Summer Days, Oh, Our Wasted Ways

“CATHERINE WAKE UP!” Matthew yelled causing Catherine to wake up startled and fall off the bed. Matthew let out an obnoxious laugh making Catherine send glares his way. He held both of his hands up in defeat while trying to hold back his laughter.

It has been a week since Catherine first arrived and she had made fast friends with Matthew and his friends. They had spent the week doing adventures Catherine thought she would never ever do. Now here was Matthew waking her up at god knows how early for another day to be spent together. He was especially excited for today because it was just going to be him and Catherine, well for the morning at least.

“Go away Matthew!” Catherine said groggily. She pulled down her blanket and wrapped it around herself. Matthew sighed and ripped the blanket away from her. She glared at him again before standing up reluctantly.

“Fine, out of my room Taner.” She said pointing to her door. He smiled cheekily and went out of her room with her blanket and pillows. She stared as he brought out of her stuff, most probably so that she wouldn’t go to sleep. She sighed and opened her drawer. She wondered what she should wear until she realized she didn’t know what they were going to do.

She went out of her room, bed hair and all, and looked for Matthew. She found him happily eating pancakes made by her grandmother. She greeted her grandmother before poking Matthew who looked at her with his mouth full of pancakes.

“What are we doing today?” She asked. He swallowed his pancakes before smirking her way.

“Beach,” he said causing her eyes to light up and a giant grin form on her face. She ran up the stairs and raided her closet for something to wear. In the past week she hasn’t gone to the beach yet. She had kept bothering Matthew about it but he always said he had something else planned. He most probably didn’t want to bring her there just for his own pleasure. She rolled her eyes as she thought about it and realized it was most probably true.

She brought out her outfit and went to the bathroom to change into it. She went down the stairs and jumped the last two and saw that Matthew was already waiting by the front door. She got the beanie from his head before saying goodbye and running out the door.

She ran and ran as fast as her feet could take her with Matthew just behind her. As they ran she turned around and stuck out her tongue before facing forward again and sprinting. Matthew chased her and soon they were in the beach with the sand tickling their feet. Catherine continued running but was soon tackled by Matthew.

“Hey!” Catherine yelled in protest as she held his beanie out of his reach. She stretched her arms as far as they would go but they just weren’t long enough because he got the beanie from her hands and place it securely on his head with a grin.

He got off her and sat on the sandy ground. Catherine followed his example and sat down beside him. She played with the sand and started writing words as Matthew watched her.

He smiled as he watched her slender fingers play with the sand. He noticed the tiny small on her features that made her look like a five year old playing with her new doll. He let out a laugh as he thought of that causing her to turn her head to his direction. She had a questioning look on his face which he replied by shaking his head. She pleaded silently but he just did the same. S

He sighed and soon a malicious smile formed on her face. Matthew stared as he watch the smile grow becoming a tiny bit scared. She hid her hands in the sand and flicked some in his direction. They hit him and she let out her melodious laugh that he loved.

He sat in his position shocked but soon he recovered and a smile very similar to hers appeared on his mouth. She backed away slightly once she saw the smile that occupied his face. He tackled her once again and she tried to escape. He fixed his legs on either side of her so that she couldn’t move. She looked up at him with big puppy eyes pleading, begging for him to let her go but his smile just grew instead.

His hands tickled her sides causing her to squeal and laugh. She tried to tell him to stop in between her laughter but it did nothing. He continued to tickle her until he finally decided that she had gotten what she deserved. She was trying to control her breathing from under him, neither of them speaking the whole time.

She moved her head to the side so she could watch the waves crash against the shore. She watched for awhile before turning her gaze back at Matthew who was still straddling her. He was too busy watching something else that he didn’t notice Catherine staring at him.

She examined all his facial features. She noticed how his face was slightly red and how he had a few freckles here and there. She noticed how his tongue was slightly poking out of his tongue as he concentrated on something in the distance. She noticed the strands of hair that were slightly lighter than the others because they had more exposure under the sun. She noticed how the sun had set a twinkle in his eye.

He finally turned his attention back at her and noticed her staring. A blush formed on her cheeks after her realization that she was caught. A small smile appeared on her red face and a light chuckle escaped from his lips. He ran a hand through his hair before looking back down at her.

She averted her attention once she realized he was staring her. He was doing practically the same thing she was doing to him. He noticed that her skin got a little bit darker and her hair a little bit lighter, thanks to the sun. He noticed how her long eyelashes almost touched the skin under her eyes, almost but not quite. He noticed when she licked her soft pink lips so they wouldn’t dry. He noticed the small smile on her face as she watched the waves.

