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‘The beach?’
Jayden’s incredulous tone forced Samuel to tear his eyes away from the scenic view of the waves rolling playfully over each other as they crashed onto the shore.
‘What’s wrong with the beach?’
‘It’s the beach,’ Jayden replied simply as if that explained everything.
He scrunched up his face as a seagull squawked loudly at them as it flew by overhead. Answering squalls soon came from the birds that stood perched on the cliff face.
‘See,’ Jayden pointed out as if that proved his point.
Before Samuel could answer an excited yell came from behind them as Leo whizzed past them to throw himself into the sand.
‘What are you guys standing around for?’ he yelled behind him. ‘Come on!’
Paul walked up to them as Leo sprung into a series of lively cartwheels on the sun-kissed sand.
‘Where does he get all that energy from?’ he asked in wonderment as Leo executed one impressive flip after another, finishing off with an elaborately twisted move that left even Jayden stunned.
‘I don’t know but I need him to hook me onto some of that,’ Cam grumbled as he came up to stand beside them, his arms full of bags.
Noel soon appeared behind him and smiled as Leo took off his shoes and jumped happily into the water.
‘That looks fun, come on let’s join him!’
Cam glanced at the waves and let out an involuntary shudder. ‘That looks cold and wet so very hard pass.’
Noel rolled his eyes and dragged Cam to the edge of the shoreline before letting go to take off his shoes to wade into the clear water.
‘Come on,’ he called back to Cam. ‘It’s fun.’
Cam’s feet remained stubbornly planted on the soft sand. ‘I think we have very different definitions of fun.’
Before he could protest further, Leo suddenly popped up behind him and lunged forward to seize his arm in a firm grip. With a surprising amount of strength and a jubilant cackle, Leo picked him up and dropped him up into the sea.
‘See, it’s not so bad, is it?’
Cam shot him a deadly glare and opened his mouth to yell at him, but an incoming wave choked the words out of his mouth, causing Leo and Noel to burst into laughter.
Cam’s glare deepened and he resorted to splashing them with the salty water to shut them up.
The others watched from the beach as this soon turned into a water fight. A fond smile came on Paul’s lips as Noel leaped playfully on Cam’s back, causing both of them to tumble into the waves.
‘Looks like they are having fun,’ Samuel observed wistfully.
‘Yeah, I guess they are.’
Samuel looked up and caught the expression on his best friend’s face. ‘Why don’t you join them?’ he offered gently. ‘Jayden and I can take care of the bags by ourselves.’
‘No, we can’t,’ Jayden muttered, earning him a sharp kick from Samuel.
‘It’s fine,’ Paul sighed. ‘I don’t think I’ll be much fun anyway.’
Samuel and Jayden watched as he turned to leave. ‘What was that about?’ Jayden asked curiously.
‘He and Noel are still avoiding each other.’ Samuel sighed tiredly. ‘I don’t know why they won’t just talk to each other. Do you think we should-‘
‘No,’ Jayden cut him off firmly. ‘Absolutely not.’
‘But…’
‘Have you forgotten what happened the last time we got involved?’
Samuel sighed. ‘You’re right, you’re right. I just hate seeing them like this.’
Jayden’s gaze softened as his eyes remained fixed on Paul’s retreating back.
‘Me too,’ he whispered.
~
They gathered on the terrace two hours later after unpacking and freshening up. Samuel stood before them like a drill sergeant addressing his troops.
‘Alright team, listen up! It’s currently seventeen hundred hours and Jayden’s party is four hours away. Cam, you and Noel are in charge of the drinks. It’s your job to make sure our guests don’t make smart choices.’
‘Hold on,’ Leo interrupted. ‘Why are they in charge of the drinks? They know nothing about good booze.’
‘Which makes them less likely to end up piss drunk whiles on duty, unlike someone I know.’
Leo had nothing to say to that and could only cross his arms sulkily as Samuel went on.
‘Paul, you are with me. We are going to finish tying up the loose ends and make sure everything runs smoothly. If there are no questions, everyone to your posts!’
‘Oi, you forgot about me!’ Leo protested.
Samuel walked over to drape an affable arm around Leo’s shoulder. ‘You, my friend, have the most important task of all.’
