John had been to the beach about a thousand times, but now that he was at the beach, walking towards the pier, he realized that he had never actually been up there. He looked up at the long-ass pier and decided to take a look around. There was an extra cool breeze coming up off the sea as he wrapped his zip up sweater a little tighter around himself. He stepped onto the wood that stretched out into the ocean and made his way farther and farther down the way. His dark hair blew in the breeze and he lifted a hand to brush it out of his face. He sat down on a bench near the end of the pier and looked out over the ocean, lost in his own thoughts about nothing in particular.

Isabella tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as the wind knocked it in her face. She her one ear piece in her ear, which was connected to her ipod. She had her hands in her pockets as she headed down to the pier. The wind was giving just a breeze, that she had to wear a light swearshirt. She watched the ground as she walked, not really paying attention at who was in front of her or who was around her. She was humming to herself, as her favorite song came on.

Song lyrics started to drift into his head. It'd been so long since he had written a song that it was starting to build up. He had maybe 2 or 3 new songs in his head already and it was starting to drive him just a little bit crazy. He had decided to go back home and work on one of the songs when a familiar figure walked right past the bench he was sitting on. He looked at her for a second and blinked... Isabella? He stood and crept up behind her. Even with only one headphone in her ear, it was unlikely that she had heard him. He then grabbed her around the middle in a backwards hug. He laughed and let go, "You just walked right by me you meanie!" he told her with a grin. It was good to see her again.

Isabella jumped as someone grabbed her around the mid-area. She pulled the ear piece out of her ear when she heard a voice. She spun around, almost getting whiplash, and grinned as she came face to face with John Mcguire. She hadn't seen him in forever, ever since vacation in Europe. Let's go with that for now. Hmm? Her jaw dropped, but she continued to grin ear to ear. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. She had missed him. She was so happy to see him.

He grinned as she wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back and then pulled away, getting a good look at her. "OHmy goodness" he said with a small laugh cuz it had been forever since he had seen her. "You look good" he said pinching her cheek and laughing. He missed running into old friends like this. And it really had been FOREVER. "How the heck are you?" he asked, with that silly grin still plastered on his face.

Isabella smiled and twirled around as he looked at her. She laughed when he pinched her cheek. She nodded and stuck her hands back in her pockets. ''Thank you very much. You haven't changed a bit, since I last saw you. Which was like FOREVER ago.'' She said, as she empahsized the word forever. ''I'm doing really good. Out of high school, thank god. And now I'm working at starbucks. Making a living. What about you? How have you been?'' She informed him as the grin was still plastered on her face. She had missed Mcguire so much, and now he was standing right in front of her.

"I know, I know, same old boring John" he said with a shrug and laughed. He didn't mind being the same though, as long as it wasn't worse. But yeah- he hadn't changed all too much, except for the fact that he was now living in Oakland. That was different. "I know.. it seems like ages ago when I awkwardly approached you and made a fool of myself" he said, shaking his head. Talking about being the same- he was still awkward that was for sure. But at least he could manage full sentences around her now. Then again, she wasn't so intimidating now for some reason. "Struggling musician" he said with a fake sigh. "Still" he added and laughed again.

Isabella laughed when he mentioned what had happened when they had first met each other. Her best friend had thought he was the weirdest person because of him acting very weird when they first met. She rolled her eyes and said, ''You were never a strugging musician. You are very talented with what you do. Wait... What are you doing in Oakland? You aren't stalking me are you?'' She smirked at her last question, and blew a piece of hair up as it fell down in her face. It landed right back down in her face though, she decided that she should just leave it there. She was to lazy to reach up and move it back.

"AW thaaaaanks" he said, scrunching up his nose cuz he was a still struggling musician no matter what anyone said. At least that's the title he gave himself and it only seemed right to stick with it. "Damn, I can't believe you figured out my stalking plan! No I have to re-think the whole thing" he said with a grin because he kidding. "I think the real question is why are YOU here? I mean, I haven't seen you around before and I've been here for a while" he said, pushing the piece of hair behind her ear for her in a cutesy flirty type of way. ;]

Isabella smirked as he scrunched up his nose, it was cute. She laughed as those words of stalkers came out of his mouth. He had always been known to make her laugh. ''I've been here for awhile mannnn. I moved down here to live with my grandparents.'' She explained to him. She blushed a little as he pushed the piece of hair out of her face. She wasn't good with all this stuff, she could blush easily. She hated that she was that way because when she was younger, she'd trip a lot. So everyone saw her blush. Which was embarrasing, if you were trying to be impress people.

