Chapter 16

Spending the day with Emilia and Leigh helped me calm my nerves and forget about Seeley for a while.

We were lying under the sun, eating and drinking beer. I didn't need only thirty minutes to fully let go and enjoy the moment.

We listened to Emilia gamble about a retired old lady who kept trying to cut in her while she was waiting in the queue at the cashier.

Leigh had let us know that since we had left Hillsboro, she could sleep well and didn't wake up at least four times over the night like she always had at home.

I was glad that I wasn't the only one who noticed a slight change in our lives since our families weren't around to push our buttons.

I was more comfortable and graceful with others while Emilia looked more balanced than she ever had been.

We laughed and sang while strangers were walking past by with their partners, families or dogs. A golden retriever almost stole my sandwich when a man came down the beach to swim.

"Is this how it would feel like to move away?" Emilia asked and leaned back on her elbows. "Because if so then I might run away as soon as we go back home."

I nudged her slightly.

"You'll need money for that one." I smiled and she slid her sunglasses down her nose.

"I'll rob a bank or someone," she said. "Don't think I won't do it."

"You would have thought that the school nerd would be the one to get into Harvard or some ivy league like that," Leigh laughed loudly. "And here she is, planning to flee her home and rob a bank to survive."

Emilia popped her head up.

"Not everyone is a goddamn IQ master like you, Leigh," she said and I snorted at their girlish argument.

"You should have cheated on the test." Leigh told wisely and Emilia lay down on the blanket we had brought with us.

"Don't you think I tried that?" She asked and I gasped.

"Em, you can't be serious!" I said, horrified and shocked.

Emilia gave me a side glance before shrugging.

"Everyone has their flaws," she said seriously. "Mine happens to be a perfectionist. And I'm not afraid to risk my chance to achieve my plans."

"Then you should have offered yourself to your teacher to give you the answers from the exam," Leigh replied and I slapped her hand.

"Quit it."

Emilia however wasn't affected or ashamed by Leigh's advice.

"If Mr. Hutton was hot and ten years younger than I would have." Emilia answered with a small chuckle.

"You both are horrible." I shook my head.

"You are not allowed to be nice and innocent in a world like this," Leigh played along.

We laughed while throwing other misunderstandable jokes around when something softly bumped into my arm.

I turned to the right and saw a worn volleyball next to me. I raised my head when I heard footsteps approaching us.

"I'd say sorry but it was time for you to notice me," said a familiar voice.

Perkyn stopped beside us with a grin on his face. He was topless, showing us his slim toned upper body. I was disrespectfully looking as he leaned down and grabbed the ball from the sand.

"I was preoccupied with the girls here, sorry not sorry."

Perkyn shrugged and chewed on his bottom lip.

"So, you're telling me I'm not interesting enough?" he asked.

I shrugged and stood up to be on the same level as he was.

"Something like that."

Perkyn placed his hand on his heart with puppy eyes.

"That hurt," he said.

"Sorry."

He spat his hand in response as if he wanted to hush my non-honest apology away.

"I'll work on it," he promised.

I shook my head slightly and stepped aside, spreading my arms.

"Perkyn, these two demons are my best friends," I introduced the girls. "This hippy who can't decide what color she wants her hair to be is Leigh."

Leigh stood up and pushed me playfully.

"But at least I still look hot," she said then turned to Perkyn with sparkling eyes. "Hi."

"Nice to meet you," shook Perkyn her hand softly.

"Emilia dear, right here, is infamous for her raw honesty and laziness but her sharp brain," I said and Perkyn raised his eyebrows.

"That's awesome,"

Emilia blinked and waved her hand around.

"I'm not a nerd, okay?" she asked. "I just wanted to get into college so I worked my guts out."

"Understandable," Perkyn put his free hand on his hip. "And success?"

"Unfortunately not," said Emilia with a bitter smile.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry to hear that," Perkyn answered.

"It's okay," Emilia shrugged. "Maybe next year. Until then, I try my options."

"That's what life is about, after all," Perkyn nodded then turned to me.

When I gave him a questioning look, he glanced at the girls and I inhaled.

"Oh, yes, sorry." I corrected myself. "And this is Perkyn, my co-worker at the hotel."

Leigh gave me a knowing glance while a small smug smile was hiding in the corner of her lips.

"Co-worker?"