Leo perked up at that. ‘Score!’
‘You are babysitting Jayden.’
‘What!’ Leo and Jayden exploded at once.
‘Why am I the one who gets stuck with him?’ Leo whined.
Jayden gave him a droll look. ‘I’m not leaping with joy at the thought of your company either.’
Samuel patted Leo gaily on the shoulder as his voice turned placating. ‘Come on Leo, I wouldn’t leave my boyfriend with just anyone. You are the only person I can trust.’
Leo’s doubtful look slowly disappeared as he considered Samuel’s words. ‘Alright fine,’ he conceded. ‘I will babysit your boyfriend.’
Samuel beamed brightly. ‘Great! That’s settled then.’
‘I haven’t consented to this,’ Jayden pointed out in objection.
‘You do what you need to do,’ Leo said, throwing his arm cheerfully over Jayden’s shoulders. ‘I will keep this one out of trouble.’
Samuel smiled gratefully and straightened up. ‘Alright, everyone to your posts! We shall meet back here at twenty hundred hours.’
The rest of the group dispersed leaving Jayden and Leo. An awkward silence descended as the two boys stared at each other.
‘So,’ Leo began hesitantly. ‘What do you want to do?’
‘Punch you in the face.’
Leo cleared his throat uncomfortably. ‘Anything else that won’t end up with me in the hospital?’
Jayden gave it a thought. ‘Nope, anything I can think of leads up to you suffering some sort of grievous bodily harm.’
Leo scooted a little bit away from Jayden. ‘How about we head to the beach?’
‘No.’
‘Play tennis?’
‘Hard pass.’
‘Hiking?’
‘I’d rather kill myself.’
‘Skydiving?’
‘I’ll rather kill you.’
Leo threw his hands up in frustration and stood to leave.
‘Where are you going?’ Jayden asked.
‘I’m leaving to have fun by myself because you are being unreasonable.’
‘Alright fine, I promise I’ll say yes to whatever you suggest next.’
A bright smile appeared on Leo’s face. ‘Really?’
Jayden sighed. ‘I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?’
Thirty minutes later, dozens of people screaming above him proved his hunch right.
‘Yep, I’m already regretting it.’
Leo didn’t hear him. His eyes were bright with excitement as he drank in the sight of the twisting high-speed rollercoasters.
‘Come on,’ he tugged Jayden’s arm eagerly. ‘Let’s get the next one.’
Jayden rolled his eyes as he allowed Leo to pull him fanatically towards the tracks. A few minutes later, they were securely strapped in a coaster car as it began to roll down the tracks.
‘Woohoo!’ Leo yelled, throwing his hands in the air as the car plunged sharply towards the earth.
Jayden watched expressionlessly as the tracks twisted and turned sharply causing the other occupants to hoot loudly in exhilaration.
Leo glanced at his friend after noticing the silence beside him. ‘What are you doing?’ he yelled, trying to be heard over the rushing wind. ‘You are doing it wrong. You need to put your hands in the air like this and scream. Wooooo!’
Jayden’s nose scrunched up in distaste. ‘I’m not doing that. It is both unsightly and demeaning.’
Leo reached a hand over and poked Jayden’s side in a way that caused his entire body to twitch.
‘What are you doing?’ Jayden asked alarmed.
‘Making you laugh,’ Leo stated as he tickled Jayden’s side with more earnestness.
‘Wha… I… Leo… stop that…’ Jayden’s words died out as a loud laugh burst out of his throat. He continued to laugh uncontrollably as Leo pressed on ruthlessly with his onslaught of fingers.
‘That’s more like it,’ Leo declared happily. He took Jayden’s hand and pushed it up with his own. ‘Now we scream! Woohoooo!’
Jayden still hadn’t recovered from the tickles and as the car plunged sharply downward, an unbidden scream escaped from his throat.
This went on for a while and though Jayden hated to admit it, he was actually having fun.
They went on multiple rides in the same manner and by the time the car for the last ride finally rolled into a stop, they were both breathless.
‘That was fun. We should definitely do it again.’
