Rainbow Row

“And I’ll tell you, baby, it’s you and only you and no one else, and I mean it, even when I’m talking to myself.”

Logan stole a glance at her over in the passenger’s seat, and while his Wayfarers masked his soulful brown eyes, he still couldn’t help but smile to himself as his fingers curved around the steering wheel. Her bare feet were propped up on the dash, the wind whipping through her chestnut waves as she sang along softly with the song drifting through the speakers. With an arm hanging out the window, her hand wavered in time to the lazy melody, just one of many tracks on the mixed CD she’d made for the occasion. He could remember catching a glimpse of her barely-legible writing scrawled across the blank CD in permanent marker, and a chuckle had spilled past his lips as he read the label: Kandi’s Super-Awesome Beach Trip Mix. As much as he teased her, it was refreshing for him to see his girlfriend happy. Logan was all too aware of the strain that this whole long-distance thing had put on their relationship, and it felt good to just be together, even if it was only for a week.

“Hey, make a right up here at this stop sign,” she said, letting her head rest against his shoulder as her toes left little smudges across the windshield. “I wanna ride down Rainbow Row.”

He could hear the smile in his own voice as he repeated the words. “Rainbow Row?”

“Yeah,” she replied as she pushed her sideswept bangs from her eyes. “It’s this street lined with historic houses all painted in these pretty pastel colors. I know it sounds really lame, but it’s one of those places in Charleston that you just have to see.”

“Okay,” he said with a grin. “I’ll take your word for it.”

It was the third day of their vacation, and while the two of them had spent the first two days lounging on the beach and exploring the small strip of souvenir shops and restaurants by their hotel on the Isle of Palms, today had been filled with seeing the best of what Charleston had to offer. They’d visited the South Carolina Aquarium, which, aside from the petting tank, wasn’t quite as mesmerizing as it was when they’d went to the aquarium as children. The remainder of the day had been spent shopping along King Street and weaving between vendors’ booths in the old slave market. While Kandi was practically in retail heaven, Logan was stuck lugging around her shopping bags, a role he was more than happy to fill as long as she picked out all of the souvenirs to take back home to their families.

If he was being completely honest, normally Logan wouldn’t have given a shit about getting a bunch of stupid souvenirs. The more he sat and stewed on the concept, the more he realized that he’d never seen anyone actually use something they got as a souvenir anyway, but Kandi had that way about her that made him feel guilty for even considering the idea of not bringing anything back. On one hand, he knew was partially to blame because he’d been so damn excited about planning this trip that he’d ended up telling just about everyone he knew about it. He couldn’t just come back from Charleston with absolutely nothing to show for it.

But still, he highly doubted that his roommate James would ever end up wearing a bright blue t-shirt with the South Carolina state flag plastered on the front of it.

As soon as they turned onto E. Bay Street, her face seemed to light up in a way that he’d never seen before, and the closest thing he had to compare it to was the way his little sister looked on Christmas morning as she rushed down the stairs to rip open her presents. That sudden rush of childhood memories and nostalgia brought an unmistakable glow to his girlfriend’s features and a shimmer in her dark eyes.

To him, Charleston was just a fun place to get away with his girlfriend, but to Kandi, this was the place she’d spent every one of her summers since she was nine years old.

He had to admit that he was a little surprised that a historic tourist attraction was nestled right smack-dab in the middle of the slums, but in a way, that gave it even more intrigue. Surrounded by dilapidated houses in dull shades of gray and cornflower blue, Rainbow Row was like a diamond in the rough, and he could certainly see how the location had gotten its name. Elegant wrought-iron fences peeked out from behind a trimmed row of shrubs, each enclosing a row house in a different color: buttercup yellow, celery green, pastel pink, and even robin’s egg blue. Though they were crammed side-by-side and shared the same darkly painted shutters, each house had its own distinct character. Two arching palmetto trees framed the entryway to a row house with a lilac exterior, while a miniature battlement lined the rooftop of the house just next door, lending it an almost regal appearance. The second floor of some of the row houses featured a tiny balcony, and a few of the houses even had tiny windows jutting out from the attic space.

She couldn’t keep herself from grinning as she pointed out one of the row houses. “Back when I was a kid, that’s the house I always wanted to live in when I grew up.”

Logan didn’t say anything, but he could see it. He could see her in it. Painted in that shade of coral pink that she loved even now, with its peaked roof and hunter green plantation shutters, he could definitely see how this house would appeal to her. It was different, but it wasn’t that over-the-top sort of quirky that made people roll their eyes, and it had that quaint Southern charm that was such an essential part of who she was as a person.

He smiled to himself as he watched the houses slowly roll by his window. “Maybe one day it’ll be yours.”

He could feel the tickle of her lashes against his neck, the heaviness of her chin perched on his shoulder as she rubbed slow circles against his chest with her palm.

“I don’t think that’s what I want anymore,” she admitted, her laugh a gush of warm air against his skin. “I need more space. “ Her voice trailed off before she added, “I think that’s why I hated L.A. so much, living in a tiny apartment in a cramped city…There wasn’t any room for me to breathe.”

There were no words that he could say, and the dream-like music from her mixed CD seeped through their shared silence.

