Tear (A Seaside Novel)

by Rachel Van Dyken

  He chuckled, and maneuvered himself out of the hold faster than I’d seen anyone in my life, including Evan who regularly took classes at the local gym.

  In seconds he was straddling me, looking quite pleased with himself.

  “Not that I didn’t deserve to get my ass kicked,” he said out of breath. “But, I kind of like this position better.”

  I squirmed beneath him.

  “And better… and better.”

  I yelled. It didn’t help. If anything it made him laugh harder until exhaustion set in and I joined him.

  He leaned down and kissed the top of my forehead. “Math?”

  “As long you refrain from making me cry or wanting to punch you, then yes, we can do math.” I sighed, a little breathless from the fact that the rock god had just kissed my forehead.

  He seemed to think about it for a minute then nodded his head.

  Minutes after starting math I realized two things. One, he was dead serious about needing help, and two, he was actually serious about wanting to get things right.

  While he was working on the last problem I stole a glance at the clock, it was already ten.

  “You live here your whole life?” he asked not looking up from the paper.

  “Uh, yeah.” I nervously started tapping my pencil. “You always live in Canada?”

  Dumb question, everyone knew they resided in L.A. now, but I wanted to hear it from him.

  “Five houses.” He erased his problem and squinted. “One in British Columbia, a beach house in Malibu, a penthouse in New York, a flat in London, and finally a cottage in good ol’ Seaside.”

  I’m sure my mouth was open in shock. That’s more houses than me and my friends put together.

  Once I was able to get my thoughts back on track I asked, “Why Seaside?”

  “And that, I do not have to answer until after homework. You promised.”

  “Fine.” I sighed then grabbed the paper. He folded his hands behind his head and leaned back in the chair.

  His work took him a long time, and I could see why. His hand writing was meticulous, every word formed perfectly. He wrote how he talked. It was impressive, to say the least. Usually it was impossible to read guys’ handwriting. The work was perfect except for one.

  “This one.” I pointed it out. “You used the wrong formula.”

  “I know.” He shrugged.

  “Not following, Demetri.” I smacked his arm with my pencil.

  “I’m just tired of being perfect, so I figured I would create a small flaw in my homework. Adds character I hear.”

  I nodded my head. “And you’re officially impossible. All right, if you want imperfection who am I to disagree?”

  “Come on!” He jolted from his chair and grabbed my hand before I could say anything except a slur of “Huh?” The guy was bipolar! How did we go from discussing math to running to my door like there was a fire?

  I nearly tripped over my North Face as I pulled it off the coat rack. I was beginning to suspect that the guys were on drugs. Why else would they be so all over the place? Almost erratic in their behavior?

  “Come on.” He nodded to the North Face in my hand. “Put it on. It’s kinda chilly.”

  I bit my lip in frustration, but did it anyways because it really was starting to get cold and windy. “Where are we going?”

  “To the beach. To talk.” And that was the only explanation I got as he led me down our dock onto the large white sand beach.

  Seaside would be the perfect vacation spot if the weather could decide what it wanted to be. One day it could be a hundred degrees outside, the next day you could see your breath. That was The Pacific Coast for you, though. The beaches were amazing, but you were lucky if you had a few sunny days in a row. That didn’t hinder tourism; it just meant that during the fall months, like October, there weren’t nearly as many people around.

  The beach was abandoned. It was eerily quiet. The only sound came from the waves as they rolled across the sand. Demetri held my hand in his as we ventured closer to the waves.

  “Wanna skinny dip?”

  “Yes,” I answered enthusiastically. “I would love to die at eighteen. Do you have any idea how cold that water is?”

  “I don’t remember it being that bad.” He shrugged and threw off his shoes and socks, with not so much as a glance in my direction he ran into the water.

  Curses exploded into the stillness of the night.

  I laughed as he came running back.

  “Told ya.” I held out his socks and shoes.

  “Remind me to listen to you from here on out, on everything.” He shuddered and took his stuff but threw it on the beach and sat.

