by Elias Taylor
Kayla emerged from her apartment building with her black leather jacket and gave him a wave. She stopped short when she reached his bike. Tristen took a moment to run his eyes over her soft blue jeans and chunky black boots. She looked amazing.
He handed her the extra helmet.
“I want to take you on my favorite ride,” he said.
“I could take my bike,” Kayla said.
“Kayla, this is a date, remember?”
“Ok, ok,” she said.
Tristen was relieved to see her smile as she tugged the helmet out of his hands and plopped it on her head.
Once Kayla was situated behind him, Tristen steered his bike towards San Diego. He liked to take a route that ran parallel to the ocean. It boasted the best views, and as Tristen sped along, he felt like a man on top of the world. The wind was blowing in his face, and he had a beautiful girl’s arms wrapped around his torso.
He knew Kayla had her defenses up, and there were going to be challenges, but he was excited to face every obstacle to win Kayla over.
Once they reached a beach just outside the city that Tristen liked, he pulled over.
Kayla tugged her helmet off and shook her long dark hair out. She smiled up at the sun and inhaled the balmy ocean breeze.
A seagull cawed over the lapping waves, and Tristen followed the bird with his eyes.
“It’s lovely out here,” Kayla said.
“Yeah, I like looking at the ocean,” Tristen said. “It always makes me think of that book The Old Man and the Sea.”
“You’ve read Hemingway?” Kayla said.
“Sure, back in high school,” Tristen said. “I liked it.”
“I thought you said you were mediocre in school,” Kayla said.
She quirked one corner of her lips up, and Tristen wanted to reach out and touch the corner of her mouth with his index finger.
“I read the book, I didn’t write the paper,” Tristen said.
Kayla tipped her head and laughed.
“There’s a good deli over on the boardwalk, I figured we would get sandwiches for lunch,” Tristen said.
At the deli, Tristen ordered the sandwiches. They grabbed some chips and sodas and headed to the beach.
Tristen spread a blanket out, and they settled down.
“You’re good at dates,” Kayla said.
“I knew I only had this one shot,” Tristen said.
“I’m pretty bad at dates,” Kayla said.
She crossed her legs and looked out at the waves.
“Are you kidding?” Tristen asked. “I’ve never seen anyone so good at small talk.”
“That’s different,” Kayla said. “I don’t get nervous about meeting people or chatting or anything like that, but dating is a whole other ballgame.”
“It’s easy, you’ll be a natural at it,” Tristen said. “Tell me, how has work been?”
Kayla rolled her eyes. Tristen leaned forward and gave her his undivided attention.
“It would have been great this week, except my days kept getting interrupted by cheesy overtures,” Kayla said.
There was no bite to her words though. In fact, the smile on her face hinted that she didn’t hate those cheesy overtures that much after all.
“I am sorry if the flowers made things difficult for you,” Tristen said.
Kayla shrugged.
“I work with a lot of guys,” she said. “They all think I have some weak sniveling boyfriend now, but I don’t really care what they think, soon I’ll be their boss.”
Tristen grinned. He loved when Kayla talked about her ambitions. She got a steely edge to her voice that indicated just how much determination she had.
“I’m sure you will,” he said. “Is that mostly what you want? To be a head honcho?”
“Pretty much,” Kayla said. “I want to lead. When you’re the leader, you can be innovative and not just a cog in the machine.”
Tristen nodded his agreement.
“It’s true,” he said. “My first year at my company, I was really angsty about all the repetitive tasks and feeling like I was just part of the system, but the more I move up the ranks, the more I realize that once you put in your time at the bottom, you get a lot more freedom to use creativity when you’re promoted to leadership.”
Kayla gave him a thoughtful look before biting into her sandwich. Tristen was willing to hazard a guess that not many people were interested in hearing about her accounting job. He was though. He and Kayla had their ambitions in common.
Tristen nodded to the ocean.
“You ever surf?” he asked.
“No way, too scary,” she said.
“But you never seem scared on a bike,” Tristen said.
“On the bike, I have control,” Kayla said. “With waves and the ocean, you have no control.”
For a while, they watched the surfers paddling out and trying to catch the waves.
Then they stood up and walked along the beach, chatting the whole time about their jobs and the bike club and their friends and loads of other topics. Conversation flowed with Kayla, just as Tristen knew it would. Their first date had been fake, but the connection had been real.
He was also thrilled that Kayla was trying. Given that he had blackmailed her into this, she had every right to sulk the entire date. Instead, she was cheerful and fun. She had resisted, but now that it was happening, she was game.
As the afternoon drew to a close, Tristen decided to extend the date.
“So, I actually made dinner reservations at this place in San Diego,” he said.
Kayla raised her dark brows.
“That sounds like two dates,” she said.
“It’s right on the water,” Tristen said. “Really nice restaurant, and it’s always booked, but I got in last minute because someone canceled so it’s clearly fate.”
Kayla laughed, and Tristen knew that he had won.
Before they got back on the bike, Tristen pulled some clothes out of his bag.
