The Beach

Another three days had passed and Sawyer could feel that Alex would be arriving really soon. It was almost like she had a connection with him that she couldn’t quite describe. She just knew he was getting closer and closer. It was as if she knew where he was when he was near.

Sawyer had spent the morning grocery shopping, because she had been running low on groceries. She had decided that she wanted grilled chicken and vegetables for dinner, but also that she wanted some food for lunch as well. She had picked up food for the next couple days, adding a little extra as she knew, she just knew, that Alex would be showing up, and she knew that when he did, he’d be hungry.

Alex was always hungry.

Sawyer had just finished putting away the groceries, organizing everything in the fridge and cupboards. She could feel her stomach rumbling in hunger, so she pulled out a simple package of top ramen, and a pot to cook it in.

Sawyer was just waiting on the water to boil when she heard the door open, and she couldn’t resist the smile that crept onto her face, expanding until she couldn’t smile any wider. She didn’t look up, but kept staring at the water on the stove, just starting to go into a slow boil. Sawyer heard the footsteps move into the house, followed by a dull thump, which she could only assume was his duffle bag being dropped on the floor right next to the door. The footsteps continued, and they entered the kitchen, only making Sawyer wanted to burst with happiness.

Sawyer felt the familiar arms wrap around her waist, and tried to stop the involuntary shutter from coursing through her body. She smiled, not moving her head to look at him, but instead just leaned into his body, staring at the boiling water.

“What is with you and Ramen?” He asked, turning her around and making her face him.

Alexander Gaskarth was just how Sawyer remembered him from last summer, but somehow, he just looked better. She thought that every summer though. His hair had been cut a bit shorter. He had a new tattoo behind his ear. His hair wasn’t highlighted as much, and more of his natural brown was coming through in his hair. He seemed to be a bit more toned than he had been last year, which she can only imagine was due to the constant touring and workouts he got on stage.

To say he looked good was a lie. He looked impeccable.

Sawyer smiled at him rather than answering, mainly because he had asked her about her ramen obsession more than a few times. In fact, he asked her at least once every summer why she enjoyed the noodles so much, and her answer was always the same.

”Why do you always eat ramen?” Alex had asked her. They were 16, and had been hanging out constantly after meeting just 3 weeks before. In that time span, Alex had witnessed Sawyer eating Ramen almost every other day. He didn’t understand why she craved it so much, and finally decided to ask her about it.

“What do you mean?” Sawyer had asked, completely oblivious to the amount of noodles she ate.

“I mean, in the time I’ve known you, you’ve eaten ramen like, almost every other day like it was your life line or something.” Sixteen year old Alex said with a scoff. Sawyer looked at him with a thoughtful look set on her face, only to shrug mere seconds later.

“No reason Just like it.” She responded, a small secretive smile on her lips.”

“We’re having an affair.” Sawyer said with a smile, answering his question anyways. Alex laughed, his smile genuine and large across his face.

“I’m pretty sure that was what we did.” Alex said with a smirk, and he was only too accurate.

For the last 3 years, since the two were 20, one of them had been taking during their summer vacation. It started with Sawyer, who had met a really sweet guy while she was in college, and had started dating him. She had originally planned to keep her hormones in check while on vacation, determined to stay faithful to her new boyfriend, but that had lasted all of 4 days before Alex had finally gotten her to cave.

But all is fair in love and war.

The next summer rolled around, and Alex had found himself with a girlfriend, his high school love of his life girlfriend. He told Sawyer that they would just have to be friends, because he truly loved his girlfriend, but it only took until night fall for Sawyer to convince him that what happens at the beach, stays at the beach.

The lingerie she had worn had helped a lot.

And this summer would be no different than the last 3. The boy that Sawyer had started dating at 20 was now her fiancé, and had no idea what Sawyer did at the beach. If Sawyer actually loved him, she’d probably wonder why he never questioned her disappearing for two months at a time without him, but she didn’t really love him. Her fiance was just reality. She was in love with a dream.

“I can have an affair with ramen too.” She said, and he chuckled, leaning down to capture her lips with his. Her arms wove around his neck, and he pulled her small body closer to his, both trying to enjoy the moment as much as possible.

That kiss was all it took for the boiling water to be forgotten.