Your Voice Was The Soundtrack Of My Summer

Like the world was spending too much money on undesired pleasures, I was falling in love slowly with Indigo.

Maybe that wasn't the right word for it. It couldn't be love, considering she banned it and didn't believe in that word.

So what could it be?

I haven't even known her for what, a day?

I looked helplessly at the ceiling, with my faithful companion Delilah beside me.
Delilah being my guitar.

There probably was more than meets the eye when it came to Indigo.

I contemplated the possibilities.
But that was the thing, I couldn't come up with any. So I was stuck with the idea of Indigo being your average teenage chick who didn't believe in love at all.

Which was definitely not cool, considering there was no other way to describe love.

Which gave me the idea of looking up love.

love n.
1 strong affection 2in tennis a score of zero

Well, gee did that help or what?
I looked concertly at the Webster's Pocket Dictionary and threw it across the room.

Indigo Rae Saunders, baby, there wasn't no other word to describe those feelings.
It's called love.

"Morning Paul, you got a job out at Peter's Point?" my mom asked, midbite.

I nodded gesturing to Delilah laying on the couch.

"Where's dad?" I looked around sensing the lack of presence of the head of the household.

"Meeting. I'm leaving early too. What times your shift?" she checked her watch, and increased her oatmeal-eating rate.

"Umm, 9:00,” I named a time, seeing as it was only 8:30 in the morning.

"That's great hon. I won't be seeing you for lunch. Dad's going to be eating at his meeting. So, I'll see you later at 6?" she said, in a rush kissing my cheek and leaving out the door in a hurry.

"Love you,” I said sitting down, facing an empty bowl of oatmeal and a half empty glass of orange juice.

But once I said those words (which were targeted at no one in particular considering my mother was out of earshot) I was reminded of Indigo, and I wondered what love actually meant when I said that.

It definitely wasn't the love I had for Indigo, so what did I mean when I declared my love for mom?

I grabbed a Poptart and headed out the door, with Delilah on tow.

Who knew what would happen at the beach today with Delilah?

I walked into the shack wondering if they had something to eat, since Poptarts didn't fill you much.

Guess who was there?

"Hey Paul!" Indigo excitedly waved at me, immersed in her pancake.

I grabbed a seat sitting next to Indigo and shared her pancakes drowned in Butter Maple Syrup.
"So how was your day?" I asked scarfing down the pancakes.

"You mean the part that I didn't spend with you?" she smugly looked at me, sipping her orange juice from a tiny plastic cup.

"Yeah. That part,” I nodded insufficiently.

"Mom is still not comfortable with the fact that I spent most of my day with you,” she shrugged as she passed the remainder of her breakfast towards me.

"I don't think any mother would, truthfully,” I remarked.

"I'm gonna hook up a board with Ralph. Then we can go,” she said, as she got up, but then she noticed my guitar.

"Hey, uh, you weren't planning on serenading me again, were you?" she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Oh no. I'm supposed to make money. It's my non official job here. A board?" I looked quizically at her.

"You're coming with me buddy. No guitar today. I'll make sure Ralph will take care of it,” Indigo assured me.

Board? Ralph?

"Her!" I corrected her.

"Her?" she looked at me with apprehension.

"Delilah. My guitar?" I looked at Indigo meaningfully. It took a second or two for her to comprehend this until she let out a gaily chuckle.

"Ralph will make will definitely make sure that he'll take extra care of Delilah,” she mocked.

I growled at her.

I placed the plate and cup in the bin and joined her at the counter while she talked with a fat Native American guy.

"Hey, Paul, this is Ralph,” she introduced.

"Indigo talks very fondly of you,” he said in a thick accent.

"I'll be sure to take care of your eh, guitar,” he pulled out two sausagy arms and Ireluctantly gave him Delilah.

"Take your pick out back, Indigo,” Ralph told Indigo.

"Thanks Ralph,” she excitedly jumped and she grabbed my arm as she led me to the back of the shack which revealed to be a storage of boards.

She picked a green floral body board and I looked confusedly at her. I thought she wanted to surf, not body board like the little kids.

"What, I thought we were surfing,” I looked at her, grabbing a long blue board.

"We are, if you can,” she smiled jubilantly at me.

"Let's go,” I grabbed her hand and she dropped the green board while we ran full fledged into the water.

This is the real life definition of love. What else could it be?

"You have to hold on to me the whole time,” I said as I stripped down to just my jeans, wondering if my abs were worthy of her stare.

"Okay,” she nodded as she followed my lead, stripping down to her bathing suit which wasdisappointingly a black one piece.

"You ready, Indigo?" I asked her as I strapped the straps around her ankle.

"Yeah,” she nodded.

We waded into the water, and once we were deep enough we clambered onto the surf board, she shakily held on to my bare waist and she laid her cheek on my shoulder.

"When are we supposed to stand up?" she asked her breath minty from her gum.

"Whenever I tell you too, okay?" I demanded as I paddled the waves.
"Sure,” I felt her breathe cool on my skin.

I felt a quivery sensation as she tightened her grip around my waist. Her face buried in my shoulder. And I wondered what Indigo would call this. Love? Surely not. Some other inquisitive smart answer.

"Here it is!" I shouted, over the thundering waves.

"Okay!" she replied. I started to stand up and she followed my lead, still grasping onto my waist.

The wave washed over us, a tsunami and we were invulnerable to it. I felt it's cool rush as it waved over me.

I heard Indigo's laugh and it charmed me once more. And then followed by a scream. I didn't arch my head to look back, but I knew it was going to happen. And it hit as hard as water could hit.
It drenched us completely, its force was penetrating, but I felt Indigo's hand and it never left mine as we were pulled under the waves.

I sucked in for air as I pulled myself and Indigo back up on the board.

"You okay?" I sputtered some water on the board.

I turned my head sideways and saw that Indigo was laughed her head off.

"I'm fine. Another go?" she exclaimed.

"Anything for you,” I grumbled as we repeated the process over and over again until her skin touching mine seemed normal. Until our skin was familiar as one. And it didn't take a long time for that process to take place.

It was 5:00, almost night. We were laying on the sand looking up at the sky. Our day was surfing and smoothies. I also collected some money for playing Delilah in the shack. $25.53 dollars to be exact.

"Guess what Paul?" she snuggled her head in closer.

"What's that?" I asked looked at her beauty in broad daylight.

"I think you're going to break your promise,” she said in a mocking acid tone.

"Why do you think that?" I looked at her in surprise. Was it that obvious? That evident?

"I didn't tell you this, but when you made your promise, I did too,” she said, taking my hand in hers.

"You vowed to yourself that you wouldn't love me?" I looked at her in confusion, completely apalled she would do such a thing.

"Yes, but you know what?" she looked at me with her eyes shining with pure joy.

"What?" I looked at her, our eyes creating a momentary solitude silence, yet a profound reaction.

"I think it's the only promise I ever made to myself, that I'm okay with breaking,” she sucked in sharply and looked at me.

"Are you saying that you're falling in love with me?" I look at her with excited shining eyes.

My heart never pounded more than before this. I could feel it practically jump out of my skin.

"No! Remember our conversation about love? I just said, that if I break it, then I don't mind,” she defiantly told me. The pulsing stopped momentarily.

"What if I break it?" I looked at her, wondering what her answer would be. And wondering if I should have said: "What if I already broke it?"

"Then, that means I have to force myself to break it too,” Indigo said her gaze unfaltered, as she forced her stare upward.

And my heart rate increased 50%, I'm sure.