Don't Wait

"But I drove, I did see the Pacific Ocean and I saw the Rocky Mountains, I even did a short stint through Canada and the North east, but here. Here, I felt it the same feeling that I had to leave Arizona, it's telling me to stay here at least for a while," I said biting my lip and looking to the mid-to-late fifties woman staring back at me with dyed fiery red hair and too much makeup on crinkled skin.

She brought a hand, covered with bejeweled rings, to her cheek and sighed, looking like a preteen who had just watched a popular romantic comedy. Her eyes lit up with an idea popping into her head and she shifted forward in her old wooden chair closing in between us, big ornate earrings dangling from her ears and she did so. She used her free hand, also covered in rings, but also clanging with the mass amount of bracelets and placed it on mine.

"So did you?" She inquired, pursing her bright red lips and raising her drawn on eyebrows. Her accent was thick, Southern accent coating all her words, even her mannerisms.

"Did I what?" I asked, wondering what she was talking about. I looked around at the body store, brightly decorated with flamboyant colored candles, body creams, scrubs, and shampoos and a myriad of scents coagulating into one, that seemed to sweetly accent the heavy humidity that sent my hair into wild waves.

"Why, did you meet him on the West Coast? Or call him every time you saw something amazing, Lord Almighty sugar, that's true love if I ever heard it," She said, nodding her head. I never told him that I loved him, I regretted that to this day, but more puzzling was I never told her I loved him. Her bright blue eyes were surrounded by a mass of eyeshadow and liners that would be appropriate for anyone else her age, but she seemed to have a bohemian appeal about her. I felt a sadness in me, remembering what actually happened since then.

"No, turns out I left the West Coast by the time he got there, I called him once. I was up in the East Coast, driving and driving when this light pierces the darkness. At first I pull over, thinking I've been driving too long and the road got to me, but instead it was this amazing fire. It was a disaster, of course, but this abandoned shack burning on the beach, the sound of the waves and the flames, God, it changed something inside me. So I called, mind you this is at four in the morning, so obviously he didn't pick up, but I couldn't muster words to even begin to describe how it made me feel," I said, my eyebrows raising as I began thinking intently and relieving the moment. I could've lingered on memories all day, bring back nostalgia of times when I was smitten and in love. Instead, I took a sobering, short breath and continued, "So I didn't leave a message and kept driving." I ended the story abruptly and this seemed to upset her.

"Well, good gracious, sugar! That is a piss-poor love story if I ever heard one, you're telling me you didn't leave a message?! I swear on my momma's soul in heaven, they are gettin' dumber and dumber these days," She shook her head, her 'er's sounding more like 'ah's in her charming liquid voice. I smiled embarrassed of how it was indeed, a terrible love story.

"I-I suppose in the end, his band got famous, and I kept on driving. True love is just in the stories now-a-days," I muttered, completely glazed over. My words stumbled out, my mind struggling to even form them. My hazel eyes seeming to water with the reprise of memories.

"Well, ain't that a load of balderdash. Child, do you have any idea what true love requires, certainly more than a phone call. You have to face demons, slay dragons to get that prize," She said fanning herself with the hand she withdrew from atop of mine. She seemed offended by what I had just said, more-so than I thought reasonable, but hey who am I to judge. "Do you still love him?" She asked after a brief moment of silence.

"What?!" I asked raising both of my eyebrows in shock.

"Do. You. Still. Love. Him?" She asked, slowing down her speech to a condescending rate. I chuckled lightly before hesitantly nodding my head. Her question didn't require much thought, if any. A pleased look spread across her face and she straightened up and put her hand back on mine. "Listen here sugar, I'mma tell you two things my momma taught me, things you can't learn in books or school. First of all, sometimes it's not what you say that matters, it's what you don't say that matters. Secondly, you never give up on true love, because anything that's ever worth having in this world is worth fighting harder than you ever thought you could, even if its yourself," Her voice grew severe, as tears brought to her eyes, probably with the memory of her love. I felt a pang in my heart, a deep rue with the realization that the words that haunted me were the ones that never passed my lips.

I took a deep breath, steadying my erratic heart to calm down. I bit my lip, looking down to her hands on mine before nodding. I thanked her quietly and walked out of the store, the old wooden floor created a deep knocking noise from my brown riding boots. I played with the frayed edges of my denim short-shorts. I took a deep breath of the salty beach air, the waves crashing in the background with deep yellow and orange reflecting on the ocean crests. I felt the soft white gauze of my racerback shirt, as I moved my arms tighter together. I smiled thinking of how beautiful this was, suddenly I felt my phone vibrating in my back pocket. I pulled the phone out and saw a familiar number.

