Hey guys! Welcome back to the Wattpad Block Party! How's the summer going so far? I'm Ashleigh aka AshleighParkers on Wattpad and this is my second time participating in the Wattpad Block Party! Special shout out to the one and only Kelly Anne Blount for taking the time and effort in putting this event together and for giving me the opportunity to be a part of it again. I'm truly honored!

This time around, I wanted to write an contemporary summer romance so that we could all enjoy while kicking back on the beach, and I saw a prompt from a contest here on Wattpad and thought "This is perfect. I have to write this!"

So, without further adieu, I present "All Tides Lost", the romantic tale of James Hilton 一 how this unexpected spark of love changed his entire life.

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James' POV

        Life had been a pattern for me - it always has been. No matter what I always found myself in an everlasting cycle of partying, drinking and meaningless sex. I lived my life on the edge to please the people around me, to keep up with the crowd. They expected nothing less from a Hilton. The more I thought deeply about it, the more I began to realize the burden of it - the burden I was born into.

I could never be happy in this life, but I had no choice but to bare it. I was happy once, but that changed last year. Good riddance anyway, I begrudgingly thought. I thought I'd be happy after her, but the realization hit me hard. Happiness was for the fortunate, not for the Hiltons.

With my eyes trained on the prickling fire before me and the sound of the wood roosting underneath, I took a sip from the beer bottle in my hand, already used to its bitter taste. For the last thirty minutes, I sat on a log by the campfire with my bare feet sunken in the sand and nothing but empty thoughts plaguing my mind. I leaned forward, my elbows on my knees and the bottle hanging from my fingertips by the brim. The cool night air brushed against my forearms and the calming sound of the waves crashing against the shore hit my ears.

Well, along with these idiots shouting at each other.

"I told you that once we had it, she wouldn't be a problem anymore!" Douglas shouted.

"She wants to get in your head, man. It's what women do! Just give her the damn thing!" Troy, my best friend, retorted. Douglas was Troy's cousin, and we always hung out together and being that we were the same ages, we didn't mind his company. Even though he can be a world-class douche most of the times. People magazine called us the 'Triple Threat'. Scoffing, I shook my head at yet another burden of being apart of this family - the publicity.

With a sigh, I rose to my feet, threw the last bit of liquid down my throat, and dropped the empty bottle at my feet. Stuffing my hands in the pockets of my khaki shorts, I looked out, stared at the endless stretch of water; it was a place I always found peace.

My feet moved towards it, drowning out the sound of Douglas and Troy's pointless bickering and taking in the beauty of the seas instead. Walking towards it, I admired the pure reflection of tonight's crescent moon staring back at me, though it was never quite clear against the rippled waters.

The waters hit against the ankles of my feet when I got closer to the waves. Away from the burden of the Hiltons, this was my escape. Here, I didn't have to put up a front; I didn't have to pretend to be someone I wasn't. Here, I found peace. Granddad used to sneak me out at night so we could watch the waves crash against each other, even though we'd both get in trouble the next day because I was supposed to be in bed. A soft chuckle escaped my lips at the thought. He was never one to follow the rules of the family and my mother always complained about it, even after he passed away. Just thinking about it made me frown.

"Hey man, you coming?!" I heard Doug call out to me.

"Yeah, be right there!" I responded. Taking one last glance at the open waters, I sighed before turning my back towards it. It was time for me to -

My retreating footsteps paused at the unfamiliar sound of the waves, my gaze down into the sand as I listened keenly. I'd been out here too many times to know how the waves sounded when they hit against the shoreline. That didn't sound like it. My head turned sharply left to the sound, my brows furrowed as my eyes scanned the area. Hm, everything seemed in place to me. What were the waves crashing against? My hands were still buried deep in my pockets as I searched my surroundings.

Must've been a branch or something, I thought to myself before I looked further. My eyes caught something - someone. I heard my heart thumping against my chest as I stared at the body from afar.

Then the reflexes came.

I found myself running towards it, ignoring the loud shouts coming from the boys behind me, their feet pummeling against the sand as they sprinted.

I knelt down next to it, next to her, I noticed as I swiped a strand of her light brown hair out of her face. It was so dark, I could barely see her face. The fire was too far away from where we were and the moonlight could only shine so brightly.

Pressing two fingers against the base of her throat, I sought out a pulse and was completely blown away when I found one. It was weak, but it was still there. Maybe I could help her.

"What the hell, man - whoa, what are you doing?" Doug questioned when he saw me pick her up and lift her into my arms bridal style. Only Doug stood behind me, Troy must've stopped off.

"What do you mean 'what am I doing'?" I looked at him, "I'm getting her some help,"

"Getting her some help? She's dead, man. You'll only get yourself in deep shit when they find a dead body at the house,"

"She isn't dead, I found a pulse. Are you suggesting that I leave her here?" I glared.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Well... it's not like you know the chick, bud,"

"You're disgusting," I threw out as I brushed passed him, "suppose it was Danielle?"

He grew silent after the mention of his twin sister. Yeah, I thought so.

I didn't wait around for him to follow me, my attention on the woman in my arms. As we walked towards the fire, her beauty became more apparent. Her hair wasn't light brow at all, I mused as I took in her bright red curls. Despite her pale appearance and her wet clothes, this mysterious woman already took my breath away, and I didn't know who she was or if she would live.

"Who the hell is that?" Troy asked as we got closer.

"Call 911," was the only thing I told him. He looked at her limp body as I laid her down in the sand and started chest compressions. With my attention focused on waking her up, I only saw his hands dip into his pocket for his phone from the corner of my eyes.

Come on, I chanted to myself as I pumped my hands against her chest repeatedly. I stared at her, really stared. Her long hair had pooled beneath her and she laid unmoving. I caught myself staring at her plump lips that had already lost all color before I quickly looked back at her closed eyes.

Come on.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Come on.

"Look man, I don't think -"

A gurgle interrupted Doug from continuing, followed by a series of coughs and water spurting out from her lips then a groan. I titled her head up to give her lungs a good chance of air, leaving the palm of my hand resting on her cheek. She sighed longingly, fluttering her eyes and bit as she leaned into my touch.

Then she spurred her eyes open, and I was completely and utterly mesmerized.

~~~

    Thank you all for reading my entry. I hoped you enjoyed it! The full story of All Tides Lost will be posted on my profile if you're looking for a short and sweet contemporary romance this summer, so go check it out!

Feel free to stop by and say hi through my social platforms!

And don't forget:

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