Part 13: The Beach
Out here, on the beach, she felt complete solitude. Two weeks ago, when she had arrived, it had been refreshing. There was only her, the sound of the waves, the sand, and the large house that Carlos had almost completely talked her into buying.
“I don’t know why I’m doing you any favors.” She had told him two days after he had dragged her to Cro-bar. “You bring me to that place against my will and then leave me with that pig…”
Carlos had cut her off, raising his hand to her face. “He was drunk…and he got mugged that night, Randa. Show a little sympathy.”
“He was a pig. He deserved to be mugged. Although I am a bit concerned about the muggers, they could have caught a disease.” She was refilling her own glass as the two of them had sat on her balcony eating brunch. He put his glass in front of her and she unwillingly filled his as well.
“That’s harsh, Rand…he’s sorry about what happened.” Carlos paused and looked out at the ocean, thinking of Nick’s state the previous evening. He had walked around looking even more empty than normal. It was not like Nick to act so pathetic. But when Carlos had mentioned Miranda, Nick had somehow snapped out of it momentarily. He had raised his head to listen to what his bodyguard was saying, and actually expressed an interest in seeing her.
“I need to apologize to her for something.” Nick had said, his face becoming red.
Carlos had known even then that Randa would not want to see him. That if she ever saw Nick again it would have to be unknowingly, and even then he was sure she’d give him a piece of her mind. The poor guy really stood no chance. Especially if he continued to behave the way he had been behaving lately. Carlos was into a good time, probably more-so than most people. But hey, there was always a breaking point, and in his eyes, Nick had gone far beyond that in recent months.
“Let’s talk about something else. Let’s talk about you taking that beach cottage off my hands…” Carlos told her as he sipped his OJ. Randa had sighed. She loved that house. It was almost a weakness. All the memories of growing up there, barbecues with her entire family, times when they had all been so happy, so unaware of what life would bring to them. Her chest heaved.
“You win again, Carlos. I don’t have the energy to fight you.” She got up and walked into her apartment and looked around. She wouldn’t miss being away from it. It hadn’t really been home to her, despite the 8 months she had spent there.
Carlos had remained on the deck and looked out at the ocean, smiling. He loved his cousin. He couldn’t stand seeing her fade away the way she was doing now. Maybe the old place would help.
And really, Miranda had thought so, too. It was almost like it had been her final quest for peace in her heart. But she wasn’t feeling it. She was sitting, lonely, on a vacant spread of land, reading a semi-decent romance novel about two people she could hardly relate to who wanted to “feel one another inside and out.”
“Hmmph.” Said Miranda aloud. She had been talking to herself a lot lately. The thought occurred to her that she could have been one of those stars on the soaps who were continually caught addressing themselves and somehow caught by a neighbor or child. But there was no one around here to catch her.
She continued reading, the wind blowing her hair out of her pony tail holder. It was fine and fell in front of her eyes and she brushed it away so she could continue reading about Josie and Paul and the way his body glistened in the early morning dew. The two of them would be going at it soon…
Going at it. Randa hadn’t even thought about that until just a few weeks ago, when that person had been at the club. It was hard for her to think of his name.
Nickolas.
But now as she read about Josie and Paul and their bodies melding into one another she thought of him. She was allowed these few escapes every now and then, thinking of his chest and how it would feel to rub her head against it. Thinking of how smooth and creamy his skin had seemed.
Thinking about what an ass-hole he was. She snapped out of her visions of him laying on top of her, sliding gently inside of her. She shook the thought of him away. And then she heard a voice and felt a hand on her shoulder and she screamed, dropping Josie and Paul into the sand and falling slightly out of her chair.
*****
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” She asked, looking up at him squinting. The sun was bright behind him, and his body was more of a shadow. It was looming over her. “You scared the piss out of me.” Normally she wouldn’t use such profanity, but he had been profane with her, hadn’t he?
“I…I…” Nick stuttered, offering her a hand to stand up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you….”
Randa interrupted. “And what the hell are you doing here? If you had any type of brain you’d know that I never want to see that cocky smile of yours again.” It wasn’t really true. Miranda knew that. She had seen that cocky smile in her dreams every night since she had met him. She was helpless to stop it. For some reason it was always there when she closed her eyes.
Nick held his hand there steadily, unwavering and she eventually took it. She was much shorter than him but as she stood there with her arms crossed looking up at his squinting eyes she seemed and even felt much stronger. She noticed, though, that he somehow looked better. The black and blue bags from beneath his eyes were almost completely gone. His pale skin had been replaced with a nice light tan. And it seemed as if his eyes had a sparkle, a life to them that they had been lacking the first time she had met him.
“So?” Miranda said, still glaring upwards at him. “You haven’t answered my question.”
“I, uh.” Nick let a slight breath escape. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. Not for two weeks. It seemed like everything he did was for her. He had forced Carlos to tell him everything, about their childhood, about her interests, about her life. He had started writing music again, started to feel like singing. It was perfect. If only she didn’t hate him. And finally, by charming Carlos as he had charmed so many others in his life, he convinced his bodyguard to tell him where she had been hidden away these past weeks. And he was here to apologize, to tell her that somehow, in that quick moment he had seen her she had saved him.
She had saved him. Only Nick had the feeling that she had no control over it at all. That there was a completely different person who was watching over him. But for some reason, he could not remember who exactly that person was. Only that they were there.
And here was Miranda. Standing so strong and proud and beautiful. She was everything he had been waiting for.
Nick took a deep breath. “I, uh, wanted to apologize.” He gazed down into her deep brown eyes. He could get lost in them, he was sure. “I wanted to know if we could start over. Cause, well…I want to get to know you…” He inhaled and his chest expanded. She couldn’t help herself either, could she?
It was against all of Miranda’s principals to do what she did. Against her strength and will and power. When she looked into Nick’s eyes she knew that she had no control. She knew that this person had drilled a hole into her heart and somehow attached his own to it. She hardly knew him. She didn’t care. He answered all of her questions in just being him.
Miranda reached up and brushed a stray strand of blond hair out of his left eye. He wasn’t a shadow any longer. He was there, in the flesh, living, breathing, wanting her to touch him. Her hand moved down to his neck, sweet soft skin that looked as if it was good enough to eat. Her eyes got drowsy. She was examining those lips again. How they called to her. And then she reached up and betrayed whatever instinct was left and slid her soft lips against his own and every inch of her awoke for the first time that she could remember. Velvety sweetness enveloped her mouth as he slid his tongue between her lips and began to kiss her back. To kiss her deeply, telling her soul that he had found her, finally.
Part 14
Spirit Guide
NinasFiction
NinasFeet
