Going to California

The soft rays of the morning sun shone through the tears on the curtains, dancing their way into the small bedroom, until ultimately falling upon the two sleeping figures in the room. The pair lay on the bed, completely oblivious to the world outside. Their bodies were entangled with one another, her arms draped across his chest, as his arm was securely fastened around her waist. They’d fallen asleep like that and surprisingly enough, they hadn’t moved at all. That was a true accomplishment for Sebastian. Since December, he hadn’t been able to get a decent night’s sleep. He kept having nightmares, waking up in a cold sweat, and kicking in his sleep. But one night with her, had been enough to cure him of that. He’d spent the night in a peaceful sleep, his lips curled into a small smile and his face – for the first time in months – not appearing strained.

And as the morning’s sun woke him, his smile faltered. For a moment, he thought that the previous night’s endeavors had been nothing more than a beautiful dream. That he would wake up and realize that she wasn’t at his side, but when his eyes landed upon her sleeping face, he couldn’t help but tilt his head back and let out a soft thanks to the universe. It was real. Their night of passion hadn’t been a figment of his imagination. He had truly felt her body pressed against his own. He had known her lips in a way that he had never before and he was grateful, grateful to have shared such a night with her. And eager, eager to spend his day with her – his weekend, if she so desired!

Sebastian couldn’t get enough of her. They’d only been dating for nine weeks, but it felt like so much longer. She was the sort of person that he felt completely at peace around. He didn’t feel the need to question his actions or her motives. For the first time since his disastrous relationship with Cassandra, he had opened up his heart and let Lucille Augusta Garza in. Her name alone was enough for a foolish grin to sweep across his face. She was everything that Cassandra was not. She was kind and considerate, compassionate and hardworking. She had her faults. Lord knows she did. She snored in her sleep, always had to have the volume on the television at an even number, and she had an odd habit of knocking on wood whenever she got nervous. But despite all that, he couldn’t help but love her. There was just something about Lucille that made him feel giddy, which was something he had never felt before. Not with Cassandra. Not with anyone.

He stifled a chuckle as he thought about what his family and friend’s back home would think if he told them that he felt giddy. They would he was absolutely mental. Giddy was not a word that one ever used to describe Sebastian, but ever since he was with her that was the only word that truly fit. He was eager to explore new things, try different cuisines and stay up into the late hours of the night, just to talk with her on the phone. Not even in his days in college had he done that for a woman. He wasn’t the sort that stayed up late to talk with them, but he loved having her voice be the last thing he heard before he went to sleep. And now that he’d woken up beside her, he knew that he always wanted it to be that way.

There was a part of him that thought he was mad for feeling the way he did about her. In the last year, he’d sworn that he was going to be with Cassandra forever and then that blew up in his face. His cautious, rational self, pleaded with him to be sensible. To not put his heart in a vulnerable position, but his heart didn’t care about what his rational side said. Lucille made him happy. And after months of drinking himself to sleep and smoking himself into oblivion, being happy was all that truly mattered.

He was taken from his thoughts when he felt her begin to stir. Instinctively, he closed his eyes, not wanting her to think that he’d been staring at her. He didn’t want to come off as creepy. No. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off. So he closed his eyes and did his best to pretend to be sleeping.

“You need to wake up,” she whispered as she ran her fingers across his exposed chest.

Sebastian couldn’t help it, he shuddered.

“Knew you were faking it,” she laughed, resting her head on his chest so she could see better look at him. “So how long have you been staring at me, you creeper?”

“Wasn’t being a creeper, truly wasn’t.”

“Calm down, I was just messing with you. I know it’s hard to resist staring at this beautifulness in the morning. Oh. Sorry. Just caught a whiff of my own breath, forgot how putrid it gets in the morning.”

“Putrid is a gross exaggeration.”

“Then how would you describe it? Ghastly, maybe?” she teased.

“No,” he laughed. “Not exactly sure as to how to describe it, but I know for a fact that putrid and ghastly just don’t work.”

“That is the answer of a man looking to get laid again.”

“No! I mean, yes, but no.” he blurted out nervously.

Lucille placed a quick kiss on his lips. “I love it when you get nervous. It’s adorable.”

“Men aren’t supposed to be adorable.”

“Well, I think you’re adorable and I love it.”

“Do ya now?”

“I do.” Her eyes flickered to the window. “We should go to the beach today.”

“The beach?” he asked.

“Mhm,” she stared at him with that smile that always made his heart skip a beat. “We can have a picnic and lounge around until the sunset.”

“I burn, you know. I’ve got sensitive skin.”

“And I have some sunscreen at home, so it’ll work out.”

“No, don’t go home. Let’s just lay here. All weekend.”

“We’re not wasting a beautiful sunny day by being cooped up inside.”

“But it’s always sunny.”

