Have you ever woken up with a smile on your face?

Because I haven't... until this morning. 

There were three reasons why I woke up with that smile on my face.

The first was simple, our kiss. The perfect kiss. The one where Chase and I finally collided, creating the dazzling, almost blinding moment where we became one.

A moment, the moment.

The second, and the third... well they were similar, but not the same. The second reason I woke up with a smile was that I didn't wake up in an empty bed.

The third, was that I woke up in Chase's arms.

My back was pressed against his front, our bodies almost melting together as one. I could hear his soft breaths in my ear, his arms were pulled tight against my waist. I wanted to freeze in this moment. There was nothing wrong in this moment.

Everything had come together, hadn't it?

I glanced out of Chase's window, noticing the sky was still dark. I closed my eyes again, wanting to fall back asleep. It only took a few minutes to realize that, unfortunately, wasn't going to happen.

There was excitement running through my veins, and all I wanted to do was tell the girls every single detail. I could already picture their reactions. Bella would roll her eyes and say, see- I told you. And Isla, she would...

My eyes opened quickly, like they do when you're about to fall asleep and you realize you forgot do something extremely important.

Isla wouldn't say anything at all, would she?

I took a breath, shakily, trying to get oxygen into my blood as quickly as possible. I felt the tears in my eyes threatening to spill, and I couldn't wreck this moment with those tears.

Slowly, I wiggled out of Chase's arms. I watched his face as his body eventually flipped, so that he was lying on his back. His eyes only fluttered once, before his face stilled again. When his deep breaths resumed, I slowly inched across the bed. I grabbed my phone from where I had discarded it with my clothes from yesterday,

I mentally breathed a sigh of relief when the screen flashed on in response, wondering how it was possible that it hadn't died without being charged all day and all night.

As quietly as I could, I inched opened Chase's bedroom door, tip-toeing across the hallway to the bathroom. Once the door was shut behind me, I dialled the number, holding the phone up to my face.

I counted each ring, until finally, Bella picked up.

"Indie?" She groaned into the phone. "Are you okay? It's like... I don't even know what time it is."

"Bells, I need you," I told her, focusing on not getting my voice to crack.

There was a second of silence, I heard shuffling on Bella's end, like blankets moving. "Okay, okay... what's going on?"

"I need you to come get me," I whispered. "I'm... about to... I just need you."

"I'm on my way Indie, but I'll be a little bit because I'm at Asher's," Bella told me quickly.

"I'm, uh, I'm not at home. I'm at Chase's," I told her awkwardly.

Another silence. "I'll be about five minutes then."

The call disconnected, and I sighed a breath of relief. It's not that I didn't want to be here with Chase, because I did. I didn't want to have a meltdown in his bathroom, with all six of his siblings on each side of the walls.

I thought about changing, looking down at the clothes Chase had lent me last night. I decided against it, not wanting to wake Chase by going back to his room. I went down his stairs instead, thankful that there were no signs of life in his small house.

I threw my shoes on, which were still beside the door, and didn't take a second glance around before I left out of his front door. The morning air greeted with with a chill, no doubt due to the fact the sun was no where to be seen.

I didn't have to wait even a minute before I saw Bella's car. She pulled over, her headlights lighting up the darkened street. I quickly ran to the car, my hands running up and down each of my bare arms as if it could fend off the coldness.

I sighed as I opened the door and fell into her passenger seat. Bella didn't say anything as I looked towards her, she just had a frown on her face as her eyes roamed my features. I didn't speak either, I simply allowed her to look for whatever she was searching for.

Finally, she let out a breath, her lips pursing together as she put her car into drive. I didn't ask where she was going as she began to drive, I leaned my head against the leather headrest instead, closing my eyes completely.

I was taking deep breaths, trying to calm the wave of grief that was threatening to drown me.

I lifted my head up when I felt the car come to a stop. I opened my eyes, confused at first, glancing around our still dark surroundings.

"We haven't been here... since it happened," I let out, staring out at the navy blue ocean. It was calm right now, just the subtle waves rocking against the sandy shores.

"I know," Bella sighed, "but when I looked at your face... well it looked like you needed both of us today. This... is, I don't know, where Isla was most. I'm sure she'd still be here, if there was anyway she could be."

I nodded at her words, my lips quivering slightly as a tear ran down my face. Bella was right, if there any thing left of Isla on this earth, she would be here.

"What's going on, Indie? Did Chase... did he do something? Did he say something?" Bella asked me, her voice was hesitant.

"No," I choked out, tears running down my face freely. "He didn't."

Bella didn't answer, but her hand reached out and she patted gently against my back.

"Chase is great," I told her, my voice coming out winded from my sobs. "He's so great, I like him so much, Bella. We kissed last night."

"So, why are you crying?" Bella's concerned voice asked.

