Hello y'all. This is the second story I work on – the first one being Alex and Sebastian. I'll place the link for that one below.

Hope you guys enjoy!

http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/college/alex-and-sebastian/

A fellow reader made a playlist with most of the songs I've either used or will use in the A&S series. I've given him full control as to whether he wants a new channel for this story or just to continue on the original one.  If y'all want to listen to the previous one while reading the chapters, the link for it is this:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJZWEUrY9KRSfQ98rYlMYix46VM0CJ7XS

Songs on YouTube:

 

Steve Grand – All American Boy

Christian Aguilera / Blake Shelton – Just a Fool

I will keep you posted if another link is created.

Also, please don't forget to donate to nifty here, without which we wouldn't have this collection of great stories!

Every story is free on here, so please let's keep it that way and donate, guys.

http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html

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The Bonfire

 

Ever since last week, I had been constantly texting Michael asking him on advice for my singing voice and presence. While most of the advice he gave me was helpful, it was also stuff Diana had already shown me. I didn't care though, I just liked the excuse of texting back and forth with Michael.

 

Even then, I was cautious as to not let my imagination run wild. I was still talking to Drew, after all. The back and forth between the two of them was hard to keep track of, if I was being honest, but I still couldn't help myself. I loved talking with Michael even if he had a girlfriend and I similarly liked the attention Drew was giving me.

 

It was selfish to drag Drew around but I knew there was no hope in waiting for Michael since he had a girlfriend and he was happy.

 

Still, a guy can hope, right?

 

At the end of the week, after we had attended all our classes and practices, Diana had sent out a mass group text letting us know her parents would be out of town. Instead of a party at her place as usual, she had suggested we all meet at her dad's condo in the island. Having never been to a condo at the island, I was ecstatic.

 

When I asked her if it was okay for me to invite Kyle again, she accepted. Her exact words were, "The more the merrier."

 

What I didn't know at the time was who she meant as "more."

 

When Saturday night finally rolled in, Kyle, Tay and I drove to Diana's condo at the beach, our faces lit up at the sight of a beautiful white, two story condo. It was far enough away from the other condos that it'd feel like we'd have our own private beach. The front yard was adorned with beautiful palm trees while in the back, a row of tiki torches leading to the beach could barely be made out.

 

"Must be nice to have such nice places," Kyle said, his face nearly pressed against Tay's window.

 

I had to admit, I was a little jealous of her family's money, too.

 

"Well, her dad gets paid really well being a doctor and all. Her mom isn't doing too bad herself - she's a very popular realtor," Tay said, matter-of-factly.

 

My eyebrows raised in surprise. "Wow. That's pretty cool." A thought suddenly crossed my mind. "Wait, how do you know all that?" I asked, realizing that not even I knew this - and she was my mentor, after all.

 

Tay shrugged. "I listen, unlike you two."

 

Well, guess that settled that.

 

When we finally made our way to where the rest of the cars were parked, we got off and walked up the wooden steps to her front door. Diana had seen us park through the large glass windows in the front and was expecting us at the door.

 

After quick welcomes, we made our way out the back of the condo and into the sandy backyard. A small bonfire had already been started a few yards away, Michael, Vanessa and a few other Emanon members already present. I let the others walk in front of me as I picked up my camera from the chord dangling around my neck and snapped a quick picture of the bonfire with the beautiful sunset and ocean in the background. I smiled, admiring the picture.

 

"Boo!"

 

I jumped as someone snuck up behind me and hugged me. "Drew! You scared the shit out of me," I laughed and punched him playfully in the arm.

 

"Sorry," he said, rubbing his arm where I hit him. "I couldn't resist." He handed me my first beer of the night and led me down the path to the bonfire. I noticed music coming from a small portable speaker laying on top of one of the coolers. Next to the cooler, my eyes immediately landed on Michael and Vanessa sitting on a blue towel in front of the fire. Michael must have felt me looking at him as he met my gaze and waved a friendly hello. I waved hi back, a warm feeling in my chest growing. Like a splash of cold water, the warm feeling was extinguished as Vanessa took a hold of Michael's chin and pulled his mouth to hers. I resigned myself to look away and drank from my beer.

