𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚟𝚎

Dear Diary,

Well, I'm back to my dull boring life. A part of me feels like spending time with Hunter in my own piece of heaven was fake. But it wasn't. I even have the sunflower Grayson gave me as proof. I've been back for a week and so far everything seems okay. I haven't broken down and cried like I normally do. I even stopped sitting in my bay window. Hunter wanted me to move on, so that's what I plan on doing everyday. I'm currently sitting in my bed, waiting for Grayson to come and pick me up with his father's rental car. He wanted me to create a list of things I wanted to do before summer ends. My list came natural because it was everything I always dreamed of doing. Swim in the ocean (in real life), have a candlelit dinner, stay up all night and watch the sunrise, go skinny dipping, watch sappy romance movies in bed all day, rebel against my parents, eat junk food for dinner, go to a concert. I contemplated adding 'lose my virginity' on the list, but chickened out and erased it. Me talking about sex is crazy, but I'm a hormonal teenage girl who is always hanging out with the hottest guy I have ever seen. Plus, we're kind of together now. If there's anybody I want to be intimate with, it's Grayson. I just feel like it's too soon to rush into anything, hence the reason I got rid of it on my list.

The doorbell ringing downstairs causes me to stop writing in my diary. Excited nerves fill my stomach as I place the black book under my pillow.

Grabbing my bag, I toss it over my shoulder and rush downstairs. It's seven thirty in the evening, so I'm assuming a candlelit dinner is about to be checked off of my list.

When I reach the bottom of the steps, my father already has the door wide open. Grayson is standing in front of him wearing a black tank top and shorts, which isn't exactly candlelit dinner attire. I'm simply wearing capri shorts with a light purple blouse and sandals.

"Grayson, hey." I say with a wide smile.

"Hey, H." He nods his head.

"Where are you two going this late?" My father raises an eyebrow.

"It's supposed to be a surprise, sir. I can assure you that Hope will be safe." Grayson chimes in.

"And it's not too late, it's only seven thirty." I mumble under my breath.

"The last time my daughter went out with you, especially in your car, things didn't go too well." He says with a dry expression.

"I understand that, sir. But I promise you that we will make it to our destination safely. We are just going to the movies." Grayson says in a calm voice.

The movies? I guess that's part of my list, but we aren't going to be in bed and the day is over.

"Have her home by ten thirty."

"Dad." I say between my teeth.

"Fine, eleven thirty." He negotiates.

"We should get going now, wouldn't want to be late." Grayson says while extending his hand out. I instantly grab onto it and lock my fingers through his as I step out of my house.

"Eleven thirty. And drive safely!" My father yells after us.

"You aren't nervous to be in a car with me, right?" Grayson's vulnerable voice questions.

"No." I honestly say as he opens the passenger side door.

"Good." He sighs of relief while walking to the opposite side, getting into the driver's seat.

"Are we really going to the movie theater?" I furrow my eyebrows.

"Hell no." He says with a smirk, carefully pulling out of my driveway.

A laugh escapes my lips as I look out the window, already excited about the adventure we're heading towards.

"You look beautiful." He says the magic word.

"Thank you." My smile resembles a five year old.

"I guess you're finally open to hearing the word." He says while looking back at me.

"I'm embracing it." I say with a grin.

"Good, because I won't ever stop saying that word to you."

"I'm very excited to see what you have up your sleeve for tonight."

"We have a half hour car ride, so get comfortable."

"Wait, what?" I look back at him. "What's that far away?"

"You'll find out eventually." He smirks.

I sit back and relax my body, putting my full trust in Grayson. I keep my eyes locked on the town of Renton fading away, and new scenery surrounding me.

Long car rides with Grayson are exciting. They're spent jamming out to music and trying to guess where the people in the other cars around us are off to. His laugh is loud and definitely contagious.

The sun is officially setting when the sound of waves crashing in the distance catches my attention. My stomach turns once I see that we are at the beach. In the dark.

"We're at the beach." I point out the obvious as he pulls into the parking lot a few feet away.

"Correct." He turns the car off and looks at me. "The first thing you wrote on your list is to swim in the ocean. Usually the weather is always shitty, but lately it's been holding off. No rain in sight."

My mouth hangs open as Grayson gets out of the car and pops the trunk open. I follow his lead and get out, seeing he is pulling a blanket and wooden basket out of the car.

"Are we having a picnic?" I giggle.

