Stay

37

EVIE

I’ve never been the kind of girl that got insanely excited over a date. I wasn’t like those girls that counted down the hours and minutes until the guy of her dreams was outside her door. I wasn’t the kind of girl that started getting ready hours before the date was scheduled to happen and planning which dress she’d wear the night before. I wasn’t that kind of girl. Presley and Maggie were those kind of girls. There was nothing wrong with those girls... but I wasn’t one of them.

Well, that was no longer applicable to my life because I became that girl overnight. I couldn’t fall asleep last night. My mind kept reverting back to tonight. There was an incessant bubbling in my stomach. Whereas my mind kept wondering over to every possibility that the night could lead to. I kept going over possible outfit ideas and how I would style my hair. I even looked online for hair and makeup tutorials. 

I was nervous but incredibly excited at the same time. It had become a deadly combination that left me with dark circles and sleep deprivation. 

The car ride had been comfortable. Niall’s hand sat on top of my knee throughout most of the drive, his thumb drawing circles through the thick fabric of my jeans. He sang quietly to the mainstream songs playing from his old car radio. His hand squeezing my knee every so often. There was something comforting about the simplicity of his touch. 

He had been low key about where we were going. I kept badgering him with questions and theories, only to be shut down with the gradual increase of the music’s volume. 

It was safe to say that I was surprised when we drove past the Welcome to Cannon Beach sign. I had mentioned a few times in passing conversations that my family lived on the beach. Niall had commented that he had never been to that side of Oregon, but heard nothing but great things from his friends. I went on and on about how much I loved the beach. I guess he remembered. 

Niall had managed to find us a spot to set up, urging me to stay put against the rocks. 

“You’re my date,” he had said, “And I like to spoil my dates.”

With that being said, I sat quietly on a rock as he struggled to keep the blanket down. The wind had picked up, causing the blanket to move up whenever Niall tried to keep it in place. I had bit down on my lip to suppress my laughter, unable to keep still. It was especially difficult when he managed to trip over the few rocks where some pillows laid, causing him to fall down against the sand. As he stood up, I couldn’t not miss the slight redness across his cheeks and the way he bit down against the corner of his bottom lip. I ended up helping him hold one side down as he threw a pile of pillows on either side. 

“Now sit,” he motioned towards the mountain of patterned pillows, while pulling out a bottle of wine. “I picked up some Thai food before I picked you up. I hope you like Thai food... kind a guessed,” he rambled.

“I like any kind of food,” I said and thanked him for the take out carton of Pad Thai. 

“One more thing,” he stammered slightly, reaching over me to pull out two jars with candles inside. “It’s fucking freezing,” he laughs shyly, embarrassed, while lighting the candles and setting the jars against the sand. 

“Welcome to the beach during the winter,” I quipped, rolling my eyes in the process. “Wish you warned me that we were coming here. I would have brought a sweater.” 

“I think I have an extra jumper in my trunk. I can go grab it for you?”

I nodded sheepishly, “That’d be nice.” 

Niall quickly stood up, telling me he’d be right back before hurrying back up the hill towards the car park. I forked through the food, unable to eat. There was a bottle of nerves inside of me, making it difficult to keep anything down. Yet somehow, I managed to eat a few bites as I waited.