He smiles softly, sleep still present in his beautiful brown eyes. My eyes rake over his body before rolling onto my back, tossing my arm out toward him.
“You’re making it hard for me not to crawl back into bed next to you.”
“I wouldn’t complain one bit.”
He grins. “Give me a few, and I’ll be right back.”
I nod, smiling back at him as he presses his knee down on the bed leaning over to kiss me. It’s quick, before he pulls back, turning to pull on a pair of shorts as he sneaks out the door.
It doesn’t take me long to doze off back to sleep. The breeze flowing in from the beach, the waves crashing against the shore in the distance, brings a quiet peacefulness. A little while later, I wake with the scent of sausage and bacon lingering in the air as Brix whispers my name, urging me to wake up.
Peeking one eye open, he’s fully dressed now looking like he had jumped out of the shower not too long ago. His hair is still damp as he carries a tray with a plate of food and a pitcher of orange juice.
“Good morning.” He grins, pausing to stare at me from where the sheets now sit partially covering my lower half. His eyes linger on my body, biting on his lip ring, sucking it into his mouth before his eyes find their way back to mine.
“I hope you’re hungry,” he hums, setting the tray on top of my legs.
Sitting up, I stretch my arms over my head, letting my hair cascade down my back. Swiping a piece of bacon, I take a bite as I moan. It’s been so long since I’ve eaten bacon. My student budget settles for what’s easy and affordable, resorting to cereal and milk or pop tarts for the mornings when I was up entirely too late.
“This looks amazing.”
Brix sits on the bed near my feet, digging in to his plate sitting next to mine. We sit in silence as we both eat.
“How is your mom doing?”
He takes a few seconds, looking lost in his thoughts while he considers how to respond. “She seemed good. Lighter, happier. She’s ready to be home, though. I can tell she’s getting antsy.”
“Have you thought about going to see her?”
“They actually want me to start doing counseling sessions before she goes home. I’m waiting to find out when exactly.”
“That’s good. I’m sure she’s looking forward to seeing you.”
“I am, too. I don’t even remember the last time I saw my mom sober. It’s been years, honestly.”
My heart clenches in my chest at the sound of his words, the ache and sadness at the admission. My dad took off when I was young because he simply didn’t want the responsibility of having a child. My mom mentioned he struggled with addiction when they were married. I’ve thought about what it would be like if he hadn’t taken off, how our relationship would’ve been, and how having him in my life would’ve shaped me.
There’s a very real possibility if he had stayed, Brix and I would be going through very similar paths with our parents.
“I’m here for you. You know, if you need or want to talk, or if you don’t.”
He takes a bite of his toast, chewing quietly as he nods his head. “I know. I appreciate it, too.”
After breakfast, Brix takes the tray downstairs and takes care of cleaning up the dishes while I escape to the bathroom to shower. We decide since today is our last day in Myrtle Beach, we’ll get out of the house and do some sightseeing.
I’ve visited here before, but I was much younger and don’t really remember it. We walk from our house to downtown, taking in some of the shops and bars along the boardwalk.
Being away from home, away from the people, it’s almost like we’re two different people. Brix, the once wild bad boy with a reputation for spending his nights with random women, is seemingly the attentive boyfriend.
He held my hand, kissed me without thought, and made me laugh more times than I can count. We joked about my taste in music when I told him I still enjoy listening to some of the country music I grew up on.
When I see the spark hit his eye and his smile stretch across his face, for a moment, I’m lost in thought, thinking about how perfect this weekend has been and how I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I try to push out of my mind how it’s all going to change when we leave here and head back home. While we’ll still have our moments together, we still have the secret of who we are and what we’re going to contend with.
After we grab dinner, we decide to take another walk along the boardwalk, overlooking the ocean.
“Want to go for a ride?” Brix asks, his eyebrow quips deviously.