Chapter 46

The waves were small today, but Ben checked the forecast and assured me they would pick up later. We stood at the edge of the shore, splashing each other and laughing.

I kept an eye on Eden in the water with Adam. I had asked him to look after her, and he was holding her hand, making sure she was safe.

“Such a cute couple,” Ben commented in his best valley girl voice, referring to Adam and Eden. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing, clutching my stomach, but I had to agree with him.

“Well, Adam’s actually my boyfriend, so we make quite the pair! I’m his first kiss, just so you know,” I tease, splashing water at him. He flinches and grabs my hand, pulling me closer with a playful glint in his eyes.

“I’ll dunk you if you keep that up, sweet cheeks. I can’t have you messing up this masterpiece of a hairdo. You might have Carter wrapped around your little finger, but not me. Well, not in the same way, so I won’t hesitate to dunk you.”

“If you do, Hendrix, I’ll take you down with me! And I don’t have him wrapped around anything of mine,” I retort, breaking away from his touch with a smile.

“You’re smiling a lot more, Thompson. It suits you. Maybe you should share some of that cheer with sour puss over there,” he suggests, nodding towards Knox who is glaring at him once again.

“I’ve had my moments, but I’m doing alright. I’m glad you’re here, Ben. I’ve missed you,” I admit, shimmying over to hug him.

“I’ve missed you too, sweet cheeks!” We play with the water between our hands, watching the small waves rise and fall over our exposed skin as we take in the sight of the bustling beach.

He turns to face the shore and I follow his gaze. He chuckles to himself as we spot Lauren posing for pictures in the distance for the paparazzi. I can’t help but roll my eyes.

“So, you weren’t interested in her, no?” I tease Ben, who throws his head back with a sigh.

“I’ve been with girls like her. Too much effort. High maintenance. I prefer the more carefree, natural girls. The ones you can have fun with without them freaking out about their hair or makeup. The naturally b—” He stops mid-sentence, and I wait for him to continue, but he doesn’t.

“Ben? Are you alright?”

“Wow... She’s beautiful,” he whispers to himself, but I hear it and follow his line of sight. But I can’t find the person he’s talking about.

“Who?” I ask him, and then I see Hannah come into focus. She waves over at us and I wave back. I quickly turn to watch his reaction and he snaps his head back to mine.

“You know her?” He asks, a hint of shock in his voice.

I nod and smirk at him. “Hey, Hannah! Come here a sec? I want to introduce you to someone,” I call out, smirking at Ben.

“No way!” He murmurs, smiling in disbelief at me. He stands there, taking this in with a look of amusement. I grin widely at him and I hear her nearing, his cheeks flushing a soft pink.

~Let’s play matchmaker again. It worked with Andy, and now for my other best friend.~

“Hey!” Hannah greets us, approaching in a black and white striped bikini that hugs her in all the right places. Ben notices too, shifting his weight between his two feet, acting nervous.

~I’m so setting these two up. Plus, Hannah has a thing for blondes.~

“Hey—” I greet her back, grinning. “Ben, this is my best friend Hannah. Hannah, this is the Ben I was telling you about from Cali?”

She meets his eyes and immediately blushes, running her hand through her hair and pulling it to one side. She holds out her hand to shake his. “Hi, Ben. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve... I’ve heard a lot about you from Alex.”

He smiles back at her, his eyebrows shooting up. “It’s nice to meet you too, Hannah. Alex has told me a lot about you too. You’re different than how I imagined you’d be, a lot more beautiful.”

He takes a sharp breath in, realizing he said the last part out loud. She blushes, turning as red as a lobster, and so does he.

He rubs the back of his neck out of nervousness. ~This is so cute to witness. At least it’s not me this time.~

“Oh, thank you. You’re a lot hotter th— I mean — Uh— shit— Um, well, you’re more handsome than I thought you’d be — I mean, well, I didn’t think you’d be ugly, I just... well... Um... yeah, I’m just going to stop talking now.”

