One Last Chance

[Alison]

Sydney sighed as she stepped out of the God forbidden car she had been stuck in for the past five hours. Before that she had been stuck on a plane, bringing her to the United States. She had came all the way from the UK in hopes to spend time with her grandmother, and to take her mind off of her cancer.

Sydney stepped onto the grass with a smile and pulled her suitcases from the back. As she carried them inside she set them upstairs in her room before stepping out onto the balcony. She smiled and looked around, walking to the railing and looking down at the tree standing in front of it. She smiled and figured that anyone could climb up that, so she figured she would have fun this summer. She could sneak out her balcony and walk down to the ocean, and come back without her grandma getting on to her.

As she walked back inside, she unpacked everything and started to take a shower. After she got dressed in a pair of short, blue jean shorts and a white and black tank-top with a bikini underneath, she slipped her sandals on and walked outside. Her long blonde hair was waving behind her as she walked down the sidewalk, her phone in her pocket and a towel in her hand. Since it was her first day back in the US, she was going to relax at the beach for a few hours, get sleep, and then find a summer job the next day. Since today was the first day of summer, the beach was pretty busy as she arrived in the sand, walking towards a place to sit her towel down and get a tan.

 

[ForgedOath]

Aiden Hollister stood with his hands upon his knees, his chest heaving for breath with his bare, bronze-colored back facing up at the warm sun. A broad smile was on his face, and his green eyes looked across the sand of the beach to his friend, Mark.

"You gonna make it buddy?" Aiden called to his friend.

Where Aiden was athletic, fit, and tan, and dressed in a modern pair of board shorts, Mark possessed no hard edges, and was as white as a ghost sheet, with a University of Texas shirt and basketball shorts to cover his ample frame. Mark raised a finger to his friend, indicating that he needed to catch his breath before replying. The chubbier man wiped a hand across his sweating brow, and feigned as if he would pass out.

Aiden laughed and stood fully. He and Mark had been throwing a Frisbee to one another for the better part of an hour, and the game had devolved into each trying to through the disc farther and farther down the long stretch of sand. It had been an exhilarating change of pace for the two college freshmen, now off on their first college summer break.

"Just throw the Frisbee, you pansy," Aiden called out once again, beckoning Mark to get over his fatigue.

With a glower to Aiden, Mark took in a breath of air and hurled the Frisbee. It was a good throw, even in spite of Mark's fatigue, and the bright disc flew well above Aiden's head. Turning with surprise, Aiden ran as fast as he could in the loose sand. His eyes tracked the Frisbee, floating in its graceful path just inches out of arms reach.

His mind totally focused upon his task of catching the Frisbee, Aiden lunged forward, extending his fingers out to grasp the Frisbee in dramatic fashion. The exhilaration of catching it however, lasted only the barest of moments, as Aiden came crashing down hard into the sand.

Groaning, Aiden looked up. His outstretched hand still gripped the Frisbee, but what he saw just beyond was what truly drew his attention. She was blond, beautiful, and adorned with all the trappings of a girl ready to enjoy the beautiful Texas summer day. Looking into her surprised face, Aiden jumped up and with a winning smile.

"Sorry about that," he said to the blond. "Damn thing almost got away from me."

"I'm Aiden," he said, extending his hand towards her.

 

[Alison]

Sydney had just tossed her towel on the ground and was about to take her tank-top and shorts off to jump in the ocean when she felt a gush of wind and the groan of a boy landing beside her. She looked down at him surprised as he stood up and apologize. She took a small breath and extended her hand as he did the same,"That's alright, are you okay? You hit pretty hard,"she said chuckling. She took his hand in her softly and smiled a little,"I'm Sydney, nice to meet you."

She glanced over at another guy, one who looked the complete opposite of Aiden. Much like Aiden, Sydney had smooth, tan skin and an athletic figure. Her tank-top was already half way pulled off, and her small, flat stomach had a hanging belly button ring of a dream catcher, and her sandals were off with her phone beside them.

She smiled at Aiden again, her lip turning up on one side more than am the other, making her have a small, adorable smile that would be addicting to anyone around her. She had small dimples in her cheeks as she talked or grinned. "I'm kind of new here. I wasn't expecting the beach to be this crowded,"Sydney laughed a little."But so far it's been beautiful. Is it always this busy and crowded?"she asks raising an eyebrow.

