"What are you looking at, Mia?" My fathers voice draws my attention away from the boy I was watching and back towards him and my mother. I brush my hair back out of my face and smile widely at them both.

"Nothing. It's beautiful today, isn't it? I wish we didn't have to go back home." My mother laughs and my father just smiles widely, the light brown eyes I'd inherited from him twinkling with happiness.

"We still have all of tomorrow to enjoy yet. Come on, let's go grab some lunch." He said holding out his hand to me. My mother does the same and I look between the both of them.

"You know, I'm not a kid anymore, right?" I asked and my parents smiles drop just a notch. "But I'll do it anyway." I laugh as I place both my hands in their outstretched ones. The move over a little so that I can fit right between them.

We continue talking about what we'll do the rest of the day and the remainder of what we have tomorrow at the beach. I laugh and chat happily with them, but I can't stop my eyes from straying back to the boy I'd been looking at earlier.

I've noticed him ever since we first arrived on the vacation five days ago. He's always at the same exact place and, as far as I know, he's there all day long. My curiosity had been peeked the third day I saw him there, though I've yet to have a chance to talk to him.

I look away from the boy and shrug.

Oh well, it's not really any of my business anyway.

***

"Oh no, no, no, no." I cried out as I frantically search through my shoulder bag. My parents look towards me, turning their attention away from the television. We'd returned to our hotel room about an hour ago. Now, we're just relaxing or, at least, I should be relaxing.

"What's wrong Mia?" My mom asked, worry in her voice and appearing on her face. I look up from my bag.

"The key chain I'd bought earlier is gone! It must have fallen out of the bag when I thought I'd place it inside." I stand up and start pulling on my shoes. "I'm going to go look for it!"

"Oh, wait Mia! Someone's probably already taken it by now. The chances of you finding it are very slim, especially since it's gotten dark out." I look back at my parents and then towards the door.

I know that they're most likely right, but still.

"I won't be long. Only thirty minutes an hour tops, then I'll come back." I don't give them time to say anything more as I hurry from the room and down to the boardwalk.

***

I'm surprised that there are more people out now than earlier. I've been searching for a while, but with how many people are around I've been apologizing to people more than looking around for the keychain. My eyes go to the rides at the end of each peer and I sigh.

"Of course there'd be more people. There are so many pretty lights and fun attractions." I run my hand through my dark locks of hair in defeat. "I guess I should head back soon. My hour is almost up." I turn on my heel and make to head back to the hotel when something or, rather, someone catches my eye.

Sitting down on the beach by the rocks is the boy I'd spotted earlier in the day.

He's still there?

I questioned as my brows furrow.

During the day is one thing, but even this late into the evening? It's almost ten at night.

My curiosity gets the better of me and, before I know it, I find myself walking down to the beach and towards the rocks. I stop completely when the guy looks up at me. My cheeks heat up and any thoughts I may have had completely fly out of my mind.

His light green eyes are so intense and emotionless that I find it almost hard to breathe. Black hair similar to mine moves slightly from the light breeze that rolls over us and the salty smell of the sea wraps around me. I shudder at the cold and finally pull my eyes from his as I look out at the inky abyss lying past the sandy beach.

"Can I help you?" He asked, breaking the silence after a moment. I start fidgeting with the bottom of my tank top.

Why'd I come down here? This is stupid.

"Mhm," I hum quietly before continuing. "Sorry for bothering you." I quickly turn and walk away. The guy never calls out or chases after me. Before I know it I'm back at the hotel room. Both my parents are already asleep.

I lie down, curling up under the stiff sheets and blanket and look up at the ceiling. My thoughts go to the boy and how captivating his eyes were.

"So pretty." I whispered as I drift off to sleep.

***

"Oh, there's the bar I wanted to check out." My mom said as we pass by an elegant looking place. I look towards the bar and I snort.

"A bar? That's more like a palace." I said as I look at the intricate detail work in the pillars and the professional looking suits the male and female staff are wearing. All the people going in and out are also dressed quite nice.

"It looks so nice!" I look towards my mom and I can see the want clear as day which has me smiling.

"Why don't you guys go check it out. There are still a few places I want to see and I'm sure they wouldn't interest you." My parents look at me unsure and I just laugh as I hold up my hands. "Seriously, go. We'll just meet up for dinner at that Italian place we talked about yesterday." They still look unsure, but my dad finally relents and wraps his arm around my moms waist.

"Alright. Don't get into any trouble."

"Of course." I said and watch as they turn and walk into the building. Once they're out of sight I lower my hands and sigh. "Now that they're gone-" I'm cut off as a hand comes down on my shoulder.

