Another Teen Love Story

“Shit, Anna, I still can’t believe that this is your last night in Seattle,” Eric swore, taking a final swig of his beer before throwing the aluminum can into the smoldering embers before us. With defined steps my friend of seven years sat down on the log next to me.

I smiled weakly. Anything to ease the pain. “Trust me, if I had a say in any of this, I would be staying here with you guys.”

“Awww… Who says you can’t, Anna-boo? You can live with me. My bed’s a trundle. It would be like the sleepovers we had back in elementary school,” Christy complained from her spot on her on-again, off-again boyfriend’s, Ross, lap. Judging from the way her arms were slung around Ross’s neck, I assumed they were on-again.

Just then my own boyfriend, Jeff, growled and grabbed another beer. It was his third one tonight. “Can you guys just shut up already?”

Heavy silence fell over the group. No one really knew what to say. Jeff had been in a foul mood ever since I announced I was going to be moving to Maine, courtesy of my father’s new promotion. I had been hoping he would at least try to be in a good mood tonight, as I wouldn’t be seeing him for a long time following tonight.

“Hey man, chill. We’re just trying to lighten the mood. We’re all hurting, y’know,” Eric said. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Jeff stood up and stormed away, quickly disappearing into darkness.

“Jeff! Jeff, come back!” I shouted in desperation.

“Yeah, Jeff! Don’t listen to Eric! We all know he’s an idiot!” Ross shouted. His lips curled upwards in a smirk.

“Hey! You’re the idiot, Mr. I-Got-A-C-Minus-In-Home-Ec.,” Eric countered. Christy laughed and Ross shot her a harsh stare.

“Sorry babe. I still love you,” she said, placing a light kiss on his lips. “Even though you are cooking-challenged.”

I sighed. “I’m sorry that Jeff is being so pissy. I think he’s taking it harder than I am.”

“Of course he is. The guy is totally in love with you. How long’ve you two been going out? Two years?” Eric asked.

“Technically it’s only been one year, ten months.” I could still remember when I first met Jeff exactly one year, ten months ago. It was a Tuesday. Christy had dragged me into sunbathing at the pool with her. There was a new lifeguard on duty; a particularly buff lifeguard with a nice tan. For about an hour I snuck glances at him behind my sunglasses. Every once in a while I would see his head aimed somewhat in my direction, but I couldn’t tell if he was looking at me. His sunglasses were in the way. But there was some force between us that made me certain he was watching me.

I began to imagine different scenarios that would end up with him talking to me. I was almost tempted to feign drowning in hopes that he would rescue me and give me mouth-to-mouth.

Finally I decided to just get up and talk to him. I stood next to the wood tower and the lifeguard started down the steps. Apparently, his shift was over. Just before he was almost at the bottom his foot caught on the step and he was sent tumbling face-first into the pool. He took me in with him.

Once we both resurfaced the lifeguard began apologizing a mile a minute. I started to laugh, and shortly after he did too. When I saw his wide, slightly crooked smile and his dazzling blue eyes – made even brighter by the laughter – I knew he was the guy for me.

“Same difference,” Christy said, suddenly forcing me out of my daydream and into reality. Reality was definitely lackluster when compared to the beautiful image of Jeff laughing, his brown hair plastered to either side of his face and drops of water glistening in the sunlight.

“He still loves you. You two have been together so long he probably didn’t think you were ever going to be apart. Then your father goes and drops the bomb about his promotion and Jeff’s entire world falls apart.”

“Well, when you say it that way it almost makes Jeff’s pissiness seem warranted,” Eric mused.

“Warranted or not, he shouldn’t be acting like an ass,” I said. I sighed and grabbed two more beers then stood up. “I’m going to go find Jeff. See you guys later.”

Everyone mumbled their goodbyes as I followed the large footsteps Jeff left just minutes before.

“Be sure to use protection!” Ross shouted from behind. I just lifted a hand and flipped him off. This earned a round of laughter.

It didn’t take long for me to find Jeff. He was sitting in the rock-infested sand characteristic of Alki Beach and staring at the gently lapping waves. Jeff didn’t say anything as I sat down next to him and handed him a beer. The previous can was sitting beside him, crumpled. I opened my own can, and after a satisfying pshftt I took a sip. We just sat there for the longest time, not saying anything, enjoying this final moment we had together.

“You know I love you,” I said after maybe fifteen minutes of silence.

“I know,” Jeff said with a nod. “You know I love you.”

“I know.” I took a shaky breath. This was more painful than anything I could ever have imagined. “You know I will still love you, even though I am in Maine.”

“I know.” In the faint moonlight I could see Jeff’s face harden. “And I will still love you. I will love you until the day I die. Hell, I will love you until the freakin’ end of time. GRAGH!” Jeff yelled, stood up and crushed the can in his hand, throwing it forcefully into the Puget Sound all in one fluid motion. “Why the hell did your father decide to take that promotion? He knew you only had one more year until graduation! Why couldn’t he just have waited another year?”

“I know. I know,” I mumbled tearfully. Jeff looked down at me and noticed the tears that were falling down my face.

“Jeez, Anna, I’m sorry. I’m just so mad! Here, come on, it’s alright, it’s alright,” Jeff comforted me as he sat down and held me in his arms. After a while I calmed down. Being with Jeff always calmed me down. Especially when he held me like this. I loved being able to hear his heat-beat, steady and slow, but had a tendency to skip whenever I made a movement.

“I’m sorry I’ve been such an ass this past month, Anna,” Jeff finally said. “It’s just…I can’t even think of what it is going to be like losing you.”

“You’re not losing me, Jeff,” I said, turning my head to look into his perfect blue eyes. “We can still call, and write, and e-mail. And I plan to get a job so I can visit during winter break.”

Jeff’s face faltered and then hardened again. I set my head against his chest. “I know it’s still not the same, but we can make it.”

Once again we lapsed into silence. But I didn’t mind. Sometimes, I liked the silence with Jeff more than when we talked. With the silence I could feel what he was feeling, think what he was thinking. We had grown so close in the last year and ten months that I could tell what Jeff was thinking and feeling by every movement of his face, every flicker of his eye.

I won’t be able to feel the silence in Maine like I do here, in Seattle. I won’t be able to see his smile when he sees something funny on TV. I won’t be able to see his eyes flicker down to my chest when I lean in for a kiss. All I would be able to do is hear his voice. Would I ever be able to regain this closeness with him after a year apart?

“Anna, you know I love you,” Jeff said with practiced steadiness.

A weak smile found its way onto my face. “Haven’t we already been over this?”

“No. I really love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to spend the rest of eternity with you.”

I looked up at Jeff. He had never talked with such seriousness about us like this. But I could see in his hard, yet vulnerable, eyes that he truly, honestly, meant what he said. “Jeff, I—“ My words were silenced as Jeff placed his mouth over mine in a sweet, tender kiss that still made my blood boil. Before long the kiss grew deeper, more passionate, and I could feel just how desperate and alone Jeff felt. I knew he was receiving the same emotions from my side.

Without really think, I lightly pushed Jeff over into the sand and started to trail kisses down his collarbone while I lifted the edge of his t-shirt. It didn’t take long for Jeff to figure out where this was headed.

“Anna,” he breathed heavily and he propped himself on his elbows. “Are you sure you want to do this? I thought you wanted to wait…”

“We’ve waited for two years. I’m tired of waiting. Right now, all I want is to be with you.”
Jeff didn’t need any further explanation. He pulled his shirt off and commenced to kissing me.

At that moment, I wasn’t thinking of the move to Maine. The only thought that occupied my mind was the image of the laughing lifeguard and the gentle way he held me in his arms.