The other male, the one that looked nothing like Aiden started to make his way towards Sydney and Aiden slowly."Well who is this beauty?"he asked with a wink. Sydney chuckled and looked around to make sure that there wasn't someone else around them."Um, I'm Sydney Jones. Nice to meet you. I came from the UK just today. I wanted to see how the beaches and the people here were before I looked for a job tomorrow,"she says chuckling.

Sydney turned a little and slid her tank-top off over her head and slid her shorts off too. She stood only in her sunset colored bikini before looking around."Um, you guys have fun playing... frisbee,"she chuckled."Maybe I'll see you two around,"she said walking away from them and towards the water. She slowly walked into the cold water and turned around, not noticing a few guys nearby talking about her and staring at her body, instead she kept her eyes towards Aiden before blushing and looking away.

 

[ForgedOath]

"Oh I'm more than fine," Aiden replied with a light laugh, shaking Sydney's hand. His smile broadened at the velvety accent that filled the air when she spoke. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well."

Standing there, it was impossible for Aiden to not notice Sydney's flat stomach, and adorned belly button. The skin of her long legs was as flawless as that of her midriff, and Aiden took a quick moment to thank God for Texas, the summer, and all the girls it brought along with it. Aiden could see he wasn't the only one appreciating the view, although the other eyes oogling Sydney were being a little more obvious in their appreciation. Aiden did his best to keep his gaze on Sydney's face, the task being made easier by the cute smile that lifted her cheeks.

"Well, it's usually fairly busy. Although since it's the first day of summer break, it's kind of hectic today..." Aiden would have spoken further if it wasn't for Mark's voice interrupting him over his shoulder. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, and merely listened to Sydney's reply to Mark.

"We'll be seeing more of each other. I'm sure of it," Mark said with a smirk, and a light nudge to Aiden's side.

Aiden rolled his eyes again at Mark's overt enthusiasm, and he made an apologetic face towards Sydney as she began walking off towards the edge of the water. The view she presented, framed by the sand and waves, was even more intoxicating then when he had first laid eyes on her. With a smile still on his face, Aiden found he couldn't look away.

Mark turned to Aiden, and punched him in the arm. "Look, if you don't get that girls number or something, I'm going to punch you right in that pretty face of yours. That chick is a rare gem, buddy. Beautiful, fit, and foreign. It's your civic duty…"

"Oh shut up," Aiden said, silencing his friend with a laugh. Out of the corner of his eye, Aiden caught Sydney glance up at him before quickly looking away. Aiden's face set into a look of pleasant challenge. "All right, you win. I'll be right back."

With that, Aiden left Mark nodding with approval behind him. Walking to the ocean, Aiden made his way to where Sydney was standing in the water.

"Hey, I was thinking that since you're new here, you could use someone to show you around sometime?" He shrugged and smiled, "I'm not ashamed to admit that I'd love to be that lucky guy. What do you say, Sydney?"

 

[Alison]

Sydney turned around when she heard someone coming towards her in the water. She looked at him and chuckled as he explained why he came over this time."To show me around town, huh?"she asks raising an eyebrow.

Sydney hadn't came here to meet people, especially boys. Actually, the thought of American boys hadn't even crossed her mind. Not yet, especially since she knew that her cancer would probably get in the way of everything. That had been the reason her parents made her move here, so she figured a guy wouldn't want to be around her of she knew it either.

Sydney sighed slightly and looked back up at him as she tapped her fingers against her thighs."Uh, sure. I guess that couldn't hurt anything,"she said hesitantly."When are you thinking we could get together?"she asks raising an eyebrow.

She stepped up to his side so that his tall figure was blocking the sun from her eyes, and she noticed Mark watching them with the Frisby in his hand. Sydney chuckled a little.

"I'm looking for a job tomorrow so I probably won't have much time tomorrow. I'm free later tonight though, probably tomorrow afternoon also,"she said.

They began walking towards her clothes and her phone where she would exchange numbers with him."Just text me or something and let me know when a good time is. I can't wait. It seems like a great place around here,"she said chucking a little as she gave him her number.