“I got you a dress, and I’m changing into a button-down,” he said. “Something nice for the restaurant.”
“You bought me clothes?”
Tristen shrugged. He knew it was a little weird, but he had wanted to get the most out of his day with Kayla. Plus, as soon as he had seen the simple black dress with thin straps in a store window, he knew it would look amazing on Kayla.
They ducked into a coffeeshop and changed. When Kayla met him out at his bike, Tristen grinned. The dress looked like it was meant to be worn with her black boots and leather jacket, and she had pulled her hair back into a high ponytail and swiped on a bit of lip gloss.
Last-minute outfit or not, she was going to be the best looking woman in the restaurant.
When they arrived at the restaurant, they had a table right by the wide window so they could enjoy an impeccable view of the sun setting over the water. The sky was streaked with pink and light purple.
The restaurant was simple but nice, and the food looked delicious. When it came time to order, Kayla ordered the scallops, and he went for the seafood linguine. Both of them opted for water.
“After last weekend, I think I’m gonna hold back from drinking,” Kayla said.
“Same,” Tristen said.
“Anyway, I’m having a good time without alcohol,” Kayla said.
There was a shyness in her voice when she admitted it, and she glanced down at her napkin.
She was right though. They didn’t need alcoholic beverages to be comfortable. Kayla was giggling at all his jokes, and Tristen was intoxicated by the sound of her laugh.
As they began to eat their meals, Tristen tried to work up his courage. A question had been pestering him all night. Kayla wasn’t a boring or overly-serious person, despite her commitment to work. She knew how to have fun and enjoy a good time. He was desperate to hear her explain why she was so terrified of dating and relationships, why she seemed to hold herself back from any type of socializing.
She smiled at him ove
r her scallops, and Tristen took a breath.
“I want to ask you about relationships,” he said.
Kayla froze, and her wary face reminded Tristen of a wild animal that had just spotted the hunter’s shotgun. HE soldiered on.
“Why are you so averse to dating and socializing?” he asked. “It’s ok, and I’m not judging you or anything, I just want to hear about it in your own words.”
If he could understand her reasoning, then he would be that much closer to cracking her shell.
“I’m not against relationships,” Kayla said. “But they’re hard and time-consuming.”
“They can also be really comforting and enjoyable,” Tristen pointed out.
Kayla shrugged.
“Maybe so, but most relationships involve a lot of stress and heartbreak, it’s a fact,” she said. “And I just want to reach all my goals before I add that kind of distraction to my midst.”
“You seem more scared of distractions than anything else,” Tristen said.
“I am,” Kayla said. She fiddled with her napkin before continuing. “When I was a kid, I hopped from one thing to another and lived in the moment, and that was great, but when I got to high school, I realized that I was never going to have the life I wanted if I lived by my impulses. I had to make a plan.”
Tristen could tell she was being honest with him, and it made him want to reach out and hug her.
“I’ve only had one serious relationship,” Kayla said. “And it definitely did not help me with my plan, in fact, it was quite the opposite.”
“I’m sorry,” Tristen said.
What he meant was, he wished he could find the guy who had wasted her precious time and punch him in the face.
“It was a long time ago,” Kayla said. “Ever since then, I’ve been cautious.”
“But do you ever worry that if you take that caution too far, one day you’ll be on your deathbed, and you’ll realize you missed your whole life?”
Kayla looked deep into his eyes for a second.
“All the time,” she said. “But I can’t just let go of everything I have.”
“Of course not,” Tristen said. “I’m not saying you should slack off at work or anything, I think your drive is amazing.”
For the first time since he had met her, Kayla seemed self-conscious by the praise. She hunched her shoulders and gave him a bashful smile. She wasn’t used to people in her personal life commending her for her work. Tristen realized that a lot of well-meaning friends and family probably just accused her of being a workaholic or uptight instead of giving her credit for all she had done.
“I just think you should start taking more time for yourself,” Tristen said. “You deserve that.”
Kayla gazed out the window as if she was mulling his words over. Tristen reached across the table and took her hand in his.
“You know, when you’re relaxed and having fun, you actually seem really happy,” he said.
Kayla gave him a surprised look.
“I hate to break it to you, but I think you enjoy having fun,” Tristen said.
Kayla’s cheeks turned a delicate shade of rosy pink, and Tristen wanted to grab her and kiss her as hard as he could, never mind the other people in the restaurant.
When she looked down to hide her smile, Tristen could tell that she agreed with his theory.
Chapter Thirteen: Inner Circle
Kayla wiggled her toes in the sand.
After dinner, she had suggested they take a walk on the beach, just to digest a little before the ride back to Lyndon.
As soon as she hit the sand, she had tugged her boots off, and Tristen had done the same.
He grabbed her hand without hesitation as they strolled out under the stars, and she didn’t pull away.
Kayla didn’t have high expectations for the date when she woke up that morning. She had decided that their so-called connection of the weekend before had been fueled by alcohol. Once they spent time together, without the blurring effect of wine or cocktails, they would both realize that there was nothing special between them.
