Pieces of What

I was taking a walk in the park like I often do. With my black high tops in my hand, and a small backpack on one shoulder with a novel, my poetry/doodle notebook, and pen to write or draw with, and a change of clothes for after I swim, I stroll through McElroy Isle. I have on a pair of jean shorts on, but not tight, and a loose fitting tie dye v neck with a blue plaid bikini underneath.

McElroy Isle is this amazing park; it has beaches and sand all around, but it also has walkways, bike paths, and even a historical center. It’s a short drive away from my house. When I have nothing to do, which happens to be a lot of the time, I go there to read a book, write some poetry, swim, or just sit there and think.

I guess you could say I’m somewhat of a recluse. I live with my mother, but I’m almost never there. Only to sleep and eat. Don’t get me wrong, my mom and I have a good relationship; she understands my want to be alone and gives me my space. I don’t necessarily not like people, it’s just that I’d rather spend time with my nose in a book, living in my fantasy world than spending time with people that piss me off, which is most of the human population. I’m not pretentious, I just like to be alone most of the time.

School has been out for two days. I’ll be a freshman in college, come fall. I plan on going to the local art college in the area. I have the whole summer to just chill.

I’ve been having this feeling that something’s going to happen this summer. It’s been the same routine for a few years now. Sometime this summer, I don’t know when and I don’t know where, something big is going to happen. Right now, I’m just waiting for that one moment. I’m waiting for my life to start.

Today, I’m walking along my favourite stretch of beach, my toes sinking into the sand with each step, when I hear something. Well, someone, to be exact.

“When the world has turned, paralyzed and wrong…”

Huh? It’s a guy. I whip my head around in all directions, but I don’t see anyone…

“Past the point of love, shattered and untied. Waiting to pick up the pieces that make it all alright…”

Whatever. I shake my head and keep walking.

“But pieces of what? Pieces of What? Pieces of what doesn’t matter anymore.”

It sounds like it’s coming from…

I look to the right, and there’s a guy sitting on the sand, in the shade under some leafy trees.

His eyes are closed and he’s playing an acoustic guitar. I see a case lying next to him. He has long, unruly brown locks and pale skin. When he opens his mouth to sing, I see that he has a single crooked bicuspid. He has no shoes on, like me. He’s wearing a patterned brown and orange tank top with loose orange shorts. Instead of being obnoxious, the clothing makes him look a bit earthy. I stand and stare, my feet unable to move.

“Moonlight on my floor, shining through the roof. They got the city surrounded, as if I needed proof. I forgot my fear, feelings on the rise. Burying all of the pieces falling from the sky...”

I’m mesmerized by this stranger, enchanted. His words are profound. His voice is beautiful. I don’t even understand why I’m so captivated.

“But pieces of what? Pieces of what? Pieces of what we used to call home…”

The peculiar thing is, I don’t really see many people whenever I go on my wanderings. I like to go to the deep parts of McElroy Isle, the parts that only the frequent visitors.

“When I drank your tea and shallow water still; At the Belgian gates, I waited for my meal.”

He strums a bit more, his head bobbing back and forth with the beat. He plays the last chord and opens his eyes. They’re a beautiful shade of green. He is very handsome. When his eyes land on me, they open wide with surprise. I didn’t even realize that I was just standing here and
staring at him. Oh my goodness, how embarrassing.

“Uh… hi? I-I… well, wow, sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. I mean, I was just-uh, walking by and I-I heard you singing? I really liked it, bytheway.” I feel the heat rising to my cheeks and the
corners of my eyes prickle.

“Oh, well… thank you.” the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile. “I’m glad that you liked it.”

“Mhm, yeah…” the silence is a bit awkward. I will my feet to move forward. “Well, my name is Skye Jingze.” My surname is pronounced “Ching She”. I reach my hand out to him to shake. He’s even better looking up close. I see the different tones of green in his eyes. My knees almost buckle.

“I’m Andrew VanWyngarden.” He takes my hand and I almost sawoon. I know I’m being overdramatic, but I swear I just felt an electric current, like he shocked me. I almost yank my hand away, but stop myself before I make an even bigger fool of myself. I don’t want him thinking I’m rude.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I reply. I don’t know what else to say. He looks at our hands strangely. Did he feel the shock?

“So…” he starts. “What are you up to?”

“Oh, well I was just going to go for a swim after this here walk.”

“Would you mind some company?” he asks. I almost scream with happiness. Andrew, this beautiful stranger, wants to spend time with me? Why…? Whoa. I cannot believe my luck. I glance down at my braided leather bracelet with a rustic gold plate that says “luck” on it. I found it at one of the stands at the flea market yesterday… maybe this thing really is a lucky bracelet, like the saleslady said.

