Author's Note: Thanks for reading, y'all! I'm loving writing this story, and I'm glad people are enjoying reading it. Well, I was gonna make y'all wait a bit for this, but I'll be nice since I'll be gone for almost a week and a half starting on July 16th and I more than likely won't have access to internet. I will have my laptop, and I'll try to write several more chapters so I can post them when I get back. I might get another chapter done before I leave, but I can't promise anything. Please be patient! Thanks for reading. Here goes….
July 12, 2004
Disclaimer: I do not own Summerland nor do I own any of the related characters or places.
Your Beautiful Soul
Chapter 8
"Let's go down by the water," Maggie suggested. She had slipped off her flip-flops earlier to curl her legs up on the lounge, but she didn't bother to put them back on as they started off across the sand.
"So, that was dinner with the family." Bradin spoke up when they reached the edge of the Pacific.
"And I loved it," she smiled.
"Then why are you crying?" He turned to look at her, lifting her face with both his hands and wiping the stray tears away with his thumbs.
"Because I loved it. I love them—I love the whole family, Bradin. You're so lucky to have them."
"And I'm so lucky to have you." Bradin leaned down and kissed her. Releasing her, he was rewarded with a smile.
"I can't believe you can stand me." She continued to look up at him, then turned away and scoffed, "Leaving room for the ice to melt."
"Hey." Bradin guided her chin back to center. "I thought it was funny. Besides, it's better than having to be a manikin and stand for two hours getting poked with pins."
"Now that was funny," Maggie laughed.
"Yeah, okay, but it stays here."
Even though the beach was empty, Maggie raised her voice. "Hey everybody! We've got pictures of Bra—" But her statement to the world was cut short as Bradin tackled her gently to the ground. They wrestled playfully in the sand for a few minutes before Bradin pinned her. Maggie distracted him with a kiss and pushed him off, then rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows. Sliding her hand across his torso, Maggie smiled at him.
The two of them lay silently for a few minutes, gazing at the stars.
"How do you know Jay?" Bradin asked.
"He and my brother, Kyle, met in Australia at a surfing competition. They tied for first and they've been good friends ever since. I met Jay spring of '97. I haven't seen him all that much, but I know him pretty well—he's a lot like my brother," Maggie said.
"That's a scary thought," he smiled.
"Yeah, I know."
Listening to the soft splashing of the tide against the nearby rocks, a comforting silence washed over them.
"I didn't know you were in to biking."
"There's a lot of stuff you don't know about me, Bradin." Maggie turned on her side.
"But I want to know." Bradin looked at her.
"You want to know what?" she questioned.
"Everything." He took her free hand and kissed her. "Start with your birthday."
"Bradin, this is silly," she protested, sitting up.
"When's your birthday?"
She sighed. "July 4th. Happy?"
"See? That wasn't so hard." Bradin sat up.
"But don't go throwing me a huge party," Maggie warned him. "And I'm not saying it in a reverse psychology sort of way—like I tell you I don't want a party, but I really do want you to throw me a party, but I don't." She paused. "Okay, that didn't really make much sense, but the fact is, I don't want a party. All I want is to spend the day with my boyfriend. Forget about life for a while. People call it 'sweet sixteen', but I don't see anything sweet about it. It's just another year to suffer through—I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I start to babble like that sometimes. I bet that's something you don't know about me. I feel so stupid sometimes 'cause I can't say what I want to say when I want to say it, I just yak about unrelated stuff and totally confuse myself." Maggie lay back down on the sand, then after a moment said, "Look, there's the summer triangle."
"What?" Bradin lay down next to her. She took his wrist and held his arm up, pointing his finger to the three bright stars standing out, forming a triangle. "I see it."
"And if you look between the two bottom stars, there's a small diamond shape made by four stars." She moved his hand down.
"Yeah."
"Then look to the right and down a little and you'll see its tail. That's the dolphin."
"Oh, yeah, I see it."
"Then there's the Big Dipper, and the Little Dipper pouring into it—oh look!" Maggie said excitedly. "There's a satellite—there's another one!"
"Where?" Bradin asked eagerly.
"Right there—see? The first one is just passing the left-hand triangle star. Do you see it?"
"Yeah! And there's the second one!"
Maggie watched the two small dots race each other across the dark sky until they had disappeared.
"How do you know so much about the stars?" Bradin asked, bringing her back down the Earth.
"My dad used to take me out camping all the time when I was little. We'd always stay up late and drink cocoa and watch all the stars come out. August was my favorite time to go stargazing—that's when the meteor showers come; my dad and I would always go out every night we could and we'd drive up to a little hill and lay on the grass and watch all the shooting stars. He always told me…." She paused and sighed quietly. "He always told me to make a wish, even when I had theoretically outgrown that stuff."
They lay quietly, gazing up at the stars, for nearly an hour. Maggie sat up abruptly.
"What's the matter?" Bradin asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I thought I heard something," she looked back up the beach toward the house.
"It was probably Nikki trying to sneak in late again," he said, without even looking.
"Maybe, I guess, but I suppose I should be getting along home. I've got things to do in the morning."
"Yeah, me too." Bradin eased himself off the sand, then gave a gentlemanly hand to Maggie.
They walked silently back to the house. Maggie pulled her bike from the wall, and headed around the corner of the house and out onto the sidewalk.
"Do you want me to walk you home?" Bradin offered.
"I wouldn't mind if you tagged along," Maggie teased, taking his hand in her own and walking the bike with her free hand.
They walked along in silence, neither speaking until they reached the Ward beach house. Bradin watched Maggie store her bike in the garage, then come back to face him.
"Well, I guess this is goodnight. I'm glad I got to meet your family. It was fun." Maggie reached up and kissed him. "Goodnight, Bradin."
"Night, Mags." He kissed her again, not wanting to let go, but knowing he had to. Finally letting her loose, he smiled, then turned and headed back to his own house.