Though the fairgrounds were small, we managed to entertain ourselves until the sun started setting. The more I learned about them, the more I liked my three new friends. Nina and Jazzy were both lighthearted and seemed to always be laughing. Even though I didn't find many of their jokes funny, their laughs were contagious. At one point they were posing dramatically with two sticks of cotton candy, causing me to nearly fall on the floor laughing. Though it had bothered me how closely they clung to Collin, I hardly noticed by the end of the day.

Lewis was one of the kindest people I had ever met. He stuck by me nearly the entire time, always having a new question to ask me or stories to share. It felt weird after days of trying to force conversation to have someone just willingly want to talk. I also wasn't used to someone looking so intently at me while I was talking. Every time I caught him doing that, I had to look away, hiding my scarlet cheeks. I probably just have something on my face and he doesn't want to tell me, I rationalized. It's not that big of a deal.

"Okay, guys, I think I'm ready to leave," Jazzy said. She lazily threw a plastic ring and barely missed one of the jars. "I can only play ring toss so many times."

"Yeah. I'm starved, anyways," Nina agreed.

"Oh." I couldn't help but feel disappointed. It didn't occur to me that they'd have to go at some point. It was strange to just let people that you just befriended (even though it felt like I'd known them for years) leave.

"Are you coming back tomorrow?" Jazzy asked.

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, it's open tomorrow, too."

I looked at Collin. He had a brow raised in disapproval. He slightly shook his head, enough that the trio wouldn't notice but enough for me to know his answer. His response was understandable. We only had so many days and there were still so many things we wanted to do. On top of that. I still needed to make enough time to go home and be with my parents. Another day wasted at the fair was another day closer to not being able to do everything on our to-do list.

I looked at Lewis. He shrugged, inviting me to make my own choice. But his eyes expressed his true feelings. They were pleading for me to come back. My heart skipped. I didn't want to let go of this group yet. Their dynamic was relaxing and addicting. Just one more day wouldn't hurt, I thought, completely disregarding my prior train of thought. We don't even have to stay the entire day. Just for a couple of hours.

"Yeah, we'll be back." Jazzy and Nina's faces lit up immediately. Lewis shoved his hands in his pockets and lowered his head, covering a small smile. I didn't look at Collin's reaction.

"Okay, let's go eat," Nina said, tugging on Jazzy's hand.

"Do you want to come with us?" Lewis looked at me. I raised my brows. "I mean, I'm sure that Ralph's been barbecuing, so there should be enough food for you guys, too. And if you need a place to stay then you can park there."

I instinctively looked at Collin again. His face was expressionless. He again shook his head.

I turned and looked back at our new friends. "We'd love to."

***

The car ride was silent. Collin looked out the window. I peeked out of my peripheral vision to see what he was looking at and found that it was nothing but flat ground. I sighed and focused my attention back on following Lewis's truck. I was lucky that I was driving, or else Collin would have surely detoured awhile ago.

Maybe it was because I had been talking to Lewis all day at the fair, but the silence between Collin and I was more unbearable than usual. I sighed. "Collin—"

"You really trust strangers, don't you?" he asked.

"Oh, come on. Don't you think a barbeque will be fun?"

"We don't know these people, Natalie," he said. "They could be dangerous."

I looked at him, raising a brow. They hadn't done anything to give me the impression that they were dangerous. "I don't think they're dangerous."

"Sure. Remember Vito's gang?"

I shuddered. How could I forget them? "Well, I trusted you, didn't I? And Manny and Cece. And how about Jay and Quill?" As I listed the names, I realized how many people I had met in such a short amount of time. I hadn't met so many people at the same time...ever. This trip had been eye-opening about how many people and places were in this world.

Collin finally looked at me and sighed. "Okay. We can stay the night, but if they ask too many questions, don't answer. Don't drink and don't take a shower if they offer."

"That's—"

"Just in case," he said firmly. "Please, promise me."

I didn't think that the situation was a big deal, but Collin was looking at me so intensely that I didn't argue. "Okay, I promise."

Lewis turned into an RV park. We drove all the way to the end, where an older man was sitting in a lawn chair. His brows raised when he saw my car park next to Lewis's. The man stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets. I looked at Collin, suddenly scared by his words. Were they really just untrustworthy strangers? Was I making a mistake?

Collin took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. I slipped my hand out of his, sighed, and got out of the car. I opened the trunk and helped Boh out of the car. I clutched onto his leash tightly as we approached the trailer.

"We picked up some Californians from the fair," Lewis told the man. "This is Collin." He jabbed his thumb in Collin's direction. "And this is Natalie."

"I'm Ralph," the man said with a warm smile. The corners of his eyes wrinkled. Doesn't seem dangerous to me. "I'm glad you're here, I made more than enough food."

There weren't enough lawn chairs for all of us, so Lewis dragged large stumps for me and Collin to sit on. He offered for me to sit in his chair, but I declined. We all passed paper plates around and Ralph placed a hot dog on each of them. Boh excitedly watched as food was passed out. Ralph handed me a plate for Boh. I stared at him quizzically, but he encouraged me to give it to him. "What is he going to do, just watch us eat?"

