He pulled up next to the docks and turned off the car. Summer bolted out
of the car and ran down the sloping grass to the waterfront. The wooden
dock felt good on her bare feet and she lightly scampered across the dock
to the lone sailboat. She stopped.
"Summer's Breeze?" She looked at Seth, who was a few steps behind her. The look on his face told her that the name wasn't a coincidence. He looked a little embarrassed, and she finally understood how deep his feelings were. This wasn't a silly crush, this was real and exciting and a little scary.
Seth turned away from her and stepped on board. He reached out his hand, and her body tingled as she placed her hand in his and allowed herself to be gently pulled onboard.
They stood, looking at each other. They were only a few inches apart. Summer could feel the ocean gently rocking the boat beneath her and it felt so right. Goosebumps appeared on her skin and she felt Seth shiver too, and she understood that they were finally thinking the same thing at the same time. Time. She looked at her wristwatch again. 11:56.
"You have somewhere else to be?" Seth prodded her gently, but she caught the anxiousness in his voice.
"There's less than four minutes left until the new year," Summer moved toward him. "I was thinking maybe we could work through sixteen years of angst before 2004 begins." She smiled. He was watching her carefully again, and she saw how she looked in his eyes. She caught her loose hair in one hand and pulled it behind her, so her neck, collarbone and shoulders were naked. She placed both hands on his chest and looked up at him.
"Four minutes?" Seth smiled broadly, and his dimples flashed across his face. "I can, you know, speak at the speed of light, because with all of my practice with rambling, I've picked up several tricks, make it faster, point across, comprehensive, a-ha moment conveyed in a timely matter. So, yes, three minutes left. I'm crazy about you - that's really the best way to say it, I think, because you do drive me a little crazy sometimes, I'm not sure what you're thinking or what your intentions are, even now, here we are, on my boat, well, I guess it's kind of your boat too, and you're here, and you're not wearing shoes, and two minutes to go, so, and all these years, it's only been you, Summer. Anna and I," he watched as Summer's face dropped a bit, and he tried to speak as quickly as he could to bring that smile back to her face. "Anna's great and she knows me and she's a lot like me and she gets the Captain Oats thing and it's easy to talk to her and we have a lot in common."
In the distance, people began to count down the last ten seconds of 2003. Summer took a step back from Seth, confused and vulnerable. Why was he saying so many nice things about Anna? Was she completely wrong? Had she missed her chance?
Seth caught her wrist and pulled her to him, slipping an arm around her waist. He bent his head down to hers and looked into her dark eyes.
"The thing is," he whispered. "She's not you." She felt herself growing weak and getting stronger simultaneously, and they bridged the distance between them. Seth kissed her gently, a question, soft and slow. She wrapped her arms around his neck, entwining her fingers in his hair, and answered yes.
Fireworks exploded above them and between them, and 2004 swept in as the ocean waves rolled gently beneath their feet.
"Summer's Breeze?" She looked at Seth, who was a few steps behind her. The look on his face told her that the name wasn't a coincidence. He looked a little embarrassed, and she finally understood how deep his feelings were. This wasn't a silly crush, this was real and exciting and a little scary.
Seth turned away from her and stepped on board. He reached out his hand, and her body tingled as she placed her hand in his and allowed herself to be gently pulled onboard.
They stood, looking at each other. They were only a few inches apart. Summer could feel the ocean gently rocking the boat beneath her and it felt so right. Goosebumps appeared on her skin and she felt Seth shiver too, and she understood that they were finally thinking the same thing at the same time. Time. She looked at her wristwatch again. 11:56.
"You have somewhere else to be?" Seth prodded her gently, but she caught the anxiousness in his voice.
"There's less than four minutes left until the new year," Summer moved toward him. "I was thinking maybe we could work through sixteen years of angst before 2004 begins." She smiled. He was watching her carefully again, and she saw how she looked in his eyes. She caught her loose hair in one hand and pulled it behind her, so her neck, collarbone and shoulders were naked. She placed both hands on his chest and looked up at him.
"Four minutes?" Seth smiled broadly, and his dimples flashed across his face. "I can, you know, speak at the speed of light, because with all of my practice with rambling, I've picked up several tricks, make it faster, point across, comprehensive, a-ha moment conveyed in a timely matter. So, yes, three minutes left. I'm crazy about you - that's really the best way to say it, I think, because you do drive me a little crazy sometimes, I'm not sure what you're thinking or what your intentions are, even now, here we are, on my boat, well, I guess it's kind of your boat too, and you're here, and you're not wearing shoes, and two minutes to go, so, and all these years, it's only been you, Summer. Anna and I," he watched as Summer's face dropped a bit, and he tried to speak as quickly as he could to bring that smile back to her face. "Anna's great and she knows me and she's a lot like me and she gets the Captain Oats thing and it's easy to talk to her and we have a lot in common."
In the distance, people began to count down the last ten seconds of 2003. Summer took a step back from Seth, confused and vulnerable. Why was he saying so many nice things about Anna? Was she completely wrong? Had she missed her chance?
Seth caught her wrist and pulled her to him, slipping an arm around her waist. He bent his head down to hers and looked into her dark eyes.
"The thing is," he whispered. "She's not you." She felt herself growing weak and getting stronger simultaneously, and they bridged the distance between them. Seth kissed her gently, a question, soft and slow. She wrapped her arms around his neck, entwining her fingers in his hair, and answered yes.
Fireworks exploded above them and between them, and 2004 swept in as the ocean waves rolled gently beneath their feet.