𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐘 ;

eyes, deep with mysteries just like the hour & color of midnight, stare cautiously. sometimes she couldn't decipher when people were being genuine or not. “what do you mean? is it bad?” questioning a little defensively, a destination she always ran to, growing up in a hostile environment had responsibility in molding her that way. “no.” answering vaguely, she didn't describe whether she was speaking about having zero siblings OR if she had siblings with weird names, “what kind of names are those?” playfulness in her voice, but it almost sounded serious... in such a signature way of her, to keep people on their toes. keep their minds spinning in all the crypticism she had to portray. pretending like she doesn't see star isn't as different sounding as the rest of space. “i have a question. are your siblings ariel and flounder?” raising her hand, playful smile tearing at her features and creating eyes to glow in mischief, covering it with that hand. & then– a new reason to snicker, he was so silly giving her his middle name in an endearing credibility, but least now she knew more about him than he knew about her. that was a plus. as he, after all, still wasn't in the know of her legal name. “talent.” replying simply, trying to stifle more laughter bubbling up inside at his question because clearly he had to overthink too much.

sebastian tends to forget that not everyone is familiar with his brusque sense of humor.   studying star’s reaction,  he can feel his heart skipping a beat in an uncomfortable way,  afraid he might have hurt her feelings with that dumb comment.   he’s quick to shake his head,  cheeks flushed in embarrassment.   “what?   no,  it’s not bad.   just…   unique.   never met a star before,  that’s all.   but it suits you,”   he assures,  his features softening all at once.   “oh,  i just thought they kind of belonged in the same category.   you know,  unique and celestial.   look,  i’m sorry i wasn’t trying to be —”   rude.   but then she’s turning his own joke on him and a ghost of a smile flashes across his sun-burned visage.   “yes,  actually…   i do have two little sisters and their names might as well be ariel and flounder.”   laughing,  he can barely hear the sound of the band playing not so far away from where they’re standing.   the sound of his blood buzzing in his head drowning out all the other noises.   “talent,  hm?”   he’s a little skeptical but doesn’t want to sound like a coward who’s scared of a piercing.   “hey,  star?   would you like to go play one of these games where you have to shoot cans and get to win big stuffed animals if you get enough of them?   if you win,  i’ll let you pierce my left ear,”   he blurts out,  not thinking about the consequences,  just trying to live with her in the moment.   she’s a mystery,  this girl…   and he wants to learn more about her.   

a smirk, he's right... she did say that and she likes he remembered, so it wouldn't be fair if she didn't keep her promise. it always feels fun to go by the name she wasn't born with. “star.” she replies, starting to walk again, looking down at the racks of necklaces for sale. fingers brushing over the jewelry, letting the texture run over her finger tips, “what's yours?” the brunette questions, wondering what it could be... maybe something preppy, judging the way he looks. but she's not one to judge a book by it's cover, maybe it's something like sam. the preppy look, too... it was unusual to find herself hanging around any boy dressed like him. the usual ones she surrounded herself with were dressed in black leather and looked like a group of metal heads. “a little.” answering honestly, just a few times she's pierced a group of guys ears, “but i'm good at it.” so she figures that makes up for it.

“star,”   he repeats,  tasting the name on his tongue and secretly loving it.   star.   so unique,  so beautiful and magical and so very fitting —   she truly is just like the stars that are now twinkling above their heads,  mysterious and bright and fascinating.   still,  not wanting to look even more awestruck,  a puppy in love,  sebastian puts on an amused smile and restores to light teasing,   “wow,  that’s…   a mighty name.   do you have any siblings?   moon or sun or mars or venus?”   a soft chuckle slips past his lips,  hoping she knows he’s doing all this in a good-natured humor.   “sebastian.   sebastian james montgomery.   nice to meet you,  star.”   briefly,  he considers extending his arm and shaking her hand but ends up coming to the conclusion that it would make this moment less special and more business-like.   and so he stuffs both hands into the pockets of his dress pants,  light beige paired with a navy polo shirt.   “did you pierce your own?   that would be something.”   he can feel his ears growing hotter the longer he stays near her.   it’s like she’s radiating a certain,  palpable kind of warmth,  just like the sun.   “how can you be good at something if you’ve had little practice?”

