The Beach

Sawyer’s eyes slowly opened, followed very quickly by a smile growing on her face as she felt the body wrapped up next to her. Her eyes flickered over to the clock, realizing it was 7pm, Her smile widened. She was tangled in sheets, naked, with Alex next to her, sans clothes as well.

This was what summer was about. Being naked next to Alex in the beach house.

“Sawyer.” Alex said with a yawn, reaching around her and using his arm to pull her closer to her body. Sawyer giggled as he did so, feeling his lips press against the skin on her shoulders. “What time is it?”

“Time for dinner love.” Sawyer replied, and she could feel his smile grow as he continued to kiss her, moving up to her neck.

“Already?” He asked, and she turned over on the bed so she could face the brunette.

“It’s 7 already. You got here at 1pm and interrupted my lunch. I’d say that it’s time to eat something before we wither away.” Sawyer said with a giggle, Alex using the moment to steal a kiss on the lips.

“Ok, so maybe, just possibly, we should eat something before continuing exercise.” Alex commented, wiggling his eyebrows a bit at the end, which only caused more giggles to fall from Sawyer’s lips. Alex just smiled wider in response to the happy girl next to him.

Alex had missed Sawyer, more than he truly let on. Sure, he let it be obvious that he missed her intimately, but he never let on more than that. They were from two different worlds, and once a year, for several weeks, their worlds collided in the most intense fashion.

“How about we go to our diner?” Sawyer asked, her eyes twinkling as Alex smiled back with a small nod.

Their diner was called Mama’s and was located down the beach towards the end of street that Sawyer’s beach house was on. It was like stepping back to the 40’s or 50’s and Mama was the epitome of the grandma you always wanted to visit. She was sweet and took no sass, but had plenty of it. She was a large black woman, hair always fixed in a bun and an apron always on as she worked behind the counter serving food to all the locals and vacationers.

Sawyer and Alex had been visiting Mama’s diner since they first met at 16, and every year, Mama asked them if they were finally together, and the two would giggle and shake their heads, although it was obvious to Mama and any person who walked by that the two were beyond a summer fling.

The couple got up and got dressed slowly, fixing up their appearance to make their events from earlier a bit less obvious. Sawyer brushed out her blond locks, tossing her hair up into a pony tail, letting a few pieces fall in front of her face. She fixed up her worn down make-up that had disappeared from her activities with Alex, reapplying most of what had been there before.

Alex didn’t do much with his hair after catching his appearance in the mirror. He barely rearranged it before deciding it was fine before walking around the room to pick up his long forgotten clothes and put them back on, trying his best to straighten out the newly formed wrinkles that the floor had created.

The couple walked out of the room together, hands finding each other’s as they vacated the beach house and began the walk towards the diner.

The beach air was calm, but the sun was shining down on Virginia, and it’s humidity hadn’t ceased to exist this summer. Just from walking a few houses down, the heat had already started to take its toll on the couple, their steps slowing slightly. Had their love for the diner and for Mama not been so strong, they may have turned around and just eaten a package of ramen.

The couple strolled into the diner, thankful for the air conditioning, but more thankful just to be out of the direct path of the sunlight.

“Well if it ain’t Bonnie and Clyde reuniting in my diner.” Mama said as she appear from the back storage area, looking directly at the couple who just smiled at the older woman as she can over, engulfing the two in one of the warmest hugs the two had possibly ever received.

Mama was a pillar amongst the people in Virginia Beach, and everyone in the area knew Mama. But to Alex and Sawyer, Mama was a reminder of their grandmothers, both who were too old to travel anymore. Neither Alex or Sawyer got a lot of time to spend with their respective grandmother’s due to their work, and seeing Mama was like having extended family.

“I don’t think we’re hardened criminals quite yet. I mean, a few drunk in publics doesn’t count, right?” Alex asked with a casual smirk on his lips, causing both Sawyer and Mama to laugh, Mama’s deep and full of heart and warmth.

“Sit down darlins, and let’s get you some grub. You two look like you’ve had a long day, Mama said, causing Sawyer’s cheeks to flush a bit, hoping Mama didn’t notice or mistook it for sun exposure. Sawyer was positive that Mama couldn’t possibly know what they had been doing before coming to eat, but it was Mama, so Sawyer couldn’t be entirely positive.

Mama scurried away to go get the two their usual drinks, and Alex and Sawyer sat in silence. Sawyer kept her gaze out the window, because she knew sooner or later she’d have to tell Alex everything, and she just didn’t want to. She didn’t want to ruin this summer, let alone any time that she got to spend with Alex, because those were the most precious moments to her. Moments with Alex. She lived for those moments so that she could feel alive for just a short amount of time.

“Sawyer.” Alex’s voice caught her ears, and she turned her gaze back to the beautiful brunette boy sitting across from her.

“Mm?” She responded, and Alex cocked his head to the side, studying the blond in front of her.

“Are you ok?” He asked after a moment, just as Mama sat their drinks down in front of them.

“Of course” She said, letting a small smile grace her lips before focusing on Mama’s presence, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in her that told her to tell Alex.

But she wasn’t going to tell him just yet. She wasn’t going to let reality ruin her perfect dream summers.