Salvation by Stephanie John Page B

a light dusting of stubble, and unruly windblown hair from the drive over. He flashed a boyish smile, shifted the gearstick into drive and pulled into the road.
    We drove through the city towards the coast and it was a good twenty minutes before I asked where we were going.
    “ I thought we could go to the beach. ” He smiled uncertainly. “ Sound good? ”
    “ Sounds lovely. ” The beach wasn’t too formal and perfect for such a sunny day.
    We didn ’ t talk much more for a while. I watched, dazed as countless SUV ’ s and sports cars swarmed around us. The volume of traffic on the roads, even on a Sunday afternoon, never ceased to amaze me.
    Eventually, we reached the Pacific Coast Highway and headed north. The car accelerated with a surge that pushed me back into the seat and had me holding onto my hat. Nate ’ s carefree laugh made me smile. The ocean stretched out to our left as far as I could see, glinting as the sun caught the rolling waves. I took a sly glimpse of Nate as he concentrated on driving. Young and relaxed, his thick hair blowing in the breeze, so different from the slick, polished image portrayed at work.
    We pulled off the highway onto a side road, following its twists and turns past increasingly opulent mansions. Nate swung the car through solid wood opening gates, up a sweeping driveway and straight into the double garage nestling beneath three-storeys of million dollar modern beach house architecture. A mountain bike hung on a whitewashed wall, and a couple of surfboards on another, but otherwise it was empty.
    Nate silenced the engine and removed his sunglasses. He appeared nervous, giving me a tight smile before climbing out. He moved gracefully around the front of the car and tried to open my door.
    “ Sorry. ” I quickly unlocked it, blushing furiously as I stepped out, mentally chastising myself for my OCD safety issues.
    Nate smiled but said nothing. I removed my sunglasses and tossed my hat back into the car whilst he took a brown paper grocery bag out the boot. Had he actually brought me to his home? To his bed? The idea was as unsettling as it was thrilling.
    “ Follow me, ” Nate said, brushing past and heading through a door at the rear. I waited in a small hallway whilst he switched off the alarm then followed him upstairs.
    The vast open layout I found myself in spanned the entire length and width of the house. It was pleasantly cool, a welcoming respite to the sun that had beat down on me during the journey. The distressed white oak floor and off-white painted walls gave the spacious room a clean, bright, airy feel. There was an abundance of natural light streaming in from a double-height window to my left, and skylights in the soaring vaulted ceiling over the dining area.
    “ Come on in. ” He made his way to the contemporary galley kitchen and set the bag on top of a large island. A grand timber dining table faced the kitchen, and in the centre, a huge fishbowl filled with shells and pebbles.
    “ These photos are fantastic. ” Twelve assorted sized black and white images of inanimate objects hung in coordinated frames on the wall behind the table. Arranged in no particular order, the randomness created a stunning visual effect.
    “ Thanks. ” Nate offered a shy smile as he removed two wine glasses from one of the high gloss wall units.
    I headed to the sunken lounge, leaving my belongings on the table. A large sofa faced a giant flat-screen television fixed above an open fireplace, with built-in shelves on either side stacked with books and a few family photographs.
    The cool blues, whites and silver of three large canvases hanging behind the sofa picked up the furnishings and accents. Two oversized armchairs faced out towards floor-to-ceiling bi-fold doors offering panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean.
    “ Is this your home? ” I called, not taking my eyes off the view. The immaculately manicured lawn lined either side by tall cypress trees that ensured total