"Yup, I hope you're hungry." He smirks before closing the trunk and walking over to the sand.

I let out a breath and follow his lead, confused as to what he's planning.

The beach is empty, and I suddenly feel like we're on a deserted island. Grayson looks back at me and I can't help but smile at him. He sets down the blanket and sits on top of it.

"What's on the menu?" I ask while nodding toward the basket.

"We have chocolate chip cookies, some Doritos, I even got m&m's." He says while pulling a bunch of candy out, along with cans of Pepsi. "Twizzlers are a must, and marshmallows. Plus soda as our drink of choice."

"Holy crap." I let out a laugh, keeping my eyes on the bags of sweets.

"Time to check eat junk food for dinner off of the list." He says while tearing the twizzler bag open with his teeth.

"I'm not complaining." I laugh and take a chocolate chip cookie out of the container. The sweet flavor dissolves into my mouth, lighting my taste buds on fire.

"So, how has everything been at home?" He asks while popping a marshmallow into his mouth.

"Better than before, I guess." I take the Pepsi can and open it up, hearing the sizzling of the bubbles from the inside of it.

"Do you think your parents are finally understanding that they should be putting you first and considering your feelings?"

"I think they needed to have a fear of losing me to really appreciate my existence." I state the sad truth.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was that bad." He says with a sympathetic voice.

"It wasn't until Hunter died. That's when they started acting weird, distant. I just think they were in total shock and didn't know how to comprehend it." I say while taking another sip from my soda.

"No parent should have to bury their child. It's hard." Grayson gives me an understanding nod.

"Extremely hard." I inhale a deep breath.

"I feel like this accident was a blessing in disguise. It makes us appreciate life more."

"I guess you're right." I nod, realizing how accurate the motto 'you only live once' is. People take it for granted all the time.

"Plus it brought us closer, which was the whole point. I'm actually grateful for it. You're pretty amazing, H." His smile is adorable.

"So are you, Grayson. I truly believe we bring out the best in each other. Hunter was right about that." I chuckle.

"I know it's weird to say, since I met your brother in heaven, but he was a great guy. I'm glad I got the chance to meet him." He says while keeping his eyes pinned onto mine.

"Me too." I say while sincerely grinning.

He sends me a sweet smile and we continue to eat our junk food. It may seem stupid, but this is exactly how I pictured this scene would play out. Grayson and I eating a crap load of snacks at a peaceful location, and nothing says peaceful than the beach.

"All right, I think it's time to move on to our next event of the evening." He says while rising to his feet.

"Which is?" I giggle.

"Swimming in the ocean." He states while slipping off his sneakers.

My eyebrows narrow as I turn my head to look at the water, the waves are crashing along the shore. Even through the darkness I can still see the movement of it.

"Wait, right now? In the dark?" I glance back at him.

"Yup." He sends me a smirk.

"But I don't have my bathing suit."

"I know, that's why we're checking off skinny dipping from the list."

"You can't be serious." I quickly stand up.

"Oh, but I am." He tugs his black tank top over his head. The muscles in his arms tighten as he tosses the material on the blanket.

His hands start unbuttoning his jeans and sliding them down his legs. I don't know what to do. Should I look away? Should I stop him? Suddenly my body is frozen, I feel like a statue.

"Won't public nudity get us arrested?" I stammer the words out.

"There's only one way to find out, H." He says while dropping his boxers on the sand.

My eyes bulge out of my sockets as I try to look anywhere but... there. Don't get me wrong, I want to look. Badly. But his eyes are already pinned on me, and I won't be able to hide my blush.

He quickly dashes into the water, and my eyes catch a glimpse of his toned ass. Shit. With a loud scream, he emerges himself into the water. The moonlight shines down on his skin.

"Come on in, H. The water feels amazing!" He shouts from the distance.

I bite down on my lower lip, looking down at the pile of clothes scattered around the blanket.

"Come on, get naked. I won't look." He says, covering his face with his hands.

My heart rate increases as I slowly remove my blouse and pull off my pants. Wind already hits my skin, allowing goosebumps to form. Grayson still has his hands covering his face as I strip off my bra and underwear.

Now, I'm fully exposed. And in public. My eyes dart around the dark beach, but nobody is in sight. Maybe because the beach is further away from most communities, maybe because nobody is crazy like us.

"All right, I'm coming." I call out, padding over to the water.

"Can I open my eyes now?"