  “Join me?” He patted the sand next to him. Something about his impulsiveness called to me. Demetri seemed to have no plan, no agenda. It was all about being in the moment. I kind of envied him, even if he was a little into himself. But I guess I would be too if I had people stripping in front of me and telling me I was some sort of rock god.

  “So, Seaside.” I played with the sand in front of me.

  “Seaside.” He drew his knees up and leaned his head against them. “It’s not really my story to tell.”

  “Oh, so there’s a whole story?”

  Demetri laughed. I could see the outline of his mouth, because his teeth were so white. “Yeah, you could say that. Or really there are two stories. The first story is the cover, the second is the truth.”

  “Which one do I get?”

  “I’m still deciding.” The laughter left his face as his eyes met mine. Those clear blue eyes focused on my lips as he leaned closer.

  I was frozen in place. I couldn’t pull away even if I wanted to. And the closer he came to touching my lips, the more I wanted his kiss.

  My tongue slipped out to wet my lips as he closed the final distance between us. The minute his mouth met mine, I gasped.

  His mouth was so different than the air around us. Where everything was cold, he was hot, so warm and inviting. His hands reached to cup my face as his tongue slipped beyond the barrier of my lips. He didn’t attack me, nor did he aggressively push me down. I was almost disappointed when he pulled back.

  Demetri’s eyes were hooded; he leaned back in and kissed my lips briefly before again pulling back and cursing. “Sorry.”

  Sorry? He’s sorry? He just gave me the best kiss of my life, my first kiss, and he’s sorry.

  Embarrassed, I quickly got to my feet and brushed off the sand.

  “Wait.” His hand jetted out and grabbed mine. “I didn’t mean I’m sorry about the kiss. I’ve never been less sorry in my life about a kiss. I’m just sorry I used it as a way to get you to stop asking about why we’re here.”

  “Okay,” I said trying to wrap my mind around his explanation. Our hands were still intertwined. The memory of his lips burned across mine. I fought to keep my attitude indifferent when all I wanted to do was jump on top of him and beg him to kiss me again.

  He rose from his seat and sighed. “We’re on a break from touring and making music. We’ve been told quite plainly that we need to back off for a while, let things calm down in our personal lives before we ruin our careers.”

  “Okay,” I said, mentally going through all the stuff I had read on the news for the past few weeks. None of it even hinted towards them pulling a stunt like this. And then it hit me. “That’s what’s going to be on the news tomorrow, huh?”

  He nodded.

  “So you told me the lie.”

  He paused, then nodded again.

  I guess I hadn’t given him a reason to trust me. It still stung that he didn’t. Then again, he didn’t know me at all. If anything, I could be the type of girl that would gossip about our private conversations, even our kiss.

  I wasn’t that girl.

  I immediately felt the need to tell him, but he didn’t give me a chance. He dropped back down on the sand and jerked me down so hard I fell on top of him. He flipped me onto my back and opened his mouth to min
e.

  He tasted so good. His hands pinned mine to the sand as his tongue explored my mouth and he bit at my lower lip.

  I moaned when he turned away and cursed. Are you trying to distract me?”

  “Does it matter?” he asked out of breath.

  I nodded.

  His eyes got sad. “Then yeah, I am.”

  “Get off me.” I tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t budge. “I said get off!”

  I wasn’t used to people not listening to me. This boy was more confusing than any I had ever come across… well, except Alec. He took the cake on that one.

  “I like you,” was all he said. As if that explained why he would take advantage of me by kissing me.

  “Well, I don’t like you.”

  He laughed and nibbled on my ear. “Yeah, actually, I think you do.”

  Irritated, I pushed his chest again, but his lips moved to my neck as he sucked near my collarbone, his tongue twirled in circles as his teeth lightly bit down.

  I pulled him closer to me. I didn’t want any space between our bodies. I wasn’t even cold any more. No, I was on fire. I wanted him more than anything in the world.

