A/N: 'The Waves' by Elisa is one of my favorite songs. It serves as a great soundtrack for this. Js.
Prompt: field
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BPOV
I wait until he's a safe distance down the beach to emerge from my hiding place and before I can overthink it, I'm following him. I stick close to the dunes, completely prepared to dive behind a mound of sand to avoid being caught stalking someone in the middle of the night.
I barely notice the several hotels and houses we pass along the way, but I don't miss a single movement he makes. The lift of his arm to run a hand through his wet hair. The half-hearted kick he gives a sea shell across the sand. His casual, unhurried gait. He barely lifts his head as he goes. I want to know what he's thinking about that's keeping him in his head right now, so I get lost in mine a little. I wonder what his name is and what he's doing out here alone. Is he a local or on vacation? His age and where he was born. If he has a job and what field he works in. The degree to which I want these answers kind of scares me.
I only look back once, after I've been walking for at least ten minutes. The lights from the club are barely a twinkle now and I feel a tugging in my chest. A faint temptation to run back to safety. To her.
I keep going.
Just as I look back to him, he turns to the right slightly and away from the water. I slow my feet, but stay with him. He passes through the opening of a old sand fence with warped, leaning planks. It leads him up a small, worn pathway. When he reaches the end of it and looks up, he stops abruptly and I freeze in place. It only takes me a second to make out the figure standing on the deck a few yards ahead of him. I drop into a crouch behind a patch of sea grass and pray that it provides enough cover. Clenching my eyes shut, I silently berate myself for my current predicament. I'm shoeless and hiding in the middle of the night so that the gorgeous wet guy I'm tailing doesn't see me.
Way to be single, Bella.
Once I've gathered the guts to look, I find him on the deck now. It's his profile I'm met with this time and even from this far away, it only adds to his draw. His hair is mostly dry now so it's easier to tell that it's cut closer in back and on the sides, but longer on the top. It hangs over his forehead as he looks down at the person in front of him. He puts one hand on his hip and uses the other to push his hair back. He keeps his fingers fisted in it and rolls his head back on his shoulders just before he laughs. It's loud and real. The sound carries through the backyard and all the way down over the dunes to where I am. The corners of my mouth lift in response. In this moment, I want nothing more than to hear him do that again. To be the cause of it. To see it up close.
The person in front of him doesn't share in his humor, reaching up to slap him in the forehead. He stumbles back a little and I cover my mouth to keep from laughing. But my hand drops and my smile evaporates as he walks forward and bends his knees, bringing himself down to eye level with her. He pulls her to him by her upper arms, but she resists, pushing at his chest and pointing a finger at him. I can't hear anything she's saying but by the way she alternates between gesturing around wildly and crossing her arms over her chest as she rants, he must be getting one hell of a scolding. She's about a foot shorter than him and, from what I can see of her, beautiful. Her slim figure is covered in a long, flowing maxi dress and her blonde hair whips in the wind coming in from the beach. It glows almost yellow in the lights from the deck.
He seems playful in response to her ire, holding both hands up in surrender when she's finished. He says something before poking her in the side and immediately ducking out of the way when she swings at him. He laughs again, quieter this time. With what seems like a little more seriousness, he takes one of her hands and gestures toward the water, telling her something I wish I could hear. They stare at each other for a moment before she nods at him. He pulls her close, slings an arm around her shoulder and kisses her on top of the head. I watch as she begrudgingly lets him lead her through the backdoor of a house I've barely glanced at.
When the lights on the deck go out, I'm left in the sand like a creepy, shoeless fool.
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Creepin ain't easy, yall. See you tomorrow :)
~jada~