She averts her gaze down at her feet, shifting her weight and playing with her hands. I’m trying my hardest not to laugh at the both of them, but I can’t. I release a laugh and get a smack on each arm from the two of them.

They stare at each other for a while until he asks her, “Do you surf?”

She shakes her head no and replies, “No, I don’t. I’ve been asking Alex to teach me, but she hasn’t had much time to. But I’ve always wanted to learn.” She beams at him, hoping he takes the hint.

~Come on, Ben.~

“I can teach you if you want?” ~There we go!~ I silently high-five him for taking the opportunity.

“Really? I would like that.”

“We can start right now if you’d like? Just get you doing the basics on the sand?” She nods enthusiastically at him.

“You can use my board, Hannah, if you want? It’s over there, saves you the trip back to the shed,” I offer her, pointing to my board lying in the sand. She thanks me and they walk off onto the sand, chatting with each other.

Andy runs over to me and exclaims, “So, Hannah and Ben?”

“Hannah and Ben!” I echo with a huge smile on my face. ~My two best friends together. They’ll be so good for each other.~

“You should’ve seen his face when he first saw her, Andy. It was so cute. When they were talking, they were so nervous and flustered! I couldn’t keep my laugh in.”

“Are you serious? They’re so cute together! If he messes with her, I swear I’ll kill him! I can’t believe I missed it,” she laments.

“Yeah, I know. Look at them. I’ll kill him first. I’ll have a talk with him later. But for now, let them get to know each other, see if they really like one another.”

“Who likes who?” Knox interrupts our girly chat. Andy leaves to go back to Kyle, but not before she winks over at me.

“I’m just playing matchmaker again with Hannah and Ben.”

“Really? Ben likes her?” A grin starts to form on his lips as he looks at the both of them. Relief washes over him and I continue to watch him until he looks back down at me.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks, unable to hide his smile.

“Why are you so happy? I thought you didn’t like him?”

“I... well, I don’t know him, but I’m glad he likes Hannah. She’ll be good for him!”

“You didn’t seem like you wanted to get to know him. Why do you look so relieved? You literally look like you’re about to jump for joy right now. And since when are you Hannah’s cheerleader?”

You could hear the smugness in my voice, but his eyes locked with mine and I couldn’t take my eyes away from him. He gulps down hard and bites his lower lip.

“I’m... I’m just happy he’s not after you.”

“What? Ben was never after me, we’re just friends, Knox,” I say, snapping out of my thoughts.

“You literally jumped on the guy when you saw him, Alex.”

“So? I love seeing him. It’s so easy being around him. I missed him. Can I not miss a friend?”

“You can— I just....”

“What? It’s not a big deal, Knox. It’s just the relationship we— Wait a second, you’re not jealous, are you?” I ask seriously.

He must be jealous of my friendship with Ben. That’s the only explanation I can come up with. He folds his arms across his chest.

“No, I don’t get jealous, baby doll, remember?”

“Then why are you making it a big deal?”

“I’m not, I just... you don’t greet anyone else like that. Why him? What’s so special about him?”

“In other words, why don’t I greet you like that? I’m not going to lie, Knox, there are a number of times I wanted to greet you like that but with a sharp or blunt object in my hand,” I joke partially.

A throaty laugh escapes from him. He nods his head, breaking eye contact for a moment.

“I don’t blame you. After what you told me, I was an ass to you. But I am sorry. I’m different now.”

“You were, but I’ve accepted your apology. You don’t need to keep apologizing. I’ve seen it from your side too. I’m different now...” He is different.

“You say you’re different, but a piece of advice... Don’t change yourself for someone. She should like you for you, flaws and all. I learned that the hardest way possible. I don’t want that to happen to anyone.”

“I’ve changed for myself, baby doll. I changed for other people when I was younger. This is the real me,” his eyes lock with mine once again.

