Choices of the Heart

The beach air proved to be cool, but not too cold to the point of needing a jacket. Dakota had taken off her shoes to allow the sand to run through her toes as she walked. Besides, she didn’t really want to walk in the sand in heels anyway. She had met Brian at the Huntington Beach Pier and together they walked out onto the sand. They just walked along the shoreline for awhile, not really talking. Dakota wasn’t even sure what to talk about. She was just glad to be away from the restaurant.

“Do you want to sit down somewhere?” Brian suddenly asked.

She looked up at him and then nodded. He led the way to a spot that was near the shoreline, but not too close so that they could avoid getting wet by the tide. He plopped down and then stretched his legs out in front of him. Brian had never experienced a time in his life where it was hard to talk to a girl, but Dakota made him feel as if he was mute. He didn’t understand why that was, but he was hoping to find out. Dakota stared out to the crashing waves as she wrapped her arms around her knees.

“So, the weather’s nice,” Brian stated.

Dakota looked at him. “Are you seriously talking about the weather?”

Brian couldn’t help but laugh at her comment. “Come on, cut me some slack. This is a bit awkward, isn’t it?”

Dakota thought about it for a few minutes. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

“See, told you. Besides, it was the only thing I could think of. My dad’s the comedian, but I guess I didn’t really inherit those genes from him; guess it was only the mad guitar skills.”

Dakota turned her head towards him. “You play the guitar?”

He nodded. “I learned when I was about nine or ten, but to be quite honest, I didn’t get really serious about it until I was fifteen.”

She nodded. “That’s interesting. The guitar has always been my favorite instrument, and I’ve always wanted to learn to play, but I don’t think I’d ever be able to sit down and actually take the time to learn. I get distracted easily,” she chuckled.

He smiled at her. “So, what do you do then?”

“I’m an editor, but I love to write my own stuff on the side when I have free time.”

“Interesting, what exactly do you like to write?”

“It varies. To be honest, I prefer writing fiction because I have more creative license with it,” she admitted.

He nodded. “You said you play the guitar, but what do you do exactly?”

He looked at her. “I play the guitar,” he answered.

“I know that, but how do you make your money?”

“Playing the guitar.”

“Stop being such a smartass.”

“I’m honestly not,” he chuckled. “I’m in a band and my job in the band is playing lead guitar,” he clarified.

She stared at him. “And you’re fucking single?”

Brian cleared his throat. “Well, to be honest, I was more into one-night stands until recently. All
my friends have steady girlfriends and they want to see me happy, so they decided to set me up on this blind date,” he replied.

Dakota cleared her throat. “That’s sort of why I was at the restaurant. My friend felt that I needed to get out more because in her eyes I didn’t do enough partying and these are her words, not mine, but
“I don’t get laid often” either,” she chuckled.

Brian burst out laughing at her words, and she shoved his shoulder. “Careful, I’m a black belt in Jiu Jitsu,” he warned.

“I doubt that,” she smiled.

“Oh, so you don’t believe me?” he raised an eyebrow at her.

“Nope,” she said popping her p as she smiled at him.

The tension between them was slowly lifting and Dakota was starting to finally enjoy her night. She wasn’t sure if her night had been ruined by the failed date or not, but at this point in time she could care less; whoever her date had been lost out on a good time. Suddenly, Dakota let out a squeal when Brian’s body flew into her side and knocked her to the sand. Her instincts kicked immediately and they started grappling on the sand.

Dakota managed to roll Brian on his back and pin him, but he quickly reversed things and had her in a lock. His arm was locked around her throat and his hand was resting on her shoulder, while his legs were wrapped around her waist. It was one of the choke holds he had learned while getting his black belt. Dakota held onto his arm as she shoved her elbow into his ribs; pulling his arm away from her throat and turning the tables on him. She managed to flip him, pin him on his stomach, and pull his arm backwards at an odd angle.

“Alright, alright, I give,” Brian breathed out.

Dakota held onto his arm and leaned down towards his ear. “Don’t think so, I don’t easily fall for that trick,” she whispered.

Brian chuckled as he steadied his breathing. “I really do give. I wasn’t going to try and trick you,” he said.

One thing Dakota was really good at was detecting whether someone was lying to her by the sounds of their voice. She picked up on that habit really early in life and she was damn proud of that trait. She slowly lowered his arm back to the ground and then got off of him. Brian sat up and dusted off his front.

“I’ve never met a girl who’s been able to do that before,” he said sincerely.

Dakota blushed as she moved her hair out of her face.

“You’re cute when you blush.”

Dakota blushed harder at his words. She had never realized that her night could turn out so well after being such a fail at first. Dakota stood up and dusted herself off. She honestly didn’t want this night to end now that she had met someone on her own, no less, and was having a good time. Brian followed suit and dusted the sand off his jeans. Dakota stopped and squinted at his hands.

“Are those tattoos?” she asked pointing at his knuckles.

Brian looked up and then down at his knuckles. “Yeah, why?”

“What’s it say?”

“Um, Marlboro,” he said.

“Like the cigarette brand?”

“Yeah. Something wrong with that?”

Dakota shook her head. “No, I’ve been thinking about getting a tattoo myself, but everyone’s told me not do it.”

“Why?”

“They said that once I get one that I will always want another one, but I don’t think so.”

“It’s a preference thing in my opinion. My friend Matt gets tattoos because he hates his skin, at least that’s what he’s told interviewers,” he chuckled.

Dakota giggled. “Well, I don’t even know what I want, but I have been thinking about it.”

“If that’s what you want, don’t let other’s opinions get in your way,” he said.

She nodded. “I should be going home now. I have work in the morning.”

Brian nodded. “Can we hang out again sometime?”

Dakota smiled. “I’d like that. Let me see your phone,” she said.

Brian took out his phone and handed it to her. She programmed her number into it and then handed it back to him.

“Give me a call or text me sometime,” she said.

Brian nodded and then watched her walk away. He was glad that she had finally decided to open up to him. He liked her and he hoped that he could maybe make things work with her. He stared at the water for a few minutes before he headed back to his own car to head on home.