Heaven Nor Hell

I held Brian's hand as we approached our cars. I couldn't help but smile at his sweetness, as he opened my door for me, and helped me into my car. Once I was settled, Brian told me to follow him to the beach, as his car was conveniently parked a few spots away from mine.

Within ten minutes, we were pulling into the parking lot of a large beach. It was just past midnight, so the beach was pretty much deserted.

I jumped when my door opened, and blushed as Brian greeted me with a cheeky smile, holding his hand out for me to take. I took it, and allowed him to pull me from the car. I slipped off my converse and socks, turning around to find Brian had done the same with his Nikes. I took them from him, and placed both of our shoes in my car, locking it up.

We began our journey down the beach, walking in the opposite direction of the few people that still remained. We walked in silence, lost in our own thoughts as we took in the beauty of the moon, reflecting off the rolling waves, the voices slowing receding as we put more distance behind us. I noticed a large black object in the distance, but didn't want to break the peaceful silence to question him.

After a few minutes, we reached the object in question, which I could now identify as a lighthouse. Brian took me hand, and led me to the edge of the pier. After a few minutes, he began to speak.

"This is my favorite place in all of California. I come out here a lot at night to clear my head. But I've never brought anyone out here. You're the first." He shot me a half-smile, before returning his gaze to the water.

"Well, for my first time to an ocean, this is pretty magnificent." I giggled as Brian's gaze returned to me, his eyes wide.

"You mean to tell me you lived in New Jersey your whole life, and you never went to the ocean?!" he asked, surprise lacing his tone.

"My mom was petrified of water, so she would never let us go. And as I got older I wasn't..." I stopped myself before I slipped up, and said something I shouldn't. "I just had lost interest to go. Now I wish I hadn't." I lied. Brian seemed to believe me, as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Now I'm really glad I brought you out here."

"Me too." I smiled, looking back to the waves. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Brian turned his body, and situated himself closer to me.

"So Lily...tell me about yourself." I giggled as I turned to face him.

"I'm really not that interesting."

"Come on...a beautiful girl like yourself simply cannot be that boring." He chuckled as I ducked my head, blushing furiously. "Tell me about your life before you moved to California.

"Well, I was born and raised in Jersey City, lived in the same house pretty much until I was 18. My father died when I was 15, and my mom kind of went AWOL for awhile. I was basically raising myself. Soon after, I met Mikey and Gerard, and their mom took me under her care until my mom got her shit together. When I was 18, my mom ended up dying of an accidental overdose. I moved in with the Way's for awhile, and then I met a man named Michael, who I dated for the past 7 years. About 6 months ago, he asked me to marry him, and a month ago, I left him, and came out here. I met Elizabeth, and have been living with her ever since."

"Why did you leave your fiance?" I hesitated, unsure how to answer. I dropped my gaze, unable to meet his eyes, because I knew I wouldn't be able to lie to him otherwise.

"I just wasn't happy anymore. He had a lot of expectations of me, and it was becoming too hard to live up to them. I just needed a break." As I looked back up, he was staring at me in a way I was sure he knew I was lying, but he didn't say anything.

Brian didn't speak after, he just looked out into the water, lost in thought. I felt bad for lying to him, but I knew I couldn't tell him the truth. I hadn't even told Elizabeth.

After a few minutes of silence, the breeze began to pick up, and I shivered, wishing I had brought a jacket. I looked over as Brian unbuttoned his shirt, and placed it over my shoulders, leaving him in a white v-neck. I couldn't help but stare for a few seconds, before I met his eyes. He smiled, looking even more handsome as the moonlight shone on his face, his eyes a milky chocolate brown. He wrapped his arm around my waist, and led us back to our cars.

After grabbing his shoes, he leaned against the side of my car.

"Do you need any help getting home, or do you think you know where you're going?" he asked.

"I have my GPS, so I should be okay." He simply nodded, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Thank you for tonight Brian. It was the most fun I've had in a long time." He grinned, and pulled me into an unexpected hug. I was hesitant at first, but relaxed almost immediately in his embrace, and wrapped my arms around him.

"It was my pleasure Lily. I hope we can do it again soon." I nodded my head, and gave him my number, hoping he would stay true to his word. I began to pull his shirt off to return it to him, but he stopped me.

"Keep it. It gives me a reason to see you sooner." He winked, before pushing himself off of my car. He opened my door, and ushered me in, before shutting it, and leaning through the open window.

"Goodnight Lily," he spoke quietly, before he leaned closer and placed a kiss on my forehead, before turning around walking to his car.