Diamond in the Rough

Standing over the rushing water, water that was pushed and shoved to the shore only to retreat and then be pushed back in the timeless motion of the flowing and ebbing tides, water blue enough that it made you feel like you were in paradise where palm trees, coconuts and cool frosty mixed drinks would be brought to you upon your beck and call, Matt looked out towards the horizon, the tie around his neck whipping in the ever present beach breeze.

Strong hands gripped the metal railing that surrounded the cement pier that he stood on, fingers curled over the sun-warmed metal as he let out a long breath, eyes still locked onto the horizon where the blue water met a azure sky with wispy clouds that dotted the surface. Closing the hazel-green orbs that were taking in the beautiful day briefly, he then opened them and lifted one hand. Grabbing the tie that had been blowing, he loosened the knot that it was still tied in, letting the ends of the tie blow freely after doing so, the fabric still looped around his neck.

Catching a hint of the magenta material as the wind whipped it yet again into his field of vision, he let go of the railing and turned around to survey the crowd that teemed over the surface of the pier that he stood on. Shoving his hands into the black tuxedo pants that he wore, the jacket pushed behind his lean hips due to the movement, Matt’s gaze zeroed in on no one in particular, the wedding he had just attended and stood up for filtering through his mind.

Thinking that his final friend in the group of friends that had banded together when they had entered high school had just married, he let out another breath knowing that his maudlin thoughts would be laughed at by the others and went against his appearance. He was supposed to be the badass of the group, the one that took no shit from anyone and stood up for what he believed in be it right or wrong, the one who let nothing bother him.

One thing did, though.

Finding that someone that he would spend the rest of his life with, the someone that the other four of his best friends had found. Walking up the pier to head home, he didn’t grab for the magenta tie that the ocean wind finally whipped from around his neck as it floated on the breeze and out over the water.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Digging her toes in the sand that she stood in, Teagan held back tears knowing that it was clichéd to cry at weddings but struggling not to at the same time. Smiling sweetly, she watched as her best friend locked lips with the man that she had just married. Clapping and cheering with everyone else in attendance, she handed the bouquet she held towards her friend when she turned to take it and walk up the sandy aisle towards her new life.

Slipping her hand through the held out arm of the best man, she smiled as a tear finally cascaded down her cheek, berating herself for losing the bet that she had with the bride. Staring at her eggplant painted toenails as they walked towards the wooden boardwalk where the bride and groom were standing, Teagan took a deep breath of the ocean air that surrounded them all. Finally reaching the boardwalk, she was engulfed in hug, the bouquet that she carried crushed between herself and her best friend. “Damn, Emilee!”

“Sorry, I’m just happy!” Letting Teagan go, Emilee stood back, her violet eyes dancing.

“And I’m happy for you.”

“And you cried! I see the tear track!”

“It was one tear, Em, which hardly counts.”

“But it’s a tear and that’s what makes it count. It’s still considered crying. Right, Travis?”

Holding his hands up, the groom stared between the two women standing before him as the guests finally drew up to them. “I’m not about to get in between a fight between you two. I never have and never will.”

“See? Even the groom doesn’t agree!”

“Don’t even go there, Teagan! I won the bet and you know it!” Hiking her long skirts that she was told were frivolous for a beach wedding, Emilee hooked her arm through her husband’s and turned around to walk across the boardwalk and into the posh hotel that was hosting the guests, wedding party and reception. “You’re going.”

“I have no desire to leave this coast and go to another one just to see another ocean that I can see right here.” Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Teagan followed the party inside still marveling why her friend thought that she needed to make a pilgrimage across their country.

“They’re not the same oceans.”

Rolling her eyes as Emilee pointed out the fact, Teagan took a seat at the head table beside Emilee hoping that the hotel didn’t mind the sand that was surely encrusted on all of their feet into the carpet. “That’s not a valid reason.”

“Fine.” Huffing out a breath as she sat down, Emilee turned away from her new husband and stared Teagan, violet eyes meeting blue forcefully. “You need to spread your wings, you have to step out of what is familiar and maybe, just maybe you’ll find that someone that’s out there for you.”

“You want me to take two weeks to California just so I can have a vacation fling? I can have one of those right now.”

“No, you can’t. You need to get away from here, experience more than what we’re used to, what we know. You’ve never done that and I’m eager for you to.”

“I doubt I’m going to find my somebody in California, the person that will hold my heart in their hands, the person that holds my name in their heart, the person that I know will be the one. It’s not that perfect, Emi, nothing in life is.”

“You’ll know it by the feeling, the moment that it happens, Teag. You’ll know the moment when you let out this breath that you didn’t even know that you were holding up until that point. It’ll be just like the movies.”

