Keeps Me Coming Around

Chance Ryder hauled ass to Land’s End Beach. Moments earlier, he had been lying in bed with Raelle, contently listening to the snores that flooded lightly from her mouth. That had ceased as soon as Run to You blared from the small cell phone sitting on his nightstand. Upon seeing the name that had flashed across the screen, he had sighed. His exasperation hadn’t stopped him from silencing the protests of the girl that had been cuddled up against his side and leaving the room to answer the call.

The call had consisted of a lot of groveling and many undoubtedly false promises. But, nonetheless, he found himself driving down the familiar road towards an even more familiar beach. He was not sure why he always came running, but he did. At the moment, he acredited it to the fact that she was finally opening up a little.

Arizona had a terrible habit of not depending on anyone but herself. It was rare for her to be vulnerable, much less show vulnerability. Yet, that seemed to be exactly what had filled her voice. Her words filled his mind as if they were being played on repeat. ”Chance,” she had said, "I have something to say." He had remarked that she always had something to say. She stayed silent after he said that. That had been his tipoff. Arizona Baker was many things; silent had never been one of them.

She was waiting for him near the surf, at the place where the water lapped against the sand and rock. Her dishwater blonde hair danced as the wind caught it. The corners of his mouth tugged upward. It was strange to see her so calm. From where he stood, she looked so entirely serene.

“Arizona.”

Her head whipped around, causing tendrils of hair to mask her sun-kissed face. She squinted into the sun to try to see past it’s rays. Recognition flashed through her eyes. A small, nervous smile adorned her lips. Then she whispered his name.

“Chance.”

&&&

The mist drifted from the ocean, spraying them lightly as they walked towards the pier. The tension that filled the air was almost tangible. Land’s End Beach was a more secluded area that only locals truly knew about. There wasn’t much around to break the ice until they reached the pier. Arizona cast a glance at the young male walking in step with her. She knew he was waiting for her to speak. The curiosity rolled off of him, similar to the way the waves rolled onto the shore.

They walked closely together. Close enough that their fingers faintly brushed against each other’s. Everytime, it would send an onslaught of sparks through her veins. She still wasn’t accustomed to that. It made her nervous.

Arizona used the time it took to reach their unspoken destination to swallow her pride and think of the right words to explain herself. Never before had she ever wanted to explain herself. Now she was trying damn hard to.

It wasn’t until they reached the small pier that she finally gathered the nerve. The lights and bright booths that littered the area seemed to embolden her. She reached out and grasped Chance’s forearm. The muscle’s automatically tensed where her fingers lingered. She quickly withdrew her hand, allowing it to fall to her side.

“So, uh,” She felt his eyes on her. She didn’t see them though; her eyes were cast down, toward her sandal clad feet. “How’s Raelle? Are you two still....?” Her voice faltered and faded into light clamor of the crowd.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. She absolutely astounded him sometimes. Of all things, he thought.

“Is that really what you wanted to talk about?”

She glared at him. At times, he could really be a condescending ass. “No! I was just making small talk.”

“Small talk my ass. What’s going on in that mysterious head of yours?”

“I am not mysterious.” She slapped his shoulder jokingly, in hopes of lightening the mood.

“Sure you aren’t, Zona. Seriously, what did you have to say? I promised Raelle I’d be back soon.”

Arizona felt her face fall. She felt knots tie into her stomach and a clenching in her chest. It was unfair. It all seemed somewhat pointless now. Her mind was clouded with excuses. She wanted out.

Her expression didn’t go unnoticed. Confusion washed over him. Almost as quickly, his mind made the connections, grasping the obvious hints that she had left him unintentionally. He scanned his surroundings, searching for something in particular. A slight smirk lit his features as he saw what he was look for.

They walked past the small booth dubbed Suzanne’s Foral. His hand slily plucked a single flower. Then, before he could think anymore about it, he snatched her hand in his and ran.

She felt a tug at her wrist. Then she saw the mischievous, alarmed glint in his chocolate orbs. Their hands were clasped tightly, as if letting go was the worst imaginable fate, and their feet beat against the hard ground in almost perfect unison. Her mind was running ramped, wondering why on Earth they were rushing to escape the place they had barely just arrived at. That is, until the shouts of protest pierced her ears.

“STOP!” Someone screeched from a decent distance behind them.

Next to her, Chance quickly uttered two words. As oh shit flew from his mouth, they pumped their arms and legs harder, forcing them to go faster than previously. They ran, heading towards the sandy shore of the beach.

The shouts were still audible as they continued to run. Soon, they were under the pier, taking refuge among the large wooden pillars that supported it. Their eyes flashed around them, searching for any pursuers. Their chests were tight; lungs constricting tightly, forcing out labored breaths.

“What. The. Hell?” She gasped, her breath getting caught in her lungs on it’s way out.

She frowned at the smirk his face pulled into. The hand that was not clasped in hers was held behind his back. He turned to face her, twisting so whatever was behind him was carefully concealed. He pulled his hand from his hiding place, producing a single object. In his hand, he held out a orange flower with prickly thorns running down it’s stem.

She reached out and grabbed the rose. The orange velvet petals were a shade that matched the California sunrise, deep, burnt orange. She tore her gaze from the beautiful perennial. Instead, she aimed it quizzically at the boy stood next to her.

“Raelle is staying with me until she gets better. She’s still tore up about losing the baby. She is nothing though, not compared to you anyway. You, now you, are something. I am nervous as fuck right now, but I need you to tell me what it was you had to tell me.”

His raw expression cut through her. It shattered her hard, stoic exterior. She sucked in a deep, shaky breath. She was trembling on the inside, her heart crashing heavily against her rib cage.

“I, uh. Well, I,” she paused. For once in her life, she couldn’t think of any words worth uttering.

“Spit it out, I dare you.” Now it was Arizona’s turn to smirk. Dares were her specialty, ever since grade one. She never turned down a dare.

She reached up, sweeping a lock of dusty, brown-blonde hair from his dark eyes before she grabbed a fist full of his hair. She gently entangled her other hand within his lockes as well and pulled his face level to her’s. Their eyes held the other’s gaze.

“So, you want to know what I have to say?” He nodded his head against hers, their foreheads touching lightly. “Kiss me, I dare you.”

He chuckled, his breath tickling her face. He supported her head with his left hand. The other he wrapped firmly around her back, pulling her closer yet. His lips gingerly met hers. It was warm and romantic. Fiery and surprisingly sweet. It wasn’t what either of them expected. No, it was much, much better.

Where he was the one to initiate the kiss, she was the one to break it. She pulled back, short of breath and lips tingling.

“Woah.” They whispered together, smiling at the coincidence.

Chance stared at her. An idea was bursting into life in his mind. The warm breeze blew around them, cooling them somewhat from the hot summer air. He felt her remove her hands from his head; he gripped them in his own, larger ones. He smiled down at her adventurously.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“Hmm? What about Raelle, I thought she was expecting you?”

“Raelle can wait. You’re my priority.” He leaned down and pecked her nose softly.

A thought simultaneously ran through both their minds. This was going to be their summer.