Only Us

1 | Strangers

December 20, 2004
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Leiah POV

Ugh. Here I am, 5 days from Christmas and in the car on the way to the beach. Usually I would be happy, but I just want to be home right now.

"Do you have any idea why we going to the beach so close to Christmas?" I whispered my brother Jae.

"I don't know. Momma said something about it being cheaper since everyone is at home with family."

"That's where we should be," I groan.

We finally the arrive to the actual beach and it's not that many people there. My parents stand further back, away from the beautiful, deep blue waters. I glanced over at my brother only to see him quickly taking off his shirt after seeing a girl.

Yeah I got to get away from that. He is always thirsty for some female attention.

Before I can walk off, my dad tells me and my brother to stay together while they go get a room at the Sandcastle resort.

"Ooh fancy," I mentally rolled my eyes. I would still rather be home. I can't believe my parents are making me miss my grandmother's cooking, just for a trip to Myrtle Beach. I would give up the presents just to be home.

"We will come back to get y'all later so stay close to the same place y'all are now."

"Yes sir," we respond in unison.

Just after my parents are out of earshot, Jae lets me know I'm on my own, but to yell if something is wrong.

"What help would that be," I think to myself.

I nod and watch him speedily take off in the direction of the girl he spotted earlier.

Shaking my head at his actions, I continue my journey down the beach in the opposite direction, with minimal people populating the clear waters.

The tempting waves draw me closer inside the vast body of water, and before I know it a medium sized wave knocks my small body backwards into the sand.

"Yo. You okay?" an unknown voice calls out to me.

I look up into face of the unknown person, blinded by the sun, being that it was only around 2 P.M.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay."

The person quickly helps me up. After standing, I take the time to observe who it was that helped me. I see a light skinned boy with a buzz cut and a dimple on each side of his face. Scanning the rest of his body, I notice him wearing similar shorts that my brother wears all the time at home and a white tee shirt. Going back to his face, I find myself staring at his eyebrows.

"How his eyebrows look that good?" I internally ask myself.

"Staring already aren't we?" the boy smirked, interrupting my internal analysis of his face.

"Sorry," I shyly look away from his face, embarrassed that he called me out and saw me fall in a matter of 30 seconds.

"You good. Anyways, my name is Chris, Christopher, C-Sizzle, or your future baby daddy. Or whichever one you want to call me."

I try to muffle my giggle over the mention of him being my future baby daddy.

"Baby daddy okayyy. Well I guess you would need to know you baby momma's name in order for that to happen," I questioned.

"That would be useful information," he grinned.

"It's Leiah," I said as I found myself staring at his eyebrows once again.

"Can't get enough huh."

"Boy, ain't nobody staring at you that hard," I tried to play it off.

"But how old are you to be calling yourself somebody's future baby daddy already?"

"I'm probably older than you."

"How much you wanna bet?"

"If I'm older than you, then I dare you to fall into the water again. I gotta see that from a different angle this time," he laughed.

"Mmcht," I sucked my teeth.

"Well if I'm older than you, then I dare you to give me a piggy back ride."

"Bet."

"So when is your birthday?" I ask.

"May 1989," he tells me.

"The date too sir."

"The 5th," he proudly grins.

"What about you miss Leiah?"

"Umm..."

I mentally debate with myself over lying because I really don't want to fall in front of him again. I mean he is kinda cute, so what do I look like embarrassing myself again?

"December 1990," I say lowly.

"What was that?" he playfully questions me.

"I said-"

Before I can finish, I feel myself being picked up and quickly moved closer to the water. The brisk jog that he had in the late unusually warm December air felt good along my glowing brown skin.

"Chris please! Don't drop me in there! I just got my hair done and it took forever. This is black hair you know. Ain't no going in and doing it in 10 minutes. This was a-"

He immediately shut up my rambling by pretending he was going to drop me.

"Ayy now Chris please," I beg.

"Okay okay. I wasn't going to drop you forreal. I just wanted to see some panic on your face."

I playfully push his arm in response.

"Bruh that's not funny. I was really thinking how was I going to explain to my mom how my hair got messed up so fast."

"Where your people? I don't see anybody with you."

"Oh my parents went to get a hotel and my brother is somewhere around here. I'm just giving out all this information. You not a creep or stalker or nothing right?"

He started laughing it it sounded like a cute little goat laughing. The more I thought about it, I ended up laughing right along with him, ugly laugh and everything.

He finally calmed down enough to assure me that he wasn't. In return I asked him where his people were.

"My mom is at the hotel. That's all I came with."

"Aww a mother-son trip that's so cute," I pinched his cheek.

"Yeah you got to cut that out."

"Why? It is cute though."

"No ma'am."

"You know, I feel mighty comfortable for us to have just met. Like I never talk this much with anybody. Well... people I don't know that much," I realized.

"Well since you are already comfortable with me, all that's left is for you to get to know me better. Would you mind accompanying me down the beach for m'lady?" he jokingly holds his hand out like you would at a royal ball.

"Why not?"

I playfully put my hand in his and we take off down the beach in the direction my brother had previously went.

Whew. Chapter 1 is finally done 😃
I ended up writing over 1000 words for my first chapter.
I'm so proud of myself 😌
Anyways, if you see any mistakes let me know
And please, comment and vote! 😁

Lyia 👀✨
September 2021