Beauty and the Price

Chapter 4

The Perfect Stranger

Sang

I got closer to the hidden corner, spotting Marc standing close enough to the water that the waves nearly hit his feet. I felt my heart dance at the sight of him. He was here!

His back was facing me and I paused to study what he had on, a dark hoodie with the hood over his head. He was wearing what looked like some grey dress pants and black dress shoes now covered in sand. I found the whole combination odd but figured he had a reason. His posture was straighter than normal and he seemed stiff but it was hard to tell from where I stood.

I smiled to myself when he didn't turn around. He didn't know I was here yet, this was my chance to surprise him for a change and I wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. I gently set my sandals down, keeping my eyes on my victim. Taking small careful steps toward him, I bit my lip to hold back a laugh. With the sun shining down on us, I was worried he would catch sight of my shadow.

I stopped when I was close enough that my toes were an inch from his heels. Slowly, I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing myself against his back, my cheek flat against him. At my touch he jumped, dropping his arms in surprise. I released my lip from between my teeth to allow a giggle to escape.

He stayed frozen for a moment before his hands took mine pulling them apart. His hands felt warm and smoother than I recognized. I froze when his scent reached my nose, it wasn't Marc's coffee. It was then that I realized his body felt different and why I found his clothing choice strange. The fading scent of Irish Spring soap greeted me.

This wasn't Marc.

I tore myself from the person. My heart dropped and my eyes widened. I thought of leaving before he saw me. But my body was frozen in shock and fear. My cheeks heated up in embarrassment.

He turned around, taking a small step back, allowing me a good look at the person I mistook for Marc. His eyes hid behind black-rimmed glasses and despite the glare of the sun, I was able to see the silver in them. The wind picked up around us causing the hood to come off exposing his brown hair, a bit messy as if he'd been tugging at it. His skin was as pale as mine. And his face was angled to perfection, with smooth skin despite the dark circles under his eyes. Everything about him was perfect and cold even in this state. The hoodie hid his shape but as I looked up at him I noted he was taller than Marc, perhaps by a few inches.

His eyes swept over me, starting from my dirty blonde hair to my bare toes.  They returned to my face and the way they bore into me forced a shiver. He looked to be around Marc's age. But there was something about him that made me think he could be older. He seemed to demand respect without saying anything at all, even in his disheveled state. His presence was dominating and cold. With just a look from those sharp eyes and I was triggered with the urge to fall to my knees and do what he wants. 

My face burned as I realized this was the person I just groped.

"I'm so sorry!" I said. It felt wrong to leave without a word, now. "I thought you were..." I stopped myself before I could say more. The way I held him was clearly affectionate, he looked smart enough to figure it out. I didn't need to confirm it. If anyone found out I was meeting with someone, my mother would hear about it. I refused to let that happen. "I'm sorry," I repeated quietly.

He looked at me with a small frown, but his eyes remained expressionless. It bothered me that I might have upset him.

Maybe if I leave now, if I'm lucky enough, he would keep this to himself. Or forget it completely. Would he really tell someone about the strange girl who harassed him on the beach?

I turned to leave, my face was still hot. But smooth fingers gently wrapped around my upper arm, startling me to a halt. I turned back to see the man looking down at me with the same frown. My heart was beating faster in my chest.

"Pardon me," his voice was smooth, sharp, and deep, it held so much power and control that had my knees ready to give out. Luckily, I was still in shock enough to keep me frozen in place. "Perhaps I should stay with you while you wait or walk you back. I suppose it's not safe to be out here alone." I tilted my head while my panic began to subside. It was an odd request considering he was out here alone, was it because I'm a girl? Still, everyone here knew it was fairly safe, especially during the day.

I studied him closely. "You're not from here," I said softly.

He released me and his frown deepened. "What makes you think that?" he asked carefully, but his voice held unwavering command it was stronger than even Marc's. His eyes narrowed the slightest in my direction and my heart jumped in my throat.

A frown stretched on my own lips as I tried to understand why he was being so defensive. "It's a small town," I explained, wanting to calm whatever concerns he had. I smiled softly and added, "I would have recognized you."

His shoulders relaxed, only a fraction. "My family and I will be staying here for some time, we arrived last night," his frown slowly returned.

"Family?" I asked, immediately glancing at his finger.

"No," he said quickly. "My brothers. My friends, really, but we're as close as family."

"Oh..." I glanced at the water for a moment.

I didn't recall hearing about new people. We rarely got visitors and if there were new neighbors everyone knew before they even moved in. 

My blush returned under his stare. "I should go," I said quietly. "Again, I'm really sorry." He didn't say anything but I think I saw a small nod as if he was giving me permission to do so. I turned to leave, my feet pushing into the sand no longer with care.

I bent down for my sandals, then stood to shake the sand off and started to walk out of the spot.

"Wait!"

I spun back to the stranger to see him running toward me.

"Do you mind if I have your name?" he asked once he was close.

I bit my lip, attempting to hide my smile. "It's a small town," I repeated my earlier words. I didn't mean to be so cryptic but if my mother was going to find out because of this man, I wanted to delay it if I could. "You'll figure it out," I said quietly.

I turned to leave before he could interrupt me again. My cheeks flushed and my heart raced a mile a minute.

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-Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. <3