“No, not at all. I’d like you to come with me, actually.” On the outside, I am almost calm. On the inside, I am metaphorically dancing with excitement. I wanted to spend more time with him, but I just didn’t know how to ask without it being weird. It’s like he read my mind.

“Okay, let me just pack up my guitar.” He puts his guitar in the soft case and puts the straps over his shoulders. “Lead the way.”

“Sure.” I start to walk, and he follows. My favourite little cove is just around the corner. I love this spot. Andrew and I walk next to each other, our feet leaving indents in the dry sand. The waves gently crash at the shore. I reach the cove. My favourite spot is at the indent of the certian “J” shape. You turn the corner, and there’s an indent, just like the curve at the bottom of the letter “J”. I put my backpack on a rock under a shady tree and put my converse in the sand next to the rock. He leans his guitar on the rock.

He takes off his tank top, leaving on his shorts. I take that as my time to undress. I feel a bit awkward. I mean, I’m not fat, but… well, my body is nothing to brag about. And here is this beyond gorgeous guy in front of me with toned arms and attractive abdominal and pectoral muscles. No, I wasn’t staring that time… I just took a very indiscreet glance of appreciation. That’s all. Really.

I take off my shirt and throw it on top of my backpack. I unbuckle my “seat belt” and put my shorts on top of the shirt. Before I can let my eyes wander, I quickly say,

“Race you.” and take off, so I don’t stare at his torso and look like the hormonal eighteen-year old I really am. I slow down before my feet touch the lukewarm water. The sun beats down on me and I submerge my toes underneath the water. I wade in the water with Andrew next to me. I love the feel of the water against my skin. It’s actually nice having someone around, for a change.

I smile at him shyly. He grins back. He is so cute! I sigh. Despite my smile, I wonder why he decided to come with me today. It must have been because of something like “fate”.

Dear God... I pray. If you’re listening, if you're real, thank you. Thank you for bringing this beautiful stranger into my life.

After we swim for a bit, talking about ourselves, we walk back to shore. He doesn’t have anything but his clothing and guitar, so I give him my towel to use. I dig in my backpack and hand it to him.

“Oh, thank you.” he says, wiping off his chest and rubbing it around his head to dry off his hair. I avert my eyes. Once he’s finished, he hands it to me. I dry myself off and then rummage around until I find my brush. I brush the knots out of my hair.

“Can I use your brush?” he asks.

“Of course.” I reply, giving it to him. he brushes out his brown locks. I sigh; he’s beautiful.

“Thank you.”

“Yep, no problem.” We stand there for a moment, looking at each other. “So…” I begin. I’ll take a chance. “Do you want to go get some fries from that snack shop?”

“Okay.” He smiles. His teeth show, and I see that adorable crooked tooth. I giggle a little bit. God, I must look like an idiot. We pick up our things and walk back to the main part of the beach. It takes a good ten minutes.

“So have you lived here long?” I ask him, just to start a conversation.

“No. I actually just moved here a few years ago.” he responds.

“Oh? Well, how did you end up in my favourite spot?” I ask him with a laugh.

“That’s a good question.” He chuckles. I just kept walking, really. I just kind of stumbled upon it.”

“Wow. I wonder why I’ve never seen you there. I walk by a lot.” I say.

“Huh. Yeah, you think we would have found each other by now.” He replies.

“Yes…” it seems like it was meant to be today. “It’s something like fate, I suppose.”

“Uh huh…” he nods. He looks at me and smiles. HE LOOKED AT ME… AND SMILED, NONETHELESS! I am so happy.

We reach the snack stand and he tries to buy me French fries. We argue for a minute before giving in.

“Thank you.” I say appreciatively, as we sit down. “That was really nice.” I smile at him.

“It’s not a big deal.” He smiles back at me.

As we eat our fries, I take a good look at him. Somehow, I feel connected to him. I know that that’s really cliché, but it’s almost as if we’re two friends out to lunch after not seeing each other for a time, not strangers.

Then, it hits me. Meeting Andrew is the thing that I was waiting for.

xxx

As summer moves on, Andrew and I continue to get to know each other better. He shows me his music and I show him my poetry. The next weeks fly by as I spend more and more time each day with him. A few days ago, I brought him to my house. Mom was so surprised that there was another human being in the house, and a boy at that.

“Skye…” she shoots me a questioning look. “Who is this… young man?”

“This is my friend, Andrew. Andrew, this is my mother.” He reaches out his hand for a handshake. She lightly takes his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” he says politely.

“Nice to meet you too…” mom says, still a bit stunned.

“We’re just going to make something to eat and hang out.” I tell her.

“Okay.” She says and walks away, throwing a glance over her shoulder at us before going back to the living room to watch the news.

