Perfect

The bright sun crept through the white wooden blinds, attempting to force Talullah from her plush queen size bed. She squeezed her eyes tighter, and rolled over. She just needed a few more minutes.
Talullah was almost asleep when her door slammed up against her pale yellow wall. She jumped and looked over her shoulder before glaring at the figure standing in her doorway.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She mumbled before closing her eyes once again.
Without answering, Ethan plopped down on the bed, landing slightly on Talullah.
“Get off me you ass, you weigh a friggin ton,” Talullah huffed, pushing the 18-year-old boy off of her small frame.
She managed to push him slightly over, and snuggled further into her bed before he spoke right next to ear.
“Come on Lu,” Ethan whined. “It’s the first day of the summer, the boat’s ready to go and you’re wasting the day!”
“Why are you in such a good mood?” Talullah asked. “On a normal day you don’t even see the outside world until 3 p.m.”
“I just told you, it’s the first day of summer,” Ethan said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “And, it’s the summer before we all head off to college.”
“So what?” Talullah asked. She wanted to push the lanky boy out of her bed and out of her room, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Just get your ass up.” Ethan said taking the duvet with him as he jumped off the bed.
“I hate you,” She mumbled.
He laughed and closed her door. She could hear his loud steps retreating down the stairs and chatting loudly with her brother.
Talullah rolled her eyes and sat up.
The first day of summer and she was awake before 10 a.m. Sighing, Talullah grabbed her bikini, a cover up and headed into her bathroom.
For as long as Talullah could remember, Ethan’s family owned a boat and would spend almost every waking moment on the river. She learned to swim when she and Ethan were 3 and jumped off the end of the boat. On the deck of the boat she received the worst sunburns and the best tans. She had her first kiss under the fourth of July fireworks in sixth grade, and she learned how to drive the boat before a car. She loved summers on the river.
Before there was the boat though, there was Ethan.
Ethan, who was one of three kids, all boys, and was the same age as Talullah. They were in every class together up until middle school. They rode the same bus until they could start driving, and shared the same hallways in high school.
The two teenagers were both the youngest siblings, and were often teased by the older kids. Something that bonded them together at a young age.
“Finally, took you long enough,” Ethan said as Talullah carried her bag down the stairs 20 minutes later.
Talullah rolled her brown eyes and flicked her light blonde hair over her shoulder.
“We all know you’ve been stuffing your face, so why does it matter how long I took?” She said grabbing a water bottle and an apple from the fridge.
She looked over her shoulder and saw Ethan grin.
“You’re wearing that suit?” Talullah’s brother Greg, asked. He raised his eyebrows and looked over at Ethan. “You better keep an eye on her.”
Talullah rolled her eyes again and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I’m 17, not 7.” She said to the boys.
“Exactly.” Greg said hopping off the barstool and grabbing his keys. "You don't know what teenage boys think about teenage girls, especially ones wearing that." He said pointing to her outfit.
“He does have a point, you’re not a kid anymore.” Ethan said eyeing his neighbor.
Talullah blushed and looked at the ground. “Can we just go?”
He smiled and pushed off the counter before grabbing her tote bag from her. Talullah watched as Ethan pushed open her screen door and headed down the wooden porch.
Ethan wasn’t always the tall, somewhat muscular, boy from next door. During middle school she remembered him being more gangly. Now, he stood over 6 feet tall, his brown hair was long enough to run your fingers through, but not too long, and he had a nice back and arms.
More than once she caught girls flirting with him in the halls at school, including herself.
But, the flirting was just that, flirting. Sometimes she often wondered what it would be like to kiss him, to feel his calloused hands on her soft skin, but she would dismiss the thought immediately. It was Ethan Mayers after all.
“Earth to Lu,” He joked waving a hand in front of her face.
Suddenly she realized they were at the end of dock Ethan’s family owned. She blinked and shyly smiled.
“Sorry, spaced out,” She said.
He put her bag on the boat and smiled. “You need some cool water to wake you up?” He started reaching for her when she backed up and put her hands up.
“No, don’t even think about it E,” She said.
He laughed and lunged for her. He easily picked her up and made the motion to throw her into the water.
Tightening her arms around his neck, she looked up at him.
“Just kidding,” he whispered before putting her into the boat.
“Hate you,” she said as she felt her heart slam against her ribcage.
“Never Lu.” He said with a grin.