go out like this
all the time when you lived here?” I asked, wistful. Maybe Blake
was right about California. I’d been the one who’d insisted on
living in a cold, grey, crowded city, when we could really have
been living on the ocean?
He
could , a tiny voice in my head countered.
Blake could do all that. Blake could go back to California. Blake
could drop out of college and never go back.
But me?
Despite my very special boyfriend, I
was still just a regular college freshman.
“ I can’t believe you got
up on your first time out,” Blake said, rubbing the sand off his
feet. “It took me a week.”
“ I had a good teacher,” I
smiled at him playfully, and he ran one hand through his
hair.
“ That first time, though —
it’s like the whole ocean belongs to you,” he paused, looking down.
“It’s kind of like playing your first show.”
I grinned, getting excited. “Kind of
like—”
I caught myself, swallowing the
sentence and thinking fast. I’d wanted to say, ‘kind of like seeing
your favorite band,’ but I’d realized the mistake the moment the
words formed on my lips.
My favorite band was gone. I was never
going to see Moving Neutral again.
And it was all my fault.
Blake looked at me, oblivious. “Kind
of like what?”
I looked down for a second, catching
my breath, and then back up at Blake, the ocean behind him and the
clear California sky above it.
“ Like flying,” I said,
smiling at him. “Kind of like flying.”
After an hour on the beach, dozing
lazily, we returned the surfboards and walked back in the direction
of Blake’s car.
“ So what’s the plan?” I
asked, trying to figure out what the next few days would look like.
“You want to see friends? Go out? Just this?” I smiled, taking
Blake’s hand. “Cause that would be okay.”
Blake looked at me slyly, pulling me
to a stop and putting his arms around me, running one hand through
my hair.
“ Actually, Casey,” he
said, tucking a lock behind my ear. “I had something else in
mind.”
“ Care to tell me what it
is?” I smiled up at him. “Because if I need attire that’s somewhere
in between a Madonna costume and a bikini, we might have to do some
more shopping.”
Blake grinned. “I mean, I’d be fully
satisfied with the bikini, but I think that to meet my parents,
we’ll probably need to get you a dress.”
My breath caught. “Y—your parents?” I
squeaked out.
“ Why not, Case? It’s been
six months. Besides,” Blake grinned impishly. “You showed me yours,
so now it’s time to return the favor.”
“ Do they, um — do they
know about me?”
“ Mostly from the tabloid
covers,” Blake joked, hitting his keys to flash the car’s lights.
“They pretty much think you’re the harpy who came between me and
April and broke up the band.”
I paused in my tracks, glaring at
him.
When he turned around, his face was
full of laughter. “They know about you,” he said, gesturing over
his shoulder for me to follow him to the car. “Please, my dad’s
probably more excited to see you than he is to see me.”
“ Why?”
“ You’re a good influence.
You’re the reason I’m in college now,” Blake winked. “Turns out my
parents aren’t that different from yours after all.”
I smiled. “I’ll bet. Is your sister
going to be there?”
“ Maybe. I’m not sure,
actually. She’s at USC, so she’s close. I haven’t seen her
yet.”
“ Is she a freshman
too?”
“ Sophomore, actually. Year
younger, but now she’s a grade ahead. Sure I’ll never hear the end
of that,” he laughed.
Blake’s parents. I couldn’t even
imagine what they were like.
Blake slung an arm around me, and we
crossed the remaining distance to his car. Holding the passenger
door open, he looked at me with a devious expression. “And once
we’re done with that...” he whispered, leaning down next to my ear.
“Then maybe we’ll finally get some alone time.”
I shivered, feeling my whole body
all the time when you lived here?” I asked, wistful. Maybe Blake
was right about California. I’d been the one who’d insisted on
living in a cold, grey, crowded city, when we could really have
been living on the ocean?
He
could , a tiny voice in my head countered.
Blake could do all that. Blake could go back to California. Blake
could drop out of college and never go back.
But me?
Despite my very special boyfriend, I
was still just a regular college freshman.
“ I can’t believe you got
up on your first time out,” Blake said, rubbing the sand off his
feet. “It took me a week.”
“ I had a good teacher,” I
smiled at him playfully, and he ran one hand through his
hair.
“ That first time, though —
it’s like the whole ocean belongs to you,” he paused, looking down.
“It’s kind of like playing your first show.”
I grinned, getting excited. “Kind of
like—”
I caught myself, swallowing the
sentence and thinking fast. I’d wanted to say, ‘kind of like seeing
your favorite band,’ but I’d realized the mistake the moment the
words formed on my lips.
My favorite band was gone. I was never
going to see Moving Neutral again.
And it was all my fault.
Blake looked at me, oblivious. “Kind
of like what?”
I looked down for a second, catching
my breath, and then back up at Blake, the ocean behind him and the
clear California sky above it.
“ Like flying,” I said,
smiling at him. “Kind of like flying.”
After an hour on the beach, dozing
lazily, we returned the surfboards and walked back in the direction
of Blake’s car.
“ So what’s the plan?” I
asked, trying to figure out what the next few days would look like.
“You want to see friends? Go out? Just this?” I smiled, taking
Blake’s hand. “Cause that would be okay.”
Blake looked at me slyly, pulling me
to a stop and putting his arms around me, running one hand through
my hair.
“ Actually, Casey,” he
said, tucking a lock behind my ear. “I had something else in
mind.”
“ Care to tell me what it
is?” I smiled up at him. “Because if I need attire that’s somewhere
in between a Madonna costume and a bikini, we might have to do some
more shopping.”
Blake grinned. “I mean, I’d be fully
satisfied with the bikini, but I think that to meet my parents,
we’ll probably need to get you a dress.”
My breath caught. “Y—your parents?” I
squeaked out.
“ Why not, Case? It’s been
six months. Besides,” Blake grinned impishly. “You showed me yours,
so now it’s time to return the favor.”
“ Do they, um — do they
know about me?”
“ Mostly from the tabloid
covers,” Blake joked, hitting his keys to flash the car’s lights.
“They pretty much think you’re the harpy who came between me and
April and broke up the band.”
I paused in my tracks, glaring at
him.
When he turned around, his face was
full of laughter. “They know about you,” he said, gesturing over
his shoulder for me to follow him to the car. “Please, my dad’s
probably more excited to see you than he is to see me.”
“ Why?”
“ You’re a good influence.
You’re the reason I’m in college now,” Blake winked. “Turns out my
parents aren’t that different from yours after all.”
I smiled. “I’ll bet. Is your sister
going to be there?”
“ Maybe. I’m not sure,
actually. She’s at USC, so she’s close. I haven’t seen her
yet.”
“ Is she a freshman
too?”
“ Sophomore, actually. Year
younger, but now she’s a grade ahead. Sure I’ll never hear the end
of that,” he laughed.
Blake’s parents. I couldn’t even
imagine what they were like.
Blake slung an arm around me, and we
crossed the remaining distance to his car. Holding the passenger
door open, he looked at me with a devious expression. “And once
we’re done with that...” he whispered, leaning down next to my ear.
“Then maybe we’ll finally get some alone time.”
I shivered, feeling my whole body
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