‘I think I’ve had enough for one lifetime,’ Jayden stated hoarsely. He cleared his throat as he looked around for a bar. ‘I need a drink.’
‘Ooh, let’s get ice cream!’
Before Jayden could answer, Leo had already run off. Jayden sighed tiredly before walking after him.
He caught up just as Leo was ordering from the ice cream truck. They paid for their ice creams and walked to sit on the pier, watching the waves come in as the sun set over the ocean.
It didn’t take long for Leo to finish his and without warning he stood and run off, appearing a few minutes later with two more scones.
Jayden gave him a look as he resumed his seat. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be keeping an eye on me? How are you going to do that if you keep running off every few seconds?’
Leo snorted at that. ‘You don’t have to pretend; we both know it’s the other way around.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Let’s face it, they needed me out of the way. Samuel just said that to avoid hurting my feelings.’ He glanced down at the dripping cream. ‘It’s fine though, I know I can be a lot sometimes. I’m not as dumb as people think, I’m actually quite smart. Losing my family in the blink of a night, however, showed me how short and fickle life can be so I live every day as if it is my last.’
Jayden considered his words for a moment before speaking. ‘That’s what we love about you though. Your hyperactiveness makes you so much fun to be with. In fact, I think that’s why Samuel put us together. He knew you would be the only person capable of forcing me to have fun.’
Leo brightened up slightly at that. ‘You had fun?’
‘I did,’ Jayden admitted grudgingly. ‘You may be a lot, but you are never a bother. Don’t forget that.’
Leo looked as if he was going to cry. ‘Thank you.’
‘If you cry, I’m going to punch you in the face.’
Leo blinked the tears away immediately. ‘My eyes are dry as a bone.’
‘Good,’ Jayden stated before punching him hard on the arm.
‘Ow!’ Leo yelled as he rubbed his side petulantly. ‘I wasn’t even crying!’
‘That was for making me say sappy shit,’ Jayden stated simply. He stood up. ‘Come on, it’s almost time for the party and I’m going to punch you again if we get another scolding from Samuel for being late.’
Darkness had already fallen by the time they arrived at the location of the party. Leo stood on the sand and looked around the empty beach in confusion.
‘Are you sure we are at the right place?’
‘Why are you asking me? You are the one with the directions.’ His gaze suddenly narrowed. ‘Leo, did you get us lost?’
‘Erm…’
‘Leo.‘
Leo chuckled awkwardly. ‘Oops?’
‘I’m going to kill you.’
‘What did he do this time?’ Cam’s tired voice came from behind them. ‘You know what, I don’t care. You can go ahead and finish him off.’
‘Hey!’ Leo protested.
Samuel and Paul soon appeared behind Cam. ‘Oh good, you are here,’ Samuel said when he caught sight of Jayden. ‘I was worried you would get lost.’
‘So, we are not lost?’ Leo asked hopefully.
‘Nope,’ Noel stated.
‘Aha!’ Leo exclaimed. He shot Jayden a triumphant smirk. ‘And you were doubting my navigational skills.’
Jayden ignored him. ‘What is going on?’ he asked Samuel.
‘Your birthday party,’ Samuel answered brightly. He caught Jayden’s look as he glanced at their little gathering and amended. ‘Maybe “party” is too strong. How about “gathering”?
Jayden just stared wordlessly at him.
Samuel started to grow nervous. ‘I was originally planning to throw you a huge party, but you’ve already had lots of those, and I know you hate large crowds so I narrowed it down to the people who care about you.’
‘Care is a very strong word,’ a lazy voice drawled behind him.
‘And Azrael,’ Samuel added.
‘Yello!’ Azrael greeted brightly.
‘He invited himself,’ Samuel explained.
‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world.’
‘Why are we standing around sober?’ a familiar shrill voice asked.
They turned as Rebecca Rowlings walked into view. She came up to place a fond kiss on Jayden’s cheek. ‘How is my dashing fiancé doing?’
‘You mean soon-to-be ex-fiancé,’ Cissy corrected as she came up behind her. ‘Last I checked he was still hitched to my sappy little brother.’
‘He’s what?’
Cissy turned to face a wide-eyed Chelsea. ‘Oh hi, Chels! Didn’t know you were invited as well.’
