“Good. Be quick.” She pushes me inside the elevator as she walks to the second one, making me laugh out loud. If there’s one thing I can rely on when it comes to Hayley, it’s that she always keeps me on my toes.
It doesn’t take long for me to grab my keys and join her in the parking lot, and when we get in my truck, she sends me in the direction of downtown San Francisco.
We drive in silence as she searches her phone for somewhere to go, and I take in the familiar sights until…
“Stop the car,” she yells suddenly, and I slam on the brakes in a panic, my eyes flashing to the rearview mirror. “What happened?”
“I found a place.”
“You what?”
“I found a place to go dancing.”
“Jesus, Hayls.” I run a hand through my hair as my pulse slowly returns to normal. “I thought we hit something.”
“Wouldn’t you feel that?”
“Almosthit something then. Either way.” I shrug.
“Oooh. Nope.” She shakes her head, completely oblivious to the inner turmoil she’s caused, and I sigh to myself before noticing we’re in the middle of nowhere.
“Are we dancing in your mind?” I ask, grimacing.
“Always.” Hayley snorts with a smile. “But for now, I remembered a secluded beach close to here. It’s the perfect spot.”
“Oh-kay. Is there a club on this beach?”
“Nope. I’ve got a better idea. Turn around. It’s just down the road.”
I follow her directions, pulling up in front of what appears to be an overgrown forest, my face scrunching in concern. “Are you sure about this?”
“Of course. I found it when I was out running. It’s a short walk through the trees.” She hits me with an excited smile and my hesitation instantly washes away. This is Hayley. Her spontaneity is something I admire about her.
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
“Yay.” She reaches over the dash to hug me before glancing into the back seat. “Do you have any spare clothes in your truck?”
I follow her gaze and spot my spare gym bag. “I probably have a tee and some shorts in that bag.”
“Are they clean?”
“Yes, Hayls. They’re clean.”
“Grab them.”
“Okay.” After my many adventures with Hayley, I’ve learned not to ask too many questions once she’s on a roll. And tonight is no different. Without another word, I follow her out of the truck, grabbing the bag of clothes before letting Hayley drag me along the narrow path, through the trees, dodging branches as we move through the darkness.
She doesn’t stop until we reach the edge of the sand and I take in the moonlight striking the beach in front of us. The fresh night air hits my face, and I quickly shrug out of my jacket, wrapping it around Hayley’s shoulders as we both stare out at the ocean. Hayley’s thankful gaze flashes to mine as the waves crash, and I can’t help but smile. I’ve always liked the beach. Especially private ones. And I don’t think you could get much more private than this.
Or perfect.
“I had no idea this place even existed,” I muse, unable to take my eyes off the water.
“Sometimes I think about how much is out there that no one knows exists,” Hayley whispers thoughtfully. “The tiny wonders of the planet that go unnoticed, undiscovered. I’d like to believeI’m the only one that knows about this place, and now you, but I doubt that it’s true. God, wouldn’t it be amazing?”
She stares out at the shoreline while my attention stays on her, in awe of her spark. She brings a brilliant light to the world, and I’m not sure she even realizes it. In fact, I’d bet my life savings on the fact that she doesn’t. I was worried that spark had dwindled for a while, but it seems to be back after the premiere and I, for one, am grateful for that.
I’m slow to tell her how perfect this is and she quickly moves on, reminding me why we’re here. “This is where we dance.”
