Amy
I woke up to the sound of waves and the feeling of damp shorts. I opened my eyes and realized I was still at the beach. I sat up quickly and looked around me. It was still dark and I could see the first sliver of light on the horizon. I looked next to me to find Seth, still asleep, twitching. I pressed my lips together, remembering the previous night, and smiled.
I watched him sleep for a moment before tapping him gently to wake him up. It didn’t work, so I grabbed a handful of water and splashed his face. He yelped and opened his eyes. I couldn’t help but laugh at his facial expression. He shook off the water and tackled me, pinning me down. I squealed and tried to get loose, but he just held onto my wrists tighter. He looked down at me and smiled. I narrowed my eyes and made a face. He chuckled and moved his face closer to mine. I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead he whispered in my ear. “Good morning.”
It sent a shiver through my body, and I shoved him away from me. He laughed and brushed his lips against my cheek. He nuzzled his face in my hair and we lay there, watching the sunrise, in silence. I could feel myself drifting back to sleep, the warmth of Seth next to me, comforting me. He stood up suddenly and held out his hand. I looked at his hand and then at him.
“Breakfast?”
I took his hand and he pulled me up, interlacing his fingers with mine. Things had become clear, even without words, and in that moment I chose Seth over my fear, knowing that whatever might come next wasn’t worth ruining what we had now.
After breakfast I walked home, my cheeks hurting from smiling so much. I felt ridiculous not being able to think about anything else besides the kiss of the night before. When I reached the house, Sarah was waiting on the steps.
I stopped a few feet away from her, surprised. She seemed equally surprised.
“Out all night, huh?” She was holding back an amused expression, and I rolled my eyes.
“I fell asleep on the beach.”
“Huh,” she said, still smiling. I shook my head, not able to contain my smile.
“Seth kissed me,” I whispered. She gasped dramatically.
“Amy, you bad girl!”
I joined her on the steps and shoved her lightly. “Oh, shut up.”
She laughed and nudged me. “I’m happy for you.”
I turned my head toward her. “Are you?”
She looked down at her hands. “I’m sorry for what happened at dinner. I wasn’t expecting to be put on the spot like that.” She sighed. “The thing with Jared terrifies me. I knew he loved me before he told me. I could tell, but I just didn’t want to face it. I didn’t want the way things were to change, to be serious, and to be something that would hurt to lose. I didn’t expect it to hurt anyways.”
I touched her hand and she looked up at me.
“What are you going to do?” I asked quietly.
Sarah looked straight ahead. “I’ll talk to him and make things right.” She looked at me, her expression softer. “It doesn’t change the fact that I’m still leaving in three weeks.”
I nodded. The bliss of the morning slowly dissipated as reality began to set in.
The front door creaked and we both turned around. “Amy?” My mom’s head peaked around the door. “What are you girls doing out here?”
“Just talking, Mom.” My mom looked from me to Sarah and then back at me.
“I made coffee,” she said, walking back into the house, leaving the door open.
Sarah giggled and I shook my head, smiling as we followed her into the house.