Page 25 of The Chemistry of Us

In the blink of an eye, nightfall was upon us. The stars shone bright above, illuminating the darkness of the sky, with the moon smiling high like a Cheshire cat. The ocean breeze brought a slight chill to the air.

I hugged my knees to my body in a reassuring gesture, shielding myself to create some warmth around me. A wave of emotions took over, mimicking the ominous waves in front of me, one right after the other. Neither one of us said a word, and I couldn’t help but feel a certain sincerity from him.

For the first time since in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel so alone anymore. It shocked me that it came from the guy I had convinced myself I needed to stay away from.

Again, the irony was not lost on me.

Something about the way he sat on the sand, looking out at the water with his perfect blond hair blowing in the light breeze, that literally took my breath away. This had never happened to me before, especially with a guy I had just met.

I’d only had one conversation with him, yet I was mesmerized by the vision beside me. He was like this mythical creature luring me toward my destruction. How can you both love and hate someone for being their truth? Irony, considering my name.

At that moment, in that second, I found myself gravitating toward him. Before I even registered what was happening, a sense of curiosity piqued my interest, but it wasn’t only that. An unfamiliar emotion of wanting to know everything about him overtook me. I blamed him at that moment for being so magnetic and, at the same time, blamed myself for being so curious.

Without looking at my face, he questioned, “What are you thinking?”

“None of your business, Vaughan. I saw you come out on the beach earlier with one of your chicks. You should probably head back to seal the deal. I’d hate to be the reason your dick doesn’t get wet tonight.”

“You wish.” He scoffed. “I’ll settle for that smile. You know, I was basically born and raised on this beach,” he disclosed, catching me off guard.

He didn’t seem like the type to open up to people, especially someone he only just met a week ago.

“This beach holds many fond memories for me, but I won't pretend this isn’t quickly becoming another one.”

He smiled, still not meeting my eyes. His smile was real, though. It held so many secrets I wanted to uncover and so many truths I probably couldn’t digest.

“I love this beach, but I fucking hate this town. It’s filled with pretentious, rich pricks who think they’re better than you. My parents being one of them. Don’t get me wrong, I love them, but sometimes I wish they cared about something other than status and money. It’s so exhausting yet addicting at the same time, having all the power but knowing that it could get taken from you at any moment. I swear they’re on constant anti-anxiety meds all because of this place.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Why not?”

I didn’t know how to reply, so I remained quiet.

He just kept confessing like he hadn’t had a family therapist for the past few years. “I’ve played football my entire life and been called a prodigy since the first time I threw a ball. Still, I don’t think it will ever be good enough for my father.”

There was so much more to him than met the eye.

“Where are you?—”

“No, Tru.” He finally turned to look at me. His eyes were so intense I almost choked. “Your turn.”

I stared into the gaze of the guy who was a walking paradox of contradictions. I saw a side to him that felt like he didn’t show anyone, and I had no idea why.

All I knew was that I liked it.

I wanted more.

I needed more.

I was greedy for it.

Something deep inside told me I could trust him. I was the first to break eye contact. Looking back toward the ocean, I tried to reel in my emotions that seemed to be taking over, contemplating if I was really going to do this.

If I was really going to let him in.

He was just a stranger.

I could still feel his gaze on the side of my face, burning a hole into my skin, and a part of me knew he sensed that.

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