‘I wasn’t expecting it either to be honest,’ Chelsea said as she joined the group. ‘Can we go back to what you said, Jayden and Samuel are dating?’
‘Yes, they are. Now that we are all caught up let’s get drunk,’ Rebecca ordered. ‘Talking mouths cannot drink.’
Cissy gave her a long look. ‘You may have a problem. You know that, don’t you?’
Rebecca let out a tired sigh. ‘Please not again, I just came from an intervention.’
‘Do you all mind?’ Samuel asked shortly. ‘I’m trying to have a conversation with my boyfriend.’
‘Of course, where are our manners,’ Azrael stated. He looked highly amused by the situation. ‘We shall leave you lovebirds to your deliberations.’
‘I still can’t believe that those two are dating, like when did that happen?’ They heard Chelsea ask Cissy as their voices slowly faded off.
Samuel turned worriedly to Jayden. ‘You’ve been strangely quiet. I know it’s not much; I chose this spot because there’s supposed to be a meteor shower. The plan was to lay on the sand enveloped by darkness with only the light of the stars above us and surrounded by people who love you. I thought that maybe it would help you know that you are not alone in this world. It’s sappy I know and now I’m just rambling and…’
His words were cut off when Jayden suddenly wrapped his arms around him in a fierce hug.
‘I really don’t know what I did in my previous life to deserve someone like you,’ Jayden whispered as his arms pressed in tighter.
Samuel blinked in shock for a moment before a small smile came on his face. His hands wrapped around Jayden as he hugged him back even tighter.
‘Hey, lovebirds! We doing this or what?’
They broke apart and with their hands linked together, they made their way to the large blanket where their friends were already seated.
Paul already had three telescopes set up and was speaking to Chelsea as he set up the fourth.
‘We don’t really need them to see the showers,’ he explained. ‘I’m just putting them up in case anyone would want to do some deep space exploring later on.’
Leo popped up beside Samuel. ‘Why did we invite her again?’
‘She is Jayden’s number one fan and also the president of his fan club.’
Leo’s mouth dropped open. ‘Jayden has a fan club?’
‘I have a fan club?’ Jayden reiterated, looking equally surprised.
‘Apparently, he does,’ Samuel stated with wry amusement. He gave his boyfriend a strange look. ‘Don’t you remember? Back from your horse racing days.’
‘Oh,’ Jayden blinked as the memory returned to him. ‘I didn’t know they were still around.’
‘Technically, they weren’t. Chelsea was the only member until a year ago when she began to actively recruit new members. She can be very persuasive, she even roped me into becoming the vice president.’
A frown appeared on Jayden’s brows but before he could speak Paul shouted out.
‘Quick, everyone gather around! It’s starting.’
Samuel tugged Jayden’s arm as he pulled him quickly onto the large laid-out blanket. They lay side by side on the cool soft sand with their eyes turned upwards towards the sky. Their breaths stilled with anticipation and the only sound that could be heard was the dark waves crashing softly in the distance.
Suddenly, the peaceful darkness was shattered. It began with a single meteor that arced gracefully across the night sky. Then, like an artist wielding a dazzling brush, the sky lit up with a luminous brilliance as clusters of meteors began racing across the sky.
The showers grew in intensity and as their fiery tails streaked across the night, their ethereal glow cast an otherworldly light on their awestruck audience. It was as if the very stars had descended from the heavens to dance among the clouds.
Jayden and Samuel’s hands found each other in the darkness and as their fingers slowly intertwined, their faces turned toward each other. As awe-inspiring as the scene above was, it couldn’t be compared to what they saw in each other’s eyes.
Jayden smiled softly. ‘Thank you,’ he whispered.
Samuel smiled happily in reply, and they turned back to face the breathtaking performance above.
The last meteor soon streaked past, and the world was once more enveloped by darkness. The group lay in silence as they slowly absorbed what they had just witnessed.
Rebecca suddenly shot to her feet. ‘Quick, where’s the champagne? It’s almost midnight!’
She searched around frantically before setting eyes on the bottle. ‘Aha, there you are my willy friend. Alright, everyone ready?’
Jayden frowned. ‘Ready for what?’