hm, the brunette skeptically hums– giving the boy no response on purpose for a few seconds, letting silence other than the sounds surrounding them settle between them until she decides to pick back up on the conversation once it becomes convenient to her. “you're the one behind me.” star quips, amused smile already denting her cheeks before spinning on her heel to face him this time. that intriguing feel racing back all over again as soon as her warm hues land on his face again. “you made sure to follow me here. why?” eyes fall on the ear piercing booth next to them, humor sparkling in her eyes, teasing and playing was always a good time so of course she always found ways to do so, “or you wanted one of those.” slender arm lifts, lazily pointing to it before hand drops, “but if you want your ear pierced, i'll do it.”

the silence that settles between them isn’t necessarily uncomfortable,  but it still only serves to make sebastian’s heart beat faster with anxiety.   for a split second,  he worries that she hasn’t been playing and genuinely doesn’t recognize him.   but then a smile tugs at the corners of her lips and he can breathe again,  letting out a chuckle.   “always a step behind you,  it seems.”   and it’s clear in his voice that he doesn’t mind,  too fascinated by the sheer fact that their paths have managed to cross once more,  that he’s found her.   “you promised to tell me your name if i ever saw you again,  remember?”   teeth sinking into his lower lip,  absently tugging on it when she turns around and faces him.   she really does look like an angel.   a colorful one.   is she real?   maybe he’s imagining it all…   he can’t shake off this feeling that she’s too perfect and mysterious to be true.   “oh,”   he laughs,  snapping back to reality,  glancing at the booth and the bright signs informing them that they can get their ears pierced for only ten bucks!   “i —   i’ll have to sleep on that one.”   he doesn’t want to be rude and turn the offer down immediately.   is he seriously going to think about putting something in his ear just to see her again?   yes.   yes,  he is.   “do you have any experience doing that?”

sebastian keeps his gaze fixated upon the mysterious girl’s dark curls,  swinging left and right with each step that she takes,  seemingly in sync with the frantic beat of his heart.   the whole boardwalk blurs into a swirl of neon lights and laughter,  the air smelling of saltwater,  but she stays in focus,  pulling him closer with something stronger than gravity.   she slows just enough that he nearly collides with her shoulder,  the soft sound of her bracelets making his stomach drop with the weight of fluttering butterflies.   she knows he’s here.   she’s letting him catch up.   he grins before he can stop himself,  hearing the sound of her voice.   “not yet,”   he counters,  tilting his chin up in a confident manner.   fingers brushing through his bangs,  having to refrain from pinching himself just to make sure this isn’t a dream.   “but clearly i’m making an impression and you’re most likely dying to.”   get to know him.   he’s certainly dying to get to know her.   her name.   “how long have you been following me around?”   it’s his turn to tease her,  the seashell necklace in his pocket weighing a thousand pounds as he contemplates whether to give it to her or keep it right where it is. 

the moment the mysterious girl smiles as she, too, seems to have recognized him, sebastian’s world stutters. he forgets how to breathe, his heart swelling with a strange combination of disbelief and happiness. he doesn’t even know her name, thought he’d never see her again and here they are. two worlds colliding. their eyes lock and he’s certain hers are drawing him in, casting yet another spell. whatever she’s doing, it’s working, making his heart thump and palms grow clammy with nerves and excitement. her smile lingers, and he can’t tell if it’s an invitation or a warning. probably both. she spins around and something inside sebastian’s chest tightens. is she leaving already? did she not notice him? she must have! so what is she doing? she doesn’t seem like the type to try and lure him out of the crowd just to meet him in some secluded place, beneath the pier or at a lonely lifeguard post just to… no. no way. something reckless and stupid has him walking towards her, fear clawing at his throat because what if he loses sight of her in the crowd? what if he’ll never see her again? “jackson!” he calls out to his friend, “i’ll be right back.” his friend doesn’t seem to mind, giving him a thumbs up before refocusing on the blonde with whom he’s been flirting. “fuck,” sebastian cusses under his breath, realizing the dark-haired girl has disappeared into the crowd. he pushes past different people, frantically trying to spot this one familiar face in the ocean of strangers. he continues to stride forward, shoulders bumping, someone yelling at him to watch where he’s going, but every beat of his heart is tethered to the swing of her curls ahead of him. he doesn’t let her out of sight when he finally does find her again. she walks like it’s all a game, a dare, like she wants to see how far he’s willing to go for her, and part of sebastian wants her to know the answer is — as far as she wants him to. to the edge of the world.