"Hey," I smiled answering the phone call and looking out, wondering how this worked out so well. I walked further out on the mahogany porch, the sea breeze twirling my hair in the wind. I sat down on the top step, resting my head against the railing.

"Hey June," I heard his voice, lowered for whatever reason and I took a deep breath. I felt a warm feeling swelling in my belly as his voice brought back memories. The best memories of my life.

"It's weird you called, I was about to call you," I smiled, feeling that I should walk. I started down the stairs, onto the sand, which I sunk in a little with each step. I continued on, not sure where I was going exactly instead just looking at my shoes in the sand.

"Yeah, well, it's weird. Remember what you told me all those months ago? I may be completely wrong, but," He stopped laughing a little, I could imagine him looking around trying to see if anyone else was around him. "I think- uh, I don't know," John laughed a little, struggling to make his words come out.

"John, I wanted to tell you... I think I'm coming home," I said, I saw a group of boys laughing and one apart looking down at his feet. I smiled, feeling oddly connected with the skinny silhouette. I kept walking, I didn't want to be in one place, but I would stay in one place with him. I would fight that urge to run for him, even if it was hard.

"June, that's awesome! I haven't seen you in forever! God, it's like I can feel you near-" John sighed, but I kept my eyes on the silhouette pacing back and forth, staring at his feet.

"John, you should try this!" Someone yelled, I got closer and looked up hearing it doubled over. I smiled, suddenly everything coming together. The silhouette's head darted around to look at the line of boys. I jogged to the entrance of the pier. I hung up the phone absent-mindedly, feeling more sure about the inkling I had than anything else in my life. The silhouette looked at the phone and cursed. My smile was growing wider and wider as I continued, my boots making the familiar knocking noises. I saw the boys laughing with a cooler of beer and fishing poles. My heart was thumping against my chest as I kept walking.

"June hung up on me," I heard his raspy voice, disappointment not hidden at all.

"Dude, what did I tell you? You have to forget about her and move on besides she was always a bitch to me," I heard Halvo as he pat John on the back soothingly.

"Aw, Eric, you're breaking my heart," I said loudly and all the boys turned around shocked. Halvo's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped as he stared at me awkwardly. I smiled brightly, tilting my head cutely.

"June," John smiled, he walked quickly up to me and hugged me tightly. I smiled as his scruffy chin scratched my forehead. I wrapped my arms around him and he lifted me up making me yelp a little. "God, you fucking creeper!" John laughed putting me down, all the other guys came up and hugged me tightly.

"I saw you while I was walking on the beach!" I explained pointing to where I had walked from. I put a hand to my forehead, overwhelmed at the chances that this would happen.

"So, uh, June you knew I was just kidding right?" Halvo said with a seemingly innocent smile. I smacked him lightly before hugging him. I knew he was John's best friend, responsible for making him feel better about the whole situation.

"Whatever you say, dickwad," I smiled. Suddenly I felt a hand pulling me back towards the beach. I relaxed seeing it was John, dressed in all black. His grown-out hair greasy, most likely from being on the road with a bunch of guys. He stopped when we were in our own corner under the dock, waves crashing near our feet. He kissed me roughly and I kissed him right back, getting carried away as our lips mashed together.

"John, John. I have to tell you something. Something I didn't say before I left," I stopped him, both of our lips sticky from my smeared lip gloss. John's hair askew from my hands running through them, he looked impatient, but was listening. I remembered Mrs. Raleigh had said earlier, replayed over and over in my head. I looked straight into his eyes and smiled, "John, I love you... more than anything. I love you so much I would settle down in fucking Arizona, and I know you may not love me too, but I couldn't let it go unsaid before we went our separate ways again, you know?" I said beginning to ramble before he started chuckling.

"June," He stopped me, his crooked smile spreading across his lips. He removed a hand from my waist momentarily to tuck a strand of hair gently away from my face and came down on my lips. "I love you too," He chuckled, we were about to kiss again when cheers erupted from above us. We looked up to see the majority of The Maine and A Rocket To The Moon snooping in on us.

"What? Y'all should've found a better hiding spot!" Halvo said to our persecuting glares, causing everyone to laugh. I chuckled lightly, and felt tears watering my eyes of pure radiating joy. I looked at John honestly not knowing where our future would lead, but as long as we were together. It would be fine. So moral of the story, always say what your heart tells you to, because it could lead to a realization. Lead to a happy relationship. Lead to endless joys, because sometimes it's not what you say, but what you don't say that matters most.