She turned her attention back to him and let her small smile grow a little bit more making him smile too. She started to blink rapidly and tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. He tilted his head to the side, obviously confused as to why she would be crying.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as the tears were about to escape. She shook her head causing them to fall out and slide down her face.

“There is sand by my eyes.” She choked out making him laugh.

“Here let me help you.” He offered.

He moved his face so that it was barely four inches away from hers. He looked directly into her olive eyes before looking for the sand. At first he thought she was lying but suddenly found the small clusters of sand by her eyes. He wiped them away but didn’t move his face.

He stared into her eyes as she stared into his. Her heart rate started to pick up as she anticipated what was about to happen next. His face was now an inch way from hers and their noses were touching. She could feel his warm breath on her lips and she started to blush because of how close they were.

Instead of laughing or joking about her blushing as he usually did he just looked into her eyes and watched how hey eyelashes collide when she blinks. A small smile tugged at his lips and before closing the gap between them he looked into her eyes as if asking for permission. They said yes.

He closed that gap between them and their lips met in a sweet and soft kiss. He smiled into the kiss making her smile too. Neither of them broke away from the kiss as it grew passionately. They lips moved in a rhythm that was only known to them. His tongue asked for entrance which she happily gave. They continued to kiss and only broke apart after a few minutes.

Their foreheads touched as they looked into each other’s eyes. Their breathing was rough and uneven as they did so. He rolled off her so that he was lying down beside her. They lay in silence as they relished the moment they had just shared. They turned their heads so they were now facing each other. Each one had a smile on their face and was still breathing heavily.

Matthew stood up and helped Catherine up just so that they could sit again. They sat in silence with the waves as their music before Matthew decided to break the comfortable silence that surrounded them.

“Do you want to build some awesome sandcastles?” he asked. She laughed in response and they started to make their awesome sandcastles as Matthew liked to put it. Matthew was working on the body and decided that Catherine was no good and sent her to get some shells. When she arrived, Matthew was lying down in the sand with no sandcastle in sight.

“Where are the awesome sandcastles?” she asked as she dropped the shells right beside him. She Indian sat by his face and slid her sunglasses off her face so she could look at his face properly.

“They weren’t so awesome so I decided to destroy them.” He replied sounding very much like a five year old. She started to laugh out loud but soon tried to hide it when he started glaring at her. She apologized but he just stuck out his tongue in response. She sighed and started playing with his light brown hair. He abruptly sat up causing Catherine to look at him with concern.

“What’s up?” she asked him. He turned around with a smile on his face, and no this time it was not a malicious one.

“Do you want to go for a swim?” He asked with a big goofy smile on his face. She turned around and looked at the water hesitantly. Sure it was beautiful to look at but to swim? She didn’t think so.

“Uh, no, I rather not,” she declined in a way that she hoped was polite. He looked at her as she had just said the world was flat. She looked at his expression and chuckled. “What?”

“You don’t want to swim?” he clarified. She nodded and bit her lip unsure of his reaction. Was he mad or was he just deaf? “Come on,” he said pulled her up. He held onto her hand and led her to the water. When the waves crashed against her feet, she jumped because of the low temperature. Matthew turned to face and chuckled but continued to walk deeper into the water.

Catherine walked slowly, not exactly sure if this was the smartest thing to do. They walked deeper and deeper until the hem of her skirt was wet. They kept on walking until the water went past her shoulders and she ran all the way back to the shore, at a much quicker pace than awhile ago. She sat down on the sand making the sand stick to her skirt, shirt, and skin. She tried wiping them away but eventually gave up.

Matthew was soon standing in front of her looking down at her confused. She had run out when the water was almost touching her head so it most probably wasn’t the temperature. He looked at her still confused. She sighed and mumbled some incoherent words that he strained to hear but failed anyway. He asked her to repeat it using his eyes making her sigh again. She mumbled words again louder this time but still they were still jumbled.

This time he sighed and ran a hand threw his slightly damp hair. He didn’t understand why she wouldn’t just tell him. He sat down across from her and looked at her again, still confused. She sighed once more and ran a hand through her wet hair. She opened her mouth to say something but hesitated and closed it. He pleaded with his eyes hoping she trusted him enough to tell him.

“Icantswim” she said quickly but he finally understood her. He looked at her, silently asking ‘really?’ she bit her lip and nodded looking down at the sand, obviously ashamed. He chuckled and stood up and for awhile she thought he was going to leave her all because she couldn’t swim but instead he extended his arm out for her to take. She smiled and gladly took his hand in hers.