Andrew and I made cinnamon buns. They were the kind of cinnamon buns where the dough came in a cylindrical tube and once they were done, you’d squeeze the frosting out of little packets. They were delicious. We ate them as we sat in my room and just hung out.

I couldn’t deny my attraction to him any longer. As we sat cross-legged on my bed, I wanted to just tackle him with kisses. I don’t even know why I’m feeling this way. I never have really been a people person to begin with, so I don’t know why I’m feeling so connected to this guy that I met by chance. I think this is the start of something big. Finally, the monotonous routine is broken. That is the day that I admitted to myself that I liked him.

The thing is, I feel so confortable around him. I haven’t ever felt this confortable with another person… ever. Andrew is just really easy to get along with. I love spending time with him, and if I’m not mistaken, I think that he enjoys spending time with me, too.

So today, we’re going to the city. We’re going to the park and then the art museum. His apartment is right around that general area, so we’ll probably go there afterwards.

We brought a picnic lunch consisting of a thermos of coffee, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and two apples. I carry the paper bag of our lunch and Andrew has his guitar on his back. I don’t think there was a time when he didn’t have his guitar with him.

We sit cross-legged on the grass, facing each other. He pours the black coffee into the lid and we alternate taking sips.

“Andrew, I must say: you are very gifted at making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” He
laughs.

“Why thank you, miss.” He replies, swirling his hand in the air and bending down in a mock bow. I giggle along with him. I pour a bit more coffee in the lid and take a sip. I hand it to Andrew, and so does he. We sit in a comfortable silence; sometimes, one doesn’t have to say anything. Silence is loud, but occasionally, it’s a good kind of loud.

Once we’re finished, I take all of our trash and throw it in one of the trash bins. I turn around and see him sitting, legs out in front of him, leaning on his palms. He’s swaying back and forth, humming to himself. He is so good looking. I rub my lucky bracelet. I think I’m going to try to make some physical contact today. Usually, he gives me a hug goodbye, but I want… more. I feel greedy. I mean, I should just relish our friendship…

I take a deep breath. I walk back, determined. I know I’ll regret it if I don’t do it. Even if I make everything awkward, I don’t care. At least I put myself out there; I tried. Hopefully, he will be okay with it. I’m so nervous as I sit in between his legs and lean back against him. I breathe in his scent: earthiness, boy, and pear shampoo. A delicious combination, indeed.

I wait for him to push me away, to tell me to get away from him. Instead, he places his face next to mine and touches our cheeks together. I awkwardly pull my knees towards me and lightly drape my arms around them. He responds by almost hugging me to him with his legs. He’s sitting cross-legged once again and I’m sitting in between his legs.

He gently rests his hands on my waist. I sigh, indulging in the moment. Somehow, his lips find mine. I pull my head away; I’m shocked. Like, literally. I felt a sort of spark.

“Whoa.” I say. His mouth is slightly open. I’m guessing he felt it too? His mouth forms a smirk. I place my hands on his cheeks, bringing his face towards mine once again. I fix myself, turning my body around and kneel in front of him, never breaking our connected mouths. His hands take mine off of his face. He twines our fingers together. His mouth opens against my own. His tongue strokes my lips, opening them.

What is this feeling? I want him. I want him so badly. I have never experienced anything like this before. Our hands break apart, and mine go directly to his shoulders. My fingers travel up his shoulders and then play with the hair at the nape of his neck. He runs his hands down my sides, but then slips his hands in the back pockets of my jeans.

I run my tongue over that one crooked tooth. I smile and feel his lips on mine smile back. I pull back so that I can look in his eyes, resting my forehead against his. I give him one more chaste kiss before getting up.

We have an art gallery to go to.

xxx

Andrew and I walk around the art museum hand in hand. We look at all of the galleries, commenting on the artists’ styles, colour choices, the things being painted, et cetera. We both have a great appreciation for art.

It seems that I was the catalyst for all of this… PDA. Like, he’d stop in the middle of the gallery to give me a quick kiss. If I were to examine a painting, he’d come up behind me and envelop me in his arms. When we’d walk, I’d grab his hand. Every once and awhile I’d place a kiss on his neck or cheek. I don’t know what it is, but we can’t seem to keep our hands off of each other.

After we walk around the museum, we leave and start to walk to his apartment. I don’t know where our relationship is going to go, but I trust that it will be something incredible.

It’s strange, spending all of this time with someone you’ve only known for a few weeks, but what seems like forever. I don’t know how all of this happened. All I know is that Andrew was the moment that I was waiting for. I was standing on the edge of something big. Andrew was the something that I was anticipating.

Author of the moment, please write me a fantastic story; my life is finally beginning.