"Hey, you're that weird girl from yesterday." I jump and spin around only to come face to face with the captivating green eyes I'd looked into last night.

"What the-what are you doing here?" I questioned. He removes his hand from my shoulder and raises an questioning brow at that.

"Sorry, I didn't know you owned the boardwalk." A spark of annoyance comes to life within me at that.

He's a smart-ass, huh?

I cross my arms at that and stand up a little bit straighter.

"I don't. I'm just curious as to why you're not at your little rock. You know, the one I've seen you constantly sitting at for almost the last week." His brows furrow and he brings his hand up to his chin.

"You saw me?" I nod and he meets my eyes. A cocky smile curls his lips upward. "So you were watching me? What, you were taken captive by my good looks?" I sputter at that completely taken off guard. When I first saw him, I never would have expected this type of personality.

"Absolutely not! I'm much more captivated by personality and since yours barely qualifies as a steaming ball of shit, I doubt I'll ever be captivated by you." Green eyes looks at me curiously and I smile victoriously at having been able to catch him off guard.

Maybe that'll take his ego down a few notches.

"Now then, if you'll excuse me I want to make the most of my last day at the beach." I turn on my heel and begin walking away. I trip over my own two feet, though, when I feel a hand slip under my arm and fingers gently wrap around my bicep.

"Woah there, careful." The guy said as he steadies me. I look up at him and his cocky smile returns. "Wouldn't want you to damage that pretty face of yours." He winks and I can feel my face turn eight different shades of red. "Now, come on. We've got a busy schedule." He starts pulling me long at speed walk and I blank for a minute.

"Wait, what?!" He looks back at me the cocky smile being replaced by one that reminds me of an excited child.

"You said you wanted to make the most of today, right? Well, what better way than to have someone who lives here lead you around. You'll get to see all the awesome secret places only people who live here would know about." He starts pulling me along again and I'm just stuck following along behind.

"I don't even know your name!"

"Hm? It's Elliot, just call me Eli." I bite down on my lip at that as I look at his back.

I should put a stop to this.

The rational part of my brain tells me.

But it seems like it'll be really exciting.

The irrational part argues. Eventually I sigh as I speed up my own walk so I can say beside him rather than be pulled behind.

"My name is Mia." I sneak a glance at him from the corner of my eye and I suck in a sharp breath at the smile he gives me. It lights up his entire face. My heart stutters in my chest and I lift my free hand to it as I quickly look away, blocking my face from view with my hair.

Images of him sitting alone on that rock flash through my mind. His shoulders had been hunched and he seemed so closed off from the world and sad. It's why my curiosity had been peeked.

Why would someone who can smile so brightly look so sad?

***

"Man, I haven't had cotton candy in so long." I said as I look at the big, pink ball of sugary goodness in front of me. I pluck some from the large ball and toss it in my mouth. I wiggle at the sweetness, unable to contain my happiness as it dissolves. Eli just laughs at me. I glare at him.

"I guess food is the way to your heart, huh? Your boyfriend will definitely have a problem keeping your stomach content."

"What's that mean?" I asked once the sugar is completely dissolved in my mouth. Eli just continues to smile as he eats his own blue ball of cotton candy.

"Just that you eat a lot. This is the third food stand we've stopped at since we started off a little while ago." I cross my arms over my chest, careful not to get the cotton candy on me.

"Well, so sorry about being a pig." Eli laughs and ruffles my hair like I'm some kid. I start to pout and it only seems to amuse him more.

"I wasn't calling you a pig." He said and I sigh at that. "You're more like a horse."

"What?!" I screech and make to punch him in the shoulder only to have him dart out of my reach. "Eli! Get back here!" I shout as I hurry after him. He runs into the haunted house, giving the person manning the entrance a few tickets as he hurries past. "ELI!" I yelled as I rush in after him.

I have to slow down as it gets darker the deeper in I go. Chills race up and down my spine and goosebumps rise over my arms.

Oohh, I hate these types of things.

My eyes move around non stops and I whip my head around constantly, trying to keep an eye on all of my blind spots. Eli is nowhere to be found and I start nibbling on my bottom lip in worry.

"Man, why did this have to happen?" I questioned as a loud clap of what sounds like thunder rings out around me. I jump and a small shriek escapes me. My heart races in my chest and I speed up my pace. "Come on, where is the exit? It feels like I've been in here for hours." Sweat drips down my brow and my breathing becomes labored. "Eli?!" I called out, my voice sounding smaller.

"Hey, girlie!" Someone jumps out in front of me and I shriek, my cotton candy falling to the ground. I race past them, keeping my head down as I run. A few seconds later I ram into the back of someone and their fingers wrap around my bicep.

"No! Let go!" I scream as I fight them, my heart beating a million miles a minute by now.

