She always loved the beach. Even before coming to live on the island. Her mom would take her to Virginia, and they would leave their town for a while, just the two of them. They wouldn't go to Virginia beach, or anywhere remotely crowded or touristic, but to those little beaches only her mother seemed to know existed. They would sit there in silence and think, none of them saying anything, watching the waves crash against the shore, smelling the salt in the air, feeling the sand beneath them. The beaches of South California were no different really, and Tory always ended up going there to clear her mind of things. Anything. And God knows, these past weeks, her mind needed a whole lot of clearing.
She didn't expect to see him that night. Why would she? It was past midnight, and on a school day. She never thought of Ben as the type to take long walks on the beach while pondering the meaning of life. She was proved wrong by the sight of his silhouette sitting on the white sand. She only recognised him when he threw his head back, his blond hair now in the light of the moon. Her breath caught in her throat. I shouldn't be here, she thought, I shouldn't disturb him. The boy looked lost in his thoughts, his eyes closed and his chest rising slowly. She could hear his breathing, steady and slow. He looked peaceful and it seemed wrong for Tory to break that. In an attempt to leave unnoticed, she turned on her heals and took a step forward, only noticing the uneven ground a second too late. She tumbled down.
"Tory?" he said, looking in her direction "is that you?"
She got up – or rather jumped up- so fast she felt dizzy.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry I disturbed you" was all she could manage to mutter before turning back again, this time careful not to trip on anything.
"It's okay" his gaze never left her. He watched her walk back the way she came from and only called her name again just before she disappeared behind a small hill.
Tory heard her name being called and turned to look at Ben, who was patting a spot next to him on the sand. "Why'd you leave?"
"I didn't want to disturb you."
"Well it's too late for that. Sit down."
He seemed so unlike himself, she couldn't help but stare at him, studying his face to make sure it was in fact Ben beside her and not someone who just looked a lot like him trying to lure Tory into a trap, kidnap her and bargain some top-secret information her dad may have in exchange of her life.
Hey, you never know. After the month she had...
"Staring is impolite Brennan" he teased. She looked down.
"How did you know it was me?"
"Smelled you"
"You smelled me?" She wondered if she should take offense in that. After all, she had showered only hours before.
He nodded. A moment passed where neither of them said anything.
"What do I smell like?"
She was answered by a shrug.
"You don't know? How can you recognize me by my smell and not know?"
He sighed, obviously annoyed.
"Hey, you asked me to stay."
"Hi smells like coffee, Shelton smells like lavender and you... Well I don't know. You just smell good."
His remark was met by an awkward silence.
"Do you come here often?"
"Yes."
"I should go" she started to get up.
"Don't" he said as he grabbed for her wrist.
"Why?"
"Just stay. Please."He spoke in a voice she had never heard him use. Like a whisper.
She sat back down again.
"I guess..." his voice trailed off. "I guess I just come here to think."
"Me too."
"It's like the ocean can speak to me, you know? When I need advice I just come here and it tells me what to do."
"Ben" she struggled to hold back a laugh "the ocean is not alive. It's water. It can't speak to you."
His glare could've made the bravest man tremble.
"The ocean is magic Tory"
That time it was too much, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Sure it is."
"I swear. It is."
"No it's not."
"Yes, Tory, it is."
"No Ben, it's not."
"Why do you come here if it's just water to you?" His question silenced her. Why did she come here? Was it because it reminded her of her dead mother? Was it because it brought her back to her old life?
"Because it's calm here"
"The ocean is everything but calm"
"Okay. I surrender. You've got me. The ocean is magic" she raised her palms up, a sign of defeat.
"Science can't explain this Tory. The ocean... It's so big. And you're so small. It just puts things back in perspective. It gives you courage."
She had meant to mention that he was uncharacteristically talkative that night, but she was stopped by his lips on her. It was a soft, lingering kiss that didn't last more than a few seconds. She didn't expect anything different from Ben. He pulled away first, looked to the side and said : "It gives you courage to do things you never thought you'd do."
"I come here because of the memories" she whispered.
"Good or bad memories?"
"Happy memories" she concluded before standing up again. "Goodnight Ben"
"Goodnight Tory"
As she walked back from the ocean to her house, she couldn't help but think of courage. She didn't know if those memories of her mother were good or bad, but she knew they were happy. She didn't know if the memory she made tonight with Ben was good or bad, but she knew she felt happy. And she knew she felt like nothing in the world could stop her. She felt courageous.