Hey guys! It's been a long while since I've tried my hand at any story, but being locked down at home made me think why the hell not! I have a general idea of where I want this to go, and a few chapters already written. I'm not too great at feelings, so this is a challenge in the best way. If anyone wants to BETA I would loooove that. But until then, let me know what you think and where I could improve, and I'll be updating regularly!
Chapter One: The Meeting
The smell of fresh air and the salty sea hit Kaz's nose as she jumped out of her Jeep. She took a moment to breath it in. Closing her eyes, she could smell the sand mixing with the salty water at the cost line; she could hear the waves crashing and the seagulls cawing gently as they searched for food to feed their young.
'This is what I've been missing on the road,' Kaz thought.
After traveling in between land-locked states for months now, the pull of the ocean was getting to be too much for the 22-year-old to ignore any longer. The ocean had a pull like no other thing on the Earth, in Kaz's mind. It was the perfect mixture of calm, yet destructive. It could tear apart a ship and towns within a blink of an eye or be an amazing getaway for families and couples alike. It was a beautiful contradiction that had joined many others in Kaz's short life.
Standing there, camera in hand and her long, brunette hair billowing in the wind, just breathing it in, made Kaz sigh with relief. She was exactly where she wanted and needed to be.
There was a small scratch and whimpering noise coming from the inside of the Jeep. Kaz turned and gave a little smile while opening the door and leaning in to grab a leash.
"My bad, Ryder. You know momma's a sucker for some open water. Let's get out and explore some, yeah?" Talking to the pit bull distracted him long enough for Kaz to grab his purple Kong leash and latch it onto his matching harness. Ryder waited patiently and immediately jumped out when his owner moved to the side.
Locking the car doors, Kaz and Ryder made their way down the make-shift pathway down to the shoreline.
'I should have made my way to the northwest a looooot sooner, holy shit.' Finally reaching the shoreline, Kaz stopped a couple yards short of the water and looked around. She could see the seashells peeking out of the sand. Unlike the East coast, there were large rocks sprinkling the coast. There weren't many people here, luckily. However, there was a large group setting up what looked to be a bonfire and tables on tables of food a ways down the beach to her right. The sun was beaming down brightly, giving off a heat Kaz didn't think was possible this far north. 'It is the middle of July. I shouldn't be surprised. It's like finding out Michigan isn't covered in snow 365 days of the year.'
Dropping the black and white pups' leash and telling him stay, Kaz got to work snapping pictures of everything that caught her eye, including plenty of pictures of the adorable 4-year-old pup on her side. She decided to get a couple on her phone as well to post on the web later.
Suddenly, Kaz hears Ryder let out a massive bark and take off sprinting towards a low-flying bird that flew too close. 'Fuck,' was the only thing she could think before shoving her phone into the back of her blue jean shorts and taking off sprinting in the same direction.
Running across the beach as fast as she could still wasn't enough for Kaz to keep up. 'He's still a fast little fucker.'
The chase was short-lived 'Thank God,' as the bird grew tired of being chased and swooped up towards the sky, and Ryder had made the choice to go sniff out the food currently sitting on the large groups' tables. Most of the group, it seemed, had stopped to watch the spectacle, while a couple of guys had moved over to greet Ryder and feed him some scraps he had been sniffing rather hard.
Coming to a breathless halt by the tables, Kaz quickly snatched Ryder's leash up and fastened it around where her black t-shirt was tucked into her shorts.
"I am so sorry, he usually stays by my side, but birds are his kryptonite." The tiny group of boys chuckled between themselves and turned to look at Kaz.
"He's a very friendly dog, what's his name?" Kaz looked towards the tall, Native American boy that had spoken. She could not believe what she was seeing. Each boy had gorgeously tanned skin, along with all being well over six feet tall. Still struggling to catch her breath, Kaz plopped down in the sand and said "Ryder, his name's Ryder," to the extremely fit boy. 'More like MANNNN,'
Another spoke, "Don't worry about it, it's not every day we have cute dogs to meet, even if he just wants food from us," he gave a grin and looked at Kaz, but froze as soon as his gaze landed on her face.
"Yeah I promise I feed him; he just can't resist an open buffet." Kaz told him. The other boys looked at their slightly frozen friend and looked back at Kaz, who had her arms resting on her knees, and her forehead propped on her arms looking down at the sand.
One of the boys nudged the frozen guy and he snapped out of his trance.
"Uh, so what's your name? I don't think we've ever seen you around here before."
Kaz looked up and got to her feet, "Kaz, and y'all's?"
The boy who had first spoken stepped slightly closer and held out his hand.
"I'm Embry." Kaz gave him a firm handshake and looked him directly in the eyes, knowing a firm handshake is an important impression for guys. Embry raised his eyebrows before motioning over to the other boys.
"That's Brady, Collin, and Jacob." The other boy that had spoken stepped up and held his hand out. "I'm Seth," he informed her with a rather large smile on his face. Kaz gave him a warm smile in return and a firm shake.
"It's nice to meet you guys. I actually just got into town. The beach has been calling my name for weeks."
That perked Seth up, not a lot of outsiders found this particular beach.
"How'd you know where to find this place? It's kind of secluded."
"Oh, I have an app that shows me all the less-traveled roads. I like to end up in hidden spots that no one else really finds. Y'know, breaking out of the tourist traps and all," Kaz supplied. Finding a back road of the well-known routes was a favorite past time Kaz had always enjoyed on adventures. Traveling the last year all over the United States had made her a pro at it.
The boys all looked at each other, before Brady spoke up, "That's definitely a different way to travel. Why that way?"
Kaz had been asked the same question a million times.
"It's a great way to find the local places and explore hidden places. I've never been disappointed, maybe a little lost and surprised, but never disappointed. Plus, less people mean Ryder is free to roam off his leash," she finished with a sideways grin. It seemed it was an acceptable answer for the group of boys.
"You know, you and Ryder can join us for the bonfire, if you'd be up to it," Seth offered while feeding a chicken leg to Ryder and giving him a pat on the head. Kaz gave him a slight look of shock.
"I'd be down for it, and I can't speak for Ryder, but-" she looked at Ryder receiving tummy rubs from Seth and Embry while holding a chicken leg bone in his mouth, "I think he's fine as long as he keeps getting fed." With that, Seth's face gave way to a huge grin he couldn't contain.
"But I need to put my stuff up and I'll be back," Kaz told him, gesturing to the all but forgotten camera and bag halfway down the beach.
Not missing a beat, Seth was by her side. "I'm happy to go with," he told her and started walking back to Kaz's stuff. Not having a choice, 'not that I mind,' Kaz thought, she called Ryder to follow. Still with a little chicken bone left in his mouth, he trotted along her side.