The Summer Scene

Today is the day I return home. My flight leaves at 5 PM, so I have enough time to sleep and make one last visit to my boys, if they all aren’t suffering from major hangovers. I picked up my phone and called Kennedy, my chauffer.

“Hey.” I cheerfully greeted once I heard him pick up his cell.

“Hey, kid. You aren’t gone yet?” He asked a little confused.

“Nope. Flight leaves at 5. Are you guys practicing today?” I tried to ask nonchalantly, but failed.

“Yeah. You want me to pick you up.” He stated before I even had to ask. He was getting good at this, this knowing me thing.

“Please and thank you.” I smiled.

“I’ll be over in ten.” I could hear him shaking his head and smiling on the other line.

“Kay.” I hung up, grabbed my purse/carry-on, and waited on the porch for Kenny to arrive.

As I was waiting, Jess was on her way over to Brian’s to drop off some drum demos she composed.

“Where are you going?” She asked quizzically.

“John’s.” I replied, my eyes fixed on the road waiting for Kenney’s car to pull up at any moment.

“But you’re leaving in like three hours.” She pointed out.

“Yeah, I know. That’s three hours away. Your mom said I could go.” I retorted.

“Then how are you getting to the airport?”

“Aunt Ilene’s picking me up at John’s.”

“She knows where he lives?” She asked in a disbelieving voice.

“I gave her directions.” I snapped back.

“She’s going to get lost.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Why are you being such a bitch right now?” I pointed out.

“I’m being a bitch? I don’t think so. You spent your whole visit with them. The least you could do was hang out here.”

“Jess,”

“I know you were going through a lot before you got here, but you can’t forget your problems, Natalie.” I looked at her with a blank face. “Just, never mind.” She finished.

“Ok…” I replied, as Kennedy finally pulled up. A few minutes earlier and he would have saved me from this confrontation.

Jess eyed his car by the curb. She looked over towards me. I wasn’t sure whether to sprint to the car or stay with her. She could see the conflict in my eyes, “Go.” She encouraged with a weak smile.

“I’ll see you later.” I smiled as a thank you.

“Yeah, I’ll come and pick you up with mom.”

“Ok.” I hugged her quickly, and then darted to the car not to keep Kennedy waiting any
longer.

“What was that about?” Kennedy asked with a raised eyebrow as I sat in the passenger seat and buckled my seatbelt.

“Nothing. Just, girl stuff.”

“Alright.”

----

Upon walking through the door at the O’Callaghan’s, Mrs. O saw me and bombarded me in a great big hug. “Natalie, I’m so glad you’re here. I didn’t get to say goodbye last night. We are all really going to really miss you around here.” She squealed into my ear.

“I’m going to miss spending almost every day here too.” I confessed still in her embrace.

“If you’re ever in town, you are always welcome.” She said breaking away.

“Thanks.”

Over the past few weeks, Mrs. O had “adopted” me. She claims that I am the sweetest girl
she has ever met, just for coming over and helping the band, and occasionally her with making our sandwiches for lunch. She is a very nice woman, and she would do anything to make her sons’ dreams come true. She’s the kind of mother I would like to of had.

I made my way down to the den; everyone was down there but John. I guess the guys knew I was looking forward to seeing him because the first thing they said was “John’s in his room sleeping.”

“That is unacceptable. I have to leave in almost two hours.”

I turned around on my heels and marched out of the den and up the stairs to John’s room. I knocked lightly, just in case he was up and changing. No answer. The door was unlocked. I slowly opened it and saw a dark room with a lump in the middle of a full sized bed. I am assuming this lump is John. I tiptoed into the room and shut the door quietly behind me. I walked over to the bed, and nudged the lump a little. No response. I nudged him harder. No response. I gingerly climbed onto the bed, stood up, and started jumping. His body shook, but still no conscious movement. I jumped up and down as hard as I could, yelling, “John get your ass up, are you dead!” Suddenly, I was falling face first into the mattress, over John’s body.

“Hey!” I scolded.

“Morning.” He replied.

“What was that for?” I asked trying to compose myself.

