Until the Tide Returns

The dance was in two days, and I received a lot of flack from my friends about Beckett. My little ‘stunt’ at dinner on Saturday destroyed any chance of them not suddenly realizing my feelings towards her. Loraine, of course, hassled me the most about it. Apparently she wasn’t happy I hadn’t outright asked her new friend/project to the dance.

I hadn’t known her for that long though and I would rather not freak her out. There were other reasons of course. Like the fact that she was quite possibly the one I had been told I must find for as long as I could remember, in which case it would never work between us. The more time I spent with her the more I had a feeling she was indeed her.

I kept journals on my search. Took notes on everything, written about every encounter I had incase I noticed something that at the time was unimportant. Flipping through my previous journals in study hall to see if I could find something to indicate Beckett wasn’t who I was beginning to think she was was proving to be quite difficult.

“Are you even listening?” Loraine asked clearly bothered by me not keeping up my end of the conversation.

“I believe you were complaining about how even though I haven’t asked Beckett to the dance as my date I did go over to her house and ask both her uncle and her father permission to take her, as well as buying her ticket.”

“No, actually I was demanding, yet again, you grow a pair and ask her out.” I sighed and closed the journal. Clearly I wouldn’t be getting any work done.

“Same thing.” I stuffed the battered journal into my backpack and shoved it under the table. “But if it will shut you up I’ll tell you what I had planned for after school today.” She smirked. “I’m going over to Beckett’s.”

“To ask her out?” I shook my head. “Well aren’t you boring.” I shrugged just as the bell rang. “Call me later. I think Simon is getting grounded and I don’t want to be in the house when that goes down.” What I specifically didn’t tell Loraine was that I was leaving school after this period to go see Beckett. I needed to figure out soon whether I was imagining things or not.

Billy wasn’t there, I noticed pulling into the driveway. His car was gone. I approached the door hesitantly. I hadn’t seen her since Saturday. I rang the doorbell once and waited, my hands in my pockets, until she answered. The door opened slowly. I smiled at her appearance, she had clearly been doing some painting. A streak of pale blue was on her cheek, a splatter or two on her shirt. Her fingers stained in different colors.

“Hey.” A confused smile spread across her face. She was beautiful. “Want to come in?” I nodded as she stepped back opening the door wider. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” I shrugged.

“What are you painting?” I asked, she looked around the living room for a moment and then down to her hands.

“Oh.” She said picking at her paint stained fingers. “Nothing really, just sort of bored and messing around.”

“May I see it?” She pulled in her bottom lip with her teeth and looked back to her right where a door was half open.

“It’s not really finished, but I guess you can.” She turned and walked towards the door. I followed behind her into what I soon realized was the garage. The paints she had out were all clearly oil based. It didn’t indicate anything though, she could prefer to use those rather than others.

The painting was of a girl in a boat leaned over so only her hair was in the water. I was hoping this was only a coincidence and that she really was allergic to water. That it wasn’t something more.

“It’s beautiful.” I said softly. She gave me a small smile before turning and leaving the garage. I took another glance at the painting before following behind her. “Are you excited about the dance this weekend?” I closed the door behind me and walked over, sitting on the couch beside her.

“You didn’t have to ask for me.” She mumbled. “I would have gotten around to it. But thank you. I suppose I am.” I should have called her Monday, or stopped by yesterday. Instead I waited until now to see her. Was she angry with me?

“Are you upset?” She shook her head. “Sorry I didn’t say anything.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She smiled and stood up walking into the kitchen. I heard the water turn on and decided to go in there. I leaned against the counter watching as she washed the paint from her hands. There was no indication to her being who I believed her to be, but then again she was completely comfortable with her hands under the water for someone who was ‘allergic’.

“There’s a streak of paint on your cheek.” She kept her eyes focused on her hands, her cheeks reddening adorably.

“So what brings you over?” She deliberately chose to look anywhere but at me as she began wiping at her cheek with a wet paper towel.

“I missed you.” For all of my not wanting to freak her out I was doing one hell of a job. She looked up at me startled.

“What?”

“We just really haven’t had a chance to talk since this weekend. I wanted to make sure you were ok after what happened with the waiter.” The waiter who had she not already injured I would have been sure to do so for her.

“Oh.” Her voice held a slight air of disappointment to it. When I came over I wasn’t entirely sure she had any feelings towards me, Loraine claimed she did. I was starting to believe Loraine was right. “I’m fine.”

“Have you already eaten lunch?” She shook her head.

“If you’re hungry I could make you something.” Beckett glanced back towards the fridge looking like she was trying to remember what exactly was in there.

“Or we could go out?” Maybe then I would be able to figure it out. Once we were in the sun.

“Ok. Just let me change really quick.” Before I could tell her what she was wearing was fine, that the few paint splatters on it were hardly noticeable she was gone and up the stairs. I left the kitchen and wandered around the living room slowly looking for any sign whatsoever.

