Summer Wine

I woke with the sun shining in my eyes. I groaned and rolled over in an empty bed. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, the smell of her lingered on the bed. She still wore the same perfume.

"I'm lonely." She said as she sat down next to me.

I looked down at her, taking in all her youthful, familiar features. Her beautiful blue eyes, her fiery red hair that matched her temper well.

"I remember why I liked you."

She gave me the most beautiful smile I've ever gotten and I've received a lot of smiles.

"Oh, and what's that?" She was drunk but she still knew what she was doing.

"You always told me how you felt. None of that other nonsense. If I asked you if you were hurting...you always told me." I ran my hand over her hair, the softness of it made me instantly comfortable. I sighed.

"I barely remember it. I was what? Sixteen?"

"I was twenty something." I smiled.

The relationship lasted two years and I blamed myself for her leaving. She swears it wasn't my fault...but I know better.

She looked away for a minute, when she looked back tears rimmed her eyes. My eyebrows furrowed, "Come on, don't cry, love."

"I can't help it." She said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"It's late, you're just tired." I tried to get up but wrapped her arms around my neck and kept me there.

"Sarah, it's three in the morning. You need some sleep. I'm tired too." I cooed trying my best to keep her from breaking down. I don't want to see her cry again.

"I'll carry you. Okay?"

"Okay," She whimpered.

Now, I have no idea where she is. With my luck she remembers last night and went back to America.

I sighed and got up out of the bed. I stood up on my tip toes and stretched from top to bottom then I went to the bathroom and wandered downstairs. Much to my surprise Sarah left me a note on the counter; I went to get groceries, I'll be back. Go back to bed I'm bringing you a surprise. Love, Sarah

I smiled, it never felt so good to wake up to an empty house. I folded the note up and carried it upstairs with me, I found my jeans on the floor and put the note in one of my pockets. I searched for my cigarettes. Panic rose through me when I couldn't find them. I searched that room upside down. I looked beside the bed on the wooden nightstand, there they sat with a yellow sticky note stuck to them. And it read; You know these are bad for you.

I loved getting these notes. Her second day back and she's already driving me crazy. I know she's not trying either, this is what this girl does to me. She doesn't even have to try and she drives me absolutely insane. Her smile, her body, her softness, her smell, the way she moves. Everything.

I sat back on the king size bed and lit a much needed cigarette. I heard the door downstairs open then close. I smiled then took a long draw from my cigarette.

I could hear Sarah rustling bags downstairs she was humming peacefully. I smiled to myself and finished my cigarette.

"Why are you awake!?" She yelled almost dropping the tray she held in her hands.

"Uh...why are you bringing me two coffee's and a donut." I asked, confused.

"I thought you might want coffee, if I remember correctly you loved coffee. Oh, and this is a bagel and one of the coffee's is mine." She smiled and sat the tray on the bed where the blankets weren't in the way.

"Thank you, sweetie." I said as I put my cigarette in the ashtray.

"I needed to explain something to you and I thought the best way to do it would be through coffee and food." She smiled sheepishly.

"Okay?" I asked before taking a sip of the hot coffee.

"When Mom and Dad showed up at the airport with you and I acted like I didn't remember and you acted like the last we'd ever seen of each other was when we were little...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said I didn't remember you. I remember you all too well." She said as she stared into her Styrofoam coffee cup.

"They don't know about us." I replied blankly.

I don't know what to say to that, she left without telling me. We had a fight and she left. She left me sitting waiting for her to call, waiting for her to show up at my house apologizing. I tried to call her everyday, I drove up and down the roads looking for her expecting to find her dead. I waited for days beside the phone expecting a call from the hospital saying she was dead. I cried until I couldn't cry any more. I waited for her until her face vanished from my memories. I waited until I couldn't wait anymore.

"I'm sorry."

"I have to go." I said then put the coffee down on the nightstand.

"Ville, don't go." She reached for my arm, but I moved before she could. I can't do this again.

"Sarah, I have to." I said as I struggled to pull my jeans up.

"Please don't." She got up from the bed and walked over to me.

I searched the floor for a shirt, there wasn't one.

-------

[Sarah]

I wrapped my arms around him, I never thought his skinny body would ever make me complete but it does.

"You feel right." I said with my lips pressed against his chest. Ville wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.

"Why did you leave?" He asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." I said, loosening my grip on him.

"Sarah, if you ever expect me to be in your life again you have to tell me." His voice warned he wasn't lying or bluffing.

"I was scared."

"Scared of what? I didn't treat you bad."

"I was scared of having to be an 18 year old wife with a baby and a mortgage."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

"I couldn't. I loved you, you were my first love. I would never have the heart to tell you I wanted to leave or that I wanted something different in life." Tears started to well up in my eyes. I pulled myself away from him.

He looked down at me and smiled, "I didn't want that either. I just wanted to be with you."