"Hey! Hey Mia! It's only me. Eli." I stop struggling and look up into those captivating green eyes. Relief washes over me and my legs suddenly give out. "Hey!" Eli said as I drop to the ground. "What's wrong?" He asked as he crouches down in front of me. I grip onto his arm tightly.

"Sorry I just-" I swallow a lump in my throat and I can feel myself shaking. My other hand comes up and I grab onto his shirt. "I'm not really too good with these types of things." Eli is quiet for a long minute before sighing.

"You should have said something or just waited for me to come out." I glare up at him, tears threatening my eyes.

"You didn't exactly give me a chance to say anything and I didn't want to get separated. What if a crowd appeared? It would have been difficult to find one another again." Eli smiles at that and I blush before looking away.

"Can you stand?" His voice is softer now and I shake my head.

"I don't think so."

"Alright." The next thing I know he's carrying me out of the building before I can even protest. He walks us over to an empty bench and places me down gently before taking a seat beside me.

"Thanks." I mumble still too embarrassed to look at him.

"No problem. Are you thirsty?" I tuck some hair behind my ear as I nod and say,

"Some water would be nice." Eli chuckles as he stands up and my eyes follow him.

"It's all that food you've been eating. Of course you'd be thirsty." I glare at him and Eli just laughs as he walks over to a stand. My glare gradually subsides and I find myself smiling. I look out at the ocean behind me and watch as the waves beat against the shore.

Despite the teasing and the terrible experience in the haunted house the day so far has been pretty fun.

Much more fun than if I were just on my own.

I look back towards Eli and find him looking off in a certain direction. The smile and easy going look he'd worn earlier are long gone and that cold, intense, and emotionless expression I'd experienced last night are back. I look in the direction he's staring at and find a beautiful, blond haired woman standing and happily chatting with some guy. My brows furrow at that in confusion but before I can make any guesses Eli drops the water and hurries off of the boardwalk.

"Wait, Eli!" I called out, but it's useless. My voice is lost in the noise of the crowd and he's gone too quick for me to easily catch up. I try to stand but I just fall back on the bench, my legs still too weak from the haunted house. "Shoot!" I look down at my legs and then towards the direction Eli ran in.

His expression flashes in my mind once more and I bite down on my lip. A need to be beside him flares to life within me and I force myself up on wobbly legs.

He's going to pay for this.

I hurry to the only place I can think he's going to.

***

I sigh in relief when I see Eli sitting on his rock. My heart returns to a normal place and my worry is replaced with an annoyance at having been forced to chase after him. I work my way down to the rock and Eli is so absorbed in his own thoughts he doesn't even notice me until I'm stopping directly in front of him.

"Mia?" He questioned and my anger sparks more.

"Mia my butt. What that heck was that back there? You completely ditched me!" My anger lessens as the image of his face appears in my mind and I lower my voice slightly as I ask, "Are you alright?" A look of shame passes through his eyes and he looks away from me and out towards the water.

"Sorry, about leaving you alone like that." I can hear a pain in his voice that I know doesn't belong there and my heart squeezes at it. I take a tentative seat beside him. Eli continues to look out towards the ocean and I gently place my hand over both his. His head whips around and he meets my eyes only momentarily before looking down at where my hand rests over his.

"What happened?" I asked my voice gentle and encouraging. He doesn't say anything for a long time before meeting my eyes and sighing. I jump slightly when he unhooks his hands and starts holding mine in both. He focuses intently on it as he starts speaking.

"I saw my mom." My mind flashes back to the woman I'd seen him staring at.

"So that was your mom? Are you in a fight with her right now?" Eli shakes his head and runs his thumb over the back of my hand sending chills over my skin. It's almost difficult to concentrate. I look away from my hand and to his face. There's a distant and far away look in his green eyes and I wish I could reach out and pull him back to here. To the present and away from whatever thing is making him feel pain.

"The guy she was with...it wasn't my dad."

"What?" Eli closes his eyes and squeezes my hand tightly. I can tell he's grinding his teeth and doing his best not to lose his calm right now. I stand up from the rock and face him. "Shouldn't you tell your dad then? I mean, maybe it wasn't what it looked like! Maybe it's a misunderstanding. You should confront her before jumping to any conclusions." Eli looks out at the ocean and then into my eyes.

"It's not a misunderstanding. She's cheating." He doesn't go into anymore details and just hangs his head as if in defeat. Before I can think much more on the matter I take the step closer and pull my hand from his before wrapping both my arms around him tightly. He freezes up for only a moment before I feel his arms wrap tightly around my waist and I'm pulled closer as he buries his face in my tank top. My cheeks heat up in embarrassment for only a moment before I relax and start running my fingers through his hair.