 

"Hey, how many beers have you downed already, Drew?" I asked, suddenly entirely aware of how sober I was.

 

"I dunno. Three with this one. Why?" Drew raised his beer to his mouth and took a long drink.

 

"I better catch up then," I teased and chugged about half of my beer in one go. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle seeing Vanessa and Michael all lovey-dovey tonight if I wasn't buzzing.

 

"Well, here's to a good night then," Drew gave me a crooked smile I found very, very sexy and we clinked our beers, downing them together.

 

It took about another half an hour for the sun to fully go down and the rest of the Emanon members to arrive. In the meantime, I had taken advantage of the current sunlight and had been snapping candid shots of different people as the night progressed.

 

For the most part, we had all been having a good time; many of the pictures showed this. After a few more beers I decided to go back through my camera and look at my progress. Quickly, I realized a pattern. While most of the pictures included group shots, many of the pictures had one person in common. Though likely due to my steady inebriation, I realized I couldn't help it, Michael was very photogenic.

 

Around 11PM, I caught Diana looking in Tay and Sam's direction. I took a drink of my beer as I nonchalantly studied her posture. Was it just my imagination or was there a look of annoyance in Diana's face as she looked at them?

 

I couldn't give it more thought as Drew made his way to me, cold beer in his hand.

 

"You enjoying the party so far, Darren?"

 

I smiled back at him. "Yeah, the beer is good. The music is even better. I can't complain." I shrugged and shot him another smile as we both took a chug of our drinks.

 

"What do you say we sneak off for a bit later tonight?"

 

I noticed the wicked look in his eyes and laughed. "There's nowhere to go, Drew. Besides, wouldn't you want to enjoy the company of everyone else here?" I gave him a wink at that, entirely sure about what else he'd rather be doing.

 

"As long as you're here, I don't care about anybody else's company."

 

I felt my cheeks begin to warm up at his flirtatious words. "I could say the same thing," I smiled, realizing I was focusing my feelings on the wrong guy tonight.

 

I wanted to feel what I felt for Michael when I looked at Drew. God damn it, I really did but when I looked at him, the spark, the fire, it wasn't there. I shot him a small smile and offered the neck of my beard for a toast. He clicked his beer with mine and we both took another drink.

 

After a while, Drew made his way over to where Ileana and Alyssa were talking and joined in on their conversation. Good enough for me since I didn't like the feeling of remorseful guilt I had whenever I was near him and Michael.

 

 

.

Ripped jeans, only drinks whiskey.
Found him by the fire while his girl was gettin' frisky, oh.
I say we go this road tonight.

.

 

 

I looked over at Michael to my far right. The flame of the bonfire illuminated his olive skin in a way I realized made me want to see more of it. I continued to stare long enough to see him laugh at a joke Chris must have said to him. A beer in one hand and Vanessa wrapped around the other, he gave a hearty laugh that made me smile. Despite my irrational annoyance, I realized how great a scene it was. I placed my camera to my face and took a picture of the three of them, Michael at the center. I smiled, looking at the picture I just took.

 

"Ahem."

 

I blinked away my thoughts and quickly took a chug of my beer. "Hey," I said, turning to see Diana in front of me, smirking. "What's up?" I continued, innocently letting my camera fall around my neck.

 

She rolled her eyes but smiled. "I'm thinking about bringing out another six pack of beers, want to join me?

 

"Sure," I said, following her back up the path to the beach house.

 

"Hey, Darren," she called out to me once inside.

 

"Sup."

 

"How's it going with you and Michael?" She opened a bottle of screwdriver Smirnoff and took a long sip.

 

"Nothing's going on, Diana. Ha-ha. why would you think that?"

 

She rolled her eyes, probably noticing the fake tone in my voice.

 

"So, if I have a look at the pictures in your camera, they won't all be of him?" She gave me a twisted smile and extended her hand so I could give her my camera.

