Seven.

Lara

“Let him go Kol, fuck!” I spit angrily, tugging on Kol’s arm. “Kol!” I yell as tears well in my eyes.

Kol must have heard my voice crack because he quickly let go of Elijah’s shirt and turned to look at me. “Lara Jane-” He starts but I shake my head as soon as he speaks.

“Elijah, let's go,” I mumbled, keeping my gaze from Kol. I felt bad, this was my fault. I knew how Kol was, I should’ve known this was going to happen.

Kol lets out a small sarcastic chuckle. “Is that a good idea Elijah?” His voice was stern but also sounded a little playful,  but not in a good way.

Elijah seemed genuinely scared and I didn’t understand why. Kol was a fighter, he was rough around the edges guy, but I never viewed him as someone I should be afraid of.

I guess. . . there was a lot I didn’t know about him and technically maybe I should be afraid of him, or what he’s capable of.

“Can...I just want to walk her home.” Elijah looks toward me and back towards Kol. “It’s getting dark and-” Kol shoves his hands into his pockets again.

“I’ll get her home safe, okay?” He puts his large hand on Elijah's shoulder and gives it a quick pat. The usual attitude filled with a smirk found its way to his face again.

Elijah swallows hard, looking at me. He nods. “Text me when you get home okay?” He looks at me with an uncomfortable look.

“I don’t want you to walk me home Kol I-” Elijah makes eye contact with me and gives me a pleading look.

His lips move but nothing comes out. “Please,” he mumbles, his eyes giving me a pleading look. Elijah and I both knew Kol would never hurt me and he would make sure I made it home safely. That was one thing I did know about Kol.

I was always safe with him.

“Fine.” I sigh, giving into Elijah. His eyes soften and he takes a deep breath of relief.

Kol smiles smugly at Elijah as we walk toward the sidewalk. I roll my eyes at Kol and his stupid look. I wave at Elijah as he runs his hand through his hair and walks towards his house.

As the sound of the beach festival slowly fades behind us, the crickets seem to get louder and louder. I didn’t want to look at Kol, let alone talk to him. We walked down the sidewalk. I made sure to keep my distance from the stranger next to me.

“I like your new ring,” Kol mumbles nervously.

I nod, but I don’t say a word. I just wanted to be home drowning in a bottle of wine and pretending today didn’t happen.

“I actually- when I saw that booth.” He clears his throat and before he continues he reaches into his pocket pulling out a ring similar to the one I was wearing, but a different color of sea glass.

“I thought of you. I tried to talk myself out of buying you anything because I know you hate me but. . .when that lady saw me looking and told me the one I was looking at symbolized eternity. . .because it blue like-like the sky and the ocean, which both go on forever, through every lifetime-” I cut him off quickly.

“Kol.” I sigh, as I stop walking and stare down at the ring he had handed me. I bit down on my bottom lip.

“You can't do shit like this-like one second you’re trying to kill my best friend and the next second you’re-you’re- I don’t even know what you’re doing right now but-” I couldn’t finish what I was saying,  the music from the beach a little ways away from us, still made its way to us, stopped me. 

The band was playing our song. The song he sang to me while we danced in the kitchen, on the beach, or whenever we were cuddled up together somewhere. His rough but soothing voice always sent a shiver down my skin.

I was obsessed with old music, it was all I listened to. Kol was never interested in anything but rap music until we lay in my bed staring at the sky through the window above at the rainy sky. The hint of a rainbow starting to make its way through the clouds. Kol had thought it would be a good idea if we made a couples Spotify station— out of the mix of our wildly different music tastes, magic happened.

‘Walked into a room of unfamiliar faces, yet yours caught my eye, love, at first sight, is to cliché, but you took my breath away’ the lyrics hung over us like a cloud. It was then and there that we fell in love with the song and I fell in love with him. From then on he sang it whenever he could.

My jaw clenches. I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat, leaving me unable to speak. Feelings fell over me like rain usually falls on this sad beach town.

I wanted to leave, to run home and sink into a bubble bath. . .but I couldn’t bring my legs to move. The wind softly blew my hair out of my face, as if it was pushing me towards the beach, towards the music.

We had both stopped now, standing face to face as the moonlight started to peek through the cloudy sky and fall on us. The words from our song dangled in the sky with the stars above us.

“Do y-you can- we- do you want to dance?” Kol’s voice was soft and calm.

“N-no.” I shake my head, answering quickly. My arms wrap around my body. Although I said no, I wanted the opposite.

He swallows the rejection before he speaks, pushing down what he wanted to say. “Um-okay. Let’s get you home then.”

I bite down on my bottom lip as he starts to walk again. I reached for his hand pulling him into the street with me. He smiled big as his hands found mine and he intertwined his fingers with mine before letting go and wrapping his arms around my waist, as my arms hung loosely around his neck I played with the ends of his hair. He spins me around, pulling me back in and swaying me back and forth.

Just the two of us and the moon, dancing in the middle of the street.

My heart raced at his touch. I lean my head onto his chest, the smell of his cologne making me want to melt into a puddle. His hands held my waist as we continued to move slowly together to the song we could only faintly hear.

His voice was low as he sang softly, “if you ever move on without me, I need to make sure you know, that you are the only one I’ll ever love, yeah, you, if it’s not you, it’s not anyone, looking back on my life, you’re the only good I’ve ever done.” His raspy, angelic voice fell into the night air, it was like a dream.

I look up and into his eyes. Everything felt like it stopped for a minute almost in synch we lean in. My fingers tangle into his hair as his lips gently touch mine, making a spark run through my body. The kiss was so different, so soft, so gentle with an undertone of sadness and longing.

As my lips parted from his, I let my eyes open. What was I doing? I didn’t have any more time to question what I was doing. his hand finds mine and we walk silently towards my house.

The light trickling from the sky landed on the pathway to my front door.

“Th-thanks for walking me home,” I whisper, tucking my hair behind my ear. The white daisies shift as I move my hair.

“Any time,” his eyes don’t leave mine. “I miss you.”

I don’t know how to respond to him, of course, I miss him. I missed him more than I thought I could even miss someone but this was for the best. He was nothing but a liar, he pretended to be someone he wasn’t, for months. He continuously lied to my face.

“I miss who I thought you were,” I replied coldly.

“Everything between us was and is real Lara Jane- I never lied about how I felt about you. Can we talk? Please?” His eyes were full of expression for once.

I sigh, as I try and think of a way to tell him no. to tell him to leave, though every fiber of my being wanted to tell him yes. I fought with myself.

I stare down at my hands while thinking. “I- what is there to talk about?” I force the words out.

“I want you to know who I am,” his words hit me like a salty ocean wave nearly knocking me off my feet. I don’t say a word.

I walked up the front porch of the small apartment that I called home. My hands shake as I open the door, my thoughts weighing on me as I nod for him to walk in.