One of the few pluses of being unemployed (or as Brooklyn called it, funemployed) was being able to go to the beach during the week, avoiding all of the chaos of drunk teenagers and families with 10 kids. We placed our chairs where the tide met the grainy white sand of the shoreline, letting water lap up to our ankles.

We had invited Nikki, but she refused, saying she'd rather swallow a live goldfish than come with us. The bitterness in her voice was more than enough to send a message.

I globbed sunscreen all over my arms and legs, desperate to shield my fair complexion. Brooklyn was already lazily sprawled out in his chair, with sunglasses on and his feed buried in the sand.

"You should put some of this on," I said, hanging the bottle of sunscreen to him. He waved me off.

"I'm fine," he muttered, slouching down in his chair even more. "I don't burn. It's cute that you care, though."

I gave him a slight chuckle. "I guess that's sort of my job."

A cool breeze came in from the ocean, and with it came the smell of the sea. I thought back to what Nikki had said to me when we first moved here - that salt water was the cure to everything. I didn't know how much I believed it at first, but looking over at Brooklyn, half asleep with a faint smile, I realized how much I wanted to believe it. He hummed along quietly to the music playing from his phone, and I let my nerves unwind, listening to all the sounds of things finally being at peace.

"It's weird, I feel like a little kid," he said softly, reaching over for my hand. "You're like the girl I used to chase around on the playground in 3rd grade. Her name was Leia, like Princess Leia from Star Wars, even though she hated when I called her that. She had long, pretty hair like yours, too. She thought I hated her, but I just had a huge crush on her."

"Did you ever catch her?" I asked. "When you used to chase her around, I mean."

"No," Brooklyn replied. "Not once."

"I think maybe that means you were meant to catch someone else," I said, slowly running my fingers over his knuckles.

"The problem is, every time I catch her, my dumb ass lets her go." He chuckled dryly and shook his head. "But she keeps coming back...and I don't understand why."

"Because she cares." I gave him a soft smile. "And you know how the saying goes - if you let something go and it comes back, that just means it's meant to be yours."

Brooklyn looked at me over the tops of his sunglasses. My eyes met his, and Brooklyn's darkened into the color only the deepest parts of the ocean would be. But it wasn't that terrible, lonely haze I was used to. They flickered with such a pure desire, that it made lust surge through me like a storm.

"Is that how the saying goes?" he asked with a coy smirk.

"Something like that." I returned his smirk.

He sighed and leaned back into the chair. "Sometimes...I look at you and I think I'm dreaming." He grinned that charming, boyish grin of his again.

"I think the heat has made you delusional," I replied with a chuckle.

"Not any more than I already was."

"Ow! Stop it, you're being too rough!"

I slathered more aloe on Brooklyn's shoulders and chest, paying no mind to his pained groans as I touched the raw redness that covered his skin.

"I have no sympathy for you," I quipped. "I told you to put sunscreen on, but I believe your exact words were I don't burn."

"I don't normally," he insisted. "I just fell asleep."

"Enjoy being a lobster for the next few days," I shrugged.

"Well, this lobster has to get home." Brooklyn placed his thumb on my chin and tilted my head up to face him. The sun darkened his freckles, and his eyes glowed in the light of the oncoming dusk that poured through my window.

"Already?" I asked, giving him a pathetically fake pout.

"Well...maybe five more minutes." He placed a gentle kiss to my forehead, then slowly trailed his lips down to my cheek, then finally my mouth. Every touch was so soft but so sensual, I felt like I was floating on a cloud.

"I was thinking we could make things...official," he said in a low voice, pulling away from me but just far enough that our foreheads still touched.

"Official?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow. "What are we, in high school?"

"Well, no but..." Brooklyn's face reddened as he raked his hand through his hair, sending bits of sand falling on our shoulders. He gave me a sheepish grin. "I just don't want you kissing other guys, I guess."

"Then don't go kissing other girls," I retorted with a playful smirk.

Brooklyn's voice dropped to barely a whisper. "The only girl I want to kiss is you. Let me take you out to dinner. A real dinner. Not a dive bar with oysters."

He reached down and entangled his hands with mine. His palms were still rough, but I didn't care. "How's Friday?"

"I'll have to check my calendar," I said with a laugh. "I'm a very busy woman you know."

Brooklyn grinned and raised an eyebrow. "So I'll pick you up at 7 then?"

I felt a smile tug at my lips. "7 it is."

"You guys are gross."

Brooklyn and I pulled away from each other to see Nikki standing in the doorway of my room with her arms folded over her chest, her mouth pinched into a frown. A gray beanie was pulled down over her head.

Brooklyn chuckled dryly before turning back to me. "I'll call you later okay?" He kissed my forehead again before brushing past Nikki and leaving.

I groaned and rolled my eyes at her. "What's your problem? We're happy, thank you very much."

"Is that what you call it?" Nikki scoffed. "Constantly looking over your shoulder, trying to be subtle about checking his phone? Whether or not you realize it, you're always worried. I can see it in your eyes. How do you think this is okay?"

"I'm trying to help him!" I snapped. "You wouldn't understand. You're only ever interested in helping yourself." I stared her down, venom intertwining my words. "Why don't you just admit you're jealous? You're jealous that for once I'm happy with someone, especially since you can't hang on to a relationship for more than two weeks."

Nikki looked like she was going to be sick, her face blanched and her eyes glassy. For once, I was the one biting and scratching and drawing blood, not her. Anger surged through me as I clenched my fists at my sides, but I didn't dare say anymore. After another few moments of tense silence, Nikki exhaled sharply.

"Whatever Natalie," she said softly, her head turned down. "I'm done trying to look out for you. Do what you want. But when whatever this is blows up in your face, I'm not helping you pick up the pieces."

She turned and left my room, slamming the door behind her.

Later that night, I awoke to my phone buzzing in my tangled mess of sheets. After rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I nearly dropped my phone on my face when the text message lit up my screen.

UNKNOWN: don't get too comfortable. an addict is always an addict.

With my heart in my throat and my head spinning, I quickly deleted the text message and rolled over in bed. I squeezed my eyes shut, pretending I had just dreamt it all.

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