The Bonfire Bonus Scene

Shane - 18 Years Old

 “I need to pack.” Nikki looks around, making sure she won’t miss any fun potentially springing from the sand and the gathering post-graduation crowd.

“It’s a van. One suitcase, Nik,” Laird cautions.

“Yeah. Yeah,” she says, already walking off.

I laugh. “You know she’s bringing more than one suitcase, right?”

He sighs. “I know.”

“For every additional suitcase she brings, you lose more of your space. I’m not sacrificing mine for your sister.”

“Such a traitor, Shane.” He laughs and then drinks from the red Solo cup. “I’m going for a refill from the keg. Need another?”

“Yep.”

Just as he turns, I hear him say, “Ladies, can I get you a drink?”

Giggles and more girls drooling over my cousin always happen when he’s around.

“Hey, Shane,” says a familiar lilt of a female voice.

I turn around to find Rachel Ferguson standing with a bottle of Crown Royale and cups in her hands. “Hey, Rach.”

“We graduated. Yay!” She throws her arms around.

“Oh.” I pat her back. “Yeah. Yay,” I say with a nod. “We did. Congrats.”

“I hear you’re heading off on tour tomorrow?” She sways back and forth.

The girl’s had a crush on me forever. I didn’t act on it for the past four years. I’m not looking to start anything with her now. Pretty girl, but not that interesting. “It’s a low-budget kind of thing. Some stops are booked, and some aren’t. We’ll just see how things go.”

“I’m sure they’ll go well. Faris Wheel is amazing. You’re so good on the drums, too.” Holding her hands up, she says, “Do you want a shot?”

Glancing at both chicks giggling and hanging on Laird’s every breath at the keg, I think it’s safe to assume he’s not returning anytime soon. “Sure.”

I hold the cups while she pours. She then taps her cup against mine, and says, “To greater things.”

“To greater things.” Just as I tip the cup back, I catch sight of a last chance I won’t let pass me by. Not this time. Unlike Rachel, Catalina Farin was an anomaly who captivated me the moment she walked into homeroom last year. Now, with a few classes under our belts and some one-on-one time working on a project for our civics class, I might finally have the fucking nerve to tell her how I feel. The night before I’m leaving . . . yeah, our timing may be off, but life happens for a reason. “Hey, thanks for the shot, Rach. Catch you around.”

“Yes, for sure.” I’m already two steps away when she says, “Do you want my number?” I keep walking. “Okay, next time. See you, Shane.”

Mike Dodson jumps at the chance, hopping over to talk to her. Cat’s polite enough to entertain his antics, but he won’t keep her attention for long. He’s an idiot who hits on every girl. It’s a numbers game for him, and he’ll eventually score. We all know the game he plays, though, and Cat, for sure, won’t give him any leeway past casual conversation.

Not that she will for me either, but at least I have something that ties us together. Her eyes find mine over Mike’s shoulder, and I swear the moonbeams shine inside for me. The smallest of smiles she fails to restrain crosses those pretty lips of hers just before she looks down.

She looks up again when I approach, coming around the obstacle Mike is and wrapping my arm around her shoulders. I look right at him, and say, “If you’ll excuse us, my wife and I have business to discuss.”

“Your wife?” he asks, his nose scrunched in disgust.

“Yes.” I look at Cat and into her gorgeous eyes, cup her jaw to angle up, and then whisper, “My wife.”

Her plush lips part as she stares into my eyes, her hand finding purchase against my side and then fisting my T-shirt to hold me close. “My husband,” releases like a purr from her tongue.

Leaning down, I kiss her, savoring the taste of her sweetness against the bourbon lingering on my lips. A hurricane of thoughts and emotions that don’t feel familiar spin deep inside me, my chest tightening as I hold her even closer until we’re pressed together, and the rest of the world disappears.