"Hey, it'll be alright. I'm sure everything will sort itself out in no time." I pause for a moment before asking, "How long has it been going on?"

"The past few months. I found out by accident and she got really upset when I asked her about it. My dad, he doesn't know." His hands curl into my tank top and I can feel his pain as if it's that of my own.

"Are you going to tell him?" My voice is quiet and for a while the only noise is that of the waves beating against the sand and small children laughing.

"I don't know." He pulls me closer to him, then, and I wrap my own arms tighter around him. "Don't go." I smile at how small and child like his voice sounds. Despite the situation, it feels nice to be needed like this. I bow my head only slightly and gently kiss the top of his head.

"Not until I'm no longer needed." I'm not quite sure how long we stay there, but I know that my last day is gone quickly enough, spent comforting a guy I only met today. Oddly enough, I'm fine with that since he's quickly become someone special to me.

"Sorry for ruining your last day." He said as he walks me to the restaurant I'm supposed to meet my parents at. The lights have gotten brighter as the sun set more and more on the horizon and now they're the only thing illuminating the boardwalk.

I look up at Eli and smile as I shake my head.

"Don't worry about it. We had fun earlier, anyway, so that's good enough for me. It just sucks I have to leave tomorrow." Eli nods and I can tell that he's chewing on a thought. "What's up?" I asked as I nudge him playfully. He looks down at me and sighs. I jump slightly when I feel his hand snake into mine. A second later he's entwining our fingers. I look curiously between my hand and up to him before his eyes finally meet mine.

"What you said earlier, was that a promise?" I notice that his cheeks are slightly pink now and, the longer our eyes hold each others, the darker the shade gets. Finally, he has to look away.

What I said earlier?

I think back to when we were on the beach and the only thing that comes to mind is when I said I wouldn't leave until I'm no longer needed.

Could he be talking about that?

I study him more carefully and his ears seem to get dyed by the color now.

"Would you stop staring at me already?! It's rude, you know?"

"Wait?" Eli stiffens and we stop walking. "Are you embarrassed, Eli?" The shade gets darker and I snort. "Who fell for whose captivating looks?" I asked as I lean into him. Eli leans away, though he's still unable to meet my eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I smile slyly at that and lean away from him. I pull my hand from his and hook my hands together behind my back as I continue walking.

"Okay, then I guess I'll just be leaving then." I barely get two steps away before I'm being pulled back and against a strong, solid chest. I look up and find those captivating, pale green eyes looking down at me. He's clearly still embarrassed and it's the most adorable thing I've ever seen in my life.

"Where do you think you're going? I still need you." The corners of my lips tip up slightly at that and I reach up, cupping his heated cheeks in my hands.

"Hmmm." I hum still screwing with him because this embarrassed side is just too good to be true. Eli looks away from me then.

"Oh yeah, I got something for you." He removes his arms from around me and steps away giving me room to turn around. I watch as he rummages around in his pocket a pulls out a keychain. My eyes widen. "I found this-"

"Where did you find it!" I said as I reach out and shamelessly snatch it from his hands. I look at the colorful, braided keychain I'd bought yesterday but had ended up losing. Eli looks confused as he says,

"It was lying by a bench and I picked it up since it was still in the packaging. I figured some moron lost it." I narrow my eyes at the last part.

"Some moron?" I asked and Eli looks confused before catching on.

"Wait, you're the person who lost that?" He barks out a laugh and I cross my arms over my chest, utterly unamused. "Geez, you should take better care of your things."

"And you should take better care of your personality. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a date with my parents." I turn on my heel and start walking away.

"Wait, Mia!" I hear Eli call after me and I smile at the distress in his voice. I look down at the keychain and my cheeks heat up. He may not have purposefully found it just for me, but the fact that he was the one to pick it up and return it makes things all the better. "Come on, don't be angry. I was joking!" Eli said, finally catching up to me. I look up and smile widely. He's taken off guard and I snicker when I catch him blushing.

I can read him like an open book. He really is like a child.

I reach out and grab onto his hand entwining our fingers. He looks down at our hands and then to me before sighing, exasperated.

"Girls are really strange." I snicker at that as I look forward.

"Welp, you're stuck with this strange girl since I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Eli smiles at that.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

YES! Day 8 story 8 completed! Holy crap everyone, we're almost at the half way mark for this collection. It's hard to believe there have been 8 new stories in 8 days, but here you are nonetheless. I really hope you enjoyed this one as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you did don't forget to hit that little star button. Also, leave a comment below on your favorite part or the part that intrigued you the most. I love hearing from everyone! Until tomorrow Bookoholic's!