 

"Uh," I moved my camera around so that it was hanging behind my back. "Well," I began to blush, "They won't all be of him."

 

Diana's vibrant laugh filled the room, a beautiful, confident laugh. She really was perfect.

 

Lucky her.

 

"Well, for what it's worth, I think he has a thing for you, too."

 

If there had been a good chance that Diana hadn't seen me blush, it was extinguished now. "What- what do you mean?" I asked, fully aware -even hopeful- I knew what she meant.

 

"I can't say specifics but I see him look at you, too, sometimes."

 

Having Diana be one of the few peoples who knew about me, I allowed myself to be open with her. "Yeah, but even so, he's with Vanessa. They're making out in front of everyone by the bonfire in case you forgot." God knew, I hadn't.

 

Diana shrugged, unsure of what to add.

 

"And besides," I continued. "I met someone, too. It's - it's really good." I nodded, sure that I was beginning to like Drew.

 

"You did?" She raised her eyebrows in surprise and took another long chug of her Smirnoff. "Share!"

 

I laughed, "He's kind of - he'd rather stay down low a little longer. And I'm good with that. I'd rather keep it all down low, too. I don't know how I'd deal with, well, you know. At least until after the competition." I saw her head twitch at my confession.

 

"Wait. Why until after the competition?"

 

The way she looked at me made it clear I had let something important slip. Shit, Drew made me promise not to tell Diana.

 

"Do you mean because he's part of our choir, too?"

 

I tensed, knowing that, at the very least, she didn't suspect it was someone from a rival choir. Or worse, Andrew.

 

I shrugged. "I can't. Sorry. But it's helping me keep my mind off Michael," I confessed.

 

"Aright." She pouted her lips and finished the last of her bottle. "Well, we should be heading back. Just help me carry these back on that cooler right there."

 

I picked the cooler up. It was heavy but not too heavy that I couldn't carry it.

 

"Hey," I said, as we walked the path back to the bonfire. "I saw you looking at Sam earlier, too. You got a thing for him?" I teased.

 

Diana gave a small laugh and finished her Smirnoff. She reached into the cooler I was carrying and pulled out another. "No. I'm not. he's pretty cute, though. But I'm with Drew, remember?"

 

If I was being honest, I had actually forgotten. "Right," I said, placing the cooler down. "Yeah, sorry, was just asking."

 

By the time we got back, the major part of the party had moved to one side of the bonfire.

 

Despite her words, I continued to find her staring at Sam and Tay throughout the night.

 

Sometime later, I joined in on a conversation about a funny thing that happened in Drew and Vanessa's class. I feigned interest in Vanessa's part of the story as all I really cared about was hearing Michael speak again.

 

 

.

And he smiles, his arms around her.
But his eyes are holdin' me, just a captive to his wonder, oh.
I say we go this road tonight.

.

 

 

"Well, I could use a smoke break." Michael announced once everything calmed down, his arms still wrapped around Vanessa's shoulders. "Anyone wanna join?" He offered the invitation but only a few heard. Still, no one offered to join him. "Not one person wants to join me? Damn."

 

"Those things make my fingers smell," Diana shook her head. "No, thanks."

 

"Yeah," Vanessa chimed in. "I hate the smell of them, babe. Wish you'd quit," she gave Michael a disapproving look.

 

"I'm not a smoker, sorry, man." Drew shrugged and took a drink from his beer.

 

Michael shrugged. "We all have our flaws," he told Vanessa with a smile.

 

"I'll join you," I said, when no one wished to join him.

 

"You smoke, Darren?" Kyle raised an eyebrow before taking a sip of his beer.

 

"Yeah, I do," I shrugged. Drew gave me a curious look, too, but shrugged it away.

 

"Come on, then, D." Michael offered me a cigarette and motioned for me to follow him. Grabbing another beer, I walked behind him.

 

We stood a couple of yards downwind from the group. Because the only light came from the moon or the fire, Michael and I were far enough away to be partially hidden by the dark.

