32Once getting to the half empty small beach, Eden helped Zach carry a cooler, a bag of chips, and four towels to a vacant spot on the hot sand closer to the bushes and trees than it was to the beach. Eden laid one towel next to Zach's and with the cooler on his side and the chips on her's, they both laid on their towels and enjoyed the sun for fifteen minutes.
"Today was a perfect day to go to the beach." Eden mumbled, lifting her sunglasses from her eyes.
"Mhm." Zach said, facing away from Eden.
Eden got up and took her sunglasses off, "I'm going in. Wanna join me?"
Zach turned his head towards Eden, "Nah." He had on his sunglasses that were so thick that all she could see was a rainbow reflection of herself and the sun. She didn't know if he still had his eyes closed or was looking at straight at her, which made her feel a bit uncomfortable when she unzipped her shorts and let it slide down her legs. She unbuttoned her summer jacket, feeling his sunglasses on her, and let the jacket slide off her shoulders and she laid it next to her shorts.
"I'm going, are you sure?" She asked again
"Mhmmm." He said, either almost asleep or turned on. Eden wasn't sure but if he was turned on, which she sorta doubted, it still made her feel pretty good. She walked towards the shore, the whole way she wondered why they put their stuff so far from the water, feeling self-conscious on whether or not he was staring at her butt. She turned around just to check, his head was facing the other way again probably fast asleep now. Her heart dropped, wish for him to be watching her. When Eden got to the shores, the water was ice cold. She shivered and rubbed her arms, taking a few steps in until her ankles were in. She looked over all the shells in the water and even spotted a school of tiny fish. Lathering herself with water at the shores because there was no way in hell she was getting in, she collected a few shells and went back to her resting spot to show Zach the pretty shells. He was watching her.
"Look at all these shells! Look, this one is all rainbow-y and stuff. I would've gotten more but this is all I can carry." Eden said, sitting next to him and dumping the shells on the towel.
He took off his sunglasses and put it to the side, picking one cream colored shell with the other hand, "It's shells. For hermit crabs. You have shells ..for crabs."
"You have crabs!" Eden retorted, "These are pretty, you don't know art. This is art by Mother Nature herself."
"Yes, it's very nice." He said, putting the shell back in the pile and looking over at Eden. "But not as lovely as you." Eden lifted her middle finger up at him. He leaned closer, "If you insist." Grabbing a lock of her hair, he ran his lips over it and kissed her hair. Eden stared at him, four weeks ago she'd push him away but all she wanted now was to pull him closer.
"Why do you keep touching me like that?" Eden asked, eye-ing the shells as she individually threw them into the bushes. She had pulled him away.
"Same reason you keep touching me." He said, returning to his towel.
"I don't touch you ...first." Eden said
"Oh really?" Zach said, recalling all the times she's messed with him, "How about that time I wanted to play 'Guess that Flavor' and you decided to push me onto the couch and make out with me? Or how about the morning after I met you and you kissed my neck?"
Eden blushed, glaring at Zach, "How 'bout when we went to ride horses and you put your hand on my back, huh?"
Zach laughed in anger, "That doesn't even count! Making out beats putting hands on people's back!"
"Well how about the time you kissed my neck? Remember?" Eden said, sitting straight up the same time Zach did, "That night I gave you that ride after hitting the guy?"
"You made a bet I couldn't resist you!" He retorted
"No, you made me bet I couldn't resist you!" Eden shouted back
He laughed, "Lies!"
"Try and resist this." Eden said, pinning him down with her body and licking his top lip.
She knew he couldn't. His arms wrapped around her like a trap and he rolled over so he pinned her down. He kissed her like he was starving for her lips and held her down. Eden smiled and jabbed his stomach with her knee. He squinted in pain and exhaled deeply.
"What was that for?" he asked
"For pinning me down." She said "We're at a public beach, Zach. Don't let your hormones take over."
He sighed and got off of Eden. "Fine."
"If you really care about me, then you'd respect me." Eden said, sitting up.
Zach's eyes widened when they met her's. "I'm so sorry," he said, "I thought you wanted me to do that."
"The only person who's ever going to take me is the one willing to spend the rest of his life with me." She dreamily said, piling up the shells with one hand.
Zach stared at her, in a sympathetic way. Either he was sorry for her, or he yearned to tell her something but didn't find right now was the right time. "Let's go." He said. "It's going to take a while to get back."
While driving after a long while, Eden noticed Zach passed her house. She trusted him, and knew he was taking her to the warehouse.
"I have a surprise for you," he said on the way there, "but please don't be mean about it. It's serious and it took a lot of willpower out of me."
"What is it?" Eden asked
Zach half-smiled, "It's a surprise."
Eden studied his face but couldn't decipher what he was thinking.
Once they got to warehouse the sun had set but the lights were on in the warehouse. When Zach motioned Eden inside, everyone was dressed up and there was a big decorative cake in the middle of the room. The whole place was decorated in pastel ribbons and signs.
"Surprise!" everyone said
"I don't get it." said Eden
Zach, behind her, said "Turn around." She did.
He was on one knee.