Chapter three
I round the corner to where the restrooms are and hear my beauty's voice, she sounds sad and all I want is to run to her and comfort her but I can't, she wouldn't understand, she doesn't know me yet. "Daddy please tell me you didn't extend your tour again?" she begs into the phone. I stand just around the corner from her feeling bad for listening but unable to stop myself "You were supposed to be here a week ago you promised you'd be home for my birthday and you missed it" she sighs "It was fine, yes I got very drunk, yes I took lots of pictures. Daddy that's not point I know I'm acting like a brat but I just want you home, what was that? no Daddy don't go!" she cries I prick my ears up trying to pick up the other end of the phone call but the lines so crappy I can only just make out a muffled male voice. "I love you please be careful, Dad? Dad? Daddy?" I hear her hang up the phone and start to cry, I can't hold myself back anymore I have to go to her. I walk over and see her crying into her hands with her back against the wall.
"Adrian?" I say softly as I get close to her, her head pops up and her red teary eyes break my heart. "What's wrong?" I ask. She doesn't say anything she just tries to catch her breath. I pull her against my chest and hug her, she gasps and stiffens for a second but she doesn't protest or try to get away infact she leans her head against my shoulder. I shush her and rock her gently until her breathing starts to sound normal. "You ok?" I whisper against her hair and I feel her nod.
"Yeah I'm sorry" she says
"You have nothing to apologise for" I tell her.
"Why are you being nice to me? You don't even know me?" she murmurs her hands clenched in fists against my chest.
"Maybe I'd like to" I whisper and she suddenly starts laughing at first I'm worried she's laughing at me "what's so funny?" I ask.
"I was just thinking you and your friends are lucky I don't enforce a no shoes, no shirt, no service policy" she giggles and it's a beautiful sound. I laugh too and look down at my half naked form.
"Yeah pretty lucky huh?" I say. "You wanna take a walk?" I ask her praying she'll say yes. She looks up at me her eyes wide.
"Ok" she breathes and I don't even try to stop the huge smile that covers my face.
Five minuets later we're walking down the beech side by side, when I woke up this morning I never thought for a second I'd be spending the afternoon walking in the surf with my imprint. "So do you want to talk about it? Or do you want me to just shut up?" I ask and she smiles at me.
"You mean the phone call?" she asks and I nod, she sighs and shrugs her shoulders "It's just my Dad he's a Captain in the military he has been since I was kid every time the end of his service comes up he promises me he's coming home and we can be a family again then he goes and extends his tour another four years because his boys have and he doesn't want to leave them" she says.
"I'm sorry" I tell her and she smiles
"It's alright I'll stop being surprised one day, it won't be so bad then" she huffs and shakes her head "So why do people call you Duck? I get the feeling you don't like that name?"
"I hate it" I tell her and she laughs "when I was a kid like just learning to talk my Dad would split my name into two syllables trying to teach me how to say it but it just kept coming out Duck, anyway pretty soon the whole family was calling me Duck" I say rolling my eyes and she laughs
"But you prefer Riddoc?" she asks and I practically fall over at the way she says my name all I can do is nod. "Then I'll call you Riddoc. Can I tell you a secret Riddoc?" she asks stopping and standing close to me.
"Sure" I shrug trying not to show how her proximity is affecting me.
"I remember you from the festival in the crowd at the bar, do you remember me?" she asks.
"Definitely, I don't think I could forget" I grin and she smiles back.
"What did you think?" she asks
"Of... of what of the band?" I ask and she laughs
"Yeah what else?"
"You guys were great"
"I'm glad you liked it" she says then carries on walking I look up and realise we've walked the entire length of the beech and she's turned around heading back to the pier. My heart sinks realising my time with her is almost up.
"Adrian? My family is having a bonfire on the beach tomorrow night would you like to come, it's just gonna be family and friends and I can tell the guys already like you" I say hopeful
"On this beach?" she asks and I nod "Erm I don't know I'll be working at the bar so..."