The warmth of her body, the caress of her tongue when it meets mine . . . I feel protective over this girl as if she’s mine. She’s not, but maybe—

“Fuck, Faris. You can’t leave me one girl? Between you and your cousin . . .” Our mouths part, but I hold her like she belongs tucked under my arm. Mike kicks up sand as he walks away, still mumbling. “I can’t wait for you guys to hit the road and give the rest of us a chance.”

Catching my breath, I turn back to Cat when a heavy breath escapes. She brushes her hair back, but the wind whips it between us. She releases me, which I fucking hate, and uses her hands to capture the long dark strands and wrap a small band around them. Looking back at me, she asks, “My wife?”

“We’re married, aren’t we?” I tease, reluctantly releasing her.

“I guess we’ll always have our government class marriage tying us together.” She laughs. “I hear you’re leaving in the morning?”

Running a hand over my head, I catch a glimpse of Nikki finally working her way toward the parking lot. “Yeah.” I return my gaze back to Cat, not wanting to lose this moment to what happens next. “We’re rolling with the summer with no set timeframe. If we keep getting gigs, we’ll keep going. You?”

“I’ll be here working and helping my grandmother—”

“Shane?” I look up to see Laird waving me over. “Let’s go.”

Cat looks back from Laird, her shoulders dropping and the smile that felt like it shined only for me fading. “Guess you need to go.”

“Yeah.” I reach across the small divide and take hold of her fingers. Running my thumb over her soft skin, I say, “Fuck, I wish I didn’t have to leave . . .” I’m not ready, not when I’ve finally kissed my dream girl. “We’ll reconnect. I promise you that.”

“One day.” She smiles again. Visions of taking her out on a date come to mind. She looks down, but then her eyes find mine again, and she asks, “Do you always keep your promises, Shane Faris?”

Leaning down again, I close my eyes as I kiss her cheek, wanting to remember how she feels at this moment. I take in a deep inhale of her scented skin—sweet vanilla with a hint of orange—and whisper, “Always.”

The gentlest nod is felt against my cheek.

I back away, her fingers slipping from mine, and take a sobering breath. “Another time—”

“Another place.”

Stealing one last look at her, I memorize everything about her face—the sweet bow at the top of her lips, the way her chest rises for deeper breaths, her golden-brown eyes taking me in like it’s the last time she’ll see me.

Maybe it is.

Who knows what lies ahead for us.

But on that beach, next to a bonfire, I felt alive, all of life’s possibilities, hope . . . I felt everything with Cat Farin.

I give her a wave and a smile before turning and catching up with Laird. “You’re an asshole, you know that, cousin?”

He chuckles. “No point getting mixed up with someone you’re leaving behind.” Grabbing my shoulder, he squeezes. “Think of all the chicks we have ahead of us to meet.”

“Yeah . . .” I stop, my feet digging deep in the sand.

Laird stops a few feet ahead of me and turns back. “What?”

“I’ll meet you at the car.”

I turn and start running. I don’t care about girls on the road, groupies, or chicks I’ve yet to meet. I care about Cat. That’s a first, so I refuse to ignore my feelings and let them slip into oblivion. But my feet slow and then I come to a stop.

Looking around, I can’t find her—not by the bonfire, the water, or even hanging out with the random people scattered through the sand.

“Fuck,” I groan. Maybe it’s a sign. That’s what Nikki would say.

What would I have said to her anyway? Hey, I’m the asshole who was too scared to shoot his shot before tonight, but here I am with my heart on my fucking sleeve hoping you’d take a chance on me.

So fucking ridiculous.

She’d be a fool to fall for that, even if it’s true.

No . . . it’s not our time, or she’d still be here. Take the clue, Shane. I’ll look her up when I get back into La Jolla in a few months. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.

I jog to the car where Laird’s waiting behind the wheel. When I get in, he asks, “You ready to hit the road?”

I look back at the bonfire, our friends, and the graduating class with no sign of Cat anywhere to be seen. Life is changing and moving fast, but it’s time to embrace it. Drumming on my legs, I give him a grin as we’re off on our next adventure. “I’m ready.”