A long awaited Namixas from me This one's dedicated to my beautiful friend Namine Diva.
Sar,
This one's a present for you 3
Thank you for all the support you've given me in my writing and just being the awesome cousin that you are. I hope you had a good vacation!
Love,
Kai-chan
Namine had to hold down her floppy sunhat as a gust of wind threatened to blow it off, leaving her platinum blonde hair uncovered. Her mom laughed.
"A bit windy for Florida, don't you think?" her father remarked dryly. "Isn't it supposed to be sunny and warm?"
"Don't worry, Cloud," Aerith said lightly. "I'm sure it will be sunny again soon." The two had decided to take their daughter down to Florida for the summer. They rented a cottage by the ocean, and were going to be staying there until school started back up again.
The blonde, who was currently dragging her two suitcases towards the house, would be entering high school in the coming fall. Her parents were slightly worried, as she was a bit shy; they hoped she would make some friends. Hollow Bastian High School, in Radiant Garden, their hometown, was one of the most prestigious schools around, but Aerith and Cloud had no doubt she would do well. Namine was very smart.
Said girl pulled one of her suitcases, the one with her clothes, up the stairs to her room, then came back for the smaller blue one with all of her other things. She stopped, out of breath, and smoothed down her white dress.
The teen happened to glance out the window, and was shocked to see a pair of electric blue eyes staring back at her.
The boy grinned and tapped the glass. Namine cautiously opened the window. "Hi," he said. "I'm Roxas. Sorry if I startled you, I was just fixing your roof. I work for a repair company."
"I'm Namine Strife," she said shyly. "My family is staying here during the summer." His blue eyes followed her finger as she twirled it around her pale blonde hair. She bit her pink lip, pausing for a second, and then said, "Y'know, you have really funky hair."
Roxas let out a short, surprised laugh. He tugged one of his blonde spikes. "One of my many good qualities."
The girl giggled, and he couldn't help but notice how her soft blue eyes lit up when she laughed. She linked her slender fingers behind her back, tilting her head adorably. "And what are some of these other good qualities you supposedly possess?"
Roxas gripped the edge of the window and leaned in closer. "Maybe you should get to know me and find out."
Her eyelashes brushed her flushed cheeks as she looked down. Then she looked up and grinned, eyes dancing. "I'll make a note to break my roof more often."
And that was how she met her summer boy.
~NAMIXAS~
Namine met him on the pier at nine in the morning. A few hushed words and salty-sweet kisses later, they were officially a couple.
Her toes dug into the sand as they traipsed down the beach, water licking their bare feet playfully. Roxas's tanned skin was warm as his arm brushed her pale one and the sunlight turned her hair golden.
It was three sweet months of romance, a light taste of first love. They both knew it was only a summer fling. They made no promises, and had no expectations. But his heart still sank as she left him with a quick hug, leaving behind only the scent of scent and flowers.
~NAMIXAS~
Namine's freshman year went as well as Cloud and Aerith had hoped, and better. She immediately hit it off well with Kairi, and in turn the redhead introduced her to the rest of the group. Suddenly, without warning, Namine found herself popular.
When Riku, a hot jock, asked her out, she accepted. But she found herself wishing he would smile more, and thinking that his aquamarine eyes were a little too icy. Their relationship ended with the year.
Namine bid Kairi goodbye and to have a great summer. There were many "see you next year"s exchanged; shouted, spoken, whispered into a shoulder.
Then she stepped out of the building and into the hot sun.
~NAMIXAS~
June found Namine once again in Florida. "So, Nami," Aerith said cheerfully. "How about we make this a tradition? Coming down here every year?"
It was pretty much decided whether she liked it or not, so Namine answered, "Sure. That'd be great."
On the second day, Roxas went down to the pier, and saw a pale blonde girl in sunglasses sitting on the beach in a lounge chair, trying to soak up some sun. He jumped into the water and waded over, seemingly not caring that he was getting his clothes wet.
"Working on your tan?" a familiar voice asked, and Namine looked up, gut wrenching. There he was, golden hair and sunkissed skin and damp clothes. She took off her sunglasses, and blue eyes met.
