Chapter 4: See You Tomorrow

Jasmine

Jasmine had barricaded herself into her bedroom for the rest of the night, not wanting to deal with her parents. But she woke early the following day, dressed quickly, and headed for the beach. Although she wanted to go surfing, Jasmine didn’t want to go alone, so she watched the sunrise instead.

Streaks of pink and soft orange spread across the morning sky as she sat on the sand close to the shoreline, wrapping her arms around her legs. This truly was beautiful. If she could, she would move here and stay forever. Although she liked Maine, the winters were frigid, and Jasmine was more of a summer girl.

Jasmine watched the sun rise behind the ocean. She liked this time of day, early morning before the beach became crowded. The seagulls were flying about, swooping down to catch a fish, and then flew back up again, cawing to their friends in an occasional disagreement, adding to the ambiance.

As she watched the birds and the ebb and flow of the sea, she thought of her parents. She didn’t want to start the summer off like this, arguing with them, especially not over a guy she may not ever see again. But it was the principle behind it. Jasmine shook her head, unable to believe her parents were so prejudiced about money. She wanted to be free to date whom she wanted and live the life she chose without her parents dictating her future for her.

But she was now an adult and couldn’t act childish any longer. Jasmine sighed, making a mental note to make things right with her parents when she went back to the condo.

Although her father could be overbearing at times, he loved her and tried to protect her in his own way, and Jasmine was their only child. So, unfortunately, she caught the brunt of it all. If she did well, it was a major accomplishment. If she didn’t, it was an extreme disappointment. There were no gray areas. No between.

“Excuse me, but didn’t I see you here yesterday?” a rich, baritone voice asked.

Jasmine’s breath caught as she looked up, not realizing that anyone was nearby. When she looked up, the bright sunshine surrounded him, casting him into shadow.

“I’m so sorry,” he continued. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

When Jasmine got to her feet, the Greek god Adonis that had been surfing the day before stood beside her in the flesh. “Oh! No, it’s all right. I was lost in thought and didn’t see you come up just now.” She gulped, hoping she sounded coherent.

A sexy grin spread across his face, showing perfect, white teeth, complementing his tanned skin. “So, did you just get into town?”

Jasmine laughed. “Is it that obvious?”

“Eh....” He moved from side to side, smiling. “Just a little.” He laughed. “So, where’re you from?”

“Cape Elizabeth, Maine,” she replied. “Are you from here?”

He shrugged. “I was born in Cuba, and my family and I moved here when I was nine. Now, I’m home from college for the summer.”

Jasmine tilted her head to the side, intrigued. “Where do you go to college?”

“USC,” he replied.

Jasmine nodded. “I’m going to the University of Tennessee Knoxville in the fall.”

“What year are you in?”

Jasmine’s heart fell. There was no way this guy was a freshman, and there was no way that he would date a freshman, let alone a pre-freshman. “I’m going to be a freshman,” she said, waiting for the bomb to drop.

“Oh! So, you’re getting ready to go to college?” His eyebrows raised.

“Yes.” Jasmine nodded. “What year are you in?”

He sighed, as if hating to tell her. “I’m going to be a senior.”

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Really?”

He nodded. “‘Fraid so.”

“Well, it was nice to meet you." Jasmine started to walk away, knowing he wouldn’t have anything to do with her now.

“Wait,” he said, bringing her to a stop. She turned, and he closed the short distance between them and extended his hand. “My name is Zain Perez. It’s nice to meet you.”

She gave him a warm smile, shaking his hand. “Jasmine Hunt. It’s a pleasure.”

“Will you be here tomorrow?” he asked, his eyes hopeful.

Jasmine nodded, her heart fluttering. “My parents and I are staying here on the beach.”

“Do you surf?”

She shrugged. “I love to but don’t get to do it that often.”

“I’ll be out here tomorrow.” Zain arched an eyebrow. “If you like, you can meet me, and maybe I can give you some tips.”

Jasmine laughed mischievously. “How do you know that I’m the one who’s going to need the tips?”

Zain laughed, raising his shoulders. “Well, either that or you could give me some tips.”

“No, you’ll probably be the one teaching me,” she said, cringing. “Wait. That didn’t sound right.”

“No, that’s fine,” he replied, the perfect gentleman. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

She nodded. “See you tomorrow.” She started to walk away but then turned back and yelled, “You looked great out there yesterday!”

Zain smiled and waved, watching as she walked away.

Maybe all hope wasn’t lost after all.

***

Jasmine had been thinking of Zain for the rest of the morning, even though she tried not to. After all, she had just met the guy. Unable to resist, she put on a bikini, grabbed a beach blanket and towel, and headed back out to the beach.

“Don’t forget your sunscreen!” her mother called after her.

“Got it!” Jasmine waved and then hurried out. She knew she probably wouldn’t see Zain again that day, but she just wanted to relax and enjoy the sun. In Maine, there wasn’t much warm weather. Not like there was here in Miami, anyway.

She spread the blanket out and tucked the corners into the sand to keep it from blowing away. Then she sat down, spread sunscreen over herself, and tried to relax. But try as she might, she just couldn’t.

“Mind if I join you?”

“What? Are you stalking me?” Jasmine teased, thinking it was Zain. But when she opened her eyes, it wasn’t him, but another guy. But this guy was blond with blue eyes, built but not like Zain.

“I don’t think so.” He smirked. “I just saw you here.”

“Sorry. I thought you were someone else.” Jasmine sat up and propped her arms on her knees, looking out over the ocean, wishing he were Zain.

“No problem.” The guy sat beside her without her permission.

“If you don’t mind, I really wanted to get some sun alone.” She started to lay back again but didn’t want to with this guy here.

The guy nodded. “Okay. Have a nice life.” Then he stood and ran across the beach, joining a group of guys standing in a circle a short distance away.

They razzed him when he approached. The guy said something to them, and they all looked over at her. Hard telling what he had told them. He looked at her over his shoulder one more time and smirked. Then he walked away with his friends, still looking at her over their shoulders.

Jasmine made a mental note to kill him if she ever saw him again.

For a moment, Jasmine wondered if her father was right. If this guy had approached her to impress his friends, then hard telling what he told them when he went back. Maybe all guys were like that, just after one thing or trying to impress their friends.

But even though she had never had a boyfriend before, she had plenty of guys that were friends back home, and they didn’t act like that.

Even though she didn’t want to think that way, she wondered if Zain was like that, too. But then again, it wasn’t fair to think all men were like that, just because one was. As she lay back down on the blanket, she wondered what tomorrow would bring… and if Zain would even show.