The Boy Who Didn't Love

30 - his first

a/n: fun fact! whenever i write, i picture it all in my head like it's a movie, and i've been imagining this specific chapter for so long that i had a whole dream about it. this will be a longer chapter; i hope you like it as much as i do—

Her short hair floated freely in the air as she drove down the empty road. With the roof of her car down, the early summer wind greeted them happily, along with the beaming sun that warmed their skin. Her most upbeat playlist played through the speakers; her fingers drummed against the steering wheel absently.

  He twisted his head to look at her from the passenger seat with his arm resting along the open window. He studied the eager look on her face, and she briefly glanced his way without saying a word.

  Finally, after another minute of silence, he sighed impatiently. "Can you tell me where we're going now?"

  "No, Sawyer, I already told you that it's a surprise," she laughed, clearly enjoying the frustrated pout that adorned his chiseled face.

  "Alice," he drawled out, whining, and she grinned.

  "Sawyer," she mimicked; he gave her a flat look. Caving in, she lowered the music volume and cleared her throat. "Okay, fine. Try to guess, and I'll tell you if you're right or not."

  He narrowed his eyes at her pensively. They were both wearing their swimsuits underneath their clothing—a requirement that she emphasized a million times beforehand. He peeked at the backseats, where there was a blue cooler and a large transparent bag that was full of miscellaneous items.

  He faced her again, cocking his head curiously. "Are we going to the beach?"

  "Nope."

  "The pool?"

  "No."

  "But some body of water, right?" Sawyer asked, and her lips curled mischievously.

  "Yes. And it's some place hidden," Ali replied, and before he could question her further, she raised the music volume again. "That's all I'm saying!"

He pursed his lips and slumped in defeat. He watched her passionately sing along with the music throughout the rest of the car ride, and her face broke into a grin when she saw his feet tapping against the floor mat rhythmically.

An hour later, they arrived at their destination. He curiously looked around as she parked the car on the gravel, in front of a broad patch of bushes and trees. She leapt out of her seat excitedly and hastily plunged her hand into the clear bag in the back of the car.

Ali pulled out a bottle of sunscreen and glanced up at him as she meticulously rubbed it over her skin. "Did you put on sunscreen yet?"

"No," Sawyer admitted, then swiftly caught the bottle in his hands when she threw it his way. She waited patiently for him to finish smearing it all over his body, her eyes fixated on a specific cluster of foliage across from her.

He stored the sunscreen back into her bag and stepped towards her. "So now will you tell me what we're doing?"

"I'll show you! Follow me," Ali said, gushing with excitement, as she grasped his hand and pulled him through the greenery. He followed her warily, pushing away the plants that neared his face, and wondered how she was familiar enough with this path to walk through it so confidently.

Then, all of a sudden, light burst through the leaves as they stepped out of the dark foliage and onto rocky terrain. They came to a stop, and his eyes widened in amazement at the sight before them.