“So says the woman who just pledged herself to her beloved.” Smiling to soften her words, Teagan leaned over and pressed a kiss to her best and well meaning friend. “I’ll go since you seem so intent on me doing so. It’s free, so why the hell not?”

Seeing the shrug that Teagan gave at the end of her words, Emilee smiled. “Thank you. You leave tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Screeching the word out as Emilee laughed Teagan closed her eyes and mentally rearranged the next two weeks of her life. “Why the hell tomorrow?”

“Because we leave tomorrow morning from the same airport for Hawaii, and our flights just so happen to be at the same time. We’ll go to the airport together and then Travis and I can make sure that your ass is on the plane. You forget that I know you too well to know that you’d just hide from me for two weeks and pretend like you had gone.”

Mumbling, Teagan looked away and at the gathering crowd. “I would’ve gone.”

“Bullshit.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Smiling, Teagan let out a light laugh as the reception was called to order. Gliding through the guests an hour or so later, she looked outside of the glass windows at the ocean that she loved and sighed. Slipping out of the reception hall, she took off the strappy heels that they had donned before eating and walked across the sand, the bottom of her dress trailing across it behind her.

Standing on the edge of the shore just at the point where the water kissed her toes as it rolled in, she locked her gaze on the horizon and wondered what color the water would be on the other side of the country. Letting out a wistful breath, she reached up and loosened the gauzy scarf that had been wrapped around her neck, the ties blowing in the breeze as they had during the ceremony. Catching sight of the dark purple material as it billowed around from her back, she stared at it as it totally unwound and blew off over the water wondering if her friend would be right about the trip.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Breaking out of a deep sleep, Matt sat up in bed the covers twisted around his waist. Pushing them down and away from him, he swung his tattooed legs over the side of the mattress hissing when his feet hit the somewhat chilly hardwood floor. Scratching his stomach and wandering out of his bedroom and down the hall, he grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and pulled the cold water tap on.

Letting the water run to cool it further, he stared out of the window placed over the sink and thought of the dream that had woken him. Filling his glass he then carried it untouched through his house and out of the front door. Checking the usually busy highway for traffic, he then crossed the still warm asphalt and padded barefoot onto the sand. Sitting down in the sand near the water’s edge, he rested his elbows on his up drawn knees and took a sip of the water that had now grown tepid.

Staring out at the ocean with the moonlight on the surface, he remembered the vivid blue eyes and purple scarf that had materialized in his dream and shivered as a feeling of déjà vu came over him in the slight breeze. Shrugging the sense that he should know the eyes off, he rested his glass in the sand beside him and laced his fingers together between his knees, the ocean lulling him into relaxation.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“What is wrong with you? You look more tired than me and it was my wedding night!” Pushing on Teagan’s arm gently, Emilee studied her.

“I had this dream and then couldn’t get back to sleep so I went and sat on the beach. You see some crazy shit out there that early.”

Cocking a brow, Emilee watched as her husband entered the lobby. “What kind of dream?”

“Nothing you’d be interested in.” Waving away her best friend’s question when her new husband picked her up at the waist and swung her in the air, Teagan remembered the sequence of the dream and for at least the hundredth time analyzed it.

Trying to block the hazel-green eyes that had stared at her intently as she wandered the shore of a strange beach two hours later as they entered the airport, Teagan looked down at the boarding pass she held wondering if she had a prayer of trying to slip away and not board the plane that she was scheduled for.

“Don’t even think about it, Teagan Marie!” Clasping Teagan’s elbow in her hand, Emilee led her to the security gate thankful that she and Travis were leaving from the same boarding zone as her friend. Dumping her purse and carryon bag onto the conveyor for scanning, she smiled when Teagan groaned under her breath. “This trip will be good for you.”

“Shouldn’t you be worried about your honeymoon and husband and not me? You did just get married yesterday, you know!” Slightly annoyed and feeling put out for Travis, Teagan jumped in surprise when Travis’s deep laughter filled her ears. “Why are you laughing?”

“I bet Emi that you would tell her that when you’d finally had enough of her manhandling you and I was right.”

“Do you bet on everything?” Staring slack jawed at Emilee Teagan shook her head not realizing that she was slowly being edged into the boarding line for her needed flight.

“If it’s a bet that I think I can win, then yes. This one I should’ve known I’d lose and because of it, I’ve now have to give up one day of shopping and be locked into the hotel.”

“Sounds like you wanted to lose.” Blue eyes sparkling due to the light in Emilee’s, Teagan jumped when a hand was laid on her arm. Passing over the boarding pass that she held without a thought, she sighed when she heard the next words spoken to her. “You all tricked me!”

“That we did.” Kissing Teagan’s forehead, Travis nudged his wife’s best friend towards the boarding dock. “Just go with it and enjoy yourself.”