“I believe you,” was all I needed to say because the truth is, I did believe him. I believed every word he just said. I watched his face and not once did I doubt he was lying. Not once.

He definitely has changed, for the better. I’m standing there having a civil conversation with him and not wanting to stab him with something or claw his eyes out. I like this Knox.

I walk over to him and wrap my arms around his waist. He stiffens for a moment then pulls me in tighter. Putting one hand in my hair, stroking it with his fingers. I love when people play with my hair. It’s so soothing.

“What about the media?” he asks, his breath fanning my hair.

“I don’t care,” was all I said for him to tighten his grip around me even more. I could hear the cameras going off over to the side.

I liked his hugs. He was like a giant cuddly bear and never wanted to let go of you. I step back out of his touch and put some distance between us.

“Knox! Baby?” Lauren grits out, causing him to close his eyes shut and breathe in deeply.

“If she calls me that one more time, I will bury her in the sand,” he says, not opening his eyes. I had to bite my cheek to stop myself from allowing a chuckle to escape.

I see her storming over to him and wrapping her arm around his waist, not before she sends me a glare. It’s too easy to get under her skin. The cameras are going wild with the PDA, mainly from her.

He’s just standing there like a tree, not even bothering to acknowledge her.

My hair is a little damp from the water so I pull it back to wrap it up in a messy bun with no hair tie, hoping it’ll stay in position without the added support. It does for a while.

I can tell he doesn’t want to be alone with her so I stay where I am. Her arms tighten around him, pulling him closer to her.

Hearing the media asking if they’re back together, she turns to face them and tells them, “Yes, we couldn’t keep away from each other for so long. It’s meant to be.”

His eyes quickly open mid-sentence and he responds, clearly irritated, “We’re not together. We were never together.” He politely removes himself from her and she’s clearly embarrassed by what he said publicly.

Knox saunters off towards Adam and Eden, who are still engrossed in their play, and I sink down into the sand, letting the waves lap over my legs. Lauren, meanwhile, storms back to the media, likely to do some damage control after his outburst.

A few minutes later, my mom settles down beside me. She gently brushes a stray strand of hair from my face. We don’t exchange words. We don’t need to.

I watch as the water rushes over my feet, carrying with it tiny shells and larger grains of sand. They tumble around beneath me, caught in the pull of the waves.

“So, Ben and Hannah, huh?” Mom bends her knees, her gaze drifting towards the people in the water.

“You jealous of Hannah, Mom? I think they’d be kind of good together,” I tease, squinting one eye shut to get a better look at her. Her smile is radiant. I love it when my mom smiles.

“Ben is gorgeous, sweetie. Why not keep him for yourself? He clearly adores you.”

“He is, but our relationship is platonic. I adore him too. He gets me. I love being around him. He’s so easy to talk to and can read me like a book.”

“Oh, come on, Alex. I love Hannah, don’t get me wrong, but he is good for some fun, no?”

“Mom, no. We both don’t see each other like that. I just... I want to focus on myself. I need to think about things, you know? What do I really want? Who do I want?”

“Knox?”

“Not this again—”

“Just consider it, sweetie. He’s gorgeous too. He has a lot of time for you, Alex. He’s making such an effort with you.”

“I’m not his type, Mom. He likes someone else. He told me there’s a girl he likes but it’s complicated.”

“Do you know who she is?”

“No, he won’t say yet, but he told me I know her. So it’s most likely someone from school or something? I don’t know.”

“Hmmm, maybe?....”

“What? What’s that face for? You’re making a face right now and I don’t like it. Tell me!” I whine at her, toying with the water in my hands.

“Well, ever think that maybe it’s... you?”

“Me? Why the hell would it be me? He doesn’t like me! You’re getting like Sam, Andy, Hannah, and Ben now, Mom. Trust me, I’m not his type.”

“You keep thinking that, honey. But a mother knows,” she gives me a pointed look over her sunglasses. I groan out in frustration.

