Joy popped in the CD, nodding in approval as some upbeat music spilled out of the car's sound system. "Not bad," she admitted, tucking her bangs behind her ear to keep the wind from rustling them. "It at least makes for good driving music."
Silas looked over at her quickly, glad to see that she seemed to be in a better mood than she was in yesterday. It was only a short ten-minute drive to the boardwalk from his house, but by the time they managed to find a parking spot amongst all the rental cars, they'd already listened to most of the CD. Joy pinpointed two songs as her favorite, and even Silas had to admit that he was particularly fond of one of the two. The rest were average at best.
Joy's face lit up when they finally made it out onto the actually pier. She craned her neck trying to take everything in at once, and Silas was pretty sure she was going to hurt herself if she kept trying to make it revolve any further. Still, he had to admit that it was kind of nice to see someone so excited by a place that always seemed so mundane to him.
They passed by an arcade and Silas gestured towards it. "Want to try your luck at some of their games?"
Joy followed his gaze and considered it for a moment. "Sure," she said with a shrug. "Why not?"
Making their way inside, the pair set about in turning a handful of dollars into tokens. Unfortunately for Joy, Silas spent the next fifteen minutes beating her at every game they tried. She refused to give up that easily though. By the time they were down to their last two tokens, she'd managed to beat him at a random ring tossing game on her very first try.
Still giddy from her success, Joy followed behind Silas as they made their way back out onto the pier, limply holding onto the cheap teddy bear she'd won as consolation.
"I can't believe you beat me at the easiest game," Silas said, shaking his head and sounding just a tiny bit indignant.
Joy snorted. "Oh hush," she said, lightly bumping hips with him. It occurred to her then that she'd felt happier today than she had throughout most of her relationship with Dallas, and that it was all thanks to the last person she'd ever expect. Throwing caution to the wind, she stepped towards him, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck. "Seriously, though," she whispered, her dark eyes latching hold of his. "Thanks for inviting me out here … "
Silas inhaled a shallow breath as she pulled him into a hug, bringing his hands down to rest on her waist. The embrace didn't last long though. They broke apart just as quickly. "So, uh, what now?" he asked, partly because he was curious, and partly because he needed to break the awkward silence that had settled over them.
Shrugging, Joy started walking away from him. "I'm gonna go finish sight seeing," she called over her shoulder. "Feel free to continue pouting over your loss if you'd like."
Feigning offense, Silas picked up pace to catch up with her. He was just about to speak when she came to an abrupt stop in front of a tattoo shop. "I'm getting one," she announced, starting towards it. "I'll be right back."
Deciding not to fight her on it, Silas simply nodded. He figured this was just another bump in the road that was her ‘next chapter'. "Okay," he said, motioning to the surf shop next door. "I'll be in there if you need me."
They temporarily parted ways after that, and honestly, Silas was glad to have a few minutes to himself. He'd never admit it, but part of the reason it'd been so easy for Joy to beat him at that last game was because he'd been too busy watching her twist and wiggle in ways he hadn't realized she could as she attempted to get the ring where it belonged. He knew it wasn't a thought he should have been having given she was only freshly single, but he couldn't help it. There was just something about her.
Something special.
Chapter 6
Joy and Silas spent most of the following day washing his car together, or at least, trying to wash on it. Needless to say, they were each sufficiently distracted by the other.
Wanting some relief from the lewd thoughts he was having thanks to the skimpy bikini Joy was sporting, Silas popped the CD his dad had given him back into the stereo and begun to relax when the first song started plating. Unfortunately for him, this quickly got Joy dancing, which brought his attention right back down to her hips and ass. The first two times the CD played, he was able to distract himself by nodding his head to the music, but by the time the first track started to replay for the third time he could feel his patience wearing thin.
Walking past Joy, Silas went to grab the hose, but he tripped along the way and ended up spilling a carton of lawnmower gasoline all over the cement. If that wasn't bad enough, Joy looked over at him just in time to see him do it. Groaning, he began contemplating the best way to clean it up, but he didn't have a chance to put his plan into action before Vincent surfaced from inside the house and gave him a disapproving look.
"Sorry?" Silas offered, sheepish. He kind of wanted to laugh at the unimpressed look the older man was giving him, but he knew that probably wasn't the best course of action right now.
Vincent sighed. "Lunch is ready," he informed him, taking the hose from him to clean up the mess. "I've got this. You go eat."
Together, Joy and Silas made their way back inside the house, stepping out onto the back veranda to eat once they'd washed up. They found a lavish lunch of baked salmon and Caesar salad waiting for them, and made themselves settled at opposite ends of the table before diving in.
When they were finished eating, the pair spent the rest of the day lounging by the pool. One of Silas's favorite things about Ocean City in the spring was that it was almost always warm enough to swim. Back at school, he worked out every chance he got, therefore, he didn't think there was any harm in showing off the product of all his handwork.
"So do you think your dad will get back before we leave?" Joy asked him. She hadn't seen Peter Sullivan since her first night there, which was somewhat odd considering Silas had invited her to spend the week with them, not just him.
Silas shook his head. "I doubt it. He pretty much lives out in LA at this point."
Joy couldn't help but notice that his voice wavered a bit as he said it. "You okay?" she asked him, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah," Silas said, shaking himself from his funk.
His voice was tight, however, further reinforcing Joy's belief that he wasn't. She knew better than to push him on it though. He wasn't a particularly open person. If he wanted to talk about whatever was on his mind, he'd do it on his own terms.
"Want to go play tennis?" Silas offered after a beat of silence, changing the subject.
Joy raised a brow. "You have a tennis court?" She wasn't sure why she was surprised. Peter's estate was so big it was almost comical.
Silas smirked at her reaction. "Sure do," he said, pulling his legs from the edge of the pool to stand up and extending his arm to her. "Allow me to lead the way.
***
Exhausted from a very-heated tennis match with Joy, Silas spent the rest of the evening playing video games while she caught up on some coursework in the guest bedroom. It wasn't until around midnight that he finally decided to retire to bed, wanting to retain at least some semblance of a normal sleep schedule for when he returned to school in a few days.
Silas climbed the stairs and started down the hall towards his room, pausing when the light leaking from underneath Joy's door caught his attention. He couldn't hear any noise coming from inside the room, and he discovered the reason why when he opened the door.
Inside, Silas found Joy slumped over the desk in the far corner of the room with her head in her arms and a pile of coursework surrounding her. Smiling to himself, he tiptoed over to her, quietly closing each textbooks and pushing them off to the side before picking her up and carrying her over to the bed.
Silas came cursed himself as he brushed Joy's hair out of her face. He was starting to develop feelings for her that were far from platonic, which definitely hadn't been his intention when he'd offered to let her accompany him home. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but as he made his way down the hall to his own room and climbed into bed, he was overcome by the realization that maybe it was something more than that.