CHAPTER 3
Lucky Charms
He was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't stop thinking of her. He wondered what she was doing, who she was with. He took a look at the time. It was very late and he had to get up early. He closed his eyes knowing that the only face he would see in his dreams was hers. He was going back to Harmony for the big vacation. He would be able to spend all the time in the world with her.
*********************************
He watched her as she sat in front of the water. He had just come back from Boston to spend summer with his family. He looked at her long dark hair and wondered what it would be like to touch it.
"Teresa?"
She turned her head and saw him.
"Ethan, hi!"
Her voice was shaking.
"What's wrong, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'll be fine."
"Do you want to talk?"
"No, not really. It's pretty silly, you know."
He sat beside her and he could smell her perfume. It was intoxicating.
"Are you here for the entire summer?"
"Probably, but you know how things change."
"By the way, I heard about your engagement to Gwen Hotchkiss. Congratulations, I hope you two will be happy."
"Thank you. It means a lot coming from you Teresa."
She didn't answer. Instead her mind seemed to be elsewhere. I looked at her feeling lust for her. He couldn't believe how the tomboy he was knew had turned into such a magnificent young woman.
"So how old are you now, Teresa?"
"I'm going on 17, and it's also my senior prom in a couple of weeks."
"Really? Your date will be really lucky to escort you there."
"I don't have a date."
"How can such a beautiful girl such as yourself be dateless?"
"I decided that I didn't want to ask anyone and I didn't accept to be taken either. I don't think I'll go."
"It's your senior prom Teresa. It's huge."
"I know..do you know if Fox will be coming to Harmony this summer?"
"I don't know, why do you ask?"
"Well, he hasn't been here in such a long time. The last time I saw him was 2 years ago."
"You know how Fox is, he doesn't really care about his family." She glared at him.
"Why would you say something like that. If anything, you're the ones who don't care about him."
"What's your interest in Fox anyway?"
"We grew up together and I really miss him."
"Is that why you're feeling so down?"
"Maybe..." An idea crossed his mind.
"Teresa, what do you say if I take you to your prom?"
"I don't think so, Ethan. But thank you for offering."
She got up and left. He watched her as she walked toward the cottage.
"Oh, Teresa, if you only knew."
He sat there for a while thinking about Gwen and how he was going to marry her because of a business merger. He didn't really love her. He didn't even think he loved Teresa, but she ignited a fire inside him that was difficult to ignore. And now, he realized that she was taken by Fox. He didn't want to tell her that Fox was going to be in Harmony for summer. But then again, he was supposed to be there every summer but their father made sure he stayed at boarding school until he learned discipline which in Fox's case was a complete waste of time and energy.
************************
"Teresa, you have to go. I would like to remember this night always and I want you to be part of it."
"No, Whitney. Don't push me on this. My mind is made up. And it's only in a couple of days."
They walking on the wharf on a beautiful summer day. They both stopped and leaned on the railing looking at the fishing boats that were out on the ocean
"Besides, it's too late for me to have a date."
"Oh, come on Teresa. You know very well that all the guys we know would drop their dates in a heart beat to have the chance to take you."
"Thanks, Whit, but I don't think I'm up to it."
"And what if I took you, would you feel up to it, Resa?"
The voice was familiar but she didn't dare think it was him, but then no one called her that besides him. She was worried that she would be disappointed again. She turned slowly, then..
"Nicholas! Ahhhh."
She ran to him and hugged him. She pulled away and looked at him. His hair wasn't as blond as it used to be. It had gotten darker and a light danced in his eyes, just like she remembered.
"It's really you? I didn't think I would ever see you again."
"And here I thought you knew me better than that." He looked at her and saw how much she had changed. She wasn't the awkward girl and teenager he knew. She was poised and even shy. When he left, she was a teenager and today she was a beautiful young woman. When he hugged her, he felt her heart beat as fast as his.
"By the way, happy late birthday."
"Thank you. Can you believe it, I'm 17 now."
He pulled something out of his pocket. And gave it to her."
"For me?"
"I was told that you have to give out a present when it's someone's birthday."
She smiled at him and opened the box. Inside she saw a gorgeous charm bracelet.
"It's like a walk through memory lane. The 4 leaves clover is for the one we found that summer day and fought over until it was smashed in your hands. The star is because we stayed out a lot together trying to figure out the universe. The sun is because of that sun burn we both had on that summer day. The moon is because I put a sun and a star on the bracelet and I thought I would add it for good measure. The snowman because we used to make one each year and I missed that a lot."
"Thank you so much Fox, I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything, I know that you like it. I was just hoping that those times were as special to you as it is to me."
"Yes, they were..very much. Except for the sunburn. That was just horrible. We couldn't sleep on our backs of an entire week."
They both started laughing at the memory while Whitney watched them, happy to see Teresa smile like that again.
All those charms have a double meaning he thought to himself.
"So, tell me Teresa...about the prom.."
"Yes, there is no one I would rather go with than you Nicholas."
"I thought so. Can't get enough of the old Fox, can you?"
"Actually I think I'll have enough of you in a few hours. But it's so good to see you again."
"Same here, Resa, you have no idea."
Teresa gave him her wrist and he put the bracelet on it, not without holding it a little longer. They walked together to the Crane estate chatting happily like they were never apart. Whitney watched them leave together thinking that maybe one day, Teresa and Fox would come to realize the nature of their feelings for each other.
