Dance In The Rain

~54~ In The Red

Julianne's POV

The day flies by faster than I wanted it to. The waterfalls were fun, but for some reason the lighthouses captured my attention. There's only a run-down one where we live, but the ones here are stunning.

Tate didn't really care about them, so he just goofed off while I soaked up every moment I had, and felt a pang of sadness when Holden finally told us it was time to leave.

I could stare at the light cutting into the ocean all night, and still not get my fill.

The drive home is peaceful as Holden and Quinn talk about random things, and their voices are light. If I didn't know any better, I woulda thought that this morning was just a nightmare and didn't really happen.

How can so much change in a just few hours?

When we get home, Tate and I go inside and Holden stays out with Sylvie for a bit. I take a shower, and then lay on my bed and get comfy under the covers.

I'm so tired...Today was the best day I think I've ever had.

Before I realize it, I've drifted off to sleep and I don't wake up until morning.

~*~

"Damn, you kept me up all night," Tate grumbles from his bed as he scrolls through his phone.

"What?" I ask in a raspy voice as I sit up in bed and blink away the grit.

"You snore like a fat, drunk man, Jules. It's really unlady like. And then when you weren't snoring, you were talking. I'm pissed I have to share a room with you. No guy needs to be kept up all night thinking about Gage Mackney....It's creepy as hell."

My cheeks flush so hot that I feel hammering in my head. Gage Mackney? He talked to me a lot at the beginning, but now that I'm not interesting anymore, he really hasn't even acknowledged me lately...And it makes me sadder than I thought it would.

He's the only guy here I've been attracted to.

"I don't snore," I gasp, trying to keep the embarrassment from consuming me. If I let it, I'll feel embarrassed for the rest of the day and it will make my stomach sour.

"Are you serious? I even recorded you at one point because you were being so damn obnoxious!"

He gets on his phone and plays the recording, and it's as if a pig meets an old man.

And I'm humiliated.

I lay back down and pull the covers over my head. I snore? I had no idea that I snore. OMG, Kenna has slept with me before....And Holden during the hurricane...And....OMG......

Tate shuts off the horrid sound and pulls the covers off of my head. "See? I've gotten zero sleep since coming here."

"Get away from me!" I snap as I push him hard in the stomach and he takes a few steps back.

"Don't blame me! I thought about shoving a pillow over your face last night, but I didn't really wanna kill you. You should be thanking me!"

I'm so embarrassed that I'm not even thinking straight as I stand up to get away from him.

"And Gage Mackney? He's dating that Jenny chick...Don't be one of those creepy girls, Jules. Get over him. You can't afford to be labeled as needy once people find out that you snore."

My humiliation has reached the highest level possible, and I can almost see my meter going into the red and exploding the dial off. When my hand smacks across Tate's face, my brain hasn't quite processed.

But Tate's has

He grabs his cheek and stares at me in stunned horror for a split second, before his eyes cloud over and the vein in his neck starts to pop.