There were a few pictures hung on the wall or set out, all of which were from when she was much younger. None of which were helpful. Beckett came down a few moments later in an outfit very similar to what she had been wearing, her hair piled onto her head. I preferred it down but I didn’t say anything. “Let’s go.” I followed her out of the house and waited patiently as she pulled out the hide-a-key and locked the door, then went to open the car door for her.

“Anywhere in particular you’d like to go?” I asked backing out of the driveway.

“You know this place better than I do. I trust you.” She meant it to be a light thing, but after that I felt guilty. She hadn’t been allowed any type of freedom until recently, and even now I had a feeling that once her father came back he would limit what freedom she had. My parents had always encouraged me to be out of the house. I had a job to do sure, but they still wanted me to go out and have fun.

“Tex-mex?” I asked pretending what she said hadn’t bothered me. She nodded and looked out the window. I chose to remain silent and let her see the town the town she had grown up in but never really got to see. I would talk to Amy and Nat and see if at some point they could take her out and show her around. Loraine would most likely manage to make her feel bad about not knowing the town. Then again, I could always do it…

We entered the restaurant, the hostess asking whether we wanted to be inside or outside.

“Outside.” I said not asking Beckett, it was a bit rude, but it was outdoors and there were umbrella’s for shade. I glanced at Beckett quickly, she didn’t seem phased.

“Right this way.” We followed the hostess out to a table on the patio both seat covered in shade. Beckett sat first, I sat across from her. “Your waiter will be right with you.”

“Thanks.” I noticed she said waiter and not waitress, I wasn’t really looking forward to a repeat of Saturday. I knew guys would find her attractive, and since we were friends, and friends only, I had no right to be jealous. It was only when they did more than a passing glance. When they ‘groped her with their eyes’ as Loraine had put it. I wasn’t stupid. I knew she was stunning. But there was more to her, I was just hoping it was less than I was thinking.

The waiter came out with a basket of chips and salsa setting them down on the table. He smiled at both of us politely. “Can I get you something to drink?” We both ordered cokes and then he left. He looked to be in his mid 20’s.

“Are you ok?” Beckett asked scooping some salsa onto a chip.

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You were staring him down.” She said softly. Had I been? “Do you know him?”

“Nope. Sorry about that.” She shrugged.

“I’m just an innocent bystander, no need to apologize.” The waiter came back with the drinks and set them down saying he would be back in a few minutes to take our order. I decided rather than apologize for a look I gave him I would just leave him a larger tip.

“Should you have let Billy know you were leaving?” Her eyes widened slightly.

“Whoops.” I pulled my phone out and handed it to her. “Is it bad that I know his number yet I still don’t know my own?”

“It makes sense that you don’t. You’ve never had to call it or had anyone to give it to.” She nodded slightly and dialed the number.

“Hey it’s me… Beckett, just calling to let you know I’m not home… eating lunch at some restaurant… no, with Landon… why did my father trust you with me again?… and because Tyler has a real job…says the man who feels the need to mock me 24/7... Checked this morning, all is good…. Yep, see you later.” She hung up the phone and held it back out to me. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Are you ready to order?” I asked noticing as our waiter came back to our table. She nodded and gave the waiter her order first, I followed with mine.

“So are you enjoying having a break from school?” I asked unsure of what to say. I needed to get to know her better.

“Not really. Billy is gone a lot and I’m just sitting at home waiting for him to come back trying to find something to do.” She leaned back in her chair a bit. “There’s only so many movies you can in a row before it gets old.”

“Not Star Wars.” I could never get tired of watching those movies.

“Never seen it.” I felt my eyes widen at her response.

“There’s six of them, seven if you include the Clone Wars, you’ve had to have at least seen one.” She shook her head. “After we’re done here you’re coming to my house.”

“Ok.” She smiled at me softly, “It definitely sounds better than sitting home alone.”

“Haven’t you hung out with anyone this week?” Tank had been going on for a couple days about something weird happening with Beckett’s knee. He didn’t elaborate on it too much and shut up entirely when Loraine walked by.

“Tank and Amy, but that wasn’t intentional. I was out shopping for Billy’s birthday present and Tank drove up and I thought he was going to hit me and I tipped my bike. He felt bad and insisted I let him take me to the mall, and then he called Amy and asked her to help pick something out. Apparently she’s amazing at picking out gifts.”

“It’s a well known fact.” I smiled. I generally gave Amy cash and a list of who I was shopping for around Christmas and let her pick everything out. I noticed Beckett had began pressing her fingers to the water droplets that clung to her glass every few minutes. I wasn’t sure if it was deliberate or subconscious. I never saw anything out of the ordinary. That was a good sign though.

“Any other well known facts I should know?”