  “We have school in the morning,” he whispered in my ear. Crap even school sounded sexy on his lips.

  I groaned. “I know.”

  “We should go.” But he didn’t move.

  “Yep.” I really had no excuse for my behavior as I clenched him tighter and covered my mouth with his.

  He chuckled beneath my kiss, then lifted me over his body so I was straddling him. I kissed down his neck, like he had mine. He groaned and then cursed pulling my hands back. “If you keep doing that, this night is going to end very very well, and it can’t.” He cursed again and covered his eyes with his hand. “And if you keep looking at me like you want to eat me, I’m most likely going to strip you naked and have my way with you.”

  No boy had ever talked to me like that before. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be offended or complimented. Struggling with my answer, I stayed silent, my brows furrowed.

  Chuckling, he reached up and kissed my mouth softly. “Let me put this in a way you’ll understand. I want you more than I should after only knowing you a day. And I’m used to getting what I want. If you stay, I’ll get it. And you don’t deserve that.”

  I jerked away and nodded my head as I got to my feet.

  “I need a minute,” he shook his head and then closed his eyes as he lay in the sand. It looked like he was meditating.

  My body was still on fire and trembling from our interaction.

  After a few silent minutes, he dusted off the sand and grabbed my hand. “Do you really want to know why we’re here?”

  I clenched his hand tightly. “Yes!”

  “Good.” He smirked and pulled me into a side hug, kissing my head. “Maybe if you keep hanging out with me, I’ll tell you.”

  I jerked away and swatted him.

  We stopped in front of my house. I looked around for a car but saw nothing.

  “Need a ride?” I called after him as he disappeared further down the road.

  “Didn’t think you were that kind girl.” He called back winking as he quickly turned and walked into the house right next to mine.

  Holy crap. The brothers were living next door to me. Could it get any worse?

  “I meant in a car!” I yelled back upset.

  “Ooh!” He lifted his hands in the air. “Even better!”

  “I hate you!”

  “No, you don’t!” He laughed before walking into the large house next door.

  One thing I knew for sure. It was going to be a long school year.

  Chapter Six

  I woke up Friday ready to face the day. Well, sort of. I hadn’t run the day before. I knew if I wanted to actually make it through track season this spring that I needed to keep training. Besides, I had to be up extra early for that stupid Homecoming meeting. Especially considering I had missed two in a row and was now on Alesha’s crap list. Why had I agreed to serving on the committee in the first place? Oh right, because my friend forced me into it and Evan claimed he needed someone who wasn’t currently trying to get into his pants. Which was totally how he and Alesha acted around each other. She’d flutter her eyelashes, he’d roll his eyes, and seconds later they’d be making out in the closet. Evan always claimed temporary insanity. However, I knew the truth. He wanted her just as bad. They just didn’t know how to jump out of the friends with benefits zone. But what guy would want that especially if Alesha was already giving him all the benefits?

  I threw the covers back, sleepily rolled out of bed, and put on my workout gear. I twisted my hair into a ponytail and ran down the stairs out the front door.

  The air was crisp and frigid. It was one of the colder mornings, but at least the wind wasn’t blowing as hard as it normally was. I don’t know why but running in the wind totally put me in a foul mood.

  I stretched and quickly put on my gloves so my fingers wouldn’t freeze.

  “Didn’t take you for the type that exercised,” a voice said to my right.

  I turned and came face to face with Alec. He was wearing workout gear and a baseball cap. He almost looked… normal. Well, as normal as a gorgeous guy could look.

  I shook my head. “Yeah well, I didn’t take you for the type to do anything but sit and brood, so I guess we’re even, huh?”

  Laughing, he removed his hat and rubbed his hair down before putting it back on again. “Want some company?”

  Out of all the things he could have said, that was the last I expected. “You want to run with me?”

  “I think I can keep up.”

  “I run fast.”

  “Okay,” he seemed unaffected.

  “I listen to music.”

