The Crab Cabin

Logan walked along the sandy beach. His feet sank into the sand just like they had all those years ago. He walked until he was by the old house. The sight of the blue house with the giant orange crab painted on the side brought a smile to his face. It looked older. It probably smelled worse too. Logan missed this place almost as much as he missed her. He missed their long late night talks sitting in this exact spot. He missed her over-confidence. The way she felt like she could do anything she set her mind too. He missed everything about this place. Logan couldn’t believe it had been three years since he’d last been here. Three years of what ifs. Three years of what is she doing now. Three years and he was finally back.

“Come on,” Skylar called pulling Logan along behind her.

They were the first two into the wooden cabin. They ran up the stairs, throwing their bags into their rooms right across the hall from each other. Before the others were even in the house, Skylar and Logan were running out the back door. They ran down the beach and straight into the ocean. The cold water of the Pacific Ocean greeted them. It was July, but Washington didn’t care. The weather did what it wanted when it wanted. Logan followed Skylar, going along with whatever she did. He used his shyness as an excuse to go along with whatever she did, but really, it was so he could keep an eye on her. Make sure she didn’t get herself killed.

Skylar was a big girl and could take of herself, but Logan always had a sense of responsibility for her. Even when they were younger. Logan was always there, watching over her. Maybe it was because they had known each other for so long and Logan considered her a younger sister. Or maybe it was because he thought of her as something entirely different from a younger sister. All he knew was that if anything ever happened to this spastic, carefree girl he would never forgive himself.

When the sun went down and the house was quiet Skylar poked her head into the boys room. Logan looked up from his spot on the bottom bunk. They slowly walked down the stairs together, making sure to skip the sixth step down because it squeaks. Logan pulled their stash down from the inside of the ceiling panel above the third cupboard. The only way to make sure food was left in this house is to hide it. Skylar grabbed the flashlights out of the junk drawer. The slowly slid the door open. They collapsed in the sand. The abundance of snacks sat between them. The flashlights lay on the sand illuminating the beach in front of them. Logan popped a fluffy marshmallow into his mouth. They sat talking about anything, everything, and nothing all at the same time. Skylar did most of the talking. Logan listening to every word that flowed out of her mouth.

The spent their summer like this. Waiting till the sun fell below the horizon so they could sneak down the stairs and watch the stars shine above. They spent that month at the Crab Cabin they same way they did every year. Talking on the beach.

As the summer came to an end Skylar’s confidence and loudness slowly fell. She wouldn’t talk for hours on end. She stopped telling Logan everything that came to her mind. Her bright smile that Logan loved stopped coming around.

“What’s wrong?” Logan finally asked one night as they sat beneath the stars. Skylar looked down at her bare feet sitting in the sand.

“Your going to New York in two weeks,” she answered quietly.

“That’s why you’ve been so quiet? It’s not like I’m never going to talk to you again.”

“That’s supposed to make it ok?” she yelled looking up at Logan. “I’m supposed to be ok with you moving to the other side of the country. Away from your family. Aways from me. Just because we’ll still talk. It won’t be the same Logan. How am I supposed to get over the fact that the love of my life is leaving me?” Tears were falling down Skylar’s tan face.

"You're so selfish,” the words flowed out of Logan’s mouth before he could think about what he was saying.

Skylar walked away. Logan sat on the beach watching the house slowly come to life. In a matter of minutes Skylar’s family had their van packed up and they were driving down the road. Logan watched Skylar walk out of his life. His finally words to her forever ringing in his head.

Logan sat in the same place he last talked Skylar. “You're so selfish.” Those three little words that ruined the best thing he ever had. Those three little words that ripped an over-confident, but secretly scared little girl out of his life. Three little words he wished he could take back, but didn’t know how. Logan closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears from flowing down his face. He felt someone sit next to him on the sand. He opened his tear filled eyes. Those familiar big brown eyes stared back at him. She threw her arms around him. A big smile on her face.

“I didn’t mean it,” Logan whispered into Skylar’s neck.