 

[ForgedOath]

Aiden shrugged at her question about what time to get together. "I have work down at the marina tomorrow morning for a couple hours, but I'm free otherwise. Tonight would be good."

Following Sydney up the beach towards her clothes, Aiden looked down into the girl's pretty eyes. There was a little thrill of excitement that went up his spine at the notion of spending time with Sydney. It wasn't that Aiden had any problem finding girls to keep company with, but rather there seemed to be something vaguely magnetic and different about Sydney Jones that he couldn't yet place.

"I know a couple places that are hiring," He said as they reached Sydney's little spot on the beach. "I'd be happy to talk them over with you tonight, so that should work out well. How's 7 sound? You can text me your address, and I'll pick you up."

As he plugged Sydney's number into his phone, Aiden looked up and smiled. "Yeah it's a good place to live. If you can't be happy here, there's something wrong with you." He gave her a little wink, just before he sent her a little greeting text so she would have his number. "I'll see you at 7, Sydney. It was great to meet you. If you need anything, or plans change, just let me know."

With that, Aiden gave the girl a little wave, and turned to head back to his truck with a stupidly-grinning Mark right beside him.

 

[Alison]

Sydney nodded and smiled at them both as they walked away. She gave them one last small wave before turning back around and finishing her swim in the ocean. She met a few other people at the beach while she was there but eventually decided that she should go home before her phone exploded with new numbers.

Sydney made her way up the steps of her grandma's house and walked up the stairs, taking a quick shower and putting on shorts and a tank top. She walked back down to the kitchen and decided to make dinner for the two of them.

Putting on some easy-to-make soup, Sydney took a drink of water and watched a familiar movie with her grandmother. Although Sydney's grandmother, Susan, figured Sydney would be out when they got home,Sydney wasn't tired at all.... yet.

After the soup was finished, Sydney and her grandmother ate and talked over the kitchen table."So what have you got planned for tonight? I saw the look on your face when you got home. Something is worrying you,"Susan pointed out smiling a little at her young granddaughter.

"I actually have plans tonight, so I may be home late. I met a guy today at the beach, he seemed really nice. So did his friend. He offered to show me around town and help me find a job,"she said."I'm not really worried or anything, it's just that I didn't come here to meet boys. I just don't want to get too attached especially because.."

Sydney had left the sentence left unfinished, partly because she didn't want to speak of her cancer aloud, but mainly because her grandmother had never liked talking about it. Her grandmother thought that all she had to do was hope for a miracle and you would get one, but after Sydney's parents had shipped her off to America, she had lost all the small hope she had left in her bones.

Sydney cleaned up the dishes before walking back to her room. She looked through her clothes and finally picked an outfit and laid it on her bed. She grabbed her shower bag and a towel before walking into the bathroom and began getting ready. Fifteen minutes later Sydney came out with little amounts of makeup on her face, and her hair straightened down her body, almost long enough to reach the top of her hip. She walked back to her room to change, only thirty minutes from when Aiden was suppose to pick her up.

 

[ForgedOath]

Aiden had left the beach with a pleasantly warm feeling bubbling up from within his heart. It spread outward, joining the golden glow the Texas sun had garnished upon his skin. He had no doubt where the feeling came from, and the smile etched on his face did not fade from the moment he had left the ocean front, all the way to the time he had dropped Mark off at his parent's house.

Dressed in an old Metallica t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, and a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses on his face, Aiden made his own way home. Or, at least his home away from home. The sun was moving in its downward arc by the time Aiden made it to the parking lot of the Dark Shark Marina, Bar & Grill. Pulling his truck to the back, he grabbed his few belongings and made his way up a set of old wooden steps up to the large bungalow's second story, and the small apartment within.

It wasn't anything like the large space he had grown up in at his parent's place in Austin, but that's one reason Aiden liked it. The apartment was clean, welcoming, and humble. A space where any beach bum would be proud to call home. The owner of the Dark Shark, Danny Stetson, was an old friend of Aiden's father, and had been providing him a place to live almost rent free for the duration of his time away at college. In return, Aiden worked in the Marina as a mechanic, a janitor, a bartender, a waiter, a cook…basically anything that Danny required of him at any given time. The pay was not much, the lack of rent notwithstanding, but it was enough to keep Aiden's life comfortably simple.

