Summer Love

Chelsea dug her toes into the warm sand, sadness creeping in as she thought about what today would bring. With a heavy sigh, she pushed past the emotional onslaught and took a deep, calming breath. She gazed out over the lake, the bright afternoon sun shimmering across the water, so inviting with its golden rays. Standing, she moved to the lake, letting the crisp water lap at her toes, making them sink deep into the cool sand.

“There you are,” Adam called from behind her.

Chelsea smiled, but didn’t turn around. “Are you all packed?”

He wrapped his arms around her, his chin resting on the top of her head. “Yep. We have a few hours before I head to the airport.”

Her heart ached, hating this part. She couldn’t decide if falling in love was the best thing that happened to her, or the worst. Summer romances were tricky to navigate, and she managed to keep her cool these past six weeks, never telling him that she’d fallen hook, line and sinker, though she doubted he’d missed it. Chelsea found it hard to contain her emotions, being around him made excitement dance in her belly and kept a smile plastered on her face, and the more she was with him, the more she enjoyed his company. She just couldn’t get enough of him.

“So, what do you want to do with the time you have left?” She asked.

Adam released her. “One last swim.”

He walked into the water, taking his shirt off and tossed it back at her. She caught it easily and smiled, the smell of his cologne like a fresh ocean breeze as she inhaled, letting his scent linger. His back was still a bit sunburned from yesterday when they spent the entire day swimming and playing volleyball.

“Let’s go, woman. I haven’t got all day.”

With that, Adam dove into the lake and disappeared under the water. Chelsea slid her denim shorts down her tanned legs, and yanked the T-shirt up and over her head, tossing the garments behind her and moving quickly to join him. She really didn’t want to get her hair wet, but knew once she got within arm’s length, he would be pulling her under right along with him. She waded into the water, watching him as he floated, his arms outstretched, hands moving slightly. He looked so peaceful and happy, she couldn’t help herself and went under the water, swimming beneath him. She reached for his hips and pulled him under, laughing as she breeched the surface.

Adam’s head resurfaced and he smiled. Oh how she loved that smile on his handsome face. It was the most inviting thing she’d ever seen.

“I’ll get you for that,” he said, squinting as he looked at her.

Chelsea fought to suppress the smile that threatened to erupt. “Promise?” she sang, floating on her back looking up at the clear blue sky. She loved this lake, and meeting Adam had made it the best summer of her young life. She knew all about first crushes, how they typically came and went, never truly standing the test of time.

Adam splashed water at her face, and she stood, the water lapping at her chest. For the next thirty minutes they swam, and played in the water like little kids, dunking each other, racing, enjoying each other’s company. They made their way back to the beach hand in hand, Chelsea delighting in the feel of the strength she found when he held hers tight, almost as if he didn’t want to let her go. There was something so innocent yet inviting in the way he touched her. They sat in the sand facing one another, Chelsea fighting the flood of emotions from their impending goodbye, doing her best to avoid eye contact.

When Adam reached out and stroked her cheek with his hand, his thumb brushing lightly over her bottom lip, she was helpless to look anywhere other than at him. Their eyes met making her heartbeat quicken. He watched her while his thumb continued to glide back and forth over her lip. The blush flushed her cheeks and more than anything she wanted him to kiss her. They hadn’t done much more than that, striking up a quick friendship up until two weeks ago when he boldly kissed her goodnight after they had dinner at the local pizzeria.

Now, the sight of his mouth, of knowing that they had just under an hour together had Chelsea wishing they’d gone so much further. Even knowing that he would be a thousand miles away didn’t seem to matter at that moment. For now, all she wanted was to kiss him, to cement his kisses and caresses into the vault of her mind so she had something to hang onto when he was gone. The more his thumb played with her lip, the more she melted into his touch, making the yearning for that fiery kiss pulse through her.

It was now or never. The sun was already making its descent and time was against her.

“Adam,” Chelsea whispered, closing her eyes. “Kiss me.”

The slight press of his mouth to hers made the butterflies in her stomach take flight, sending fluttering sensations and heat rushing through her body. She reached forward, her fingers itching to dig into his thick black hair, holding him close. She wound her fingers into the wet hair at the nape of his neck. His warm breath floated over her face as the kiss continued. His teeth nibbled her bottom lip, coaxing her mouth to part. Just as his tongue found its way inside, she gasped, the sensation still so new to her.

Adam pulled back. “Are you all right?” he asked.

Chelsea nodded, inching closer to kiss him again, to let it take over. One soft kiss led to another, each one a little longer until she opened her lips to invite is tongue back inside. He pulled her onto his lap and she wrapped her arms around him, the kiss picking up in intensity. Their tongues glided together in a slow seductive dance that robbed her of breath. Her mouth tingled, heat raced from her head to her toes as she clung to him, not ready for it to end. The sound of laughter tore them apart.

She blushed and slid off his lap to sit beside him. Adam moved a leg around her and pulled her back into his chest. They sat together in silence, looking out over the lake as the sun slowly moved lower. A warm summer breeze blew, as Chelsea threaded her fingers in his left hand. Her right hand traced a line up his arm, toying with the hair, delighting in the feel of his warm skin.

“We’ll keep in touch,” Adam said, his arm tightening around her.

“I know.”

“You have my number, I have yours. We can chat online, text, Skype, as much as possible.”

She knew that, and it sounded good in theory, but distance didn’t always make the heart grow fonder. “You’ll be busy with college.”

He chuckled, the sound of his light laughter making her smile. “So will you. A college freshman. It’s an exciting time for you, Chels. I want you to enjoy it.”

He had that way about him, showing her how fun life could be if she let herself relax enough to enjoy it.

He kissed the top of her head. “It’s time.”

“I hate goodbyes,” she mumbled. Adam stood and reached for her hand, pulling her up onto her feet.

“I’ll miss you. Thank you for spending the summer with me,” Adam said. He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss over her lips again.

When he pulled away, he smiled down at her. “I’ll miss you too.”

He hugged her, and as his arms held her tight, tears began to burn her eyes. Adam pulled away after a long moment, reached down, grabbed his shirt, turned and walked away.

Chelsea wrapped her arms around herself, tears streaking down her cheeks now watching him move further out of sight. When he disappeared around the corner, she bent down to pick up her clothes, bunched them in her arms and headed back to her house. She went straight upstairs to her bedroom and closed the door. Moving to the window, she stood watching as Adam’s uncle loaded his suitcase into the back of the truck. She watched with a heavy heart as he got into the vehicle and started his journey back home.

She closed her eyes when the truck moved from her line of sight, and wished that they would really keep in touch over the coming months. Just as she was about to head into the shower, her cellphone chimed. She reached for it seeing Adam’s name flashing on the screen. She opened the text message and smiled.

I’ll see you at Thanksgiving.

WC: 1487