 

It took Michael a few tries before he successfully managed to light his cigarette. It took me a little longer than him to finally turn mine on.

 

 

.

And now I know that that's your girl, I mean no disrespect.
The way that shirt hugs your chest, boy, I just won't forget.
I'll be sittin' here, drinking my whiskey.
I won't say good night unless I think you might miss me, oh.
.

 

 

"Listen, Darren."

 

I turned around to face Michael, his words, though whispered, cut through the night's wind.

 

"What's up, Michael?"

 

"Thanks for coming and having a smoke with me," he said, finishing his cigarette.

 

"Hey," I smiled, "It's not a problem." Because, really, it wasn't. I would have done anything just to spend a few more minutes with him.

 

Michael gave me one last smile before reaching into his pants' pocket and pulling out his Marlboro cigarette case. "Damn, I'm down to my last one, D." He was quiet for a second before adding, "You okay with sharing?"

 

"Yeah," I said, trying not to sound too excited about the prospect of sharing a cigarette with him again. The last time we had done so was in Diana's house near the beginning of the year. "It's cool with me."

 

"Cool," he whispered back and reached into his other pocket for his lighter. He placed the cigarette to his mouth and used his left hand to cover it from the breeze while his right hand tried to light the end.

 

 

.

Ripped jeans, a tight shirt,
He lights a cigarette, you know I'm glad that she can't stand it, oh.
I drink the moonlight from his eyes.

.

 

 

I stared at him for a few seconds before walking closer to him. "Here," I said, raising my hands and placing them with his to provide a little more cover from the wind. In doing this, our hands touched and I realized that, despite the night's cold breeze, his hands were warm and soft.

 

I raised my gaze to his face and caught him looking back at me. His grey eyes held mine and we stared at each other for what must have only been one or two seconds - one or two immeasurably long seconds. Trying to alleviate the silence, I cleared my throat. "So it's easier to light," I explained, aware of how our hands were still touching.

 

"Mhm," he mumbled, cigarette still in his mouth.

 

Was it my imagination or were the small crinkles around his lips the slight hint of a smile?

 

With one last try, Michael was able to light the cigarette and, finally, brought his hands down.

 

I watched him take a long drag, the end of his cigarette burning red and hot. He let out the smoke with a long exhale and handed it to me. "Here," he said.

 

I took it into my mouth and breathed in. The stinging smoke was overshadowed by the realization that this cigarette had just been in his mouth. I let out the smoke in the same slow, methodical way Michael had.

 

 

.

Now hold there, just a moment.
I wanna take this in now - we don't need no photo of it, no.
We should go this road tonight.
.

 

 

"Darren," he said, breaking the comfortable silence between us.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Can I ask you something?"

 

I nodded, cautiously handing the cigarette back to him.

 

"Why are you still single? Seems like a talented and good looking guy like you would have already been taken."

 

I blushed, distinctly aware he had just complimented me twice. I shrugged. "I don't know. I'm always busy with school and basketball practices."

 

True.

 

"And I just - I'm not interested in any girl at school."

 

Well, only half true.

 

 

.

Now I know that that's your girl and I don't give a damn.
She's been cussin' and cryin', she don't know what she has.
I'll be sittin' here, tryin' to hold down my whiskey.
You tell your girl good night 'cause somebody'd like to kiss me, oh.

.

 

Michael nodded, his soft grey eyes still staring back at me. Oddly enough, his staring didn't make me uncomfortable. Instead, his gaze only made my heart beat faster.

 

After another second, his face broke into a smile. "Good. Wouldn't want you distracted before the competition."

 

I laughed, "Don't worry about the competition. I'll be at my A game for that."

 

"Better be," he teased. "Hey, lend me your camera for a second."

 

"My camera?"

 

"Yeah," he took a last drag of his cigarette before throwing it carelessly on the ground and stepping on it. He walked closer to me and put his hands around me. I held my breath as I felt him pull my camera's chord up from around my neck. "Let's take a picture - just to remember your promise of staying single before the competition."

 

I blinked, sure I had misunderstood.