~Don’t think about it, Alex. It’s not you. You’re not his type.~

I start to poke my finger in the sand, watching it disappear as the hole once there quickly fills with sand. I can feel her eyes on me, so I look back at her. Her shoulder nudges me and I nudge her back.

Resting my head on her shoulder, I glance over at Knox playing with Eden and Adam. The girls behind me are practically swooning, picking up their underwear off the floor.

I catch his eye and he gives me a small smile. My heart stops beating. Oh no, no, this isn’t happening. He’s still staring at me and I’m staring at him. ~Look away!~ I mentally scold myself, and I do.

Later that day, the waves pick up so Ben and I surf together while most people on the beach watch us. I annihilate Ben on the board and we decide to watch the sunset on the sea together.

“Super romantic,” Ben teases me, trying to push me off my board.

“Sorry, honey, I’m not Hannah.” Two can play that game, Hendrix. He gives me a deadpan look and I giggle, splashing water at him.

“Your mom is hilarious. She’s been trying to get me to take you on a date all day!”

“My mom likes to meddle a lot, in case you haven’t noticed,” I reply, sarcasm dripping from my words. I scoop up water with my hands, letting it run down my body.

“She’s also convinced that I’m the girl for Knox,” I roll my eyes, looking at the sun disappearing behind the waterline.

“She’s a mother, but I’m convinced she’s trying to fatten me up... and maybe she’s right? I can see it, so can most people but you and Kyle.”

“You won’t leave here until you’re rolling out the door—if you can even get out the damn door. Trust me. So tell me, Hendrix, do you like Hannah?” Seeing the pink on his cheeks confirms that he does indeed like her.

“So tell me, Thompson, do you like Knox?” I glare at him, splashing water in his direction.

“That’s what I thought,” he smirks.

“Look, I’m asking as her best friend. I don’t want you to go there and lead her on unless you really like her. I don’t want it to turn out awkward between the three of us.”

He nods, understanding what I’m saying. “I get it. She’s a great girl, don’t get me wrong. Absolutely beautiful inside and out. I just don’t think it would work because of the distance, you know?

I like her a lot though, Alex. I just don’t want to do that to her. It isn’t fair with her still in New York and all. But maybe in the future? I could definitely see myself with her.”

His eyes are focused ahead on what little light we have left.

“I love your honesty, Hendrix. It’s my favorite thing about you. But I understand, and I think she will too. But don’t lead her to believe you’ll move across the country for her and vice versa.

I love the both of you, together or not.” I paddle over to him and hug him. He throws his arm around my shoulders and holds me to his chest.

“You can’t shake me off, sweet cheeks. You know this. You’re stuck with me for life!” His words echoed in the darkness as the last vestiges of light faded away.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, honey.” With that, I seized the moment to push him off his board and into the water. Laughter bubbled up from within me, echoing into the night.

He resurfaced, hands gripping his board. “What was that for?” His voice was higher than usual, amusement lacing his words. He couldn’t suppress a smile, and neither could I.

“You went all sentimental on me, Hendrix.”

“What can I say, Thompson? You bring out the softie in me.” He hoisted himself back onto his board and paddled over to me.

“Do you want to stay out here a bit longer, or should we head back in?” he asked, steadying himself by gently lapping the water around him.

“Let’s linger for five more minutes, then head back. I’ll show you your room.”

“Sounds good, sweet cheeks!”

“Cool beans!”

“I flick beans,” he retorted, smirking at me. We both burst into laughter.

“Ben!” I was caught off guard by his comment, covering my eyes to hide my shock. “You didn’t just say that!” He peered over at me, feigning innocence when he was anything but.

I shook my head, amused by his lack of shame. He took pride in his audacity, and that was part of what made him Ben to me. We sat on our boards, sharing a quiet moment of smiles.

The night was still, the faint chatter from my friends on the beach barely audible. Deciding to call it a night on the waves, we paddled back in to join my family and friends.