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That Endless Summer
Chapter Eighteen: A setting sun, a new day.
"The sun sets tomorrow but I won't be there.
I'll let you know, before I go, without you.
The sun sets tomorrow but I won't be there.
I don't know what happened, too much has changed"
-Parting Ways by Slick Shoes
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"Maddie, Luke." Mum called from the front of the house "It's here."
Sucking in a deep breath, I felt Luke take my hand and give it a squeeze as we walked into the front room together. We'd been home for three days, attempting to pretend that everything was returning to normal, when really, our entire worlds were shifting around us.
Ric had come and gone. Amongst tears from Sally and even Cassie, we'd bid him a sad farewell the second morning after we'd arrived home. He'd be halfway to Queensland by now, well on his way to living a new life. Well on his way to forgetting his old one.
The rents', they'd asked minimal questions about the trip and what had happened. I'd even managed to give Mum a polite answer when she asked after Henry, and how he and Hilary had enjoyed themselves. Either they were too blind, or too clever, but in any instance, they'd kept their nose out of all things private and personal. And for that, I was more than pleased. Because I was still getting my head around… everything. And this morning. Today, and everything that came after it, none of that was going to help either.
Tony and Mum were standing gleefully in the front room, with the local paper sitting on the table infront of them. Both were grinning from ear to ear and the papers pages were a little crumpled, a sure sign that the news was good. I smiled weirdly at them before looking up at Luke.
"Holden comes before Hunter. You go first." I managed to get out, as he squeezed my hand again, before reaching down towards the paper and flipping it open. I squeezed my eyes shut as he reached the 'H' page, and almost stopped breathing when I heard him let out an almost strangled gasp, before quietly saying. "I got in. To Canberra." He said.
I opened my eyes to watch as Tony pulled him into a tight hug. Scanning the page quickly, I found L.A.Holden. 82638. His dream course. Scrolling a little further, I found M.J. Hunter. 52817.
I looked up to Mum striding towards me, as she took me in her arms tightly. "You did it Matilda. You both did it." She said, letting go of me and bringing Luke into a hug.
I turned, overwhelmed, to Tony, who hugged me gently.
"I'm proud of you Maddie." He said quietly, and I smiled gratefully up at him, knowing he would not make as much of a fuss as Mum was about to.
"We're both so proud of you both. You worked hard and did so well, so this calls for celebration. I've organised a party for this afternoon to congratulate the two of you, and of course, Cassie, for doing so well this year, and as a partial going away party, because soon our babies will be leaving us." She said to Tony, as she teared up.
"Oh Mum." I sighed, pulling her into a hug. "You didn't have to organise a party."
"But I did. Because I really am so very proud of the both of you." She said, pulling Luke into the hug too. "And I'm going to miss you both so much. I know Canberra is further away than Sydney Lucas, but I'm expecting visits at least once a month." She said sternly, as Luke laughed.
"Sure Beth." He said, looking away from me as I tried to catch his eyes. "Once a month."
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The noises of the excited Summer Bay residents could be heard far and wide that afternoon, but only the tail end of their celebrations reached me on the beach that afternoon.
"Skipping out on your own party is so not cool." I heard a familiar voice say from behind me, and I turned a little to see Luke approaching me.
"Look who's talking." I replied as he sat down next to me. His gaze went straight to the ocean, and he looked like he was a million miles from here… and that place wasn't a happy one either.
"For someone who found out they are going to get to do their dream course, you don't seem to be very happy." I said finally, as he sighed and continued to look out across the ocean.
"That night," He began finally "I meant every word that I said." He paused, picking up a rock and throwing out towards the waves that were crashing gently against the shore. "But I didn't think it would feel this, final, you know?"
"What did you expect it to feel like?" I asked, almost shocked by his confession.
"Not like this. It's like someone's repeatedly kicking me in the gut, and I can't fight back. I can't stand up." He said honestly, turning to face me.
"Like, despite everything, nothing that's happened will matter any more. From here on in, it's day by day, just see where it goes?" I asked, as he shook his head.
"No. Like this is it." He paused again. "The end."