“See you when we get back, Teag. Hopefully I’ll be as pale as I am now.” Hugging Teagan tightly, Emilee’s eyes sparkled when Travis blushed and her friend laughed. Letting her go, she stood back and watched as Teagan approached the boarding dock door with slow steps. “This is the right thing.”

Nodding, Travis smiled. “That it is. Now, let’s get on our plane so I can lock you into our suite.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Offering one last wave to the couple that was walking through security, Matt turned around a bittersweet smile on his face once he had done so. Four down, one to go, he thought as he started to walk down the airport concourse towards short term parking. How he had drawn the short straw and had not only been best man at the wedding that had taken place and had therefore been the default for getting them to the wedding was something he hadn’t figured out.

Hitting the keyless remote for his vehicle, he took a step off the curb that he had been standing on and almost got ran over. Staring at the burnt orange car as it continued to zip by without a hint of slowing down, he shook his head, hazel-green eyes clouded in disbelief. Shaking his head, he this time checked for traffic and continued on his way.

Pulling up the handle on his door, he climbed inside and started the engine. Music blaring out of the speakers after a flick of his wrist, he backed out of the space and pointed the vehicle towards home. The push of a button had the windows of the truck going down so that the breeze of a perfect California day could flow through. Fishing his cell phone out of his pocket as it vibrated, he worked the device up through the pocket of his jean shorts with deft fingers. Smiling and dimples flashing when he read the message from Jimmy, the friend he had just saw off at the airport, he typed in a reply, thumb flying over the tiny keyboard in seconds demanding that he not be contacted until he and his new wife touched down.

Flipping the device open seconds later, he stared at the message Jimmy had replied with, his mouth almost dropping as it seemed Jimmy had read his thoughts of almost the past forty-eight hours. You can't give up, looking for a diamond in the rough you never know, when it shows up, make sure you're holding on. Not replying, Matt threw his phone on the empty seat beside him and turned his truck towards the pier, drawn to the structure and the people that were sure to be there, not wanting to be alone.

Feeding bills into the parking lot meters, he grabbed the slip of paper that was spit out of the slot and tucked it on his dashboard, cracking the windows slightly, sunroof open and slammed the door shut. Digging his hands into his shorts, he briefly wished he had prepared and wore his flip-flops instead of sneakers and veered up the Pier Plaza steps and across Pacific Coast Highway and into a surf shop where he randomly grabbed a pair of flip-flops that he was sure he more than likely had a pair of already.

Chucking the sneakers he wore into the bag and then into his truck bed after getting back to the ocean, he walked back onto the sidewalk fronting the hot sand and stared out at the beach combers that had umbrellas set up, waving off calls of joining into a volleyball game with a few guys that he had gone to high school with and continued to the other side of the pier.

Giving a girl with blonde hair that trailed down and over her shoulders an odd look as he passed under the pier, he slowed his steps as he tried to understand what kind of war she was obviously having with herself as she stared at the sand just in front of her toes. Flip-flops in her hand, her toes clung to the edge of the sidewalk that they both stood on. Shaking his head when he saw her draw in a deep breath, he watched as she stuck one foot in the sand, a smile take over her face that he could only see the profile of.

Brushing the thought of why it had been so hard for her to step onto the sand, he watched as she took off at a confident pace and then continued on his way. Taking off his own flip-flops, he started across the sand and caught sight of another of his friends, this one from the wedding party yesterday, in the ocean on a slick board riding the world-famous waves the beach was known for. Waving as he walked by as Brian headed towards the shore, Matt continued on at a leisurely place, stomach starting to rumble.

Fifteen minutes later after trudging through the sand back towards the sidewalk, navigating the crowd of the pier, found Matt sitting on a red vinyl booth in one of Huntington Beach’s most iconic restaurants. Staring through the window at the spot he had stood at yesterday, he bit into the hamburger he had ordered and chewed thoughtfully, Jimmy’s text message roving through his mind, the unforgettable blue eyes of the girl in his dream flitting through at the same time.

Paying his check, he started to head out of the restaurant making sure that no one was attempting to come in the door as steps led directly in and out and swung the door open. Hearing a hiss of pain, he stepped through and down the two steps, the door slamming shut behind him. “I’m sorr—“

Blue eyes searching the face of the man that stood before her, Teagan’s breath whooshed out of her body, the pain of the door bumping into her fingers forgotten as his voice faded away. “It’s, um, it’s…” Voice not coming out past those words, she stared up at his broad form, wondering why she felt as if life had been sucked out of her body.

