16: Shaking from the Cold: DJ and Beth

Brady was a mistake. He was a hot, lovable guy, but he was a mistake. Beth realized this all too late of course, but at least she came to that conclusion before accepting a marriage proposal. Shouting "no" might not have been the best way to let him know. Still, it was effective and he got the message loud and clear. After drinking most of the night away, she came home to find the apartment they had shared since the end of high school empty of all his things. Well, at least she knew where her future lay: alone in an apartment with her stuffed bear and badminton racket.

At twenty-four, Beth had a lot of things going for her. She was a national champion when it came to badminton, had the financial freedom to live wherever she wanted, her dog Snuggles loved her to pieces, and she finally had no braces. She even got a pair of contacts, coloured one, violet to be specific. So really, the loss of Brady wasn't all bad. Now she was single in a big city with lots of opportunity. What more could she want?

A lot more apparently. After less than a month of being single, she was sick of it. Beth didn't want Brady back, but when she heard of Gwen and Duncan's engagement, and how other couples from "Total Drama" started to get serious, well, she started to feel left out. The straw that broke her back was Heather though. Heather, the demon spawn from the underworld, was getting married. Heather, the girl who claimed she hated Alejandro and would never settle for a conventional life, was marrying her arch nemesis. Beth had it. She packed up all her things, including Snuggles, and caught a train to anywhere that wasn't a place suffocating with couples.

She ended up in a small town just outside of Arizona. Going in, she knew no one, and that was exactly how she liked it. That lasted for all of .05 seconds. When she exited the train station, she saw DJ, an old friend from "Total Drama", feeding the birds on a nearby bench. He hadn't changed much since the last reunion. He was still as handsome, still as charming, and still as fearful; this proven when he screamed when he saw what he thought was a hook-shaped shadow. Man the guy really needed to relax.

Beth went over and he leapt from his seat to give her a hug. "So good to see you Beth! Why didn't you tell me you were coming to town?" he asked as he spun her around like she was his best friend. They were close, sure, but nothing she would consider past friend. Yet she really could use the hug so she said nothing about it.

"It's good to see you too DJ. I didn't know this was your town," she chuckled as he set her down, adjusting her bags that lay at her feet. Snuggles stuck close to Beth's side. The St. Bernard reached her waist and was an intimidating figure, perfect for a single lady in a new place. When DJ saw the animal, he knelt down and pulled out a dog biscuit from his pocket. Snuggles sniffed it then took it eagerly.

"Do you always keep treats in your pocket?" she asked, trying not to sound judgemental, although it was slightly weird.

DJ shrugged. "Sometimes. Usually when I'm feeding the birds. Hey, how long are you in town for? I'd love to treat you to lunch. There's a great place down the block that lets in dogs."

"Well, I was kinda thinking of moving here. I could use the break from the big city," she explained. "And lunch sounds like a good idea. I haven't eaten since yesterday."

They headed to the restaurant and after a few minutes of chatting, they basically had each other's stories. DJ had moved to the town after one of his various fears got him fired from his job. He came to the country to find some peace of mind, and along the way he found a job as a dog sanctuary. His place, which was quite large, housed any animals (mainly dogs) that needed a safe place and some healing. He loved his work but had to admit, he was getting lonely too.

"I know what you mean about the weddings. It's like, why is everyone rushing into things? Can't we all just relax and look at the bigger picture?"

"I agree! And the fact that Heather caved means something is seriously wrong with the world," she said over her cup of coffee and tomato soup.

DJ chuckled. "Yeah, that announcement caught me off guard. You gonna go to the wedding in the spring?" Beth nodded. "Me too. Hey, maybe if you're still in town, we can go together."

Beth smiled. The idea wasn't too bad, considering she didn't have a date, and it would make driving there easier. "Sure, why not. Say, do you know of any places that would be for rent? I'd like to find a spot as soon as possible, you know?"

The animal lover thought about this for a moment then nodded. "Well, if you like, I've got an extra room in my place. The dogs are in a stable out back, but they often wander in the house a lot. If that doesn't bother you, we could split the rent," he suggested.

Seeing as she had no other options, Beth agreed. After lunch they moved her into his place and that was that. She expected it to be easy living with DJ. There would be no complexities that came with sharing a space with a guy, no stupid fights that would go on forever, and she wouldn't have to worry about hurting his feelings because he was her friend and friends always told the truth. If only it were that simple, right? Wrong.

She started to get . . . feelings for DJ. And not the kind she could smother with a pillow, but the kind that kept her up at night, wanting to smother herself with a pillow just so she could get some sleep and not be kept up by thoughts of DJ.

Because, the problem was, it was easy for her to like DJ. He wasn't a guy that had a lot of bad traits. He was smart, kind, gentle, good with animals, and literally everyone in town loved him for those reasons. He was a good guy and by the time winter came around, Beth was thoroughly over this crush she had developed. It didn't help that, for the past few months, she saw him shirtless every morning, walk around in a towel, go jogging with the dogs, and do other things that shoved his well- defined, unattainable body in her face.

The worst part though, was she couldn't tell if he thought about her like she did him. Like, he had absolutely no tells that would hint he liked her in a serious way. He treated her like he did everyone else, but some days he made her coffee before he went for a run, or he'd practice badminton with her even though he was terrible. He taped her favourite shows when she was out at her part time job. Things like that sent the wrong message to a girl who, for most of her life, was ignored by the opposite gender.

One morning, she found DJ outside calling someone's name. She pulled on a jacket and went over to him. "DJ, what's wrong?" She noticed he wasn't wearing a jacket, explaining why he was shivering so badly. It was almost 30 degrees Fahrenheit outside; whatever he was looking for must have been pretty important.

The trembling man looked at her and rubbed his arms. "D-Dino got away. H-He's just a pup, doesn't know any b-better. Gotta f-find him," DJ muttered, looking like he was going to start walking deeper into his property. Beth grabbed a hold of his hand and forced him to stop.

"You are not going out there without a jacket, DJ. Get inside and warm up; I'll find him," she promised. "What does he look like?"

"H-He's a Dalmatian. You gotta f-find him Beth. H-He's special," DJ pleaded.

"I promise. Now get inside before you freeze you idiot." She shoved him to the door and sighed as she watched him close it. With that, she set out to find the escaped pup.

It took her almost an hour, but she came back with the poor tike. He was cold but none worse for wear. Beth brought him inside and wrapped him in a blanket. DJ, who was curled up on the couch, bolted towards her when he saw the dog and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you for finding him," he whispered.

Suddenly, Beth was overcome with anger. She shoved him away from her roughly and glared at him.

"Don't touch me!"

"Beth, what's wrong? I thought-"

"Thought what, that you could just play games with, make me think you like me then just . . . just . . . ugh!" She shook her head and stepped away from him further.

DJ stared at her with a somber expression which only made her angrier. "Look, I can't handle it anymore. I just . . . you make me feel . . . you make me feel like I did before everything got so awful with Brady and I don't want that to happen to us so I think I'm just going to find a new place and-" he stopped her rambling with a kiss, nearly causing her contacts to pop out. She placed a hand against his chest and grabbed the fabric, pulling him closer to her as the kiss lengthened. His lips were soft and tasted like vanilla chap stick and as he ran his hand down her back she thought of all those wasted years before this very second and she was beginning to think that maybe settling down was the best idea ever. With DJ, it didn't feel much like settling, but something much more exciting.