‘Your birthday, idiot. What else?’ Rebecca chided. ‘Alright, here we go. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six.”
The others joined in.
“Five.”
“Four.”
“Three.”
“Two.”
“One!”
“Happy Birthday!”
There was a loud pop and a cheer as the cork went flying into the air. Samuel leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Jayden’s lips.
“Happy Birthday, mea luna.”
Jayden smiled and his entire face lit up with joy. He leaned over and recaptured Samuel’s lips with his own in a more passionate kiss.
‘Alright fags, we get it, you both love each other. Now break it up, we’ve got a birthday to celebrate.’
Rebecca pushed a glass into each of their hands and clicked it together with her own. ‘Cheers,’ she said before gulping down the contents.
Someone must have lit up torches at some point during the night because bright flames stood around them casting a soft golden glow on the sand as they danced gently in the breeze.
‘So,’ Rebecca started after draining another glass. ‘How do we all know each other?’
They were sitting cross-legged in a circle as Cam passed the drinks around.
‘I’m the sister of the shrimp who stole your fiancé,’ Cissy went first.
Rebecca sighed sorrowfully. ‘Still breaks my heart.’ She paused and gave her an appreciative look. ‘You single?’
Cissy seemed amused by that question. ‘Yes, and I’m also asexual.’
Rebecca waved a hand dismissively. ‘No matter, I have lots of experience in making myself happy.’
Leo choked on his drink and Cam had to thump him furiously on the back before he regained his breath.
Rebecca ignored them and turned to Azrael. ‘And who is this Adonis?’
Azrael smirked at her. ‘I am your angel of death.’
Rebecca shivered at that. ‘Very creepy but that also turns me on.’
‘I know. You’ve been mentally undressing and eye-fucking me since we arrived.’
Leo was taking another drink and after hearing those words he immediately spat it back out and started coughing.
This time Paul was the one to hit his back until he could breathe again. He took the glass away from Leo as he rubbed his back. ‘Just forget about drinking anything, buddy,’ he advised. ‘It’s just going to get worse from here.’
‘What about you?’ Rebecca asked, turning to Chelsea.
They talked like this for about an hour, laughing as they cracked jokes and teased each other.
‘Alright, alright,’ Cissy said after catching her breath. ‘When did you two realize you were in love?’
Samuel thought about it for a long moment. ‘I think it was during the first term of second year. We had skipped school and we were feeding the birds in a park. I suddenly looked up and there was Jayden completely covered with birds. He was holding his breath afraid that even a little puff of air would scare them off. And I remember thinking that that was probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I didn’t realize it then but that was when I started to fall for him.’
Jayden smiled at the memory. ‘Really? I started earlier than that.’
Samuel huffed. ‘It’s not a competition, you know.’
‘I know, but I like to win.’
Samuel rolled his eyes fondly. ‘When was it then?’
‘Back in first year. Do you remember the paintball competition?’
‘How could I forget?’ Samuel stated wryly. ‘You shot me in the face.’
‘Mhm,’ Jayden hummed. ‘You were very annoying and frustratingly persistent. It was after I pulled the trigger that I realized I was never getting rid of you.’
Samuel smirked. ‘As if you want to.’
Jayden smiled back at him. ‘Fair point.’
‘Aw, that was nice,’ Rebecca gushed. She reached for another bottle of wine. ‘What about you two?’ She gestured to Paul and Noel.
They glanced at each other in confusion.
‘What do you mean?’ Noel asked.
‘When did you two fall in love?’
The group went dead silent.
Azrael leaned over and whispered a little too loudly, ‘I don’t think we’re supposed to mention that out loud.’
Rebecca’s lips formed into a small ‘o’. ‘I see. My bad, I didn’t know it was a sensitive topic. Pretend I didn’t say anything.’
‘Way to ruin the mood,’ Leo muttered, causing Cam to nudge him sharply with his elbow.
The conversation turned awkward after that. They soon broke into little groups that drifted to the edges of the torches.
Cissy, Rebecca, and Chelsea stood close to the cliff face and were talking in light voices when Jayden walked up to them.
‘Can I borrow Chelsea for a minute?’