Staring into the blue eyes that had haunted his dream last night, Matt let out a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding and reached out to touch the vision in front of him. Words not forming as scenes flipped through his mind, he and this woman walking on the beach below at sunset, later with a mini version of him and her with them, continuing on with a vision of sitting on a front porch in rocking chairs, he let his eyes dip down her body, latching onto the deep purple painted toenails that were visible in front of the rubber thongs that went across the top of her feet. Not paying attention to the tattoo that graced the top of her foot and up her ankle as he normally would, he dropped his hand before cupping her cheek, his eyes flying back up to hers. “Do you have a purple scarf like thing?”

“Scarf like thing?” Brows twisting together, Teagan stared at the man in front of her as he had lost his marbles.

“I had a dream last night. This girl had your eyes and a purple gauzy scarf thing.” Explaining and taking her elbow in his hand, Matt maneuvered them towards the railing of the pier, the water bright blue and glistening like diamonds due to the sun above.

“I was in a wedding yesterday; we had scarves that crossed over our necks, the tails going down our backs. It was purple. I lost it over the ocean last night.” Shivering when she realized the ease of which she had answered him, Teagan took a step back from him removing her elbow from his light grip in the process.

“Really?”

Wondering how a man so large and strong looking could be so daft and wondering why she had the urge to ask him a similar question, Teagan nodded and heard her phone go off. Digging through the bag she had slung over her shoulder, she rifled past her wallet, camera and brochures finally reaching her madly singing cell phone. Flipping the screen open, she paled at the words that she read. There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere, there's gotta be somebody for you out there.

“Are you okay?”

Nodding and swallowing, Teagan shut her phone, Emilee’s text disappearing. “Pink. I saw your eyes last night and pink. I can’t figure out upon seeing you why you would be wearing pink, but that’s what I saw.”

“I was in a wedding also, the best man. Leana chose hot pink as her wedding colors and we were forced into the color. My tie was that color. I lost it over the side of the pier yesterday; the wind blew it off my neck after I untied it.”

Nodding at his explanation, Teagan shut her eyes. Wondering when she had stepped onto a movie set, she slowly opened them to see the man before her studying her. Swallowing again, she held out her hand. “I’m Teagan.”

Jolting when he touched her fingers, Matt watched as his own swallowed hers. “Matt.”

“I’m not from around here. My friend that got married, she sent me on this trip since I lost a bet yesterday. I’m supposed to be looking for that—“

“Somebody that’s supposedly out there?”

Letting out a breath, Teagan kept her gaze trained on Matt’s intense one. “That’s about it.”

“Well, Teagan let’s go somewhere, do something that I think that we should do. There’s this feeling that I had when I looked at you, like we had met before or that we were destined to or...I’m just going to stop. You probably think that I’m some kind of psycho freak as I’m male and tattooed and big and can’t seem to shut the hell up.”

“No, no, it was like scenes from a movie or something. I felt it.”

“You did?” Relief washing through his body, Matt smiled, dimples in deep relief as he did so. Holding his hand again, he waited until Teagan put hers into his and slowly started down the pier. “So, where is home?”

“The East Coast; I was on the beach yesterday about this time wondering what this trip would bring and why Emilee was pushing me to go and almost didn’t come.”

“Is the beach home?”

“Yeah, oddly enough. What about you?”

“This is my hometown.” Chuckling when he heard her mutter to herself that it had been a dumb question, Matt led her down the Pier Plaza steps and towards his truck. Stopping when Brian veered his way, salt water dripping off of him and the board he was gripping, he marveled in the feeling that had taken over him.

“Sanders!” Slapping Matt on the shoulder, Brian’s brown eyes took in the girl that he had tucked to his side. “Who’s this?”

“This is Teagan.”

Brows drawn, Brian’s thin lips drew into a frown as he surveyed the girl in front of him trying to place her and gave up. “When did you meet?”

“Just a few minutes ago.”

Hearing the East Coast dialect of her voice, Brian did a double take at Teagan and then at Matt wondering how the couple could be so at ease at each other, almost as if they had known each other for years not minutes and shook his head. “Are you sure?”

“Positive, Haner.” Smiling, Matt clapped his friend on his wetsuit clad shoulder. “What are you doing later?”

“Nothing much.” Shrugging, Brian rested his board and looked back at Matt as Teagan stared at him thoughtfully. “I believe Michelle had dinner planned and that was about it. Her parents have Lyric tonight again so it’s just us adults. I snuck down here when she wasn’t paying attention.”

“What about Baker and Seward?”

“That I don’t know. Why?”

“We’re going to Vegas.”

“What?”

Laughing when Brian and Teagan asked the question simultaneously, Matt looked down at Teagan first and then up at Brian. “I forgot to mention one detail. This is my someone, the wife I’ve been looking for, my diamond in the rough that I haven’t been able to find.”

Hearing the words fall from Matt’s full lips in the raspy tone that sounded as if she had heard it millions of times before, Teagan looked at Brian and smiled. “So, are you all free?”