She flew into his arms, and they were a tangle of gold and white and blue, and she whispered, "I'm back." He lifted her face and kissed her.
So just like that, their summer love began again, resuming right where they left off. The months passed in a blur of kisses and starry nights and sea salt ice cream.
And he gently held his summer girl and whispered you're beautiful you're beautiful you're beautiful
This time goodbye was dealt with by a swift kiss, and she left for the airport. He gave her nothing to remember him by but a roll of pictures from the photo booth and the taste lingering on her lips.
~NAMIXAS~
Tenth grade was slightly harder than Namine's freshman year had been, but, to her parents' immense relief, she still had no trouble with the schoolwork.
"So, Nami," Kairi said as they walked down the crowded hallway, "do you want to go on a double date on Friday to the movies?"
"Uh… yeah," Namine said, smiling shyly. "That sounds like fun."
On Friday evening, Sora picked the blonde up and drove her to the movie theater where they met Kairi and Ven. Sora was her boyfriend; his sixteenth birthday had already passed, giving him the ability to drive, which was really useful. He looked remarkably like Roxas, which she thought would help, but it actually bothered her. He was a lot more outgoing than Riku had been, but perhaps he smiled a bit too much, and she wished he would just be serious for once.
Once again, the school year's ending severed their relationship, leaving Namine free to return to her summer boy.
She gave Olette a quick hug, and Kairi a longer one, and then she was off to pack.
~NAMIXAS~
He was waiting at the house when she arrived. She slipped out of the car, a silhouette against the sun at her back. Cloud and Aerith smiled knowingly as Roxas embraced their daughter with a reunion kiss.
This summer seemed somehow more serious than the two last; less like a first love and more like a real one.
"Come on, just climb right up to the top and I'll help you the rest of the way."
"Um… okay," Namine agreed with a shiver, because she trusted her summer boy. Her sandled feet made their way up the ladder and then Roxas had her slender hand and pulled her up. "Wow…" she breathed.
She looked out over the ocean one way, and the town on the other. It was an amazing view. "See?" he said in a low voice, hugging her from behind. "I told you it wasn't so bad on the roof."
So the teen spent the three months swimming in the ocean and sitting on rooftops, reading as Roxas worked.
He squeezed her hands. "I'll be back next year," she said, blinking back tears. "Wait for me," she wanted to ask, but the words caught in her throat and she left without saying it.
~NAMIXAS~
"I'm just not interested in starting a relationship right now."
The poor boy in front of her blinked and swallowed. "Oh. Uh… Okay. That's fine."
"I'm sorry," Namine said, but she was only sorry she hurt his feelings, not that she rejected him.
Her friends watched from a short distance away. "What's with her?" Selphie demanded. "Why is she turning everybody down?"
Kairi gently reproved her. "She's in love, obviously. But don't pressure her about it. If she wants to tell us, she will."
Junior year brought both the difficulty of the classes and the amount of homework to a whole new level. It was the year everyone was working extra hard. If anyone asked, Namine would give that excuse for her not having a boyfriend, but really, she missed Roxas terribly. She wished he was there to cheer her up and help her relax.
The girl would get out her pictures of him from the photo booth that they took on the night of the carnival and stare at them for hours.
She tried to sketch him, but they all came out terribly.
~NAMIXAS~
"Bye mom, bye dad," Namine mumbled as she slipped out the door. She ran through the emerald blades and onto concrete and down to the pier. At the sound of footsteps, Roxas turned, just as she tackled him in a bear hug.
The blonde pulled back and touched his face. He'd been standing in their meeting spot. "You were waiting for me?"
"Every day," Roxas said simply, and gently kissed her.
They spent hours just talking, quizzing each other on their favorite color, best friend, biggest fear. Namine wanted to be an artist, while Roxas's dream was to work with animals, maybe marine biology, since he didn't ever want to have to leave the ocean.
"Did you date anyone this year?" the blonde girl asked, and immediately wished she could take it back. Blue eyes traced his outline.
"No." She could breathe again.
"Did you?"
"No." It came out no louder than a breath. A pause. "I missed you."
Roxas pulled her into a tight embrace. "I waited for you," he said in response. "Every day." She buried her face in his shirt and breathed him in.