The girls glanced curiously at one another before nodding their assent. Jayden smiled gratefully and walked away with a curious Chelsea trailing after him.
‘Did you need something from me?’ Chelsea asked as soon as they were out of earshot.
‘I wanted to thank you.’
Chelsea blinked in surprise. Whatever she was expecting, it clearly wasn’t that.
‘For what?’
‘For not giving up on me. I had always assumed that everyone had forgotten about me. For a long time, I had even given up on myself. My fans were just another group of people I had disappointed. But knowing that all this time there was someone out there who hadn’t forgotten, who was still rooting for me even when they didn’t know me, it means much more than you know. Thank you.’
Chelsea was taken aback. ‘I… I don’t know what to say. Really, I didn’t do much… I should be the one thanking you.’ She paused and looked hopefully at Jayden. ‘Does that mean you would join the school team?’
Jayden thought about it. ‘I suppose it does.’ He shrugged. ‘I only have one more term left so I don’t see the difference I would make but sure.’
Chelsea’s lips widened in a toothy smile. ‘Yes! We are going to finally crush those lions.’ Her expression suddenly turned thoughtful. ‘You’ve changed.’
Jayden glanced at her.
‘I don’t mean in a bad way,’ she hurried to explain. ‘You’ve changed in a good way.’
Jayden’s eyes moved from her face to a spot behind her where Samuel was arguing with Leo.
‘I suppose I have.’
‘You’ve changed him as well.’
Jayden’s eyes fell back on her, and he noticed the knowing smile on her face. ‘How are your horses doing?’ he asked, changing the subject quickly.
Another toothy grin bloomed on Chelsea’s face as she launched into a passionate description of the equines under her care.
Back near the cliff, Cissy was watching with mild concern as Rebecca opened another bottle of wine.
‘Are you sure you should be having another?’
Rebecca considered her question carefully. ‘I am still standing, I can count my toes, my verbiage is the embodiment of clarity and brevity, and I still remember all the names of my sixteen cousins. So, yes. I am sure.’
She knocked back the bottle and took a long drink. ‘You should join me.’
‘No, thanks. As annoying as they are, I would still like to remember the names of my cousins.’
‘How about I join you instead?’
Azrael’s silky voice came in as he walked up to join them.
Rebecca batted her eyelashes flirtatiously. ‘Are you going to be my bad decision of the night?’
Azrael gave her a low smile and whispered. ‘What makes you think I won’t be a good decision?’
Rebecca’s laughter was musical as she reached up a hand to pat him fondly on the cheek. ‘Oh honey, I am not a fool. Your innocent act may fool others, but I’ve been around criminals for too long to not recognize a killer when I see one.’
Azrael’s eyes glinted. ‘Shouldn’t you be scared then?’
Rebecca let out another laugh. ‘Why do you think I’m so attracted to you?’ There was a cold darkness in her eyes as the laughter suddenly disappeared from her face. ‘Men and women lust after me but Death seems to be the only one who doesn’t want me.’
She looked up and the flirtatious smile was already back in place. ‘Ignore what I said. Seasonal depression. It comes and goes.’ She tugged his clothes suggestively. ‘Now where were we?’
Cissy, who had been oblivious to their conversation, suddenly cleared her throat. ‘Right, I’m going to excuse myself. If you wouldn’t mind, I would much prefer not having to witness you pawing at each other like bears in heat.’
She paused and turned to face Azrael. ‘I do not like you.’
Azrael’s eyes grew curious. ‘You do not know me.’
‘I don’t,’ Cissy agreed. ‘But there is something about you I don’t trust. I know it sounds rude and I apologize if I offended you. However, I am not one to hide my feelings for the sake of social pleasantry. Have a good night.’
Azrael watched her leave with an unreadable expression on his face.
‘Don’t worry,’ Rebecca said, guessing his thoughts. ‘You are not slipping; you can still fool plenty of people.’
‘It’s worrisome, nonetheless.’
‘Surely, you must have met people who have had their suspicions about you.’
‘I have. Two in one night, however, is quite unprecedented.’
‘Congratulations, now you have a precedent.’
Azrael regarded her fully. ‘You are quite interesting.’