“We’ll stay by the shore.” He told her and led her to the water where it barely touched her ankles. She jumped a bit at the cold again but soon got used to it. They stood there for awhile just swing their clasped hands and letting the waves crash against their feet.

Catherine soon felt water splash higher on her leg and realized Matthew wasn’t holding her hand anymore. Instead, he was a foot away getting ready to splash her with water again. He grinned before kicking the water and making it reach her face. She stood there shocked before starting to splash him too. They had a small war but eventually Matthew tackled her, something he was doing a lot today. They lay there on the ground as the water wet their bodies.

“You keep doing that today.” She pointed out. He just looked at her as if he didn’t know what she was talking about but they both knew he did. She smiled at his antics and poked him. “You keep doing this” she said. He was lost in thought for awhile but soon his lips met hers.

“That?” he asked while a smirk tugged at his lips.

“Well, yeah maybe that too but I meant the tackling.” She said. He laughed and rolled off her and lay down beside her.

“I am starving.” He said out loud.

“Me too” she agreed. She stood up and extended her hand so this time he had to take hers and not the other way around. He looked at her skeptically before accepting her hand and letting her pull him up. “Come on, I bet my grandmother made lunch.”

“YAY! I love your grandmother’s food.” He yelled and ran to her house dragging her along with him. She laughed the whole time and soon they were inside her kitchen waiting for the food to come.

“No” her grandmother said making both of them look up at her. “No food until you two get into dry clothes.” They sprinted out of their seats and ran out of the kitchen making Catherine’s grandmother laugh.

Matthew ran out of the house and into his as he got new clothes to wear. He shed off his wet ones and threw them into the hamper before changing into his new, clean, dry ones. He slid the same slippers back on and got a new, dry hat before leaving his room and running back into the White residence.

Catherine had instead made her way upstairs and into the room she was currently occupying. She removed the wet clothes and changed her bikini. She slid the yellow dress over her head and adjusted the string. She got the same sunglasses from awhile ago and used it to keep her bangs away from her face. She ran down and nearly crashed into Matthew. They both mumbled quick apologies before running back into the kitchen. They sat themselves in the seats they occupied awhile ago and waited for the food. Mrs. White saw them and chuckled.

As they waited for their food to come Catherine stole Matthew’s hat and put on her own head. She smirked at his direction and stuck out her tongue. Catherine had definitely changed from when she first got her. She was more outgoing and was a little bit more hyper. True to her word, Elouise did deal with her shyness and made it go away.

“Give it back” Matthew whined and crossed his arms.

“No, it goes more with my outfit. You see? Yellow and yellow!” she exclaimed and clapped her hands.

“No! They are different shades of yellow. They clash!” he yelled and then got it back. Catherine stared at him surprised at how he knew they clashed. “I have a sister, remember?” Catherine recalled meeting his sister and nodded.

Their food appeared in front of their faces and soon disappeared in less than ten minutes. Matthew burped making Catherine laugh and burp a small burp of her own. Matthew smiled proudly knowing that a week ago Catherine would have never burped, not even a small one like that.

“I have to go to the store today. Do you two want to join me?” Mrs. White asked the two teenagers. They nodded their heads quickly too full to actually speak. “Ok, you two rest and wait while I’ll go up and change.” They both nodded and Matthew offered to help Mrs. White go up the stairs realizing age was catching up to her. Catherine felt bad about not offering sooner but Matthew just brushed it off and said she just wasn’t used to being around people her grandmother’s age making both her and her grandmother laugh.

As she waited for the two to come back down she sat down on the piano seat of her grandparents’ piano. She opened it and saw the familiar black and white keys. Her fingers floated above them for awhile before she began to play. Her fingers moved among the keys expertly as she played the song perfectly. She played Für Elise, River Flows In You, Amaranth, and Moonlight Sonata effortlessly. As soon as she played the last note on Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata she heard a round of applause. She turned around and saw her grandmother and Matthew clapping their hands. A blush found its way to her face and she turned around to face the piano again.

“I didn’t know you knew how to play the piano.” Matthew said as soon as he finished clapping.

“What?” Mrs. White said utterly surprised. “Well then what did you think she was going to Royal Academy for Music in London for?” Matthew shrugged vaguely remembering her mentioning that. Mrs. White shook her head and sat down beside her granddaughter. “Do you want to play?” she asked her granddaughter.

