Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 3

that. Everyone knew the beach was make-out central.
    JJ laughed. I think it was the first time I had ever heard him laugh like that, all light and happy. "Not that part of the beach. Up near the rocks."
    "Oh." We turned off the highway and started down the gravel road that would take us toward a small parking lot. Just before it came into the view of the headlights, JJ swerved the truck onto an even smaller track. The ocean was a pitch-black nothing alongside of us somewhere. My cousin had come to stay with us one summer and said it freaked him out, that big nothing. Like the world just ended. Having grown up with it, it felt normal. Calm, even. Big boulders started to appear beside the gravel track and the sound of the crunching tires turned into a more solid thumping as the road got a bit bumpier. Finally, JJ pulled into a small turnaround and cut the engine.
    "Here we are," he said, cheerfully.
    "Just so you know, my parents know I came with you. So if my body ends up floating in the sea, they'll know who to go after."
    His hand on the door, JJ turned to face me. "I promise that I didn't bring you out here to hurt you. I just wanted to catch up with you."
    "And kiss."
    He held up his hand. "But only if I deserve it."
    I stared at him a moment, then nodded. We exited the truck and I watched him pull something out of the back. I must have looked suspicious because he held up a roll of cloth and said, "Just a blanket. It might be wet out there."
    He headed up around the man-sized boulders that were a few yards away from the turnaround and I followed. I noticed he had also snagged a pack of some sort. The moon was full and the sand glowed, allowing us to easily navigate the terrain with no flashlight. Since JJ wasn't carrying a flashlight, I had to assume that he had known we wouldn't need it. Had he planned this from the beginning?
    Hiking around the clump of boulders, we came into a semi-private cove. The sand changed into smooth, knuckle-sized pebbles on this side of the beach, making it not as popular with the amorous teens and other residents of town. JJ laid the thick blanket out on the beach, still warm from the sun. I watched him warily as he set the pack and the paper bag on the pebbles and then plopped himself down on the blanket. He looked up at me, expectantly.
    "What's in the bag?" I asked.
    He smiled and pulled two bottles of beer and a foil-wrapped container out. "Beer and fries. I made sure they used only vegetable oil."
    Damn. That was actually kind of sweet, him thinking to check on the oil like that. I came forward and sat beside him. He handed me a bottle and passed me the now open foil container. The fries were still hot, doused in salt and vinegar. Nice. Now that we were outside and the headlights of the truck were no longer polluting the night, I could see the ocean. The moonlight glinted off the waves rolling in and the soft shush of the water lapping up onto the sand was really nice. I had missed this when I had been inland at school.
    "This is nice," I said. I took a sip of beer. "Do you take a lot of guys here?"
    JJ snuffed a laugh into his own bottle, swallowed, and said, "No. When I said I was popular and had dated a few guys, I didn't mean to imply that I was a player."
    "Then what are you?"
    He stared out to the ocean and contemplated his own thoughts for a few moments. I let him, hoping to get a straight and honest answer. He played with the bottle in his hand before setting it down between his legs. "I'm just a normal guy. What you see is what you get. I live my life with as much honesty that is socially acceptable and I just want to find someone special, build a house, build a business, and have a good life."
    I turned those words over in my mind. "But you haven't always been that way."
    He took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly, still watching the ocean. "No."
    "Why?" I kept my eyes on the side of his face. "Maybe the boys at Melodies take you as you are, but I grew up with you. I saw you being a jerk and making kids cry. I saw you beat up another guy in the cafeteria just 'cause he bumped into you. You can't just change and expect me to accept it. I mean, you can, but I won't. I know you."
    "You knew me," he said. He looked down at his bottle, once again in his hands. "You knew me before my dad died."
    My chest thumped. "Your dad died?" Was it just bad karma on his part? Losing both parents in such a short amount of time seemed overly harsh for the universe. "I'm sorry. I didn't