I sat silently for a minute, digesting the enormity of his words. He'd been so sure four nights ago. Proclaiming his love for me in the middle of a thunderstorm. He'd almost had be convinced. Now he was going back on his word?
"I don't know Luke." I said finally. "I don't know about anything any more."
Together we sat in silence, watching the sun sink slowly behind the horizon, as the pinks and purples merged with the dark blues of the night sky, a sense of uncertainty hanging in the air.
Maybe, just maybe, I wasn't the only one who was lost any more. Maybe Luke was feeling a little lost too. I looked towards him, and smiled a little when he caught my eye. He took my hand softly in his, and locked our fingers together, squeezing it in a reassuring manner. For a second, I felt better.
"What is it with you Hunters and Holden's skipping out on your parties?" I heard Cassie yell, and I jumped up quickly and ran towards her.
"Hey there roommate." I said, hugging her tightly. "Looks like you're stuck with me for the next four years." I cried happily, as she hugged me back.
"Yeah, you better be able to clean, because I plan on having a ton of parties." She said, smiling broadly at me.
"Sounds like a plan to me" I replied, stepping out of the hug as I saw Luke walking towards us.
"I think I'll head back up to the party." He said, "We can't have all three guests of honor missing. Oh, and these are for you." He said, pulling out two small packages from behind his back and handing them to Cassie and I. "Just to remember us." He said cryptically, as he walked off.
I looked at Cassie, who returned my confused look, and shrugged before she sat down on the sand and opened the package. I followed suit, and found myself looking at a crimson coloured journal. Opening the front page, I found myself looking at three pictures.
The first of Luke and I at the beginning of the summer. We'd been mucking around on the beach, posing for photos, and this had been one that Cassie had taken in between the poses, when we'd been mucking around. I was smiling at Luke, while he watched me lovingly. Cradled in his arms gently, the photo was a little blurred, and I'd fallen in love with it the moment I'd seen it.
The second, was Cassie and I, taken one night before we'd gone out. We'd been looking in the mirror, applying last minute gloss and shine, and Luke had snapped captured the moment. He and Ric later claimed that over the course of the year Cass and I had spent more time in that pose than looking at them.
They had been fibbing, of course.
The final picture was of the four of us. Laughing at something that Hyde had said at graduation, Mum had, in her camera happy state, captured this little gem. I couldn't remember a time when we'd laughed so hard… or when we'd been so carefree and happy.
I flicked the page over to find Luke's familiar scrawl taking up half a page. I looked up, and caught Cassie's eye. Her eyes were misted over as she looked back down to her own journal, and smiled. Suddenly, what Luke had written would be trivial… at least for now. Because my best friend was crying out for help.
"It's from Ric." She mumbled quietly. "He said this is for me to remember him, and remember us. And that no matter what happens, I want you to know that I'll always be there for you. Because you're my friend, first and foremost, and I hope that you and I never lose that. Just know that I'll always be thinking about you. Love Ric."
She smiled through her tears towards me, and I opened my arms as she fell into them, and let the tears fall.
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Later that night, alone in my room, I opened the journal for the second time, and flipped Luke's note.
Maddie,
Since that day that you and Beth came to welcome us, I've always known that you were special. What I never imagined was the kind of relationship we'd fall into. I love you more than anything in this world, and I need you to always remember that.
No matter what happens in the future, I will always love you, and I will always be one phone call away, if you ever need saving, or just to see me, and I'll be there in a heartbeat.
Live your life Maddie, and don't let anything, or anyone, hold you back.
Love Always, Lucas.
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AN: And its over. Jade, I want to say that you've helped me so much throughout this story, bouncing back ideas with me, and it's meant so much. I hope that we'll be able to work so well together on the sequel.
Oh, did I forget to mention it? No, of course not. There will be another story, making the three a trilogy. But, it will not be started for at least two weeks. I'm resting from my Summer stories, and focusing on Saving Grace… and maybe another one. But I promise there will be more.
Thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed this story, even if you didn't review, I'm glad you liked it all the same, and stuck it out till the end. To my faithful reviews on BttB, and here on you're reviews made me soldier on, thank you for enjoying this story.