Chapter 3: A Day at the Beach

The morning after the party, I woke up feeling a bit groggy but excited about what had happened with Alex. I couldn't stop thinking about him, and I wanted to talk to him again. So, I decided to call him up and ask him about last night.

"Hey, Alex, it's me," I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Hey, Andrea, what's up?" he replied.

"I just wanted to say thanks for coming to the party last night. It was really great to see you there," I said, hoping I didn't sound too eager.

"Yeah, it was fun. Thanks for inviting me," he said.

We talked for a few minutes about the party and what we had done afterwards. But then Alex suddenly said he had to go back to work.

"I have to get back to the kitchen now, but it was nice talking to you, Andrea. I'll see you around," he said before hanging up.

I was a bit disappointed that he had to go, but at least we had talked. Later that day, my friends and I decided to go to the beach. We packed our bags and headed out, excited for a day of fun in the sun.

When we got there, we found a spot to set up our towels and umbrellas. As we lay there, soaking up the sun, a guy walked up to us. He was tall and muscular, with blond hair and blue eyes.

"Hey, ladies, mind if I join you?" he asked, flashing a charming smile.

I could tell right away that he was interested in me, but I wasn't really interested in him. So, I tried to be polite but distant.

"Uh, sure, you can sit here," I said, gesturing to the empty spot next to me.

As the day went on, the guy kept trying to make conversation with me, but I wasn't really interested. I was too busy thinking about Alex and what had happened between us.

I watched as my friends giggled and blushed as the guy continued to spout words of flattery. He was definitely trying to impress us, but I wasn't buying it. I could see right through his facade, and I didn't want anything to do with him.

But my friends seemed to be enjoying themselves, so I decided to play along. After all, it was just harmless fun.

The guy talked about his achievements and how successful he was in his career. He even boasted about his numerous properties and the fancy cars he owned. But the more he talked, the more I could sense that something was off about him.

He seemed too proud of himself, almost to the point of being arrogant. I could tell that he was trying too hard to impress us, and it made me uncomfortable.

Despite my reservations, my friends seemed to be taken in by his words. They listened to him intently, laughing and nodding along with everything he said.

I didn't want to ruin their fun, so I kept quiet and just observed from the sidelines. But deep down, I knew that this guy wasn't someone I wanted to get involved with.

Eventually, the conversation died down, and we all decided to head back home. As we walked away, I could sense the guy's disappointment. He had clearly been trying to impress me, but I had shut him down at every opportunity.

I felt a twinge of guilt, but I knew that I had made the right decision. There was something about him that just didn't sit right with me, and I wasn't going to ignore my instincts. Finally, after a few hours, we decided it was time to go home.

As we were packing up, the guy asked for my number, but I politely declined. He seemed a bit hurt, but I didn't really care. I just wanted to go home and think about Alex.

Once we got back to my house, I went straight to my room and lay down on my bed. I couldn't stop thinking about him. What was he doing right now? Did he like me? Would he ever want to see me again?

As I lay there, lost in thought, I heard a knock at my door. I got up and opened it to find Sarah and Becky standing there.

"Hey, Andrea, we were just wondering if you wanted to watch a movie with us?" Sarah asked.

"Sure, that sounds like fun," I said, grateful for the distraction.

We spent the rest of the night watching movies and eating popcorn. But no matter how hard I tried to concentrate on the film, I couldn't stop thinking about Alex.