"Really? How long have you been down here?" he asked her, cuz this was the first time he'd seen her around Oakland. So she lived down here now? That was pretty awesome. He smiled brightly and looked down so he didn't look too much like a nerd. But at least now that she lived here they could become closer friends. Or whatever else they could be. He didn't want to jinx it though- he'd always sorta had a crush on her and he thought that she knew it. But he still wasn't going to ruin a perfectly good friendship. She blushed and because of that, he started to blush. Blushing usually wasn't contagious but for some reason- the thought of her blushing made him blush and it was almost comical. "Stooop" he whined as he touched her cheek lightly. "You're making me do it!" he said and touched his own cheek.

Isabella nodded as he asked her if she lived down here now. She looked back up at him, and smiled slightly at him as he touched her cheek. His hand was warm to the touch and it made a shiver roll down her spine. She had always sorta had a crush on John but had never told him, for fear of ruining a good relationship. ''You're the one making me blush!'' She said at him, trying to break the ice. She had always thought that he had some kinda crush on her, but she wasn't sure so she pushed those thoughts in the back of her mind.

"I didn't make you blush! You're just blushing for no reason" he said with a laugh, cuz now he was starting to sound awkward again. He looked down again and then back up at her. It was still kinda hard to believe that she was here. He didn't really think that they'd ever see eachother again; just merely because they had met so randomly while he was on vacation and had lived so far apart.

It was starting to get a bit chilly out. The wind was really blowing now and as he looked out over the ocean- his eyes stung a bit from it. "It's getting chilly... do ya wanna.... go somewhere?" he asked in a quiet voice. He didn't want to imply anything but this wasn't the most ideal place to talk. After all, most people came here to think and be alone.

Isabella laughed and poked his cheek, where the pink spot was going away slightly. ''I blush easily, mr. puffy cheeks.'' She said in a weird tone. She smiled at him and pulled her finger from his cheek. She stuck her hands in her coat pocket as another breeze came through. Usually it was warm weather, but the weatherman had called for a chance of rain. Darkish clouds were rolling in over them, and the sea was getting a bit rough. She looked up at him and nodded. She was cold, and she knew that she should have worn a thicker jacket. BUT she didn't believe the weatherman no no no. Stupid Izzie.

"I don't have puffy cheeks" he said with a laugh as he touched his cheek again just to check and see if he did or not. "Wait.... where are we gonna go?" he asked. He tried to think of some place they could go but nothing really came to mind. But then again- she was a little distracting.

A rain drop hit his nose and he looked up at the sky. "We better decide fast" he said. The weather was turning fast on them and they would be lucky if they weren't drenched by the time they decided. It hadn't rained in California since he had gotten down here so it was surprising to see it now. He was used to the rain of course, being from Washington but still- it had been a while since he had moved down here and it was strange to see the dark clouds overhead. Maybe it was a sign?

Isabella smiled when he reached up and touched his own cheek. She thought about his question for a moment, before looking around and seeing a covering a couple yards away. She flinched as a rain drop hit her in the cheek. She was suprised that it was raining in Cali. but you never knew. She looked back at John and laughed as she saw a raindrop hit his nose. She wiped her cheek and then the tip of his nose off as she smiled at him. She didn't like being wet, except when swimming. She was a weirdo and she knew it. A small boom of thunder came from the clouds and she flinched again. ''You wanna go over there?'' She said, over the rain hitting the pier.

His cheeks turned a light pink as she touched his nose. He followed her gaze to the covering and nodded. It was the best they had, so it had to do. He heard the thunder and looked up at the sky. What a weird thing for California. And then- came the real rain. It was as if California decided not to be California anymore. The rain began to dump buckets and suddenly they were both drenched. He grabbed her hand and ran towards the covering, dragging her somewhat behind him. They reached the covering and he let go of her hand- not realizing what he'd done until now. "Sorry... I didn't.. me.. mean to" he said, starting to stutter a little from the cold and slight embarrasment. Then he laughed... cuz this was turning out to be one of the strangest nights ever.

Isabella smiled and ran with him, as he pulled her behind him. She shivered when they got under the clearing because all of a sudden it got extremely cold. She pulled her jacket tighter with one hand. She laughed when he stuttered and let go of her hand. ''It's ok. Your hand warmed me up a little.'' She said as she looked down at their feet then back up at him with a slight hint of pink on her cheeks.