As a response she smiled and started of the song. When the time was right they played together and soon the song was over. Matthew, being their only audience, clapped his hands enthusiastically. The two pianists grinned and got out of the seat.

“You two were great,” Matthew said to the both of them.

“Well I did learn from the best.” Catherine said before side hugging her grandmother.

“That you did my dear, that you did,” she said proudly before getting in the back seat of her car. She didn’t like driving unless she had to and she thought the passenger’s seat was a death trap. Matthew slid into the driver’s seat as Catherine slid into the passenger’s seat or death trap as he grandmother liked to call it.

“Well, let’s get going Matthew. I am not going to live forever you know.” Mrs. White said making both of them chuckle as Matthew backed out of the White’s driveway.

After they went grocery shopping with Catherine’s grandmother they dropped her off at home and helped her unpack the groceries before heading to the cliffs to watch the sunset. They danced all the way there until they did their grand finale. An imaginary audience clapped for them and they bowed.

They went to edge of the cliff and sat down seeing how the sun was very slowly setting. They sat in silence just listening to the waves and the sea below them. The silence remained for at least half an hour before Catherine realized something.

“Where is everyone else?” She asked Matthew as he stared at the horizon.

“Nathan has to have dinner with his parents, Mitchel and Taylor left for their camping trip today, and Elouise is still in her photography class.” Matthew informed her. She nodded her head and let the silence fall among them again.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw Matthew fidgeting and opening and closing his mouth over and over again as if he was going to say something but stopped himself before any words were actually said. She turned her head to face him and tilted her head slightly.

“What’s up Matthew?” She asked him. He looked at her surprised that she noticed his fidgeting and a small blush formed on his face. “Are you blushing?” she asked him as he shook his head immediately. “Awww, Matthew is blushing!” she teased.

“No I am not!” He said and crossed his arms but the blush stayed on his face.

“Yeah you are!” she insisted and pointed her index finger at him. “Don’t lie and tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Well, it’s about the kiss awhile ago.” He said looking away from her.

“Oh,” she said as a blush appeared on her face. She looked in the opposite direction wondering what about the kiss.

“I was wondering if maybe you would like…” he said but then mumbled the rest of the sentence.

“What?” She asked laughing a bit as she realized she was doing the same thing he was doing this morning.

“togoonadatewithme” he said quickly but this time she understood him. “But I would completely understand if you wouldn’t want to.” She chuckled at him and shook her head. At first disappointment settled in him but then he quickly realized she wasn’t saying no she was just laughing.

“I would love to.” She said kissing him on the cheek and side-hugged him. She rested her head on his shoulder and let out a contented sigh. “You know what?” she asked him and rested her chin on his shoulder. He turned and looked at her silently asking ‘what?’ with his eyes. “You were doing what I was doing awhile ago.”

“What was that?” he asked.

“The mumbling,” she said and chuckled. He stuck out her tongue at her and they laughed. She stood up and wiped the dirt of her dress. She opted to sit back down on Matthew’s lap instead of the uncomfortable rocky ground. He smiled at her as he felt her weight on her legs and wrapped his arms around her waist so she wouldn’t fall.

“You know what else I did awhile ago?” he asked her but before she could reply, his lips were pressed against hers. She smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck bringing them closer than they already were. They broke apart as they heard a flash click. They looked behind Matthew and saw Elouise standing there with her camera and a guilty expression on her face.

Catherine blushed and got off Matthew’s lap as Elouise approached them and sat in between. She wrapped and arm around each of the necks and brought them closet to her as if she didn’t interrupt anything. She looked into the horizon and sighed.

“What’s up you two?” She asked them and looked at each of their faces. They nudged her and laughed. She untangled her arms from them and pushed her glasses back up her face. She got her camera and took a picture of their profiles and then turned it off. Matthew and Catherine looked at her and she looked at them. “What?”

“You could at least show us the picture.” Matthew said and poked her in the side. Elouise laughed and showed them the picture. It was a beautiful picture. The sun was setting right behind them, making the sky orange, purple, and pink. The two of them were practically silhouettes, their features in perfect detail but dark.

Once she showed them the picture and got their approval she turned off her camera and rested her arms. She looked at them and laughed at how they weren’t even looking at each other but every once in awhile they would catch each other’s gaze then quickly look away with blushes on their faces.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me Matthew! I am your best friend!” She said breaking the silence. Catherine looked at Matthew too and waited for his reply.

“Shut up El and watch the sunset.” He said with a small laugh.