"Well we don't usually get started till about ten so you could just come by whenever I'd really like it if you were there" I say and she smiles.
"Ok I'll see if I can drop by after closing" she agrees and I grin in triumph.
We walk back towards the pier quite slowly just talking, I learn about her likes and dislikes she tells me about her childhood, how her mom left when she was six and how her dad was always away with the army, she moved around a lot being passed between family members and close friends until she got her own place when she was eighteen.
I ask her about 'Third rib and up' and she tells me how she met the rest of the band and how they were so close to making something of themselves when she was sixteen but she tells me like a lot of bands it just wasn't meant to be the band broke up due to different interests, failed relationships, and the band killer that is drug abuse. The drummer got married and had a kid dropping out of the band to spend more time with his daughter; the rhythm guitarist got into the drug scene and got kicked out of the band and ended up in rehab. I have to clench my fists when she tells me she used to date her bassist and that they broke up breaking the last straw on the proverbial camel's back, I calm down a little when she later mentions he's now happily married too.
It turns out her band isn't making music at all anymore they only play together every now and again for old times sake and they only performed at the festival six weeks ago as a favour to the guy running it, one of the bands had dropped out last minuet and he'd asked Adrian and her band to fill in. She asks me about my family and I tell her about my sister, I tell her of course Mom is the same age as Dad and go with the story Dad already set up for me in the surf and turf bar. I tell her that I lived here my whole life and went to college in Seattle to study engineering, she seems pretty impressed.
I don't want to leave her but we're back at the bar which I now realise is called the Surf Shack, the sign on the front has brown lettering on the front of a huge yellow and orange surfboard with a big bite out of it and inside business looks booming but I can't see any of the other wolves looks like they finished and left. "You didn't get to eat" she says and I turn back to her and smile.
"That's ok I'd rather hang out with you than Seth and Shila I wasn't that hungry anyway" I lie, I'm starving but I don't want her to feel bad, the second those words leave my mouth my stomach let's out a loud grumble and drops me in it, she laughs and looks down at my stomach, for a second I think she might be biting her lip.
"Liar" she laughs and I awkwardly rub the back of my neck. "Come on let's get you something" she tilts her head towards the bar and pulls me inside by the hand but I stop in the doorway.
"Only if you eat with me" I grin she laughs and rolls her eyes.
"Why do you have a phobia of eating alone?" she smirks and I laugh
"No, I just want to spend more time with you" I admit with a shrug, she smiles at me and I smile right back.
"Ok I guess I am pretty hungry too" she nods and I smile even wider.
We sit at the bar and she orders for us when I ask her what's good here, she chooses the Brie and Bacon burger with Crab cakes and it's delicious, we talk for hours until she insists I have to leave so she can get back to work its lucky she's the owner I wouldn't want her in trouble for spending time with me.
When I get home my Mom is practically dancing about the house she's so happy for me she pulls me into a hug and kisses both cheeks "Jake told me you finally found Adrian that's so great honey" she coos in her sing song voice
"Yeah it is thanks Mom" I smile as she dances over to the oven and pulls out a tray of fresh cookies, my Mom loves to bake, she owns a cupcake shop in Forks. I shake my head at her antics and head up to my room, I'm exhausted.
Willow meets me at the top of the stairs with a big smile on her face. "Hey Duck did you have a good time with your imprint today?" she asks me.
"Yeah it was awesome" I admit.
"She's really cool I can't wait to meet her tomorrow night at the bonfire" Willow sings happily.
"That's if she shows" I tell her "and if she is there you'll have to be careful with her you know she's human"
"I know I know, I will be fine, if Brady's with me there will be no episodes I promise"
"Good, you really think she'll come?" I ask
"I've seen it" she smiles then skips off down the stairs. Willow can only see her own future so I guess she saw herself meeting Adrian tomorrow night. I flop down on my bed and smile excited at the prospect of spending more time with the love of my life.