"That's good" he commented. He nodded slightly and thought about... no. He couldn't. Trouble- that's all it would cause. And they had just gotten reacquainted. But certainly it wouldn't cause too much trouble? I mean, he was just going to keep her warm... right? He got his confidence together and sat down in one of the few dry spots under the covering. He then opened up his arms, as if offering her to sit down and keep warm next to him. It was nice- but almost a little too nice, and that was what he was worried about. But while they were waiting for the rain to stop, they might as well keep warm, right?

Isabella watched him and laughed a little at what he did, she smiled and walked over to where he was sitting. She sat down and snuggled up next to him, yes it was weird, since they had just got 'reaquainted' but he was her friend. And she trusted him 110% all the way. The rain continued to hit on the outside of the covering, but inside they were warm and comfy. Well at least Isabella was.

He smiled in relief and wrapped his arm around her a little tighter. At least they were warm and comfortable. I mean- outside the rain was pouring- and he was glad he had ran into her. It was kinda weird, how much she trusted him, I mean they were never this close before. It was a good thing, though. It wasn't quite as awkward as he thought it would be. "Comfortable?" he asked, a knowing smile appearing on his face.

Isabella smiled and nuzzled her face into his neck. She was comfortable, and she was warm. How better could this get? Her eyelids fluttered open as he spoke,''Very comfortable.'' She replied, as her eyes closed in one swift motion. She was very warm, and she was glad that she had run into John again. She didn't know how he felt about her, and she was still confused on the feelings being mutual, but she started growing more attached to him.

John didn't know quite what to say. He was flattered- because somehow she found him comforting. He didn't want to take in the fact that he would of course feel comfortable compared to the rain- the bad weather- and everything else outside. She was nuzzling his neck and it was a good thing she couldn't see his cheeks pickening against the gray sky. He swallowed, still unsure of what to say. So he said, the only thing he could think of, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Isabella's face turned upward when a huge smile spread across her face, she wanted to hide it but she couldn't. She hoped that he didn't feel the smile hit his neck. ''No.'' She replied in a soft voice. Wow, she didn't think she like somebody in this short of time. She could hear the rain letting down, but she didn't want to move from the position that she was in. It was still thundering, but not as hard now, and Isabella liked that. She had always hated thunder, but she had learned to deal with it, because she knew that she could never escape the thunder.

Her reply made him breathe a little easier as he tightened his grip around her. He could hear the rain lessening, and he got a little sad... he didn't feel like getting up. He had to think of something to keep them there... but what? He bit his lip, feeling her face change. She could be smiling- but he couldn't quite tell. His breathe started to get a little more rigid as he thought about kissing her... would she kiss back? He had no idea but he was nervous and he hated feeling nervous. He didn't even get nervous when performing his music... so why now? He swallowed and continued to stare out into the rain- pondering the idea of kissing her.

[will he... or won't he? Lmao. Next post- I promise. hahaha. I just think its weird after chase and... mhm.]

Isabella noticed that he hadn't said anything in reply to her answer. She leaned up and looked at him, ''You ok?'' She asked him, wishing that the rain would just start pouring again so that they had a reason to stay under here. She was really hating mother nature right now. She gave him a small smile, while waiting for his answer. She wasn't sure what was going on right now, was there a mutual attraction? Possibly.


[[Ha. Ok, that's fine. Sorry for the short post. Couldn't think.]]

He heard her speak and realized he hadn't said anything in a bit. "Oh yeah... sorry. Just... thinking. he said. His mind was a mess of confusion. The rain was barely sprinkling now- but he didn't care. He watched a few raindrops fall and then moved slightly away from Isabella, so he could see her face. ... to ask or not to ask? Sometimes it was romantic if the guy asked, 'Can I kiss you?' but at other times- it was best just to kiss the damn girl. Instead of thinking about it, he finally mustered up all the courage he had and pressed his soft lips against hers, without a word or anything else. :]

[[woo.]]


Isabella was about to lean back down into his chest when she felt his lips hit hers. She was shocked by it, at first, but realized that she wasn't kissing back. She pressed her lips against his,kissing him, and laying her hand gently on his cheek. She was so glad that he had finally kissed her. Even though they hadn't known each other very long, she was attracted to him more than she had been with anyone. He was sweet, caring, and nice, and he always knew how to make her smile.