He was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't stop thinking of her. He wondered what she was doing, who she was with. He took a look at the time. It was very late and he had to get up early. He closed his eyes knowing that the only face he would see in his dreams was hers. He was going back to Harmony for the big vacation. He would be able to spend all the time in the world with her.
*********************************
He watched her as she sat in front of the water. He had just come back from Boston to spend summer with his family. He looked at her long dark hair and wondered what it would be like to touch it.
"Teresa?"
She turned her head and saw him.
"Ethan, hi!"
Her voice was shaking.
"What's wrong, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'll be fine."
"Do you want to talk?"
"No, not really. It's pretty silly, you know."
He sat beside her and he could smell her perfume. It was intoxicating.
"Are you here for the entire summer?"
"Probably, but you know how things change."
"By the way, I heard about your engagement to Gwen Hotchkiss. Congratulations, I hope you two will be happy."
"Thank you. It means a lot coming from you Teresa."
She didn't answer. Instead her mind seemed to be elsewhere. I looked at her feeling lust for her. He couldn't believe how the tomboy he was knew had turned into such a magnificent young woman.
"So how old are you now, Teresa?"
"I'm going on 17, and it's also my senior prom in a couple of weeks."
"Really? Your date will be really lucky to escort you there."
"I don't have a date."
"How can such a beautiful girl such as yourself be dateless?"
"I decided that I didn't want to ask anyone and I didn't accept to be taken either. I don't think I'll go."
"It's your senior prom Teresa. It's huge."
"I know..do you know if Fox will be coming to Harmony this summer?"
"I don't know, why do you ask?"
"Well, he hasn't been here in such a long time. The last time I saw him was 2 years ago."
"You know how Fox is, he doesn't really care about his family." She glared at him.
"Why would you say something like that. If anything, you're the ones who don't care about him."
"What's your interest in Fox anyway?"
"We grew up together and I really miss him."
"Is that why you're feeling so down?"
"Maybe..." An idea crossed his mind.
"Teresa, what do you say if I take you to your prom?"
"I don't think so, Ethan. But thank you for offering."
She got up and left. He watched her as she walked toward the cottage.
"Oh, Teresa, if you only knew."
He sat there for a while thinking about Gwen and how he was going to marry her because of a business merger. He didn't really love her. He didn't even think he loved Teresa, but she ignited a fire inside him that was difficult to ignore. And now, he realized that she was taken by Fox. He didn't want to tell her that Fox was going to be in Harmony for summer. But then again, he was supposed to be there every summer but their father made sure he stayed at boarding school until he learned discipline which in Fox's case was a complete waste of time and energy.
************************
"Teresa, you have to go. I would like to remember this night always and I want you to be part of it."
"No, Whitney. Don't push me on this. My mind is made up. And it's only in a couple of days."
They walking on the wharf on a beautiful summer day. They both stopped and leaned on the railing looking at the fishing boats that were out on the ocean
"Besides, it's too late for me to have a date."
"Oh, come on Teresa. You know very well that all the guys we know would drop their dates in a heart beat to have the chance to take you."
"Thanks, Whit, but I don't think I'm up to it."
"And what if I took you, would you feel up to it, Resa?"
The voice was familiar but she didn't dare think it was him, but then no one called her that besides him. She was worried that she would be disappointed again. She turned slowly, then..
"Nicholas! Ahhhh."
She ran to him and hugged him. She pulled away and looked at him. His hair wasn't as blond as it used to be. It had gotten darker and a light danced in his eyes, just like she remembered.
"It's really you? I didn't think I would ever see you again."
"And here I thought you knew me better than that." He looked at her and saw how much she had changed. She wasn't the awkward girl and teenager he knew. She was poised and even shy. When he left, she was a teenager and today she was a beautiful young woman. When he hugged her, he felt her heart beat as fast as his.
"By the way, happy late birthday."
"Thank you. Can you believe it, I'm 17 now."
He pulled something out of his pocket. And gave it to her."
"For me?"
"I was told that you have to give out a present when it's someone's birthday."
She smiled at him and opened the box. Inside she saw a gorgeous charm bracelet.
"It's like a walk through memory lane. The 4 leaves clover is for the one we found that summer day and fought over until it was smashed in your hands. The star is because we stayed out a lot together trying to figure out the universe. The sun is because of that sun burn we both had on that summer day. The moon is because I put a sun and a star on the bracelet and I thought I would add it for good measure. The snowman because we used to make one each year and I missed that a lot."
"Thank you so much Fox, I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything, I know that you like it. I was just hoping that those times were as special to you as it is to me."
"Yes, they were..very much. Except for the sunburn. That was just horrible. We couldn't sleep on our backs of an entire week."
They both started laughing at the memory while Whitney watched them, happy to see Teresa smile like that again.
All those charms have a double meaning he thought to himself.
"So, tell me Teresa...about the prom.."
"Yes, there is no one I would rather go with than you Nicholas."
"I thought so. Can't get enough of the old Fox, can you?"
"Actually I think I'll have enough of you in a few hours. But it's so good to see you again."
"Same here, Resa, you have no idea."
Teresa gave him her wrist and he put the bracelet on it, not without holding it a little longer. They walked together to the Crane estate chatting happily like they were never apart. Whitney watched them leave together thinking that maybe one day, Teresa and Fox would come to realize the nature of their feelings for each other.