Lucille playfully narrowed her eyes at him. “Well, we’re not wasting this sunny day. We’re going to have a romantic picnic, watch the sunset and then,” she moved her lips to his ear. “We’re gonna come back here and have a nice, night in.”

His breathing hitched. “Lucy . . .”

“Yes, Sebs?” she asked innocently.

“Think I’ve got some clothes you can wear for the beach and we can pick up the sunscreen at the market.”

In two hour’s time, the pair arrived in Santa Monica. Lucille was tempted to just take him home to meet her parents, since they lived a few blocks away from the beach, but she decided against it. They would ask her why she was wearing the clothes she was wearing and would figure out that she hadn’t spent the night at the house she shared with her brother. Knowing them, that would lead to a scolding, because even though she was twenty-nine years old, they still treated her like a child. So instead of taking him to their house, she led him to the beach. Sebastian hadn’t been there before. He wasn’t really a beachgoer, his pasty skin didn’t do well with the hot sun, but he was going to endure it for her. Hopefully, he wouldn’t look like a lobster by the end of their date.

“This alright?” she asked him when they reached a decent spot in the sand.

“Perfect,” he replied. “Shall we set up the area then?”

Lucille nodded. “I’ll get the blanket and you can work on that umbrella you bought.”

“Laugh all you want, but this is going to be very beneficial for us.” He said very matter-of-factly. “Now, if only I can figure out how to set it up.”

“Do you need some help?”

“No, thank you. I’ll figure it out.”

He didn’t end up figuring it out. In fact, he ended up accidentally breaking the umbrella.

“Bloody hell!” he cursed angrily. “Well this is just ruined.”

“Don’t worry about it. If we put enough sunscreen on you, it’ll be as if you were sitting underneath that umbrella all day.”

“Sure about that?”

“Positive. Now come over here, let me cover that face of yours with this goo.” She held up the sunscreen bottle.

“That goo is going to help protect us from skin cancer.”

“It’s still goo to me.” Lucille parted her legs and he took a seat in between them, taking off his shirt as he did so. “You’ve got freckles on your back.”

“Family trait,” he said, trying to stay calm as her hands roamed his back. “Not as bad as my dad’s though. His back’s completely covered with them and his chest is just as bad. My mum’s got them on her cheeks.”

“Awe she must look adorable.”

“She does.” Sebastian agreed. “You’d love her.”

“Is she like you?”

He shook his head. “No. My mum’s quite fierce. Always speaks her mind and all that. My dad’s the one that’s like me. He’s soft spoken, very bookish. And it’s normal. He’s a Professor at Oxford. Been there since before I was born,” he explained.

“That explains why you’re so smart.”

“I'm not that smart.”

“Take the compliment.” She kissed his shoulder. “You’re horrible at taking compliments.”

“Sorry, I’ve just never been any good at taking them.” Sebastian stared out into the ocean. “It’s lovely here. Different from the beaches in England, but still very much lovely,” he commented. “Do you come here often?”

“Almost every week,” she replied. “I grew up a few blocks away. So this was the playground my parents took me and my brother’s to. I love being here, feeling the sand between my toes and the sun shining. Hah. I always hated school, because I couldn’t be here and as soon as summer hit, well, I’d spend everyday here. I’d just sit down and stare out into the ocean, admire the way the sun reflected on it.”

“You really do love summer, don’t you?”

“Summer always treats me well.”

Sebastian paused before saying. “You know, I’ll be going back to London in a month.”

“Why bring that up right now? Can’t we just enjoy the sun and worry about that when it gets here?”

“We could, but I was sort of thinking that maybe . . . perhaps, if you wanted to . . . maybe you could stay in London. With me, of course, not somewhere else, but I mean if you want to go somewhere else, you’re more than welcome to , but I was just sort of thinking that maybe you’d want to live with me.”

“D-d-do you mean like forever?”

“For however long you like,” he whispered. “I know you have a deadline in January for that new novel you’re working on and maybe, London could help inspire you? I don’t know . . . just a thought.”

Lucille remained silent, contemplating whether or not she should go to London with a man she’d been dating for nine weeks and had only officially been her boyfriend for seven. It would be incredibly irrational, impulsive of her, but those were words often used to describe her.

“Sebastian,” she removed her sunglasses, resting them on the blanket beside her. “Can you turn around?”

He did as he was told.

“Do you really want me to go to London with you?”

“More than anything,” he answered honestly.

“Then I guess,” her lips curled into a bright smile. “I can go to London with you.”

And then, without any warning, Sebastian hungrily pressed his lips against her own, his arms slipping around her waist, as hers instinctively went to his hair. They fell back on the blanket, not caring if anyone was watching their display. All that mattered was kissing her on that glorious summer’s. All that mattered was the promise that his life was entering a new chapter, one in which he would finally experience love, in its purest form.