“Lost for you, I’m so lost for you. And you come crash into me, baby, and I come into you…”

Logan held his breath as he stared at the road ahead and hoped that she’d somehow change her mind.



Even though it was a local chain, Gilligan’s was Kandi’s favorite seafood restaurant in the area, and they happened to have a location in Mount Pleasant, right along the route back to their hotel. She thought it would be the perfect place for the two of them to stop and grab some lunch.

On the drive from Charleston, Logan got a chance to somewhat gather his thoughts, but as his halfheartedly skimmed through his menu, he couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering back to her. He couldn’t shake the notion that this vacation could possibly be the last time he ever saw her.

If she wasn’t willing to move back to L.A. and he had to stay in the city for his acting career, where did that leave their relationship? The whole long-distance thing was working for right now, but it couldn’t last forever. Something had to give.

He watched her sip her sweet tea, her eyes focused on one of the underwater scenes painted on the walls around them, and he just knew that he’d never be able to voice his doubts. He wasn’t strong enough to end things because he needed her too much.

The sound of her voice managed to slip through his thoughts. “Do you know what I just realized?”

His lips curved into a forced smile. “What?”

Kandi reached across the table and clutched his hand, giving his fingers a soft squeeze. “We’ve been together for over a year now.”

She hadn’t meant anything by it, but there was a sense of reassurance in the gesture. The smile on her face wasn’t bittersweet like his own: she was truly happy to be here with him. To her, there wasn’t the same expiration date on their relationship that was constantly looming over his head. She loved him in-the-moment, with no hesitation and no regrets. He just needed to learn to love her in the same way.

“I know,” he replied with a chuckle. “Think of this trip as an anniversary present.”

She rolled her eyes, but it did nothing to hide the smile still etched on her lips.

“So...Miss Gilligan’s…what should I order?” he asked as his coffee-colored eyes gazed at her over the menu in his grip.

Her response was the cock of her eyebrow. “Depends on what you like.”

His lips mashed together as he shook his head to himself, his dark eyes tilting towards the ceiling. All the while, he was still smiling. His tone was laced with corny suggestion as he lowered his eyes at her, “You know me, I like a little bit of everything.”

Kandi pursed her lips but decided to ignore him. “Get the sampler plate then. And the key lime pie here is to die for.”



They ended up bringing an entire key lime pie back to their hotel room.

With his belly full and his muscles exhausted from a day spent shopping, Logan wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the bed and laze the remainder of the day away with his girlfriend curled up at his side. His gaze trailed her as she crossed the room, kicking the dune-colored pair of Rainbow flip-flops from her feet and running her hands haphazardly through her hair, and it was hard for him to deny the stirring sensation that rushed through his body.

In the three days that they’d been there on vacation, they hadn’t quite gotten a chance to sleep together yet. The first night was somewhat understandable. With his seven A.M. flight and her three-and-a-half-hour drive, the two of them were too exhausted to really do anything after dinner aside from make-out a little and cuddle up under the covers. In his defense, they had attempted the second night, but too many margaritas at dinner had led to them both passing out in bed, in various stages of undress, while trying to watch The Little Couple.

But Logan had never been one to give up, so he was convinced the third time would be the charm.

When he stepped out onto the balcony, she was leaning against the railing, her eyes squinted against the sun as she watched the waves bob and weave along the horizon. His chin rested on her shoulder as his arms wove around her frame, easing her back against him.

“I thought you were gonna take a nap?” A soft laugh tumbled past her lips as she shot him a questioning glance.

“Only if you’re coming with me.” His lips brushed against her neck, his hands curving to fit the v of her pelvis as he gently nudged her with his hip.

“Actually…” she began, immediately offering him her most apologetic smile. “Since the weather’s so nice, I was thinking maybe we could go down to the beach. It’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow.”

He feigned devastation, jutting his lower lip out in a pout, but she was quick to wipe the expression from his face with a kiss.

“Aww, don’t be upset,” she replied as she slung her arms around his neck. “I promise you can have me all to yourself all day tomorrow, deal?”

The corners of his lips twitched upward into a grin. “Deal.”

Heading back into the room, Kandi held his gaze as she hooked her thumbs into the belt loops of her denim cutoffs, pushing the shorts down her thighs before she stepped out of them.

“Just a preview,” she joked while trying to wink at him, but both of her eyes creased up in the motion.

Though he had been tempted to shed his white v-neck back in the room, Logan could remember the chill of the breeze, so he’d decided against it. Plus the fact that Kandi was still wearing her loose-knit sweater made him feel a little less awkward being fully dressed on the beach.

She had been right: the weather was absolutely gorgeous, perfect for a day at the beach. The wind whipped through his espresso brown locks as he walked down the beach entrance, and on an impulse, he grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. Admittedly, he’d never been much of a beach person. Though he loved the warmth of the sun against his fair skin, he despised the scent of fish that seemed to hang in the air and the gritty texture of sand against his skin that he could never seem to shake until he spent an hour in the shower scrubbing himself down.

On the other hand, watching Kandi on the beach was like seeing some sort of wild creature return to its natural habitat. With the sea breeze tousling her hair and the Carolina sun bright in her brown eyes, he knew that this was where she belonged.

And in his heart, Logan knew that he belonged right by her side.