“You were jumping on my bed.” He replied with a shrug.

“To try and wake you up. I’m leaving in less than two hours and you were sleeping through
my valuable time here. Way to be conceded.” I argued with a slight smile.

“I’m conceded.” He asked raising his brow.

“Yes. You are.” I said coming face to face with him. Our noses weren’t more than two inches apart. His eyes were enchantingly green, they captivated me.

He chuckled and pushed me slightly. I had to catch myself so I wouldn’t fall backwards off
of the bed.

“Get outta my bed so I can get dressed.” He told me.

“Get out of your bed, but stay in your room. That sounds like a show Mr. O’Callaghan.” I teased, still sitting on his bed.

“Get out, Natalie.” He said with a tone, his eyes locking with mine.

“Fine. But if you’re not out in 15 minutes, I’m coming back in.”

“Fine by me. They’re your eyes.”

“Perv.”

I could hear him chuckling in the background as I made my way out of his room and back down to the den.

“Is he alive?” Max asked.

“Yup.” I responded. “If he isn’t out in fifteen minutes I have to go back up and drag him out.”
Max smiled greatly.

“What’s with the face?” I asked him quizzically.

“Nothing.” He replied, the smile still plastered on his face.

“Tell me.”

“Why’d you scream before?” Kenny asked, taking my attention away from Max.

“Huh?”

“We heard a girlish scream while you were upstairs.” Jared clarified.

“We’re pretty sure it was John, but” Pat started to say, before I jumped in.

“Oh. Right. John wouldn’t wake up so I started jumping on his bed and yelling at him. Then he grabbed my legs out of nowhere and I fell. Hence my screaming.”

“Yup. She deserved it too, for waking me up.” John added finally walking through the den,
drying his hair with a towel.

“Well, I bet you’d be really mad if you slept through my last visit.”

“I probably would. But this isn’t your last visit.” He retorted.

“Oh really.” I challenged.

“Yup.” He popped the p.

“How do you know.”

“I can tell.”

I smiled at his choice of words, remembering our conversation from last night.

“So what do you want to do?” Garrett asked, his eyes fixed on the television screen where he was playing some sort of zombie killer video game. Typical Gar.

“I only have an hour. So let me hear some acoustic, I guess.”

“Alright.” John went over and grabbed his guitar.

Jared got up, “Hey, I’ll play and you can sing.” He offered.

John sat on the tall wooden stool that was seated by his microphone, while Jared took the metal one next to it.

“What do you want to hear?” John asked.

“Doesn’t matter. Anything will do.”

“Daisy?” He looked over at Jared, and he nodded.

---

Sunlight, sunshine
All for you my daisy.

As he sang the last line, I was hypnotized by the sincerity in his eyes and his velvet voice. I couldn’t stop staring at him. He was looking right back at me, but I don’t think the intensity of his hold over me could match the feeling that he gets from me looking at him. It defiantly wouldn’t. He is like a walking black hole when he sings, his voice is so beautiful and looking into his eyes as he is singing those lyrics is pure magic, you can tell that he is pouring his heart and soul into his words. It’s a wonderful feeling. Whoever he ends up with is going to be one very lucky, and probably hated girl.

I had so much fun this past summer, but all of that had to come to an end sometime, and that time was now.

I stood on the front pathway outside of the O’Callaghan’s house and hugged all of my newfound friends goodbye, while Aunt Ilene was waiting in the car with Jess in the passenger seat.

“Have fun in the cold.” John joked when I finally got around to saying my final goodbye to him.

“Shut up.” I replied hoping on my tiptoes and wrapping my arms around his neck.

“Language.” He whispered in my ear.

I shook my head slightly and smiled.

“Bye, John.” I replied, still embraced in our hug.

Right as I started to pull away, he kissed my cheek. I looked at him, stunned. Our faces again very close.

“Bye kiddo.” Was all he said as he unwrapped his arms from their hold around my waist.

Unthinkingly, I picked up my bag and got into the car, waving towards the people behind me. Once I was inside and we were off, I touched my cheek.

This was not supposed to happen.