It would be awkward, and when it ended, they would go back to being vague acquaintances.
Kayla’s assumptions had been shattered once the date began. To her surprise, she enjoyed every minute she spent in Tristen’s company.
If anything, they were getting along even better than they had last week. Conversation was easy with him. She always knew he was funny, but he was smart as well. Far smarter than she had given him credit for. And of course, it didn’t hurt his suit that he was extremely handsome. Dressed up, in jeans and a T-shirt, it didn’t matter.
Kayla didn’t think before speaking with Tristen. She didn’t measure every word to make sure she sounded the way she wanted to. Kayla had never been so at ease with someone so soon. She and Tristen had never been close; he had just been a guy from the club who she didn’t mind chatting with if she had to.
Sure, she was comfortable with Cleo and her family, but usually, it took time for Kayla to relax around other people. Kayla had a very short list of people in her inner circle. She rarely made new additions.
But now, here she was, having spent almost the entire day with Tristen, and talking to him as if they had known each other since birth. Even the dress had been so sweet and suited her to a T. Kayla was particular about her clothes, but somehow Tristen had found an ideal outfit for her. It wasn’t fair that he was so good at getting to know her.
As they walked towards the water to dip their toes in, Kayla considered that she might have to add Tristen to her list of inner circle members.
As soon as that daring thought entered her head, Kayla panicked. She was letting her guard slip so easily. Tristen was able to slip through all her defenses in just a few hours. There was a reason her inner circle was so small. Kayla needed it that way to keep her centered and focused. She couldn’t just add names willy-nilly. No way.
He was a distraction, plain and simple. Yes, he had said a lot of pretty words at dinner about how she might miss her entire life and how she could use a little happiness.
He had nice ideas, but he was missing the point. Relationships took uptime. This one date alone had taken up hours and hours that could have been spent on preparing for the workweek or honing her networking skills.
Tristen spoke of happiness, but Kayla knew there was another side to the relationship coin. Happiness was almost inevitably followed by pain, loss, and tears. That kind of emotional distress could derail her career. She simply didn’t have the time for it.
She cast her mind back to the painful episode in college. While she was dating Bryan, she had made him her priority. They used to spend long Sunday afternoons curled up on a couch and watching hours and hours of TV. Kayla knew she should have been studying, but she told herself that being in love was a good excuse to slack off, just a little bit.
She had rushed through assignments and skipped job fairs. For what? To sit around while Bryan played video games, or tag along to get food with all his friends. In retrospect, Kayla could admit that Bryan had not been a great boyfriend. Nothing like Tristen could be. But the fact remained, even with the best boyfriend in the world, there were only so many hours in a day. Kayla would have to choose.
The breakup with Bryan was a whole other mess. Kayla hadn’t gotten out of bed for days. She had slumped through her classes like a zombie. One of her professors had even requested a meeting to chat with Kayla about her recent decline.
It had been a sad time, but worse than that, it had been embarrassing. Kayla Carpenter, who had once so proudly declared all her career aspirations and drew up plans to defeat every obstacle, reduced to a useless puddle, all because of a boy. It hadn’t just been a setback. It had been near-destruction.
She couldn’t go through all that with Tristen. Not again.
Besides, she didn’t even know how serious Tristen was. He wasn’t thinking of a long-term relationship (hence the need for a fake fiancée). He just wanted to have fun. Soon
er or later, he was going to figure out that Kayla was not the girl for a fun time.
“Kayla?” Tristen asked.
It was dark on the beach, and Kayla realized she had been quiet for a long time.
“I’m fine,” Kayla said. “I just like listening to the sound of the ocean.”
“Me too,” Tristen said.
Tristen squeezed her hand, and Kayla’s heart fluttered. She supposed it would ruin the moment to tell him right then and there that she wasn’t interested in continuing anything.
It was a nice moment. They both tipped their heads back to look up at the glittering expanse of stars peppering the dark canvas of the sky.
The waves lapped against the pier in a soothing rhythm.
Kayla felt Tristen turn towards her, and she looked up. In the dim lighting, she could just see the outline of his face. He reached up and cupped her cheek with his warm palm.
Kayla knew he wanted to kiss her. She knew she should stop him, especially since she had no intention of going on a second date with him.
Instead of saying anything, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. This kiss was everything the drunken first kiss in the hotel room had not been. It was slow and tender and gentle.
Kayla closed her eyes and lost herself in the moment.
When Tristen pulled away, she could tell he was smiling at her, even in the darkness.
They both sat down in the sand.
Kayla decided she could wait until later to let him down. She was here now, sitting by his side on a beach after a lovely dinner. She might as well enjoy the time they had.
Chapter Fourteen: Motivation
Tristen didn’t expect anything when he pulled up to Kayla’s apartment building. The kiss on the beach had been enough. He knew there might not be a second date, but he also knew he still had a chance. He wasn’t going to blow that chance by being pushy.
Kayla stretched her long legs once she was off the bike. She handed Tristen his helmet back, but her fingers lingered on the hard plastic.