I'm off from work today, and as much as I've been enjoying my job, I could really use the time to just chill. Raegan and I are heading to the beach for some much-needed R and R.

Coming to Newport, I thought my life was going to be simple. I was going to settle into my new home, find my place in this town, and work hard in school. I never imagined it would take this course. This course being: balancing a job with Bridget while navigating the emotions that come with getting to know her two sons.

There's Teddy, the romantic, easy-going one who any girl would be lucky to call hers.

And then there's Lucas. The captivating, complicated, yet ridiculously alluring one.

They're so different in personality that you can find space in your heart to love them both equally. Even though, anyone who knows me would argue that Teddy is the right boy for me. I mean, everything about him matches who I am as a person, and I guess that makes him the safe choice.

But I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't a part of me that didn't want to feel safe all the time; didn't want to seem predictable, and that's where Lucas comes in. The difference there, though, is that Teddy has been nothing but 100-percent transparent with his feelings for me. Lucas, on the other hand, is someone that I can't read. One day he's saying things like, 'you're my brother's girl now' and the next day we're bickering like an old married couple. I don't want to bicker. And I would think that if Lucas truly cared about me in the way that Teddy does, he wouldn't want to, either. 

Raegan and I fan our towels in the air before placing them down on the sand. I brought my Bluetooth speakers and Raegan brought an ice cooler with different flavors of LaCroix inside.

"Here, catch," she says, throwing me a passion fruit flavored one.

"Thanks," I say, cracking it open and taking a sip before going through my Spotify playlist. "Taylor Swift or Miley Cyrus?"

"Oooh, that's a hard one. I love them both, but I've got to go with my girl T. Swift," Raegan says.

"Album?"

"Hmm," she taps her index finger to her chin. "Speak Now."

"And this is why we're best friends!" I exclaim. Speak Now is my favorite album.

For the next hour, Raegan and I lay in the sun, uninterrupted, and the feeling of the heat on my face is exactly what I needed.

Raegan crunches her stomach and leans her body up, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"Check it out," she says, nodding her head forward. "Look who decided to grace us with his presence."

I look ahead and see Lucas dressed in a navy long-sleeve button-down with white shorts and a pair of round sunglasses. He's with Marshall, Landon, Candace, and Zara, but I'm too busy taking him in to pay any attention to his friends.

And before I know it, he's unbuttoning his shirt and letting it slide off his arms.

"God help me," Raegan mutters under her breath as she gapes at him.

"Hey, Raegan, you have a bit of drool right over here," I sarcastically say, pointing to the corner of my bottom lip.

She immediately wipes away at the spot only to realize that I'm just kidding. "Ha-ha. Very funny." She takes a sip from the LaCroix can in her grip and then says, "You know, I'm Team Teddy all the way, but there's something about Lucas that makes me want to switch over to the dark side."

"By all means, go ahead," I say, gliding my hand in the air.

"Oh, c'mon, Lily. Don't pretend like Lucas hasn't caught your eye at one point or another."

"I mean, yeah, he has. But I'm with Teddy. And Teddy...he's so good. So sweet."

"And?" Raegan bats her eyes.

"Why does there have to be an 'and'?" I ask her, and she sighs while standing her body up on her kneecaps.

"What about sparks? Are they there with Teddy?"

"Sparks are overrated," I state, taking another sip of the LaCroix to mask my lying expression.

"Do you really believe that?"

It's a no in my mind, but a yes that I say out loud.

"Look, Teddy's amazing. I get that. And it's obvious that he really likes you. But don't just choose someone because he's good. He's got to make you feel alive, too," Raegan says.

"He does," I argue, but hearing myself say the words out loud makes me contemplate if I actually believe them. "A guy like Lucas might make a girl feel alive, but that'll only last up until he breaks her heart."

"I guess," she says, staring at him again. "I still think he's the hottest guy on this planet."

She leans back on her towel and goes back to tanning, leaving me the one to now stare.

***

Raegan and I picked up sandwiches from this local market on our way to the beach, and I'm about to bite into the last bit of my delicious ciabatta when Candace and her friend pass by our towels. I can't help but look her way. Yeah, she's pretty and popular, but my first and only encounter with her wasn't pleasant whatsoever. 

"I can't believe Lucas is into her," Raegan says. "I thought the guy would have better taste than tall, skinny, and blonde."

"Want me to throw this out for you?" I ask Raegan of the crumpled-up aluminum foil that was covering her sandwich. It's either that or responding to her comment about Lucas and Candace, and I'm not trying to think about the two of them together. 

"If you don't mind. Thanks!"

"Be right back," I tell her, picking my body up from the sand and heading towards the garbage can.

My shoulder collides with someone else's, and then I hear "watch it". Of course, those lovely words come from Candace herself.

"I could say the same to you," I tell her.

"Please," she flips one side of her blonde hair behind her shoulder, "like I'd listen to you."

"What's your problem?"

"You're. In. My. Way," she says, slowly pronouncing each word. There's no way this girl is getting mad over who got to the garbage can first. Unless she's that immature.

I glide my hand in the air and let her go first. "After you..."

She snickers at me and then tosses her water bottle into the trash. I'm on the verge of telling her that it belongs in the recycling bin, but the last thing that I need is for this girl to knock me to the ground. Something tells me not to underestimate her.

She brings her body back to where I'm standing and crosses her arms, looking me over. "You know? If you knew how to dress, you'd actually be really pretty."

I don't know if that's an insult or a compliment.

Insult. Definitely an insult.

"Aw, it's too bad that I don't care about what you think."

"Big mistake. My opinion matters around here."

"Not to me it doesn't."

She pouts her lips and pushes them out, inspecting me. "I'd be careful if I were you. Know your place, loser."

"It's too bad I don't take threats either," I tell her, and now she's in my face. She gives me an evil smirk and I'm tempted to shove her away from me, but Lucas clutches onto her shoulder before I can get to her.

"Is there a problem here, ladies?" he asks, peering from Candace to me. 

"Nope," Candace states, backing away. "Just making sure Lily knows where she stands in this town, that's all."

Lucas looks at me sympathetically, but I don't need his pity.

He removes his hand from Candace's shoulder and turns to her. "Leave her alone, Candace," he says.

"Wh-hat?"

"Leave. Lily. Alone," he says again, this time emphasizing each word.

"Lucas, she started it. She practically walked into me."

"Oh, that's rich," I interrupt, crossing my arms.

"I saw the whole thing, Candace," he says to her with an eye-roll before turning to me. "Sorry about that, Lil."

I swipe my head in the air, playing the encounter off like it was no big deal. "All good. She doesn't scare me one bit."