 

I caught my breath when his right arm wrapped around me and I tried my best not to let the scent of his body spray over power my thinking. The warmth of his chest made my heart beat faster. Looking at the camera he raised to eye level, I managed to loosen up and smile. The flash of the camera blinded me for a short second but I blinked away the stars from my eyes.

 

"It's a good one," Michael said, already looking at the picture he took. He handed me the camera with a smile.

 

"Yeah, it is," I said, looking at a picture of both of us smiling with the glow of the bonfire in the background. "Good job, Michael," I smiled. The picture already imprinted into my mind just like his delicious scent.

 

 

.

Of all the girls and boys who look my way.
Ain't nobody ever hit me this way.
So won't you come back with me
And lay with me awhile?

.

 

 

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I asked, referring to the oceans waves crashing back and forth on the shore.

 

"It is," Michael answered, his gaze a thousand miles away.

 

I became aware of a deep feeling in my gut. I looked back at Michael and found him looking back at me with a small smile. I swallowed the fear in my mouth and smiled back. I was about to speak again when a voice called out to us.

 

"What are y'all doing over there?" Tay's shouting pierced the ocean's loud waves. "Get over here, we're about to play something!"

 

"We better go," I said, placing my camera's collar back on my neck, deeply disappointed our time together was cut short.

 

"Yeah," Michael blinked away his thoughts and nodded in the direction of the fire.

 

"Come on, who's up?" Vanessa asked the group clustered around her. "Who wants to take me on?"

 

"What's going on?" I asked Kyle as I stood next to him.

 

"She's daring one of y'alls members to a sing off."

 

My eyebrows raised in surprise and I heard Vanessa say, "If y'all are scared, Michael here can try to keep up." She winked at Michael as he made his way back to her side. She handed him the guitar she held in her left hand.

 

I looked in the direction of Sam trying to figure out if he'd step up. Realizing he wouldn't, my mind realized another thing: there'd be another Michael and Vanessa duet. I took a chug of my beer to assuage the feelings to come.

 

"Let's do Just a Fool. It's a good duet," she said, resting her arm on Michael's shoulders confidently. "Too bad none of the boys could step up. I wanted to hear what they had." She finished with a friendly smile aimed at our direction but for me - for me, it was patronizing.

 

I looked at Michael's direction and saw him shrug, his fingers already strumming the beginning of another gut wrenching duet. Vanessa stepped closer to the bonfire and began the song with a low, sultry voice.

 

 

.

"Another shot of whiskey, please, bartender.

Keep it coming `til I don't remember at all
How bad it hurts when you're gone."

.

 

 

Instantly, we all fell quiet to the sadness in her voice. I hate to admit it but, damn it, the girl could sing.

 

Now I understood why Sam wasn't brave enough to sing with her - she dominated whatever song she sang. Michael continued to look down, his lack of interest in someone stepping up was both apparent and disheartening.

 

 

.

"Turn the music up a little bit louder.
Just gotta get past the midnight hour.
Maybe tomorrow it won't be this hard.
Who am I kidding?
I know what I'm missing."

.

 

 

Vanessa's voice carried around the bonfire. The night's breeze sent shivers through my back - or was that just her voice?

 

I gave one last hopeful look at Chris who, instead of getting ready to sing, was close-eyed and swaying to the music. Drew, standing with him, drank from his beer with a smile.

 

Looking back at Michael, he only now raised his head ready to sing. His face scanned the crowd and landed, for just a quick second, on me. Before I knew it, Vanessa turned to him as he strummed the intro to the next chorus and he turned to face her. The way they looked at each other pulled at my gut and, without complete awareness, I opened my mouth and sang.

 

 

.

"I said that I don't care,
I'd walk away, whatever.
And I tell myself we were bad together.

But that's just me trying to move on without you.
But who am I kidding?
I know what I'm missing."

.

 

 

I freaked out for a second, my own body betraying me. I didn't know what came over me, I just wanted Michael to know I had the guts to do something brave. Thankfully, Michael and Diana's training had paid off and I could hear myself hit every note just like Vanessa.

