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083. Summer

Summer in Bodhum, Serah quickly decided, would be worth the price of moving here alone. Even if it wasn't home, or the city, or near her friends, the white sand and blue sky and the trees bursting with life were worth it all. The heat didn't make lugging in the boxes any easier, though.

Serah groaned aloud, her grunts filling the silence. "Come… on…" She hefted up one box, probably filled with Lightning's weapons, she thought with a burst of irritation, and hauled it up the stairs and into their flat.

She almost dropped it onto the shiny wooden floor, and then turned to go and get the next box in. If only Light hadn't had to start back at work this early, she thought to herself, then this whole thing might be a thousand times easier. If only she still had her parents though, she acknowledged with a pang of longing, then she might not have had to do this at all.

She was so occupied in her own mind that she didn't even notice the person amongst the forest of boxes at all.

"Hey! Careful there!"

Serah almost screamed in shock, her body convulsing and her eyes growing to double their normal size as she turned to the source of the voice.

She stared at him and wasn't sure if it was the shock or his appearance that made it so hard to breathe. He was handsome, tall, with a wide smile that only really seemed to open over one side of his mouth. His eyes sparkled mischievously blue; as though he was just a young boy encased in a much larger body.

"I- I'm sorry." She carried on looking at him as she slowly righted herself. "Can I help you at all?"

He grinned again, and chuckled. He seemed to like doing that a lot. "No, not really. I was actually wondering if I could help you."

Serah frowned. How did he even know they were moving up here? The trees almost completely shielded them from the beach. But she pushed the suspicious thoughts aside. Light didn't have to know about this. She smiled at the man. "Yes, please." She watched as he bent down to pick up a box. "If you're not busy, of course!"

"Busy? In a place like this?" He laughed over his shoulder as he meandered cooly to the stairs. "You've gotta be kidding me." He laughed up the stairs, and Serah couldn't help but let out a shy little laugh at the infectious sound.

She picked up another box - thankfully lighter than the last - as he reappeared.

"I forgot — we haven't done names yet." He outstretched a large hand. "I'm Snow."

"Snow?"

"Yeah, I know. Weird for a beach town, isn't it?"

Serah found herself laughing shyly again. "No, I like it."

"Oh yeah?"

She nodded. "I think it suits you." She shuffled the box in her arms and took the hand. "I'm Serah."

"Pretty."

Serah laughed and turned away. "I bet you say that to all the girls."

"Only the really pretty ones!" He called back as she was halfway up the stairs.

She knew that he probably really did say that to all the girls he met, but she couldn't help but be pulled into conversation with him as they worked together. She quickly discovered that he was a little older than her, a bartender by trade, and from this very town - but he lived in the bar house with his friends.

"You should come over, this evening."

"This evening?" Serah smiled, setting down the final box. But at a glance over her sister's name, her face dropped slightly. "Oh, um-" She scoured her brain for an excuse. "My sister wanted to eat here tonight. You know, just the two of us. As a moving-in type celebration." Serah didn't actually know what Lightning would want to do this evening, or even when she'd be back.

"You sister, huh?"

Serah nodded, and smiled. "She's a little quiet, and quite strict, but she loves me more than I think she can say."

Snow tilted his head. "And you?"

"She's my best friend." Serah shrugged simply. "I couldn't have asked for a better sister."

It was the simple answer she always gave, but it was true. The two were as close as sisters could be - just not in the way that everyone expected. Lightning could be strict, but it was only because she loved Serah so much. And Serah could be needy, but that was only because she wanted to make sure that Lightning was safe. It was just how the two of them worked together.

"Then you should come over tomorrow evening."

"Really?"

"Sure! I'll introduce you to everyone. I bet they'll all want to meet you."

Serah smiled widely, and for the first time in her life wished that she could ditch Lightning for the evening. She felt this unspeakable pull towards Snow; she was desperate to spend more time with him, get to know him better. But tomorrow evening would have to do.

"I'd love that." She turned to the box of kitchenware and pulled out some glasses. "Want a drink?"

"If it means I can spend more time here, then sure."

Serah laughed again, filling up the glasses. She hadn't laughed this much in a long time, and she somehow felt freer than she had done in months.

They talked about anything and everything, until the sun had long since started to make the apartment glow with a fierce fire.

"What time is it?" Serah asked suddenly, as Snow watched her move around the kitchen boxes, trying to find the clock.

"Would it help if I said I had a watch on?"

Serah looked at him and tilted her head to the side. "What do you think?"

"It's just gone half six."

"Huh." It'd been almost eight hours since they'd met. Eight hours of talking and laughing and just sitting happily together.

"I know. When you get talking to people you like, time just whizzes by."

Serah gave a light chuckle. "Yeah. I guess so."

"I'd better go."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. To work."

Serah clapped a hand to her forehead and turned away. "Right."

Snow walked over to her and handed her the glass. "Here." She took it wordlessly, but looked up at the man before her. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Serah gave a smile, but she knew that she'd rather he stayed with her until who knows when. "Yeah, tomorrow."

The air was thick as he hovered before her, but he turned and left without another word; only a smile.

Serah collapsed back onto the kitchen counter behind her as he left, and looked over the trees and the beach and the ocean and the fiery sky.

This was turning out to be a summer to remember.

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