  He held up his iPhone. The same one I had shamelessly stalked not a few days ago.

  Gulping, I nodded my head. “Sounds great.” But it wasn’t great. For some reason Alec made me more uncomfortable than Demetri. At least with Demetri I knew what to expect. He’d flirt, kiss you senseless, shower you with compliments, and you’d hold your breath praying he wouldn’t cheat on you.

  Alec was… well, he was Alec. There was something mysterious about him. At least running would make it so we didn’t talk too much. I was still curious about why they were here in the first place, but if I couldn’t get it out of Demetri the night before, than I sure wasn’t going to get his brother to budge in that area.

  “Ready?” I watched as he turned on his music and put his headphones in. With a quick nod in my direction he was off.

  We ran a mile in silence.

  I never looked in his direction. But it was hard to keep my eyes focused on the road when I was running with some mysterious yet famous bad boy.

  Once we reached the second mile I was ready to yell. He was staring at me. I could feel his gaze. I was practically burning up from head to toe with mortification. Finally I stopped in my tracks and found the ear buds that had been tucked in my pocket. I needed to listen to music if I was going to have to put up with his brooding stare.

  I slid ear buds into my ears but didn’t turn on the music. “What!”

  Alec bit his lip and reached up to pull out his ear buds. “I’m just surprised.”

  “Do I even want to know?” I stretched my arms.

  He moved behind me and gently tugged them into a tighter stretch then whispered in my ear, “You tripped over your own feet twice yesterday. I wasn’t sure you could even walk in a straight line until now.”

  “I’m in track.”

  His warm chuckle gave me shivers as he moved my arms behind my back and crossed them so that my shoulders and chest were getting a better stretch.

  “That explains the body.”

  “What?” I jerked away from him and turned around.

  “Your body.” He looked me up from head to toe then met my gaze. “You have long legs.”

  The way he said it, almost in reverence. Confused, I squinted at
him. Normally, guys said things like you’re hot, or nice bod. Instead, he just complimented the length of my legs like I was some sort of giant. I wasn’t sure why I felt a blush coming on. Maybe it was because his compliment didn’t make me feel objectified, but more special. I seriously needed to get out more.

  “What?” Alec grinned. I hated it when he smiled at me like that. As if I was his sun, moon, and stars. When clearly, that was not the case.

  “You can’t just walk around saying things like that to girls.”

  “Just did.” He shrugged. “But I guess in a way you’re right. I shouldn’t say things like that to my brother’s girl. There’s rules for that and all.”

  Irritated, I glared at him and grabbed my phone to change songs. “I’m not his girl.”

  Alec whistled. “Don’t tell him that. Plus, I saw the two of you last night.”

  “Studying?” Why was I so hopeful that he didn’t see us later that night?

  “At the beach,” Alec confirmed, his eyes narrowing before he broke out into another earth-shattering grin. “But it’s cool. Demetri likes you. Look.” Alec sat on the edge of the fence near the boardwalk. “I want to be your friend. I’m not going to lie and say I’m not angry that my brother got to you first. But I’ll overlook your obvious lack of good judgment if you promise you’ll come to me if you need anything. Okay?”

  I nodded slowly, my heart thumping way too loud for us to be in the friend zone or any zone near it.

  “Cool.” He grabbed my Blackberry. “Justin Bieber, Nat? Really?”

  I felt myself flush. “It’s good running music!”

  “I’m a little hurt. Are we even on here?” My worst nightmares were coming true as he scrolled through the playlist.

  “Give me that!” I lunged for him. Unlike his brother, he wasn’t okay with allowing a girl to win. He held me off with one arm. I kicked. He only laughed harder.

  “No way! You love me!” He jumped up and down and waved his hands in the air. This was not the Alec I knew. The Alec I knew brooded. What the heck?

  “Give that back.” Teeth clenched I held out my hand.

  “Are you blushing?” he teased.

  “No, I’m just, winded.” Lame answer, Nat. Lame answer!