Rebecca shrugged. ‘So, I’ve been told.’ She pulled away from him. ‘I’m afraid our dalliance would have to end here. It seems you would not be my bad decision after all.’
‘Oh?’
‘Don’t get me wrong, I still find you devastatingly handsome and there are so many things I would love to do to your body.’ A beatific look came on her face as the options swirled in her mind. She shook herself. ‘For some strange reason, despite all that I rather prefer to spend the night with her. Maybe, you’re not the only one who is slipping.’
‘I thought you said I wasn’t.’
She giggled. ‘Never listen to a word I say when I’m holding a bottle. Farewell, my never realized lover.’
She walked away in the same direction Cissy had left in.
Azrael watched her leave with a thoughtful look on his face. His attention was soon drawn however to something much more interesting.
Noel stood alone on the beach lost in thought as he stared straight ahead at the rocks that lined part of the shore. On an unusually large rock, a lone figure sat in the darkness.
‘Cuts quite a poetic figure, doesn’t he?’ Azrael’s voice whispered behind his ear.
Noel turned sharply only to be confronted with Azrael’s grinning face. ‘What are you doing?’ he asked irritated.
‘I should be asking you that question.’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
Azrael cocked his head curiously. ‘Don’t you?’
‘It’s not as simple as you think.’
Azrael hummed interestedly. ‘Isn’t it?’
‘You wouldn’t understand.’
‘I may not understand love, but I am at least familiar with the vagaries of the heart. Tell me, why are you hesitating when you are so clearly in love with him?’
Noel stuttered, ‘I… I don’t… I’m not in love with him.’
Azrael scoffed. ‘You can lie to yourself but not to me.’ His blue eyes were piercing as they bored deep into Noel’s own. ‘Why?’
‘I…’ Noel averted his eyes. ‘I’m scared,’ he admitted softly.
Azrael beamed triumphantly. ‘Now we are getting somewhere.’
‘I just… I just don’t want my heart to get broken… Not again.’
Azrael rolled his eyes. ‘You are young, your heart can stand getting broken a few times. It will heal, it’s when you’re old that you have to be careful. One wrong move and you’re in the hospital for a myocardial infarction.’
Noel was quiet.
‘You have doubts, which is understandable, but I think you have forgotten the kind of person he is. Do you really think he will let you down?’
Noel slowly absorbed his words. ‘You’re right,’ he realized.
Azrael huffed. ‘Of course, I am.’
Noel gave him a look as if seeing him for the first time. ‘You know, you’re actually a really decent guy.’
Azrael’s eyes rolled contemptuously. ‘Humans. You treat them like a person one time and all of a sudden, all the evil you did just flies out the window. Pathetic.’
Noel scowled. ‘Now you ruined it.’
‘Why are you still talking to me?’
Noel shook his head in disappointment before turning to walk towards the shore.
Paul was lost in thought as he stared at the dark water, indifferent to the ocean sprays that landed on him at varying intervals. A sound from behind caused him to turn and he blinked in surprise as he saw Noel making his way towards him.
‘What are you doing here?’ he asked as Noel sat beside him.
‘Checking up on you,’ Noel answered, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the crashing waves.
‘Thank you, but I’m fine.’
‘Are you though?’ Noel asked hesitantly. ‘I don’t think we’ve been fine for a long time.’
The swirling waves mirrored the tumultuous emotions in Paul’s eyes as he turned his gaze back to the sea.
‘Please don’t,’ he whispered.
Noel grew silent and they stared quietly at the dark ocean together.
‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered so softly it could be carried off in the wind.
‘Why are you apologizing?’
‘I should have realized your feelings sooner. I didn’t mean to ignore them.’
Paul shook his head. ‘It’s not your fault. I kept them hidden from you.’
Noel hesitated. ‘Why… when?’
‘The first time we met. I had always thought that love at first sight was something that only belonged in fairy tales, but when I saw you, I knew. It was like I was struck by lightning and my body was hot and cold all at once. I suddenly had a feeling as if I had known you all my life and even before. It sounds weird but I felt as if I had loved you in a previous life and was now seeing you again after a lifetime.’
