loosen it with his fingers.
"I don't want you to get dressed.” As he spoke, the smell of the beer on his breath reached my nose.
"Nick, I'm not ready for this, okay. You need to understand,” I yelled at him, waiting for him to walk away.
"I don't need to understand anything,” he snapped. “I'm nineteen years old, Abby, I won't wait much longer. Y'know?” Frustrated, he threw himself onto my bed.
"You know what, Nick, I think this night's over. I'll talk to you later, okay?” I was hurt, disappointed and mad as hell! He made me want to cry and I hated feeling that way.
"Nah, it's all right, I'm sorry. It really isn't a problem. I'll behave, promise.” He placed his hand over his heart. “I'll be in the kitchen.” He turned, giving me my privacy. I quickly threw my sweats on, giving my hair one last brushing. I felt so much pressure from him, it didn't feel fair. It didn't feel right. This relationship was doomed and I knew it.
I put my best face on and walked out to the kitchen to join him. We had a quiet night; we watched television, and Nick did as he'd said he would. He behaved the entire time. A kiss now and then, a rub of the leg, a stroke of the hair—it was nice, but it felt almost obligatory. It was two a.m. when he excused himself to go upstairs. I forced my tired body to my room and dropped into bed.
The sun came in brighter than ever in the morning. I heard laughter outside my window, the sound of kids biking by. It was getting busier at the restaurant; the streets were getting crowded, full of families looking for the perfect summer vacation. I waited to see if Nick would come find me this morning, but he didn't. It was just before noon, so I grabbed my towel and the sunblock and headed for the beach. I had a few hours of beach time to put in before I had to get back and get ready for work.
My thoughts immediately went to Colin. I wondered how he would feel about me dodging him the night before. Would he be upset with me? I was nervous about seeing him. I knew he would confront me and I would need to explain. “He'll understand,” I said under my breath.
It was a great day at the beach. Kids frolicked in the water with their boogie boards, umbrellas blew in the ocean breeze, twenty different songs played in the background. I couldn't ask for anything better at this moment, except for the perfect boyfriend or the perfect summer romance. That is what the summer was supposed to be all about. Maybe my quest for love this summer wasn't going to work out and part of me decided it didn't matter anymore. I didn't need a guy to have fun. I had my friends and that was all that mattered.
* * * *
[Back to Table of Contents]
Seven
I took my time getting ready for work, knowing I would see Colin. I walked up onto the boardwalk nervous and excited to see him. I knew where he would be—he would be standing there waiting for me. As I got closer, I realized he wasn't in his usual spot. The bench was empty. He wasn't there. He wasn't waiting for me like I expected. A sudden pang of guilt went through me. I felt like someone punched me in the stomach as hard as they could. Where could he be? I couldn't find him. Was he mad, as I suspected?
As the evening moved on, my heartache grew deeper. I knew he meant something to me, something I had suspected all along. I wasn't really sure until that moment. It took me by surprise. He didn't come to work. I found out after I asked about his schedule, that he switched shifts for the night. He was angry with me and I knew it—I had done the wrong thing the night before. I brushed the tears away from my face and walked out into the dimming light of the beach. I roamed the boards for two hours aimlessly, thinking about everything he had said.
I slowly came up to my street, expecting to see Nick and his friends upstairs, but their apartment was quiet, dark and empty. I went straight to the couch, flipping on the television.
The next day came and went so quickly. I
"I don't want you to get dressed.” As he spoke, the smell of the beer on his breath reached my nose.
"Nick, I'm not ready for this, okay. You need to understand,” I yelled at him, waiting for him to walk away.
"I don't need to understand anything,” he snapped. “I'm nineteen years old, Abby, I won't wait much longer. Y'know?” Frustrated, he threw himself onto my bed.
"You know what, Nick, I think this night's over. I'll talk to you later, okay?” I was hurt, disappointed and mad as hell! He made me want to cry and I hated feeling that way.
"Nah, it's all right, I'm sorry. It really isn't a problem. I'll behave, promise.” He placed his hand over his heart. “I'll be in the kitchen.” He turned, giving me my privacy. I quickly threw my sweats on, giving my hair one last brushing. I felt so much pressure from him, it didn't feel fair. It didn't feel right. This relationship was doomed and I knew it.
I put my best face on and walked out to the kitchen to join him. We had a quiet night; we watched television, and Nick did as he'd said he would. He behaved the entire time. A kiss now and then, a rub of the leg, a stroke of the hair—it was nice, but it felt almost obligatory. It was two a.m. when he excused himself to go upstairs. I forced my tired body to my room and dropped into bed.
The sun came in brighter than ever in the morning. I heard laughter outside my window, the sound of kids biking by. It was getting busier at the restaurant; the streets were getting crowded, full of families looking for the perfect summer vacation. I waited to see if Nick would come find me this morning, but he didn't. It was just before noon, so I grabbed my towel and the sunblock and headed for the beach. I had a few hours of beach time to put in before I had to get back and get ready for work.
My thoughts immediately went to Colin. I wondered how he would feel about me dodging him the night before. Would he be upset with me? I was nervous about seeing him. I knew he would confront me and I would need to explain. “He'll understand,” I said under my breath.
It was a great day at the beach. Kids frolicked in the water with their boogie boards, umbrellas blew in the ocean breeze, twenty different songs played in the background. I couldn't ask for anything better at this moment, except for the perfect boyfriend or the perfect summer romance. That is what the summer was supposed to be all about. Maybe my quest for love this summer wasn't going to work out and part of me decided it didn't matter anymore. I didn't need a guy to have fun. I had my friends and that was all that mattered.
* * * *
[Back to Table of Contents]
Seven
I took my time getting ready for work, knowing I would see Colin. I walked up onto the boardwalk nervous and excited to see him. I knew where he would be—he would be standing there waiting for me. As I got closer, I realized he wasn't in his usual spot. The bench was empty. He wasn't there. He wasn't waiting for me like I expected. A sudden pang of guilt went through me. I felt like someone punched me in the stomach as hard as they could. Where could he be? I couldn't find him. Was he mad, as I suspected?
As the evening moved on, my heartache grew deeper. I knew he meant something to me, something I had suspected all along. I wasn't really sure until that moment. It took me by surprise. He didn't come to work. I found out after I asked about his schedule, that he switched shifts for the night. He was angry with me and I knew it—I had done the wrong thing the night before. I brushed the tears away from my face and walked out into the dimming light of the beach. I roamed the boards for two hours aimlessly, thinking about everything he had said.
I slowly came up to my street, expecting to see Nick and his friends upstairs, but their apartment was quiet, dark and empty. I went straight to the couch, flipping on the television.
The next day came and went so quickly. I
Similar Books
