Seeing Stars: A Blake Gray Story

10- Home

On the drive home Addison keeps questioning you on what happened to make you suddenly want to leave before the party was even close to over.

You: *changing the subject*
"So you made friends fast."

Addison: "Yeah Dixie was so cool. I don't really have friends here other than my roommate and she went home for the entire summer so I've been alone for over a month."

You: "That sounds lonely. Why wouldn't you come home too?"

Addison: "Probably the same reason you're enjoying being here more than you want to admit."

You: "Why didn't we ever talk like this before now?"

Addison: "That house just creates such a competitive vibe, I swear. But I don't want that. That's why I flew you out here. I thought I missed home, but at Christmas I realized I really just missed you."

The next day, Blake had surprised you with a trip to the beach. While he sat in your kitchen waiting for you to get ready, you were staring at a pile of clothes that you knew wouldn't work without even trying them on. You sneak across the hall to raid Addison's closet and settle on a neutral colored, ruffled bikini. You walk out and Blake turns to face you and stretches his lips into a huge smile:
"Wow."

You: "It's just a bathing suit."

Blake: "I don't think anything you put on your body is capable of being less than just... wow."

You blush and push him out the door playfully. Before you can get in, he blocks you and pulls you into another kiss. The entire car ride he has his hand on your bare thigh and you can feel your stomach doing flips every time it moves. You should be nervous about being so close to someone you barely know, but you're just so grateful to share your first ever trip to the beach with him.

You are absolutely in awe of the ocean and spend most of the morning splashing around in the water. After a few hours you collapse on your towel in the sand and Blake sits next to you and offers to put more sunscreen on you. Just the feeling of his hands gliding up your back and then up and across your shoulders. As his fingers move down the new tan lines across your chest, you feel his lips softly press against your neck just behind your ear.

Blake: *whispering*
"You are unbelievable."

You turn your head towards him and he kisses you like you were the only two people on the beach. Your head is spinning so you don't notice the man with a camera 100 feet away taking photos of you two, but Blake does and motions towards the water.

Blake: "I'm gonna go for a swim to cool off."

You follow him to the water and splash him playfully like you had been all morning, but his entire mood has shifted. When you question him, he points out the photographer.

You: "Why is someone taking photos of us?"

Blake: "It's paparazzi, they always manage to find where I am. It gets so annoying."

You try to understand what it must feel like and don't take it personally that he obviously waits until you're pretty far out in the water surrounded by people to wrap his arms around you.

When you get out of the water, you guys decide to pack up and grab lunch before heading back.

On the walk back to the car, you instinctively reach for his hand and feel your stomach drop when he pulls away and shoves his hands in the pocket of his board shorts.

You: "Are you ashamed of being seen with me?"

Blake: "What? No! Why would you say that?"

You: "You were very affectionate back at my apartment, and even when we first got to the beach. Then as soon as the photographers showed up, you barely touched me. I can understand not wanting to be photographed making out, but now you can't even hold my hand? There aren't even any paparazzi around here."

Blake: "You wouldn't understand. They have a way of taking even the most meaningless exchange and twisting it into something it's not."

You: "So them thinking you are enjoying time with someone special to you, is what it's not?"

Before he can argue any different, you've completely shut down and ask him to just drop you off at home. You aren't feeling up for lunch anymore. You already know this was ending in a few days, but you didn't understand why he was ashamed of spending time with you. Just before you get out of the car you can't even make eye contact, but work up the nerve to say:

"If you're ashamed of what we are doing here, whatever this is, then maybe we shouldn't be doing it."