Summer Days, Oh, Our Wasted Ways

“BOO!” Matthew yelled as he jumped on Catherine’s bed. She groaned as she felt his weight on top of her. She tried rolling over so she could go back to sleep but he straddled her and pulled her blanket away. She tried grabbing for the blanket but it was already way past her reach. She crossed her arms and glared at him.

“I want to sleep!” She whined.

“Too bad!” he said before getting off her. She rolled to her side taking the opportunity to try and go to sleep but Matthew had other plans. He pulled her off the bed causing her to land on the floor with a loud thud. “Come on! I have something planned for today!”

“Fine,” she said before standing up. “Now get out of my room so that I can change.” she pushed him out of the room despite his complains and locked the door.

She opened her closet and got out her outfit for the day. Ever since last week, she has been wearing shorts more or less every day.

She went down the stairs and saw Matthew play the simple song she had taught him. She quietly made her way to him until she was standing right behind him. She slowly moved her hands until they were covering his eyes. Matthew stopped playing as his hands quickly left the keys and reached up to touch hers. She held back a giggle as he pretended he didn’t know who was covering his eyes.

She brought her face to closer to his and kissed his cheek. He smiled as she uncovered his eyes but kept her head firmly where it was. He looked at her, his smile never leaving his lips. He leaned in, as did she, and their lips met. He turned his body around without breaking the kiss and gently but firmly grabbed her waist. He guided her down and soon she was sitting on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and played with his hair as the kiss deepened.
A rock was suddenly thrown at the window causing them to break apart. They looked at the window and saw Elouise smirking at them. Catherine blushed as Matthew rolled his eyes. He was about to flip her off but she suddenly waved and ran away.

Matthew let out a small laugh and looked at Catherine whose cheeks were still slightly pink. He laughed again as she looked at him. He poked her cheeks making her look at him. He playfully glared at him before sticking out her tongue and getting off him.

“So what’s the plan for today?” She asked as she stood by the doorway.

“Oh right,” Matthew said. He had forgotten about it. “Come,” he said as he pulled on her arm and dragged her out the door.

She walked blindly behind him. He was passing a familiar route but she couldn’t remember where it led to. He continued to lead the way with their hands intertwined until she could hear the familiar sound of waves crashing on the shore.

“The beach,” Catherine said before plopping on the sand and enjoying the moment. Instead of sitting down beside her, Matthew pulled her up and threw her over his shoulder. “HEY!”

Matthew laughed as she hit him, trying to get him to put her down. She continued thrashing around until Matthew’s feet touched the water. She instantly froze at the sight of his feet touching water. He felt her tense and slowly put her down. When her feet touched the cold water, she let out an ear-piercing scream and ran to the sand which wasn’t very far away.

Matthew looked at her with a bewildered expression as she just glared at him. He slowly started to approach her, making her hiss at him. He stood still, stunned by her action. He took a step back and her face softened. She mumbled something as she looked at the sand and started to write things.

“I am sorry.” Catherine said softly after a couple of minutes of silence.

“No, it’s my fault.” Matthew said as the tide wet his feet. He started playing with sand, using his toes to draw something on it before the tide washed it away.

Catherine hesitantly stood up and took small, quiet, steps towards him. She brought her hand up to his face and slowly grazed his cheek. His eyes locked with hers and she dropped her hand. He laced his fingers with hers and started swinging their hands.

“So, why did you bring me into the water? You must have an intention that isn’t purely evil.” Catherine said as their hands swung back and forth. Matthew’s head snapped up as if he just remembered something. A smile appeared on his face making Catherine feel a little bit uneasy.

“I was going to teach you how to swim.” Matthew said with a shy smile. Relief spread through Catherine as she let out the breath she has been holding in.

“So you decided to bring me into the water first and then just tell me ‘oh I am teaching you how to swim by the way.’” She said with an arched eyebrow. Matthew looked at the ground sheepishly, realizing how stupid his attempt was.

“Sorry,” he said.

“No problem,” she said before pecking his lips.

“Good,” he said before pulling on her arm. “Come with me,”

“No,” she said shakily as she tried to pull her arm out of his grasp.

“I swear everything will be fine.” He said solemnly. Catherine hesitated a bit, but let him drag her into the sea.

Two hours later Catherine was swimming through the open sea. She reached an area where she could stand and planted her feet on the sandy bottom. She raised her arms in the air and pumped her fists as she twirled around happily.

Matthew laughed and swam over to her before embracing her in a hug from behind. She turned around in his arms so that they were face to face. He laughed as she grinned at him. He gave her a soft Eskimo kiss before she gave him a full on kiss.

She wrapped her arms around his neck stood on her toes so that he wouldn’t have to bend so much. He wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up. She then wrapped her legs around his waist, making it easier for both them.

Matthew brought them closer to the shore but a strong wave came and made him loose his balance. He fell flat on his back with Catherine on top. They smiled at each other before leaning in and letting their lips meet in a heated kiss.

“Hey! No PDA!” someone yelled. They broke away from the kiss and saw Elouise and Mitchel standing not so far away. Catherine laughed before rolling off Matthew and lying down beside him. Elouise and Mitchel looked at each other before shrugging and sitting down beside their friends.

They stayed there in silence until Catherine suddenly sat up, catching all of their attention. She smiled like a fool and raised her hands in the air again. Matthew chuckled and lay back down, knowing what she was thinking. Elouise and Mitchel, on the other hand, stared at her with amusement and bewilderment.

“I CAN SWIM!” Catherine yelled for the whole world to hear. Elouise and Mitchel quickly clapped and embraced her in a hug.

“Yup, doggy paddle and all that,” Matthew said before Catherine looked at him with mock hurt. He stuck out his tongue and then she tackled him, the two of them splashing in the water.

Catherine got out of her room, fresh from a shower, and went to answer the ringing phone. A hand ran through her hair, removing the tangles that formed. She quickly ran down the stairs and ran to the living room where the only phone sat. She picked it up and answered.

“Hello, White Residence,” she answer politely.

“Honey?” a familiar voice said on the other end.

“Mom?” Catherine asked.

“Yeah, hi honey.”

“Hi mom,”

“How are you?”

“Um, I learned how to swim today!”

“Really?”

“Yeah,”

“That’s great! I can’t wait until you get back. You can show us when you get here.”

“Oh yeah,” Catherine said softly. She forgot that she had to go back. She forgot that she was going to college. She forgot that she was going to have to leave Matthew.

“Catherine! Dinner is ready!” Her grandmother called from the dining room, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Mom, I’ve got to go.” She said softly.

“Ok honey, I’ll see you in three weeks.” Her mom said enthusiastically.

“Yeah, three weeks,” Catherine replied without much enthusiasm.

“Bye, love you,”

“Love you too mom,” Catherine said before hanging up the phone and walking into the dining room for dinner.