Tear (Seaside 1)

“I can’t find Nat! I messed up! Where is she? Is she okay?” Demetri’s words were slurring together. “Some guy told me I was making out with a chick that wasn’t Nat. I didn’t know, Dude. Where the hell is she?” This was not the time or place to have this discussion, especially considering Demetri was drunker than a skunk.

He tumbled into the living room, still not looking in my direction. He smelled like cigarettes and whiskey. “Where’s she, man?”

I cleared my throat.

“Natalee!” Demetri opened his arms, I stepped back.

“Just sleep it off, bro.” Alec tried to pull his brother back toward the stairs, but Demetri fought him.

“No! Natalee, I’m so sorry, Babe. I’m so sorry!” He fell to his knees and looked like he was ready to cry. “It wasn’t what you think! I’m so drunk — she had blonde hair, I thought she was you!”

I knew it was stupid to argue with a drunk person, but I couldn’t help myself. “Really? And when you found out you were wrong you decided to do what? Kiss her back?”

“I’m so sorry!” He ignored my question, still on his hands and knees.

“Sleep it off, Demetri.” Alec moved to grab his brother, but Demetri jerked away then took an awkward swing at him, throwing himself off balance even more. He stumbled and rocked back on his heels.

“A promise is a promise,” Alec muttered before punching his brother directly in the eye.

Demetri cursed as he tumbled to the ground and promptly passed out.

I was frozen in place.

“Is he okay?”

Alec shrugged. “Besides having a headache and the black eye I promised, yeah, he’ll be fine.”

I nodded, still in shock.

“Come on.” Alec held out his hand. “Let’s go upstairs and get you into bed. I don’t care what you say. I’m sleeping on your floor just in case the drunk wakes up and decides to apologize again.”

“Okay.” I felt bad leaving Demetri on the floor. Alec noticed me staring and rolled his eyes, moved back to him, and lifted Demetri, depositing him on the couch.

“Happy?” he asked.

“Yes.” Alec’s mood had changed again, it wasn’t as lighthearted. More irritated and crazy protective.

I followed him down the dimly lit hall. There were at least ten doors that led into different rooms. He took me to the last room and opened the door, allowing me to go first.

I gulped.

It was his room. It had to be. I was almost alarmed at how clean it was. Didn’t boy rooms usually smell bad?

His windows were open, so the curtains were blowing in the slight breeze. It smelled like Alec and the ocean. I decided it was my favorite smell, even more so than his cologne by itself, because it was a mixture of him and home.

The room was huge and had a bathroom off the side of it. His large bed was near the windows and seemed menacing. “I’ll just grab you some sweats to sleep in, kay?” Alec scratched the back of his head then went to a walk-in closet and turned on the lights. His closet was bigger than my room.

He reached into a dresser and searched. Within seconds he was tossing me a t-shirt and sweats. “Will these work?”

“Yeah, they’re fine.” I grabbed them.

We stared silently at one another for a minute or two.

I shifted on my feet and Alec quickly looked down at the floor. “Do you want to shower?”

“Kind of, I mean, if that’s okay. If not, it’s totally fine. I can just go to sleep and—”

“Nat, stop talking so fast, you’re making me nervous.”

Right I’m making him nervous.

“I’ll just sit out here and read for a bit. There’s fresh towels hanging up, and you can use whatever’s in the shower.” He stretched his arms above his head, giving me a spectacular view of the lower part of his abs and the low slung jeans on the V of his hips.

I couldn’t really speak. I quickly turned around, and my face met the wall. I was an inch away from chipping my tooth.

“Careful.” I heard him chuckle behind me. Jerk.

I felt a blush spread from my face all the way down to my toes. I escaped into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

Should I lock it?

No, he was a perfect gentleman, he wouldn’t do anything. Unlike his brother, who would probably find some silly excuse to be in the bathroom at the exact same time.

They were so different.

My original judgment of them had been way off base.

I thought Alec was the brooding weird one and Demetri the bad boy masquerading as an angel, though their looks proved otherwise.

Apparently just because a guy glares and has dark features, doesn’t make him the bad guy. Just like dimples and an easy smile don’t automatically make him an angel.

I sighed and turned on the water.

Chapter Nine

It was a rain shower. The type you see on TV and at expensive hotels. I stood underneath it and immediately felt the stress leave my body as I closed my eyes.

The shower was scary clean.

As in, there’s no way he actually showers in it.

But his body wash looked half used as well as his shampoo. I lathered my hair in the spicy scent and smiled. It smelled like him.

I was a girl obsessed.

The body wash was filled with tea tree oil. By the time I stepped out of the shower my skin was so soft I decided right then and there that I was going to go shopping and purchase everything I just used.

The bathroom was a little steamy so I couldn’t see my reflection in the mirror. I looked around for some sort of face wash and finally settled on some store bought brand that looked expensive.