hands brushed against the scarves from the vendors she squeezed in between, curls bouncing to each skip of her step to get to the music she was chasing before she missed the show. her curls wild and free, white top sticking to her hot skin from the day's sun, bangles and layered necklaces, glimmery purple skirt blowing against her legs and her cheeks done up in powder pink and lips ruby red with purple glitter adorning her eyelids.

sebastian couldn’t stop thinking about the girl who’d saved his life even if he wanted to.   he knows nothing about her,  but the mystery’s part of her charm even though it certainly serves to drive him mad.   he sees her when he closes his eyes and loses himself in the mere memory of these big,  brown eyes.   her dark curls dancing in the breeze.   sand stuck to her toes.   he hears her laugh and feels her featherlight touch on his skin.   his heart does the strangest thing and nearly leaps out of his chest every time he looks at the seashell that he’s turned into a necklace after one awkward trip to an arts and crafts store where he ended up getting a bunch of quartz beads and watching hundreds of different tutorials on youtube.   he keeps it in his pocket at all times,  just in case he runs into her —   has he gone mad?   maybe he hallucinated the whole encounter?   maybe this mysterious girl doesn’t exist?

doe eyes lit up in a way that spoke how she was intrigued by something. that something being his birthday... he was a cancer, she knew his zodiac right away. that made sense why she was pulled to him. pisces and cancers were said to be a very compatible duo amongst all the zodiacs. telling how he fascinated her, that was true. “the 8th day in march.” star answers, “that makes me a pisces and you a cancer.” thinking out loud, since she's sure he doesn't really get it. “i'm not just being kind... but that's crazy.” on what he did just a few minutes ago, something she can laugh about now. she hopes he won't be trying it again though. “that's okay.” saying as she starts walking back to her board, smiling to herself how he's exclaiming he doesn't even know her name. why does he even need it? he doesn't need it. that's how she wants it because david would never stand for it & she... she'd get too attached to him, she can tell.  it was better they parted while they could.  “i'll tell you later.” as if they exchanged contact info when they didn't. that part makes her laugh to herself because it sounded insane as she stands back up straight, board under her arm, “if you find me.” giving him a little challenge and a little wave goodbye before turning to walk off.  .. the third time's a charm. if he somehow manages to cross her path again, she'll tell him. and if not, then they'll never see each other again and she'll just end up thinking of him forever. she's counting on him finding her again, deep down, underneath her fears of him knowing her.

sebastian doesn’t fully understand the reason behind the bright spark in his guardian angel’s eyes,  but it doesn’t seem to matter.   what matters is that she’s happy,  even if only for a brief moment,  and he’s completely mesmerized.   bewitched.   under her spell.   there’s something in these dark,  mysterious hues,  he thinks,  reluctantly realizing he’d throw himself right back into the pacific ocean if only it meant he’d get to keep her with him for another minute.   “march 8th,  noted.   i’ll take you out for ice cream to celebrate,”   he promises,  even if every rational part of him is telling him they won’t see each other ever again.   “hey,  telling someone they’re cancer is offensive,  you know?”   lightly teasing,  messing with her.   “is that a good thing?”   her being a pisces and him a cancer.