Then Jazzy got up and opened an ice tray. She grabbed a couple of cans and passed them around.

Lewis offered me a beer. I quickly shook my head. "I'm good."

He shrugged. "Want something else? We have Coke."

I nodded. Lewis threw the can back at Jazzy. She shrieked and shielded her face with her hands, causing it to fall at her feet. Nina laughed at her flustered friend. I couldn't help but to also laugh at the ridiculous scene. The trio's dynamic was fun to watch.

Ralph shook his head and took a swig from his can. I examined his face, trying to determine which of the three he was associated with. None of their features were similar, so I couldn't pinpoint if he was related to them. Ralph's eyes flickered my way. I immediately diverted my gaze to the ground. I could see that he was smiling from the corner of my eye.

"California, huh?" Ralph said. I looked up and then at Collin for an answer. Why do I want him to answer? It's not a difficult question.

Collin nodded. "Just here to visit."

Ralph grinned, showing a pair of crooked teeth. "Wanted to travel before you can't anymore, huh?"

"Exactly."

Jazzy came back over. She handed me a soda can. I smiled at her as a thanks. It was cold outside, so the chill of the can seemed to bite my fingers. I placed it next to my feet and rubbed my cold hands on my jeans. Lewis, who seemed to be the only person who noticed, got up and went into the trailer. Jazzy and Nina started retelling stories about the four traveling all through Oregon. Ralph was Nina's second cousin, apparently, and took the three in as his family years ago. It was touching to see the way they talked about each other. They were truly best friends, and Ralph seemed to really care about them.

I nearly jumped when I felt something wrap around my shoulders. I quickly turned to see Lewis placing a blanket around me. Blood rushed to my cheeks. I smiled at the gesture. Lewis sat in the chair next to me, looking at Nina and Jazzy. He spared me a quick glance and smiled back.

I tightened the blanket around me, making sure that my hands were covered. I then tuned back into the conversation. Ralph was now talking.

"You know, I used to live in California," he told us. Collin nodded slightly. He was looking off in the distance, clearly bored. Could at least pretend to be interested. "Yeah, I used to travel up the state in my old girl." He jabbed a thumb towards the trailer.

"Which state do you prefer?" I asked.

He opened another can and took a long swig, deep in thought. "I miss California, but can't say I'd ever go back."

"Would you visit?" I chewed on my lip nervously. For a moment I had forgotten that he probably couldn't visit in a few more days.

He raised a brow and rested his arms on his knees. "Nope. I have some...unfinished business there that I wouldn't want to revisit."

Collin straightened. For the first time that night, he seemed interested in the conversation. A flicker of worry passed over Ralph's face. But as quickly as it occurred, it disappeared. The interaction was quickly dismissed as Jazzy moved on to a different topic.

We all sat, ate, and talked until the sun went down. I discovered that Nina and Jazzy were louder and crazier than they already were when they were drunk. They laughed at everything that was said, even if it wasn't remotely funny. Jazzy, who was sitting next to Collin, would grasp onto his shirt sleeve and throw her head back every time she laughed. Though she surely wouldn't have done it sober, her touchiness made my blood boil. Collin barely paid attention to her. Though I don't think he had paid attention to anything all night.

"Okay, so what's your guys's deal?" Nina asked, pointing a finger at me.

"Who?" I inquired, taken aback by the question.

She giggled. "You two." She moved her finger between me and Collin.

I shook my head. "We're friends. We talked about this at the fair."

"Sure, but I thought that you were just saying that."

Here we go again. It seemed like no matter who we were with we had to explain ourselves. I opened my mouth to relay the fact, but I didn't say anything. My heart clenched at the thought. It pained me to repeat it. I stared down at myself, confused. I didn't understand why I reacted like that. What's wrong with me?

Nina didn't wait for my response. She was already talking about something else. I let out a sigh of relief. That was a close one. A close one? I thought. What was close?

God, why was I so confusing?

The fire started dying out, and instead of adding more firewood, Ralph decided to call it a night. Jazzy stood up. "We have plenty of space for you two," she offered. "Ralph'll take the bed and Nina and I will take the couch and–"

"We'll sleep in our car, thanks," Collin said, cutting her off.

Lewis looked at us, concerned. "Are you sure? There's plenty of room."

"Yep. But thanks."

I stared at Collin, shocked. We weren't even going to discuss it? Since when did he dictate our decisions? Lewis looked at me, shrugged, then started helping fold the chairs. I stood up, waking and startling Boh. Nina and Jazzy moved the plates and the cooler back inside. In a couple of minutes, they were packed up. They all waved goodnight to us before heading inside.

I turned towards the car. It had gotten much colder now that the sun was down and the fire was out. I wrapped the blanket even tighter around my body. Collin and I got Boh in the car without a sound, then he went in the driver's seat and me in the passenger's.

He flipped his seat back then laid down, turning away from me. I stared at the square of his back for what seemed like hours, crippling in the silence. When I had finally mustered the courage, I said, "That wasn't so bad, huh?"