Throwing off his shirt and board shorts, Aiden ducked his way into the shower. Minutes later he emerged feeling like a new man; cleanly shaven and smelling of masculine soap. His hair he left free, allowing it to dry into the sun-kissed tousle of a dedicated purveyor of the salt life. Taking his time, Aiden dressed in a loose, light blue button up shirt, a pair of khaki shorts, and a set of low-top Converse All Stars. He kept the top three buttons undone on his shirt, allowing his chest to feel the coming evening sea breeze.

Satisfied, Aiden once again hopped in his truck, and followed the voice on his smartphone to the address that Sydney had given him. Pulling up in front of the house, he looked at the truck's clock, and saw that he was smartly on time. With a smile on his face, and the light flutter of excitement in his belly, Aiden made his way to the front door of the house, and rang the doorbell.

 

[Alison]

Sydney pulled on her undergarments and then dark blue, short, Jean shorts with a small hole with strings filling in the space on her leg. She slid on a white tank-top with small black and turquoise designs all over it and then slid her white and turquoise shoes on.

She brushed through her hair before grabbing a small purse where she put her phone and wallet at. As she slid a jacket over her arm in case it got chilly, she walked downstairs right as she heard the doorbell ring. She walked to her grandmother quickly and gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek before walking to the door and opening it.

Sydney smiled on of her small, half smiles and let her small dimples show as she greeted him."Hey, you're right on time,"she said checking the clock."Um, did you want to get going? Or did you want to meet my grandma?"she asks politely. Before he even got a chance to answer, Susan was up by Sydney's side, smiling at the tall, tan man before her.

"Um, grandma, this is Aiden, and Aiden, this is my grandma Susan,"she said chuckling."We're going to go now Grandma. I'll see you when I get home. Don't stay up too late, I'll talk to you tomorrow if you're in bed when I get home,"she said.

Sydney stepped out on to the porch and shut the door behind her after her grandma sat back down. She sighed and looked her small, soft eyes back up at Aiden."She can be... difficult sometimes, but I love her,"she said chuckling."So, are we ready to go now?"she asks walking towards his vehicle.

Sydney got into his truck and buckled her seat belt, looking forward as she smiled slightly and thought about how nice it was where she was at now. How relieved and good she felt being somewhere where she didn't have to worry about people giving her strange looks.

One thing that she had told herself when she got on the plane to come to America was that she would keep her cancer a secret. She didn't want anyone to know, actually, she didn't want to get close enough for someone to care enough to know. She hated when people found out and felt pity for her, it made her feel helpless, and that was one thing she was not.

 

[ForgedOath]

Aiden let out a small breath of satisfaction as Sydney opened the door and greeted him with a smile that tugged at his heart strings. Her cuteness was so infectious it made him want to laugh with joy, but he refrained, instead choosing to match her with a smile of his own.

"I'd love to meet your…" He had barely said the words when Sydney's grandmother appeared out from behind the door.

"It's great to meet you, ma'am," Aiden managed to say before Sydney seemed to bustle them away from the door. The suddenness seemed a bit odd to Aiden, but Sydney's explanation seemed reasonable enough. "Well of course you love her," he said with a laugh. "Grandma's make the world go 'round."

He walked with Sydney to his truck, and he closed the door behind her as she settled into the passenger seat. Aiden joined her inside the truck, and gave her another smile. Once more he thought on just how beautiful she looked.

"Well, we can't start the 'tour' without a milkshake from Tanner's," Aiden said, putting the truck into gear and pulling away.

With the windows rolled down to allow the warm evening air into the cab, Aiden drove through the small town towards Tanner's Custard Shop. He explained to Sydney how Tanner's had the best ice cream of anywhere Aiden had ever been, and he added that the milkshakes were worth their weight in gold.

The town was busy, even is spite of its small size, being filled with tourists visiting on summer vacations, and students fresh from their final days at school. All the while as they drove, Aiden pointed out this landmark and that, adding in as much flair and flavor as he could, trying to keep his newfound company entertained. When at last they pulled up to the front of Tanner's, Aiden could see the place was packed.

"I hope you don't mind waiting a bit. I promise it's worth it. It'll be my treat."

Stepping out of the truck, he waited for Sydney to join him before filing into the line that stretched out the shop's door.

