CHAPTER TWELVE – Fireworks

I stared wistfully out onto the ocean. It was Monday evening and the sun was just setting, a pinkish-violet color filled the magnificent sky. I sighed at the thought that all of us would be leaving the next day.

So much had happened in such a wonderful place. I doubted that I'd ever forget this weekend.

"Sad about leaving?" Becca asked, linking her arm with mine. We were both standing on the sand, close to the shore. I nodded, then leaned my head sideways and rested it on her shoulder.

"It's just so – so... different from home. Don't get me wrong, I love Stoneybrook, but there's so much of the world that's out there, y'know?"

"Yeah. And we'll get to all that when we're older. Today, Sea City... tomorrow, the world!" she cried. I laughed and for a few moments, we stood there in silence, just letting the moment and the gorgeous scenery sink in.

"We'll always have the memories..." I trailed off.

"Definitely," Becca agreed, smiling.

We heard Jordan calling us a few minutes later, so we both turned around and started walking back to the house. It was our last night there, so Mr. and Mrs. Pike thought it was a nice idea to have a barbeque outside, with a fire pit all set up on the sand. The weather had been so good to us this whole trip, so it was the perfect night to see the fireworks Sea City put on every long weekend at the pier. We had a couple of hours to spare before the fireworks started, so we sat on blankets around the fire, eating delicious food and just hanging out, talking.

Soon enough, Adam brought out his guitar and started strumming, asking for requests.

"Yeah. How 'bout a Britney Spears classic?" Jordan yelled out. We all laughed as Adam played along and did a horrible rendition of the already awful 'Hit Me Baby One More Time.' I had no idea that that song could get any more crappier.

"Okay, okay! Enough!" Mrs. Pike cried out, exasperated, just as Adam was about to go into another chorus. He stopped, his hand in mid-air. "How about we get someone who can actually sing? Hand it over to Byron!" I raised an eyebrow as Byron almost choked on his Coke and started shaking his head hastily.

"I only started learning two months ago, Mom," he explained, turning beet red.

"Come on, you party-pooper! Do that one song you've been learning then..." Mrs. Pike pleaded.

"Hmm.. is this a hidden talent I don't know about?" I asked slyly, sitting down on a blanket with Becca, across from him. "Let's give him a welcoming applause, shall we?" I added. Everyone followed my lead as I clapped my hands enthusiastically. He looked over at me and grinned.

"Fine," he said, sighing, giving up. "No pressure, huh, Mom?" He jokingly smirked at Mrs. Pike as he reached over for the guitar. I looked at him thoughtfully as he started playing with strings one by one. He looked up at all of us uncertainly, and then chuckled, shaking his head.

"Here goes nothing..." he muttered, then cleared his throat. He started playing the opening chords to a song I fell in love with the first time I ever heard it. I recognized it from the get-go. It was 'I'll Be' by Edwin McCain.

At first, I could tell that Byron was a bit self-conscious, as he looked down at the guitar during the whole first verse. After that, I think he got over the fact that none of us were yelling at him to stop, so he started to sing a bit louder and got more into the song.

"The strands in your eyes, that color them wonderful
Stop me and steal my breath...
Emeralds from mountains thrust toward the sky,
Never revealing their depth.
Tell me that we belong together...
Dress it up with the trappings of love.
I'll be captivated...
I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above..."

I don't know if it was because I was already smitten by Byron and could possibly think no wrong of him... but he had a gorgeous voice that I really knew nothing about 'til then. He was amazing on the guitar too, and I found it hard to stop staring at him while he was playing it.

He looked up and caught my eyes in his gaze, keeping them there. He gave me a cute little smile as he went into the chorus one last time.

"I'll be... your crying shoulder,
I'll be love suicide.
I'll be... better when I'm older,
I'll be... the greatest fan of your life.
... The greatest fan of your life."

I swear, for those few moments, it really was like it was just him and me, alone, under the stars – like he was singing the song to me, which made the moment even more perfectly romantic.

At the last note, everyone erupted into applause and whistles while we both just sat there, across from each other, staring into each other's eyes, as the flames from the fire lighted an almost mystical yellow-orange glow in the darkness.

I was snapped out of the trance when Becca playfully jabbed my waist with her finger.

"You are so lucky," she whispered as the others continued their loud chatter. "I've been going out with Jordan for months now – he's never done anything close to being as romantic as that." All I could do was smile back, still pretty much caught up in the moment.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Byron lean his head over and say something to his dad. He handed over the guitar and stood up, turning around to walk in the direction of the house. I excused myself from the ensuing conversation with Becca and jumped up, following after him in the darkness.

"Hey," I softly called out, as soon as I was a few feet away from the others. I was just barely able to see his dark figure make its way up the porch stairs. He turned around, hearing my voice and waited for me to catch up to him, as he sat down on the top step.

"I have the weirdest sense of déja vu," he said thoughtfully as I approached him. "Only... it wasn't as dark. It was early morning. I see me sitting here, watching you walk towards me, your hair blowing in the wind."

"Wow. Your memory must be awful," I teased, sitting down next to him "That only happened – mmm...let's see – two day ago?" He chuckled.

"Oh. That's right." We sat there in silence for a few moments, I guess just to fully realize how things can change so drastically in a matter of days. Our silence was interrupted by a loud explosion far off in the distance and a split second later, the once-dark sky lighting up a neon green color.

"Hey, we're missing the fireworks," I noted quietly, facing him.

"Yeah..." he said in an almost whisper, as red specks of light bounced off his beautiful eyes. "But I bet we can make our own fireworks happen right here." With that, he took his hand and gently placed it at the side of my neck, delicately cupping my face in his palm. He leaned in close, his eyes on my lips -- but I pulled away slightly. He looked up at my eyes, confused.

"You know what?" I whispered, smiling. "You have the cheesiet pick-up lines, ever." He grinned and we both slowly leaned in, our lips finally meeting in a wonderfully deep and lingering kiss.

A/N: if you can't already tell, i LOVE that Edwin McCain song that i spotlighted in this chapter. i'm guessing it's fairly popular, and was hoping most of you had heard it before... but really, if you haven't heard it yet, download it or buy the CD... it's an oldie, but a definite goodie for all us ladies who can't help but fall in love with a love song. =)