyer sat beside me and opened his coke as I handed him a burger and fries.

"Thanks. Great choice," he said, shoving fries into his mouth and leaning back into the couch. I smiled back at him as I grabbed my burger and unfolded the wrapper on the burger. I leaned back into the couch as I watched the show.

Food, the guy with a cute butt, and an enjoyable show. This was nice.

"Can we consider this a date? Because if so, it would be a great one," I told him, with a mouthful of burger.

He laughed as he looked at me. That was when I realized I had ketchup around my mouth from the burger. Sawyer reached forward and wiped the small mess of ketchup from my mouth: then he licked the ketchup off of his thumb.

"Ew! You gross idiot" I said. It only made him laugh as I scooted down away from him on the couch.

"I'm allowed to be gross."

"And why is that? It isn't like I'm your-" I stopped myself when I realized what I was about to say. We both went quiet as we stared at each other, him expressionless and my eyes widened.

I gulped, "I-uh-" I mumbled as I looked down at my half-finished burger.

"Do you want to be? ... Eventually? I mean,"

My eyes looked up at his with how he had rushed it out, he bit his lip and looked up at the ceiling "I mean, if it wouldn't be too weird?" he said, awkwardly as he leaned back into the couch.

Would it? Again, how do I get myself into these conversations? A second ago nothing was awkward and now it was all because of me and my big mouth. But he was asking me though, right?

I took a breath, "No. No, it wouldn't be ... weird" I said as I looked up at him and gave a slight smile "Eventually, yeah. I know that I enjoy being with you." He smiled back and finished his fries. "We could, uh, long-distance ..." I trailed off, not wanting to dig myself a deeper hole.

So, eventually? I thought as I continued to eat my burger, what were we doing? Making plans to be a couple? What's next, were we going to write it down in a contract? I am so fricking stupid, well, neither of us are too bright.

We sat in silence for a while finishing our food and watching TV; I finished my last fry and put my garbage in the sack as he had done with his.

"Is it just me or did that get insanely silent and awkward?" he pointed out making me grin as I looked at him and leaned back into the couch looking at him "I didn't mean for it to get weird by asking, I just figured ..." he trailed off, taking his drink from the coffee table and taking a drink of it.

"Oh, I know. It was just... brought up," I said, biting my lip.

He sighed and sat his drink back down before wrapping an arm around me; I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding and settled in against him under his arm. I closed my eyes and laid my head on his chest, feeling him breathe as we watched TV.

I don't think I would mind this every night.

(Alright, the new question of the day: Favorite Movie to Watch During Summer?)