 

I heard Kyle whistle encouragement as I sang and a smile finally broke through my face. The surprised look Vanessa gave me as I sang was a cherry on top.

 

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to better feel the song. I continued to sing the words of a man stupidly in love with a girl that was no good for him - a girl he was a fool for loving.

 

The words to the song were being pulled out of me with such raw pain it felt like I was being gutted.

 

I had my heart set on you, I thought.

 

The picture I took with Michael a few moments ago flashed in my mind and I gave a pained smile. I shook the thought painfully away and looked in the direction of Vanessa. Well, I didn't look at her. I looked past her.

 

My eyes focused on Michael, his head down, playing the guitar with so much passion.

 

Everything he did felt full of it - it was intoxicating.

 

The thought of what came next made my hands grow cold. Michael knew it, too, and looked up to finally meet my gaze.

 

 

.

"I had my heart set on you.
But nothing else hurts like you do.
Who knew that love was so cruel?"

.

 

 

I heard my own voice resonating and melting together with Vanessa's sultry voice. Another whistle broke through the night - Drew's this time. I would have looked at him had Vanessa not caught my eye. Her gaze was so intense it felt wrong to break it. Well, not wrong. It would feel like I was surrendering something to her.

 

Instead, I held her gaze and fed of her energy as our voices joined each other's.

 

 

.

"And I waited and waited so long
For someone who'd never come home.
It's my fault to think you'll be true.
I'm just a fool."

.

 

 

Our voices grew louder as Vanessa, too, stepped up her game. As she sang, her voice cycled from thin and fragile sung phrases to ones backed by strong vocals. Every word she sang was so full of emotion, it seemed to pour out of her like molasses, deep and rich. I knew all I could do was try and reach deep inside me for a voice to help me rival hers.

 

Damn her talent.

 

 

.

"I'm just a fool.
I'm just a fool.
I'm just a fool.
It's my fault to think you'll be true.
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
I'm just a fool."

.

 

 

We ended our songs together and I was finally comfortable enough to break eye contact with her. She smiled and walked towards me, "Not bad for a newbie," she smiled, though I felt an odd feeling in my gut when she looked at me - almost like she was mad I had the balls to steal her duet with Michael.

 

"Thanks," I smiled back. "Diana is a good teacher," I nodded in her direction as she walked closer to me and hugged me from behind before letting go.

 

Drew came up to me and took hold of my shoulders. "Great job, man!" He wrapped his arms around Diana from behind but his eyes were focused on me. "It takes guts to duet with Vanessa. Even the rest of us over at Veterans get cold feet," he smiled.

 

"Thanks, Drew." I offered my hand as a shake but he took it and pulled me towards him and Diana. She laughed as we clustered in an awkward group hug.

 

Once the high from my impromptu duet had worn off, I decided I needed to take a quick restroom break and headed back up to the house. I placed my camera down on a towel and excused myself when Diana decided to walk with me.

 

"You did great out there, Darren," she said, as we made our way back to the bonfire exiting through the side door of the condo.

 

"Thanks. I don't know what came over me, actually," I confessed as we walked around to the back of the condo.

 

"I have an idea," she teased, her white smile shining through the night. She managed to elbow my ribs while taking a long sip of her drink.

 

"Shut up," I laughed and took another chug of my beer. I almost spilled it on myself when I bumped into Diana as we turned a corner. "Why'd you stop?"

 

I looked in the direction of Diana's stare and realized what must have stopped her in her tracks.

 

Sam and Tay were in the middle of a hushed conversation, his right arm resting on the wall of the house while his back was to us. His head got closer to hers and we saw their lips connect in a long, drawn out kiss.

 

My eyes widened, realizing what was happening. I looked over at Diana to my left, the look on her face indecipherable. In an instant, she chugged the rest of her drink and threw the bottle on the floor. With a quick spin, she briskly made her way back around the house.