"So," he said looking over to Sydney. "What kind of a job are you looking for? I know a couple places, but it's mainly waitressing and service work."

 

[Alison]

Sydney listened intently as her tour guide showed her around her new home. She smiled as he point out a few interesting places she took note on. When they finally arrived at the custard shop she hopped out of the truck and followed after Aiden, waiting in line.

Sydney didn't mind to wait in line, especially if she got a milkshake out of it. She had grown to be very patient and she had different small things that kept her busy. She twirled a small string of her long blonde hair in her hands as she turned and looked around them.

Turning back to Aiden, she smiled and chuckled a little,"What?"she asks noticing that he always tended to look at her with a happy and real smile. She had also learned to tell when someone was faking their smile and when someone truly was happy. She rarely ever seen many people happy, including herself, but there was something about this boy that was different.

Sydney shook the thought out of her head as she turned her head again, biting her lip, as she looked at the beautiful ocean view she could see from the small custard place, and felt the wind blow her hair in her face.

Sydney brushed it away and nibbled on her bottom lip as she leaned her back against the cool brick wall behind her and turned to look back at Aiden as she let her bottom lip out from between her teeth.

"Yeah, I am mainly looking for something simple to start. I could be a waitress or just anything really. I'm pretty desperate to be honest so whatever is available I'll be looking for,"she said chuckling.

"So what is your most favorite thing to do here? There's a lot of amazing things I can't wait to try out... but which do you suggest is the best?"she asked curiously.

Sydney had made a mental list of all the things she had to try before she had to go back to the UK. Skydiving. Bungee jumping. Cliff diving. Zip lining. Swimming with the dolphins.

She just wanted to know which one she should do first. Everything sounded sooo amazing to the small, excited, and ambitious girl.

 

[ForgedOath]

"Nothing," Aiden said, laughing along with Sydney. "You're just easy to smile at, that's all. It's a good thing."

He looked down to his feet, scuffing them along the ground as he joined Sydney in leaning against the brick wall. In the distance, the faint sound the surf could be heard mingling with the noise of the town. It was a comforting, and at the same time, exciting sound, and one that Aiden had grown to love.

Moving his eyes back Sydney's, he watched as she pulled a strand of her golden hair from across her face, and bit her lip. The look, like everything Sydney seemed to do, made him want to grin. He couldn't recall the last time someone made him want to smile so much, and truly Aiden was reveling in the feeling of it all.

"Well, we can go by a couple restaurants I know are hiring? Or if you'd like, there's the local coffee shop too. I know they're always looking for baristas there."

He fell silent, listening intently as Sydney went on to ask about his favorite thing to do. Standing from against the wall, and moving forward with the line, Aiden made a show of pondering her question.

"I would have to say my favorite thing to do is kayaking," he said with a confident nod. "Around here there are so many inlets and streams leading off of the Gulf, and you can explore most in a kayak."

His gestures became more animated as he spoke more about his favorite pastime. Aiden explained how beautiful the ocean could look, how many interesting things he had seen, and just how peaceful being out on the water could be. By the time he had finished his explanation, the pair had reached the counter, and a server was waiting to take their order.

Aiden laughed an apology to Sydney. "Sorry, I got a little carried away there. Go ahead and order what you'd like, and I can talk your ear off some more in just a minute."

 

[Alison]

Sydney simply laughed and shrugged it off as she order herself a vanilla milkshake and paid for it. She knew he had offered to pay for it, but she didn't want him to, she had never liked people paying for her.

She took a drink of her milkshake and waiting for him to see where they were going next. She kind of let her thoughts trail on their own while she daydreamer and walked beside Aiden. She glanced at him every once in awhile while she thought about the way he had described the ocean looks while kayaking.

Sydney mentally added that to a list of things that she had to do, and tried to imagine the beauty that it would uncover. She smiled and chuckled slightly to herself and looked back at Aiden.

"Well it sounds like I defiantly have to try kayaking out sometimes. I'm not very fond of being open water, especially alone, so I'll probably end up just waiting until my fear of water gets better,"she laughed a little.

"So, since we have our milkshakes...What is next on the list of things to do and show me? Actually I was really surprised that you offered to show me around. I didn't think that people here would be that nice,"she said sipping her milkshake again.