The Beta

XXI

*Faye*

The river swiftly swam past the edge of the wood dock I was perched on. My eyes stared at the rippled reflection in the water, wondering how it would feel to be the ripples in the water instead of a person. How it would feel to constantly be on the move, flowing with the meandering river. How it would feel to be free without any responsibilities or cares.

My mind had wandered too deep. I leaned away from the river to lay on my back. Fluffy, white clouds rolled by against the light blue backdrop. Soon, I would be gone, too. Gone with like the river and the clouds. Off to college to start a new chapter of my life.

A sigh filtered out of my lungs. Could I stop thinking so much? I came here to relax, not ponder my life. Closing my eyes, I forced myself to tune into my senses and ignore the ramblings of my mind.

The wind ran warmly across my bare arms and legs, the most gentle of caresses. Even behind closed eyelids, the sun's brilliance could be seen. Somewhere off in the near distance a seagull crowed. The wood planks of the dock warmed my back, heat seeping into my bones.

"Faye?"

I opened one eye, then two. Who was disturbing my peace? When I sat up and turned around, Rian stood a few feet away. His right hand gripped a fishing pole and the other held a tackle box. I arched an eyebrow at him. He didn't seem like the fisher type.

"What're you doing here?" he asked with a smile.

"Relaxing." I hadn't seen him since our coffee date Tuesday. We'd hardly even spoken in the past days. "You fish?"

He shrugged. "It's been a long time. Seemed like a nice afternoon to do it."

I scooted over to let him sit beside me. The smell of his cologne made my heart beat a little faster. After doing a once-over of the river, Rian's eyes lifted to mine.

"How've you been?" He shifted closer to me, leaning back on one hand.

Before I gave the automatic reply, I stopped myself. If Rian wanted to be my boyfriend, I needed to trust him. That could start with honesty.

"I'm a little stressed," I admitted.

His bottom lip puckered poutily. "Why is that?"

"There's just a lot going on." I shrugged. "Graduation is tomorrow...it's just a lot to process. It's a lot of change."

"I understand that completely," he said. "Am I allowed to come to the ceremony?"

The question took me by surprise, though it shouldn't have. Any normal boyfriend should want to celebrate such a big accomplishment.

"Oh, yeah." My smile and blush came simultaneously. "Sorry, I should've invited you sooner. I'm just...still trying to get used to having a boyfriend."

Rian chuckled. "It's alright. What time does it start?"

"One o'clock." I gave him the rest of the details and suggested he sit with my mom and sister.

"You have a sister?"

"Yep. She's five years older."

"Cool."

I smiled again. "You'll probably like her. Everyone does."

"I'm more worried about her liking me."

"Why?"

His shrug was jerky. "I just want your family to like me."

"They do. Even though she's not wild about your age, my mom is a big fan."

"Good to know."

Framing a grin on my face, I asked, "So are you gonna bait that hook or what?"