~NAMIXAS~
Namine was now entering her senior year, and it seemed the worst had past. The schoolwork was a breeze; basically all they did was electives.
Unfortunately, this gave her lots of time on her hands. Lots of time to miss Roxas. She kept busy when she could, hanging out with Kairi or sometimes Olette, but there was no way to avoid the nighttime. No way to avoid the sound of absence, when there was no one breathing next to her.
She was quite the beauty now; a fragile angel in white. Attention was showered upon her from members of the opposite sex, but she had eyes only for her summer boy.
Slender arms were flung around shoulders and the two girls started to cry. "Namine, you're my best friend," Kairi choked out.
"Me, too," Namine said, tears rolling down her cheeks, voice cracking. "Promise you'll write! And you'll call me!"
The two friends hugged each other for another couple seconds, then drew apart. "I'll miss you," whispered Kairi.
Namine squeezed her hand as the bell rang and the students streamed out.
It seemed like she was always saying goodbye.
~NAMIXAS~
This time Roxas was waiting at the airport. His girlfriend left her suitcases where they stood and melted into his embrace with a small sigh. Cloud frowned a little at how serious their relationship was getting, but Aerith merely greeted the blonde warmly once they drew apart.
Namine opted to ride with Roxas back to the house, so he firmly grasped her hand. It seemed like each glance between them seemed to say, I love you. She felt the buildup in her throat, begging to be let out. His arm brushed hers. I love you. Soft blue eyes looked at him longingly. I love you.
She held it in until they were inside her room and he had closed the door and then she was ready to burst with so many "I love you"s that they came spilling out.
"I love you," she blurted, and wide blue eyes snapped to where she was standing.
Roxas strode over and took her face in his warm hands. "I love you," he said, and there was so much longing in those three words. She longed for him and he longed for her and the "I love you"s just tumbled out.
"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you." They kissed and there was such sweetness in it. They kissed like summer and laughter and tears and goodbyes. "I love you, I love you, I love you." They tumbled to the floor together and they weren't even sure who was saying it anymore, but the "I love you"s that they'd been holding in for so long spilled out and it was Heaven.
~NAMIXAS~
"Roxas," came the whisper. "This is my last summer. I'm not coming back." His startled blue eyes found her. Namine continued in a small voice. "I finished high school and I'm going to college in New York. They have a great design course there. Everything's set."
"Oh, Nami," Roxas breathed and pulled her to him as she started to cry. "Nami," he repeated, for he couldn't manage to say anything else. Crystal teardrops rolled down her cheeks. The blonde breathed deeply, trying not to cry as well.
"R-roxas!" she sobbed, fingers clutching his shirt and for a while he just held her.
When he did speak, it was in a strange, choked up voice. "Do you wish there was some way we could be together?"
The girl sniffled. "Of course I do, Roxas. You know I do."
"Would I be able to make you happy if we stayed together?"
"Yes," she sobbed. "More than anyone else."
Fingers laced through her hair. "Oh, Namine…"
Two days later, there was a knocking on the glass. Roxas. Namine hastened to open the door. She hadn't seen him since that day. He strode in and dropped something on the table.
Airplane tickets and application papers.
He took a deep breath, pointing at the paperwork. "If you don't want me to come, tell me right now."
Her eyes darted from the table to him. "Roxas… are you sure?" she breathed.
"I wouldn't be asking you if I wasn't."
She flung her arms around him. "But what about the ocean? Your dream…?"
He mumbled into her hair, "You know I'd give it all up for you."
~NAMIXAS~
"Can I open my eyes now?" Roxas teased as she led him through their apartment to the room in the back.
"Not yet," she replied, tugging him inside the room and shutting the door. "Aaaand… now," she said as she pressed the play button.
Roxas opened his eyes to the sound of waves and the shrieking of seagulls. He took in a sharp breath as he glanced around the room. There were blue walls with painted gulls and framed seashells; beach chairs and a tank with tropical fish in it.
"Do you like it?" Namine asked hesitantly, looking at her summer boy with eyes that glimmered with equal parts hope and fear. "I thought you would be missing the ocean…"
Roxas took her by the waist, tipped her back, and kissed her to the sound of the waves.