"Not yet." I bite down on my lower lip and almost scream at how frigid the water is.

"Okay, now I'm Notebooking you. Get in the water!" He loudly screams.

Inhaling a breath, I dive into the ocean. The water is calm and refreshing, a surprising combination. Coming up for air, I push loose strands of hair behind my ears.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Grayson's voice appears in front of me. I slightly jump at his presences, I didn't realize how close he was to me.

"It's really cold, but you're right. It does feel good." I let out a laugh.

"What made you put this on your list? It's very scandalous." He says with his usual smug smirk.

"Honestly, it seemed to be an adrenaline rush. I want to live as much as I can this summer, I figured this would pull me out of my comfort zone." I shiver, looking up at his face.

"This is the best way to get to know somebody."

"When they're naked?" I laugh.

"Yeah, it's a raw side to them." He says while moving his body closer to mine. My knees become jello as I heavily gulp.

"You make me nervous, in a good way." I open up to him about my feelings.

"Do you mind if I do this?" He whispers while gently placing his hands on the curve of my hips. A jolt of electricity rushes through my body.

"Go ahead." I manage to say, leaning into him more.

"Have you ever been this exposed in front of a guy before?" His soft voice asks.

"No." The word barely leaves my mouth.

"That's totally normal, don't look at it as a bad thing." He says, looking directly into my eyes. Even though my bare body is in front of him, his gaze never leaves my face.

"You make me feel comfortable." I boldly wrap my arms around his neck and press my bare chest against his own.

"Good, I'm glad. You really broke out of your shell." His hands tightly hold onto my waist, and the contact of his hands on my skin make my heart rate skyrocket.

"All because of you." I whisper while pressing my forehead against his.

It doesn't take long for his lips to crash onto mine. The feeling is magnetic. I deepen the kiss by slipping my tongue into his mouth and wrestling his own with mine. The way he makes me feel so free and alive is something I will always love.

A low groan slips past his lips and the sound shakes my entire core. He's leaving imprints on my back, the way his fingers are indenting my skin.

He pulls his mouth away from mine and stares up at me with lustful eyes. "Are you regretting taking 'lose my virginity off of the list?"

My entire face grows red as I nervously chuckle. "Uh, how do you know about that?"

"Just because you erased it, doesn't mean I couldn't see the faint words of it."

"Oh." I awkwardly reply.

"Don't be embarrassed, H." He says while placing a hand on my face.

"It's just your the first guy I ever really cared about. Like, I never thought I would fall for you as much as I did, Grayson. But, that's pretty much all of the experience I have."

"And that's fine with me. I would be honored to be your first, but when you're ready. I would never pressure you into anything." He says with a warm smile.

"I appreciate that." I grin down at him.

He places a gentle kiss on my cheek before untangling his body from mine. "Maybe we should get out of the water, certain body parts are getting all wrinkled."

I laugh and nod my head in agreement, not even caring that he's about to see my fully exposed. "We should head home, it's getting late."

"Home? We aren't going home, H. We're sleeping here."

"Wait, what?" My eyes widen in horror.

"Yup, we're checking off stay up all night and watch the sunrise tonight." He smirks and fully stands up.

My eyes sneak a peek at his body, but only for a split second. I'm still trying to wrap my head around his words. "But my parents will literally kill me, and you."

"That's why we're also checking off your words, rebel against my parents." He says while sprinting out of the water.

"Grayson!" I call after him, also getting out.

He wraps a towel around his waist and has one ready for me. He extends his hand out and looks the other way when I approach him. A true gentleman.

"Thank you." I blush while covering my body.

"It's going to be a fun night. Do you trust me?" He turns back to face me.

"Of course I trust you." I smile and walk over to his wet body, automatically hugging him.

"Can I officially ask you to be my girlfriend, Hope?" He whispers.

"Really?" My stomach turns.

"I know in the real world we haven't known each other long but-"

I cut him off by grabbing his face and kissing him. He immediately kisses back, causing my breathing to hitch.

"Yes, I would love to be your girlfriend." I say while pulling away.

"Good, now I'm happy." He says while pulling me closer to him. "And I totally saw you look at my dick when I got out."

"Did not." I lie, completely embarrassed.

"Did too." He smirks.

"You're crazy, Grayson." I giggle and look at him.

"Yes, but you love it." He sends me a crooked smile.

He's right. I totally do.

-

there's only 5 more chapters left of this story. I can't believe it's coming to an end!