Fortunately, Perkyn didn't notice Leigh's smug look as he smiled proudly.

"I've been working at the hotel for two years now." Perkyn said.

"As a cleaner?" Leigh asked.

He nodded and tapped the ball under his arm.

"Mostly a cleaner but sometimes I help in the kitchen and at the reservations."

I was surprised to hear that, I had thought that he was just a cleaner.

The thought of him having multiple jobs at the same time hadn't even crossed my mind.

"That's really good." Emilia nodded honestly approvingly.

"Yeah, I've known Caleb for half my life now, our manager, he is an old friend of my father," he explained.

"So, he gives you all the work to show his affection toward you?" Emilia asked. "How genuine."

Perkyn laughed and I felt relief washing through my body. Thankfully my friends weren't letting me down and gave Perkyn a real chance to introduce himself and show his best side.

With my first boyfriend, they were really closed off and distant. I truly hated them for that but little did I know that they saw how toxic he had been right away.

Unfortunately, almost everyone noticed the red flags in his personality traits, and I was the last one to find that out, only after I'd been a doormat for him for the majority of our relationship.

So, if Emilia and Leigh were kind to him that meant that he couldn't be a threat to me.

Leigh seriously had an inner radar for horrible guys like that, she could tell that by their appearance alone. It truly was a gift but it was hard to accept it when I was in love with someone who had been the biggest threat to me that ever crashed into my life.

"You could say that."

"Hey, Perkyn!" A boy called out and we all turned to the voice.

I saw five other boys on the beach, right next to the ocean, either waving their hands or waiting impatiently for the ball, so that they could continue the match.

"We didn't come here so that you could flirt with others!"

"Come on, I was winning!"

"Go get them, tiger!" shouted a black-haired, skinny boy and they all started laughing.

Perkyn groaned and dropped his head while his cheeks turned red. I didn't know that someone else's awkwardness could be this adorable.

"We'll come back a few hours later, don't even listen to us!"

"Can you make a pictures with them?"

I let out an embarrassed laugh and hid it with my palm while Perkyn just kept shaking his head at his friends.

"I'm really sorry, don't mind them."

"It's fine, really," Emilia reassured.

"I'm sorry," he kept apologizing. "Embarrassing me in front of others seems to be their favorite activity."

I crossed my arms and nodded toward his friends. "We all know people like that."

Perkyn gave me a thankful smile and cleared his throat.

"In that case… Would the three gorgeous women here mind if I invited them to play with us?"

I looked at Leigh who looked both flattered and startled by that question. She wasn't the type of person who'd do any kind of sport, even if it was just for fun.

"Don't look at me," she gave me a glare and I chuckled.

"Pardon me, I was just waiting for your reaction."

Leigh adjusted her shorts and started to tie her hair up with her scrunchie.

"Tell me about this game, Perkyn," she said in a determined tone while focusing on her hair.

Perkyn laughed and stepped aside.

"It's almost like volleyball but without the net," he said in a bright and welcomingly warm tone. "We stand in a circle and pass the ball to each other. The only rule is not letting the ball fall."

"What happens if I break the rule?" I asked and Perkyn looked down at me.

"Then you're going to have to buy me a drink."

I raised my eyebrows as he gave me an enthusiastic smile. I would have thought that he'd stop flirting if my friends were around but it seemed he didn't have a plan like that.

"That's it?" asked Leigh.

"Yes."

"Easy peasy." Leigh clapped her hands together as if she has been getting ready for the game of her life.

Which also seemed to be her first sports activity of hers and also the last.

Perkyn smiled and showed us the way to his friends who were more than delighted that three girls joined them. We quickly exchanged names and stood in a circle.

The boys kept calling us sweet names and complimenting us while we were playing just to distract us.

I didn't even know how much time we had spent there with Perkyn and his friends.

We just kept playing, telling funny or embarrassing stories to each other while our waves of laughter and exultation filled the air around us.

I smiled so much that my face started to hurt while Perkyn purposefully kept sending the ball into my way in a sudden turn, so that I'd mess it up and let it fall.

Sometimes he'd even nudge my arm or side slightly to interrupt my play. At those times I almost kicked him in frustration but he could always jump away just in time while his friends were laughing at us.

I just knew that we've had a good time and were there until the sun had gone down, bringing darkness to us.