Never Say Never (Completed)

Twenty-Four {All The Stars}

It wasn't until I rested my arms on top of the roof of Bryan's car and stared out over the dock that I had a good idea what we were doing.

          "So you brought me out here to sit on the dock and try to spot fish in the water?" I joked as he joined me outside the car. He slipped his keys into the pocket of his sweats and smiled at my question.

          "As awesome as that sounds, I think you'll enjoy the night I have planned just a little more. Come on."

          He dropped his arm over my shoulder as he led me toward a Yacht at the far end of the dock.

          "Why am I surprised you own a Yacht?" I said, watching him greet a short man standing on the deck with a smile and a curt nod.

          "I don't know, you shouldn't be surprised by anything you find out about me at this point."

          Truer words had never been spoken.

          I slowed to a stop as soon as he stepped aboard the Yacht at the end of the dock with a worried glance in his direction. "Not to be dramatic, but didn't the Titanic sink?"

          "In nineteen twelve, Charlotte." Bryan was stifling a laugh. "Plus this isn't a huge ship. This is a privately owned yacht and we're not leaving."

          That was reassuring enough, I guess. I took his outstretched hand after one last second of contemplation and let him lead me down into the cabin. My eyes widened almost instantly and any belief that this wasn't a date went right out the door.

          The room was dimly lit from a gorgeous chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling above a flatscreen TV mounted on a wall. But around the rest of the room were candles. The kind you put in a menorah for Hanukkah. The long island behind the red couch held an assortment of foods. Anywhere from finger foots like crackers to what appeared to be some kind of sea food beside a huge chocolate cake I knew my siblings would devour in seconds.

          "Bryan—" I started, shifting on my feet.

          He lifted his head, momentarily distracted by whatever the hell was going on inside his head, and grimaced. "Yeah, I know, it's a little much. Chels and the girls just had to make sure you had the perfect night."

          The thought of his sisters all dancing around him begging to help made the uneasiness settle in my stomach a bit and I headed for the kitchen, or more specifically the cake.

          "Hey, nope, not yet. That's for later." Bryan's fingers found mine and for a second I felt warmth spread from my palm through my entire body. Before I could try and understand the blossoming feeling he dragged me out on to the deck. He finally released my hand once we'd reached the bow, his hands now pressing into the edge of it as he tilted his head back. Following his actions, I blinked in surprise.

          Somehow from the angle, the stars appeared much more visible. They lit the sky like paint splatters on a dark canvas.

          "It's beautiful." I whispered.

          "I hate this thing." he nodded toward where we were standing. "But every once and a while I have Leo drive it out and I just lay out here and stare at the sky. It's a nice escape, you know? From all the pressure, the noise, the expectations."

          I looked at him through my lashes with a frown. His body was tense but he wore an expression of pure exhaustion.

          "You know you don't have to be this person that everyone expects you to be, right?" I said. "Not just at school, but your mother too. I can see that she tries to force you into her own little world and you want no part of it."