 

"Diana!" I called out after her, but she was already near the door. Not looking back, she let the door close behind her. Whether it was the drink being tossed on the floor or my shouting, Tay and Sam broke their kiss. A look of bewilderment apparent in Tay's eyes as she pushed Sam off.

 

"Diana? Darren?" Sam asked, his own face confused at the interruption.

 

"Sorry guys," I lowered my gaze, embarrassed. "Didn't mean to interrupt." Quickly, I made my way back to the bonfire, realizing Diana would probably not want to talk about what she saw. She could lie to me about it and say she didn't but now I was sure she had feelings for Sam.

 

Nothing sucked more than liking someone who didn't like you back.

 

When I finally reached the bonfire, I made my way directly to Drew.

 

"Hey man," I grabbed his arm, pulling him away from a conversation he was having with Ileana and Alyssa.

 

"What's up, Darren?" I noticed his cheeks were red from all the alcohol he had been drinking. I disregarded this as I told him what happened with Diana.

 

"I think you should go talk to her," I said. "She might not want to talk to anyone else."

 

Drew nodded and began to walk in the direction of the house. Midway, he stopped and came back to the cooler, picking up four drinks before heading back.

 

"Everything okay?"

 

I turned to see Michael looking at me, worried expression on his face.

 

"Yeah," I assured him. "Drew went to go talk to Diana for a bit."

 

"Oh, alright." He turned back to look at Vanessa. At the moment, she was enthralled in conversation with Chris, Kyle and Sara. "Well, would you want to go on a walk along the beach with me? Vanessa's a little busy gloating with your friends." He finished this with a smile but I could see a small hint of annoyance in his eyes.

 

I looked back in the direction of the house where Drew and Diana were currently speaking. I sighed, realizing I probably wouldn't be able to spend more time with Drew. "Yeah, that's fine," I finally replied. "We can make our way along the beach if you want, Michael."

"Sounds perfect," he smiled.

 

We walked in silence for a few minutes as the glow of the bonfire dimmed behind us. "You forgot this back there, by the way." He offered me my camera back and I took it, wrapping the cord securely around my neck again.

 

"Thanks. I'd have been heartbroken if I had lost it."

 

"Not a problem," he said, his voice sounding like a melody as the waves crashed on the shore to our left. "You were great back there, by the way. Congratulations." His right hand rested on my shoulder and he gave a small squeeze. "Not a lot of people can hold a candle to Vanessa."

 

Vanessa.

 

"Thanks," I replied, sheepishly. My mind was already drunk with the feeling of his hand squeezing my shoulder. Well, that and the actual drinks I'd been downing for the past couple of hours.

 

"Hey, D. Can I ask you something else?"

 

"Sure," I said, wanting nothing more than to spend just a few more minutes talking to him.

 

We walked for a few more feet before he suddenly stopped and turned to face me.

 

"Can I ask you why you have so many pictures of me in there," he pointed at the camera around my neck. "I accidentally saw them when I tried to find our picture again," he gave me a small, embarrassed smile.

 

I don't know what my face looked like, but I did know one thing: Even the devil himself could not have made my face burn hotter than Michael just did. God bless the lack of streetlights on the beach.

 

"I -"

 

What? What possible reason could I have to have been taking pictures of him all night? God, he probably thought I was a creep now.

 

"I - I like candid shots. There's - there's beauty in the unexpected," I said. I looked into his eyes, realizing I had unwittingly called him beautiful in my confession.

 

His smile warmed up after a few seconds. "I think they're great," his voice gentle and reassuring. "But you better be a little more careful about where you leave your camera. One might think you have a thing for me," he teased, giving me a small smile.

 

"Right. One might," I whispered, offering him my own embarrassed smile.

 

We continued to look at each other for a few more seconds. Each of us likely studying the other.

 

"We should - We should head back, right?" I asked, hopeful that he'd refuse.

 

"Yeah," he said, after a few seconds. "It's getting late, anyways."

 

"It is," I agreed, disheartened but resigned. I stole one last look at his cloudy grey eyes before I took the lead in walking back to the bonfire, embarrassed and love-struck.