For a first kiss, it wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was better than just 'not bad'. Usually first kisses have such an awkward air to them- but for some reason he felt comfortable with her. Then some thoughts started to run through his mind and he had to stop. He just didn't know what he was doing- he really didn't want to mess up anything with her. After stopping he simply said, "Uh... sorry. I didn't really plan that. and laughed slightly.

Isabella was sad when he pulled away, but she kind of understood where he was coming from. She smiled at him, and looked down. ''No, it's fine. I liked it.'' She said, blushing a little as she looked back up at him. She was very shy around boys, she had never been good with them. Unless they were her best friends, and she kind of guessed that John would probably become one of those best friends, and hopefully something more. She liked John a lot, but didn't want to ruin anything between them.

He blushed when she mentioned her liking it. She did? He smiled and probably looked like a kid with candy. "You did? Oh. I don't know why I stopped then. he said, laughing slightly. But then again- he did know. It was just that- they had just ran into eachother... It was a crazy idea to be kissing her so soon. Especially when figuring that if there was to be a something between them, they needed to spend more time around eachother. Well- more than one day. He couldn't rush it. The first thing though, was to break both of them out of their shells so they could get more comfortable around eachother. But instead of saying all of this, he simply said, "Ya know.. I think we have some potential here. he said with a slight smile.

[whoa that took me forever to write. lol.]

Isabella laughed slightly and replied,''yeah, I did.'' She looked down, thinking for a moment when he spoke again. She looked back up at him, and laughed again. ''Yes, I think we do.'' The rain had finally stopped, and so had the thunder, but she didn't want to move from the place that they were in right now. Yes, it was awkward but she didn't want to move. She crossed her arms and laid gently, again against her chest.

Her answer was kinda reassuring and he smiled because of it. "I did too he said. He wrapped his arms around her again and finally said, because he was sick of the awkwardnes. "Honestly, Isabella- I really like you. And I don't want to bullshit this and that and not say things simply because its not what you say to the girl you like... but... I'm bad at relationships anyways, so I guess it doesn't matter?." he said, slightly confused at what he had just said.

[lmao. that was terrible oh. well. Bedtime for me I guess.]

Isabella listened to him say this confusing sentence, was it sentences? She didn't know at the moment. She was confused, and she thought he was too. ''Uhm. Wait. What?'' She asked as she was trying to replay that whole thing that he had just spoke. She couldn't quite figure out what it meant, but she hoped that he would explain it.

Wow, he would have been surprised if she had understood what he had just said- cuz he didn't. It was basically a rush of words thrown together- hardly a sentence. He laughed at this-cuz it was all slightly ridiculous. "Sorry- I guess you make me nervous he told her with as a slight pink color rose to his cheeks. "I... guess I was trying to say that I like you and I don't know what to do about it he said with a shrug, looking down.

Isabella was glad that he couldn't see her face, because when he said that he liked her and that he got nervous around her she blushed a bright shade of pink. She smiled and finally moved her head up so that she could look at him. ''Well what do you think you should do about it?'' She asked him, wondering what they should really do about it. Because, obviously she likedh im too.

He looked up at her, and seeing the pink in her face, smiled. "You're cheeks are so cute when they're this color he said, touching her cheek lightly. His cheeks had fortunately faded. He looked out of the little shelter they were under and the rain had completely stopped. They could leave if they wanted- but neither of them really wanted that. "I think... that we should go on some dates? he suggested, a slight awkwardness to his voice as he spoke. He was so unsure of himself that it was craaaazy.

Isabella blushed again and looked up in his eyes. Man did she hate blushing, mostly when she was around guys though. She gave him a small smile and nodded.''I think that's an excellent idea.'' She agreed, as she kissed him on the cheek. She was so happy now that she had ran into John. She had never expected for her day to turn out like this.

Her answer made him smile widely and he was so happy that after she had kissed his cheek, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Letting go- so she could breathe, he said... "I don't even know what to say he said, and now he was the one blushing. "This is.. so unexpected. he said- because one day she wasn't even in the same state- and then next, he was asking her to go on a date with him. How weird indeed.

Isabella smiled when his face curled up in a big grin, she loved it when he smiled. She didn't really know what to say about the embrace that she had gotten from him, but all she really said was in relation to his comment.''Indeed, it is.'' She simply said. The sun had come out now, and was drying the pier up. She could smell the piers' wood as it dried. She liked where they were right now, she was enjoying this time with him.