Summer is Over

The bright sunrise slowly spreads across the California king-sized bed. The rays are reaching across the sheets and waking the lovers lying next to one another. His fingers trail up her tan arm, dance down her spine, and come to a rest on her waist.

She curls further into his chest and kisses his chest softly. He squeezes her tighter for a moment then they just lay in silence. His cellphone rings somewhere across the room and he sighs.

Ann pats his chest, “You should answer that.”

John groans and untangles himself from the sheets, stomping over to his phone on the floor next to his crumpled jeans. She reaches onto the ground and grabs her silent phone off the next stand.

Still nothing. No calls, voicemails, or even texts.

John answers his phone and she sits up among the mountain of sheets, attempting to tame her wild hair. He grins over at her and she admires his boxer-brief clad body. He mutters a good-bye to whoever was talking to him before falling next to her on the bed on his stomach.

She giggles to herself as she lightly drags her hand down the red lines on his back. A flush comes over her as she remembers herself digging in, clinging to him, and scratching up his back.

His hand reaches out from underneath him to grasp her hand and pull her into his side. John smiles at her, a hint of sadness in his green eyes, “Morning, baby.”

She brushes the hair out of his eyes and he rubs his face against the sheets and his bangs fall back into place. Ann laughs and leans over to rest her forehead against his, “Morning, John.”

They just stare at each other for a few minutes, no uncomfortable tension, lingering questions, or reservations. John sighs before he speaks, his voice barely over a whisper, “What time does your flight leave?”

Ann bites her bottom lip, “Seven, and then you’re driving home?”

He sucks his teeth, “Yeah.”

A thick silence falls over them. John stands up and pull her with him, “Come on, let’s get dressed and go to the beach.”

~~

John smiles to himself as he watches her kick up water and laughing to herself. Her coral bikini clinging to her body, the same way it did when he met her at the beginning of summer.

She looks up a few feet on the beach and she sees John relaxing on his elbows in the white sand. She waves him over and eventually he walks down to meet her. Stepping over a deserted sandcastle and long forgotten dug out sand-hole.

He wraps his arms around her body and spins her in a circle; she wraps her legs around his waist and he walks them into the water until about waist-deep. She presses a kiss to his shoulder as they float in the water.

“Ann-“ She covers his mouth with her hand shaking her head.

“Not yet, John. I don’t want to hear it, yet.”

He nods and presses his lips to the inside of her hand. She removes her hand and connects their lips. They work in sync, pouring everything they can into the kiss. For a little longer they play in the ocean until the clouds begin to roll in and cause them to head back to their hotel room.

After sharing a shower they order room service for a late lunch. Then they roll around in the sheets for a few hours: sharing secrets, memorizing the other, and soaking everything in.

They begin to pack their belongings. It’s a deathly quiet in the room, each on edge and waiting for the other to break. John carries her bag down to his truck. She climbs in and rubs her hands along the worn bench seat and smooth dashboard.

John gets into the driver’s side and reaches over to take her hand in his, rubbing his thumb along the top of her hand. He reaches across to crank the car and put it in drive, beginning their short trip to the airport.

He throws her bag over his shoulder as they check in and go through baggage. They get to security and realize that this is. They slowly turn to each other and the tears begin to well up in her eyes.

She wraps him in a tight hug and he squeezes her securely not wanting to let go of her. His eyes shut tightly. They pull away slightly and he clutches her face in his large hands, their eyes are locked on one another.

John brushes his thumb over her cheekbone, “Is this the part where I beg and plead with you to stay? You agree and we live happily ever after.”

He spoke with an air of humor, but the seriousness in his eyes spoke volumes. It sends a shiver down her spine. Ann sighs, “This isn’t a Nicholas Sparks book, John.”

His eyes close and his forehead falls to rest against hers. Her body runs cold and he takes a shaky breath, “I know, baby. But fuck I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you, John. But you know this is how it has to be. Summer is over.”

John opens his eyes, “I didn’t plan for this, Ann. I came to LA to take a break from life. I didn’t mean to meet you and have this whirlwind summer romance. I didn’t intend to fall for you, just for us to have to separate when summer was over.”

A tear falls down her cheek and John brushes it away, “But it did. And now you’ve got to go back to your life. And I’ll go back to mine. You’ll fall back into school and I’ll continue to tour. But god damnit, Ann. Hell, I didn’t even believe in love before I met you. Then you just changed everything and I’ll never forget you.”

More tears fall and John kisses them away before pulling her into a deep passionate kiss. Ann grips John tightly to her and kisses him with everything she has inside. He pulls away pecking her lips.

His voice carries to her ears even though it is hardly above a murmur, “I love you.”

She gives him a small smile and kisses his trembling lips, “I love you, too.”

They let each other go and she slides her bag off his shoulder and on to her own. She wipes at her face and then smiles up at the man in front of her, “Well, I guess I’ll be going now.”

He nods slowly, “Text me once in a while. Just so I know you didn’t completely forget about me.”

She giggles to herself as if she could forget about him, “Call me the next time you’re in Seattle, Mr. Rock Star.”

John laughs, “Of course.” They embrace for one more time before they finally reluctantly let go. Ann walks to security to board her place back to her grey skies. She gives one last glance to the tall boy clad in green-plaid with his hands deep in the pockets of his skinny jeans.

Ann smiles at him and John feels his insides burst. He would drive home tonight and rejoin his band after being away for three months on basically a retreat of sorts. He is an entirely different person all because of the person who was about to fly out of his life just as quickly as she landed it in at the start of summer.

He gives her a small smile and wave of his hands then blows her a kiss and turns around to make his way back to his truck then ultimately Arizona.

She knows she won’t see that sideways smirk for a while, but she knows that she will see it again someday soon. Stepping through security, it’s bittersweet. Summer is over. But their love story has only just begun.