Noel was breathless. ‘That’s…’
‘Crazy? I know. I thought I was going crazy too.’
Noel’s eyes grew sad. ‘And you’ve been keeping that to yourself all this time. Why didn’t you tell me?’
Paul smiled sadly. ‘You were in love with someone else, remember?’
Noel scoffed derisively. ‘That wasn’t love. That was an obsession that turned unhealthy very quickly.’
‘Don’t be too hard on yourself. Besides, even if you weren’t, nothing would have changed.’ He looked away. ‘It wouldn’t have changed who I am.’
‘I know who you are.’
Paul shook his head. ‘I am not just Paul. I am a Crown Prince; my life isn’t mine to live. You deserve to be with someone who can be with you unconditionally, who can give you not only his heart but his life. I can’t do that. My duty is to my people, my family. I cannot abandon them to make myself happy. It’s selfish, and it’s not who I am.’
Noel nodded sadly. ‘I understand.’
He stood to leave but stopped and turned back. ‘No, I don’t understand.’
Paul looked up at him.
‘I don’t understand why it has to be this way, and I don’t want to understand.’
‘Noel…’
‘No, listen. I don’t know what’s going to happen or how this is going to end, but, as a very weird person told me, we are young. Instead of spending our time worrying about this or that, let’s just live in the moment.’
Paul shook his head. ‘It’s not that simple.’
‘It is if you make it so.’ Noel knelt in front of him. ‘I’ve had enough things taken from me. Not anymore. This time I’m going to take what I want and damn the consequences.’
He leaned forward until his face was inches from Paul’s.
‘I can’t do this alone. You have to meet me halfway.’
A thousand reasons to say no swirled in Paul’s mind. A dozen excuses were on the tip of his tongue. But instead of giving in to them, he shut his eyes and closed the gap between them.
Their bodies melted into each other as they lost themselves in a kiss that was both wild in its recklessness and soft in its tenderness.
Azrael watched them from afar with a content look on his face until his view of the new lovers was suddenly blocked.
He smiled pleasantly at Samuel. ‘Why, hello.’
‘You look awfully pleased with yourself.’
‘You should be pleased with me as well. See that,’ he looked pointedly behind Samuel. ‘I did that.’
Samuel’s gaze narrowed suspiciously. ‘Why?’
Azrael shrugged. ‘It was becoming annoying. Besides, I’m very interested to see where this goes. The ramifications would be quite amusing.’
‘So, you’re using them as your personal soap opera.’
Azrael’s nose wrinkled. ‘It sounds crass when you put it that way.’
‘That’s because it is.’
Azrael gave him a look. ‘Why are you upset? You wanted this to happen as well but unlike Jayden, I have no qualms about interfering.’
‘I can be happy with the result and still be upset with the intentions behind it.’
Azrael rolled his eyes. ‘You complain too much.’
‘Why are you here, Azrael?’
Azrael’s look turned puzzled. ‘Jayden’s birthday, what else?’
‘You don’t care about that.’
‘Meteor showers, then. And you can say what you want, but I was quite looking forward to them.’
Samuel’s gaze didn’t let up. ‘Be that as it may, there is another reason. I know you. You are just like Jayden, and like Jayden, nothing is ever simple with you. You always have more than one reason for doing anything.’
Azrael’s lips quirked. ‘You’ve gotten smarter.’
‘Answer the question.’
‘Fine,’ Azrael conceded. ‘I wanted to see the look on your face when you found out.’
Samuel frowned. ‘Found out what.’
Azrael smiled lazily at him. ‘So impatient. Don’t worry, I expect you’ll get the answer soon enough.’
A soft buzzing filled the air as Samuel’s phone rang quietly in his pocket.
‘Ah, just on time. I would answer that if I were you.’
An uneasy feeling settled on Samuel as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
A frown came upon his features as he read the caller ID.
‘Pearl?’ he said after picking up the call. ‘Why are you calling me?’
‘Samuel, we need to talk.’
‘Talk about what?’
There was a soft sigh. ‘I didn’t want to do this over the phone, but I suppose it would be easier this way.’
‘Pearl, what’s-‘
‘I’m pregnant.’
Author’s Note:
Hehe…
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