So Young at Heart

I woke up the next morning groggy and confused. I opened my eyes slowly, unaccustomed to the light. I felt an arm around me, and saw that Gabe was still asleep. I smiled, snuggling into his body for warmth. I could hear birds chirping outside and the trees moving with the wind. I smiled.

I just loved this place.

Gabe and I were the only ones who ever loved it; whenever I brought anyone else here, they were bored and uninterested. Gabe and I seemed to be the only two people who could survive without a TV, or any connection to the outside world. The one person who hated it the most was by far my boyfriend, James. He lived on the other side of the city, about thirty minutes away from my house. He hated this place. I had never understood why, but Gabe and I were alone in actually liking this place.

Realizing that I was still wearing my clothes from yesterday, I reached into my jeans to check my phone. It was eleven thirty. I groaned. I looked up toward Gabe.

“Gabriel. Wake up,” I said gently. He was snoring gently, and gave no sign of stirring. I sighed. “Gabriel.” I said a bit louder. I watched him for a few moments. Nothing.

“Gabanti!” I yelled. Gabe sat up instantly, alarm written on his face.

“Woahwheresthefire?” he gasped, looking around. I laughed. He turned toward me, his eyes wide open. He then closed them, laying back down with a groan.

“Why did you wake me up?” he complained. I smiled.

“Because it’s eleven thirty, dummy,” I responded. He turned over, burrowing his head into the quilt. I snuggled up to him again, and he pulled me closer. I sighed. It’s times like these that I wish would never end.

~ ~ ~

“Vicky!” I yelped, engulfing my friend in a hug.

“Riley!” It was Friday, and school had ended just about two hours ago. “No more school!” She squealed. “Now all we have to do is graduate and we’re done!” I nodded, my cheeks rosy from the heat.

“Can we go inside? I can barely breathe out here,” I said. She nodded and walked up the front steps to her house. The air conditioning hit me instantly, and I sighed, loving the fresh feeling of cold air hitting my skin.

“What should we do today?” she asked me, stretching.

“Hmm...mall?” I questioned. “I need more summer-y clothes….” She nodded eagerly.

“Let’s go!” she said, running right back out the door. I laughed at her and followed behind, getting in her old green Ford. We backed out of the driveway and drove off towards the mall.

“So how was hanging out with Gabe at your cabin last week?” she asked.

“It was fun,” I said with a smile. “We shouldn’t be left alone together, though. We end up destroying everything.” It was true, too; after we had finally woken up, we had managed to clog the sink, break the lawn mower, and lock ourselves in the tool shed in back of the house. We ended up crawling out the small window at the back of the shed.

“So I’ve heard,” she said, a smile tugging at her lips.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

“Nothing. You two make an interesting team,” she responded.

“We sure do,” I said with a sigh. Suddenly, my phone started ringing. I jumped, frantically looking in my pocket for where the noise was coming from. As I finally dragged my phone out of my pocket, I pressed the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Hey honey,” a deep, soothing voice spoke into my ear.

James.

“Hey! We haven’t talked in awhile. How are you?” I asked, a smile shining on my face.

“Sad,” he said, his voice dropping the cheeriness instantly.

“Aw, why?” I asked.

“Because I haven’t seen you in awhile,” he responded. It was as if I could hear him smiling on the other side of the line. If possible, my smile got wider.

“Aww, I’ve missed you too,” I said. Out of the corner of my vision, I saw Victoria roll her eyes. I stuck my tongue out at her as I listened to what James was saying.

“What are you doing tonight? We could go see a movie,” he said into my ear.

“Nothing at all,” I said flirtatiously. He laughed.

“Well then, it’s a date. I’ll be by your house at seven,” he said coyly.

“See you then, James,” I responded, flipping the phone shut. The second the line was dead, Vicky turned to me.

“Could you have been any more willing to fulfill his every need?” She asked. I couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. I chose not to answer, instead looking out the window. I heard her sigh. I saw the mall, realizing we were here. Vicky parked and locked the car, as we headed into the mall.