"Because," I breathed, wiping my tears. "I woke up, and all I wanted to do was tell you... and Isla. But she's not here and I can't tell her. I can't tell her anything."

"Oh, Indie," Bella let out, undoing her seatbelt so she could lean across the console and hug me.

I returned her hug, crying into her shoulder. She didn't move, neither did I. I didn't try to control the tears, I didn't try to hide them or rush them. I just cried, and Bella let me.

Finally, when I could catch my breath again, I pulled away. I held my still cold fingers under my eyes, hoping it was take the redness away.

When I turned my head back to the water, I could see the beginning of the sunrise. The orange globe was just barely showing over the horizon, but it was already starting to turn the sky pink. I continued to breathe as I watched it, until something else pulled my eyes.

It was three girls on the beach, each of them with a surf board. I watched them laughing, pulling on their wetsuits as they spoke with each other. My stomach muscles pulled together, the envious feeling erupting inside me. They still had what we use to have.

"Why did this have to happen to us?" I whispered out, knowing from the silence that Bella had caught a glimpse of the same thing I had.

"I don't know," Bella told me. "It doesn't seem fair."

"It's not fair. Nothing about this is fair," I agreed.

"They don't know how lucky they are," Bella muttered.

"Neither did we," I reminded her. "I mean, we thought we did. We thought we knew how lucky we were to have each other, but we didn't really know until she was taken from us."

I continued watching the three girls, in bitterness, as they paddled out into the ocean, until eventually they faded from my sight.

"So," Bella gained my attention back. "Are you going to tell me about last night or what?"

I looked back towards her, seeing the small smile on her face that prompted one from me in return. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks as I remembered the details.

I started telling her. I told her about we talked at the field and about how we almost kissed then, about how Poppy called Chase but he didn't answer. I told her that he invited me to his house, and I asked about her. I told her that he told me she wasn't the girl he liked. I told her how he told me he thinks I'm perfect, and that we kissed. I told her it was the best kiss of my life.

"And then, after he pulled away, and he said, see- you're everything," I finished, the smile was still on my face.

"I told you," Bella confirmed my prediction from earlier. "I told you he liked you."

"I guess so," I was beaming now. "But... what about the other girl? I guess it's not Poppy, but whoever she is."

"Indie, what about that other girl?" Bella shook her head. "Fuck that other girl!"

I opened my mouth at the vulgarity of her words, stunned.

"What? I mean, I'm sure she's nice or whatever... but still, fuck her," Bella explained, raising her hands in front of her. "Clearly he doesn't like her that much anymore."

"I guess," I shrugged.

"She's old news. She's out, you're in," Bella rubbed my knee. "Seriously, Indie, I'm happy for you."

"And what about you? And Asher?" I raised my eyebrows at her.

"What?" She laughed. "A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do."

I titled my head at her, rolling my eyes.

"Okay... fine," Bella said. "He's perfect, seriously. He makes me really happy, and for a while there I didn't know if I'd ever feel that way again."

"I know what you mean," I grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly.

"I think," Bella paused for a second, "I think we need to take all the happiness we can get right now. I think we need to take very ounce of happiness we can get."

"I know," I agreed. "I'm trying... it's just... it's hard. I'm used to sharing that happiness with you and Isla. When I'm happy, I think of you and her, and I forget for a second that..."

"That she's not here anymore," Bella finished my sentence. "I know, me too."

I nodded, watching as the sun continued to rise. Maybe Bella was right, maybe I did feel Isla here. Maybe... there was a part of her that was still surfing on these waves.

"Isla's mom called me last night, she said she tried to call you too," Bella told me.

"I didn't even check, it was... a hectic night," I thought of what happened at school, falling asleep in Chase's car.

"I know," Bella continued. "She said she wanted us to think about the ashes."

I closed my eyes at her words, leaving them shut for a second before I opened them again. I had forgotten that they wanted us to spread them. She said we knew Isla the best, that we would know where she would want to be.

"But, we don't have to decide right now, Indie," Bella said. "Why don't we go back to your house, we'll get ready for school? My parents think I'm still at Asher's."

I nodded, my vision still focused on the sunset.

"Actually, can you help me with something?" I asked her, and when she nodded, I passed her my phone. "Take a picture of me?"

Bella's face turned into confusion at my words, but I didn't explain. I simply climbed out of the car, and she followed. We didn't venture from the parking lot. I don't think either of us were ready to step on that sand again.

Bella pointed my phone at me, the sunrise right behind me. I didn't try to pose, I only allowed a small smile on my face that came from the thought of Chase and our kiss last night.

When we were done, we climbed back into the car. Bella started driving, and I opened a text message to Chase.

I attached the picture, my fingers hovering over the keyboard as I debated on what to say.

I decided to give the photographer a day off this morning, but I kind of wish I was still in your bed.