You Were Never Mine

Clumsy - Chapter 01

Elle 

I let the sand creep between my toes as I walked the edge of the beach. It was my own personal oasis, my getaway from everything going on in the real world. When my dad purchased a house on the coast, he was worried I would drown, he thought that I wouldn't like living on the beach, but I do. I have loved going for walks along the beach since I was eight years old. Ever since we moved to California – after my parents split up – I have confided in the ocean waves to give me a sense of ease, a sense of calming.

I come down here every day and sit on the rocks, listening to the waves hit the shore. Some days I walk and people watch, wondering who they are, who they could be. A lot of the time, I walk alone along the shore and sometimes, I have company. My best friend, Julia, she lives a few houses down from us and was the first friend I made when we moved to the Santa Barbara area. She is full of life, a perfect ray of sunshine with a bubbly attitude. She has beautiful brown, curly hair that stops right above her waist. Prominent freckles scatter her face and dimples in both her cheeks, which the guys love.

I smile as I think about Julia and the friendship, she has given me for the past fifteen years. Yes, that makes me 23 years old. I stop in the middle of the beach and take a look around me, taking in the scene. It's only 9:30 in the morning, so a lot of people aren't out just yet. There had been a few people that passed me earlier, running and I've passed a few families coming down to get ready to have a great day at the beach. Chewing on my bottom lip I look out at the waves as they recede into the ocean and then come moving back up, crashing into the shore. The tide isn't high today, which is nice, because it's been high the past few days.

As I start to make my way back towards the house, I pass a group of guys chatting about sports and girls. There was some banter, some foul language, and too many times was the word 'sexy' used in each sentence. I roll my eyes to myself as I climb the stairs back up towards the pier. My phone pings in my pocket, catching my attention. Stepping out of the way of the stairs, I lean back against the pier rail and take my phone out.

Julia: Do you want to go shopping with me today? I really need to find some clothes for this photoshoot I have coming up, I could use your expertise.

I move my thumbs across the screen, shooting her a reply, declining the mall invite. It was a Saturday, which meant I needed to catch up on some schoolwork that I've been putting off. I was taking two classes over the summer and thankfully, they were online, so I wouldn't have to waste my time on campus. I was attending a community college not far from here, which was nice because I never had to worry about paying too much for room and boarding.

I lock my phone and reach behind me to slip it into my back pocket again. As I begin to trek back to my house, I noticed that more and more people were starting to come out and scatter across the beach. By this point, a lot of them were teenagers and not families with a bunch of kids. Sliding my sunglasses over my eyes, I take off down the sidewalk, heading back towards my house. My dad was gone for the day, picking up extra hours at his construction job, so it would just be me at the house.

Turning the corner to my street, I looked up and ran straight into another human. There was so much force from his body colliding with mine that I fell back a bit and hit my back against a pole. I stayed pressed against it, regaining balance.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going," I start to apologize to the person in front of me, taking my sunglasses off and resting them on top of my head. I looked at the person again, taking in his features. He was about 6'2, taller than me, almost hovering over my small frame. His golden locks were short, but still long enough that he could flip them to the side, out of his eyes. I shot him a small smile as I cleared my throat, my eyes that were scanning his body, now meeting with his.