He didn't respond. He sighed heavily, though, so I knew he was awake.

"I mean, they're really nice," I added. "They're probably not the worst people to hang around."

Maybe he was waiting for me to give up and fall asleep, but it only encouraged me to keep talking. "I mean—"

He turned to look at me, trapping the words in my throat. I couldn't see his expression in the dark. I blinked, trying to adjust to the darkness.

"It was fine," he whispered softly. "Please go to sleep."

He turned again. I did the same and huffed. At least he didn't have a terrible time. A weight that I didn't know I had lifted. After readjusting my position several times, I finally closed my eyes.

I didn't know when I fell asleep, but when I woke up, it was still dark. There was a knock on the car window. My eyes snapped open. I hid further into the blanket, waiting to see if the sound was just my imagination. Then the knock came again. I cautiously lifted into a sitting position. A shriek caught in my throat as my eyes locked with a figure's.

"Lewis?" I whispered. I looked over at Collin. He was still sleeping soundly. I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to open the door as silently as possible. When I got out I slowly leaned on the door in attempt to close it gently.

"What are you doing here?" I asked quietly.

Lewis shoved his hands in his pockets. He still had his clothes on? I hadn't checked the time, but I was sure that it was early in the morning. Maybe he just put on a pair of jeans to come out here.

"You haven't been to the beach, right?" I was thrown off by the random question, but then I remembered that I had told him that at the fair. He nodded his head in a random direction. "Come on, follow me."

It probably wasn't a good idea for me to be cluelessly following a man I had just met in the dark, yet I slipped on my shoes and followed him without thought. I mean, he hadn't shown himself to be dangerous. What was the worst that could happen?

He lead me down a dirt trail. Tall trees loomed over us, giving us little to no moonlight. If it weren't for Lewis's phone flashlight we would have been stumbling in the dark.

The ground changed from hard dirt to soft sand. I nearly stumbled as we climbed up a hill, the sand sliding under my feet. Lewis seemed to be able to reach the top easily. I huffed and tried to move faster to catch up.

I finally stood next to Lewis. He had his flashlight off and was looking straight ahead. I turned my head to see what he was looking at. I gasped at the sight. The sand stretched for miles on either side of us, embracing the endless blue sea. In the dark the water looked nearly black. It rolled onto the shore soothingly, rumbling as it sank back into itself. The moon reflected a white glisten on the water, making it more gorgeous than it already was.

I had seen beaches in several movies and photos, but seeing it in person took my breath away. It was incredible to see that it existed. It wasn't a fantastical landscape created by a person's mind. It was a real, natural creation.

I ran towards the ocean while trying to slip my shoes off at the same time. I threw them over my shoulder once I managed to take them off. I heard Lewis laughing and begging for me to wait for him. I couldn't seem to listen, though. My feet wanted—needed—to feel the cool water.

I inched my feet into a shallow layer of water. It was far colder than I anticipated. I wiggled my toes in the wet sand. A cool breeze blew past me, causing me to shiver. I wasn't trembling from just cold but from excitement. I had always wanted to go to the beach, and now I was finally here. It felt like a dream.

Feet splashed through the water. Lewis stopped next to me. His jeans were rolled to under his knees and his shoes were nowhere to be seen. The wind ruffled his curls. He didn't seem as shaken by the cold, even with a short sleeve on.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said. His voice was nearly buried by the ocean. I nodded, still looking ahead at the water. From the corner of my eye, I could see him staring at me. I turned to look at him. I could see his eyes twinkling in the moonlight. He stepped closer, causing my heart to jolt. He stopped when there was merely an inch between us. His breathing grew louder as he slowly leaned closer to me. His lips were only centimeters from mine, but he waited to see how I would respond.

I stood on my tippy toes and pressed my lips against his. His breath hitched excitedly. He grabbed my waist, closing the space between us.

I didn't see the harm in kissing him. He had been nice to me all day, and wasn't bad looking, either. All my life I had never met someone who seemed to be so fixated on me, to see me as the prettiest girl in the room. I had to admit, it was flattering.

As I closed my eyes, the image of Collin and his small, memorable smile appeared. I snapped my eyes open. I pulled back and placed my hands on Lewis's chest, motioning for him to stop. He took a step back.

"I'm sorry...did I do something?" he asked, hurt.

I shook my head, breathless and confused. "I need to...I think I should go."

I quickly turned and ran to the sand. I snatched my shoes off the ground but didn't put them on as I made my way back to the car. Lewis called out my name but he didn't follow me, to my luck.

Once I reached the car, I wiped off any sand I could, though it wasn't much. Then I got into the vehicle and closed the door. I looked over at Collin. He was sleeping, just how I left him. I let out a sigh of relief.

I poked my head up to see if Lewis was coming. I didn't see him. Ducking low to not be seen, I threw the blanket over my body and tried to sleep.

Hey guys! A lot happened in this chapter. Why do you think Natalie ran away so quickly? Do you feel bad for Lewis? Let me know in the comments!

If you liked this chapter, try to vote with your favorite food! Stay kind. :)

This is West Coast by Imagine Dragons. I hope you like it!