Lost & Found

The tale of a nostalgic girl

Emma giggled as she dashed out of the house with her dad's car keys in tow, finding Aiden waiting for her in the driveway. It was nearing midnight already and Emma was never the mischievous type, but she vowed to live the summer to the fullest with Aiden before she left for boarding school in Boston that fall. If they got caught stealing her dad's car, there really wasn't much they could do to her. They could try to ground her, but she'd never allow them to take her final days of summer away from her - her final days with Aiden.

"Are you driving or am I?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"You. At least you have your permit," she giggled, tossing the keys.

"I'm a great driver," Aiden chuckled as he caught them and clicked the button causing the car to chirp as it unlocked the doors.

They slipped in quickly and Aiden started up the car, cringing as he did.

"Why are you holding your breath?" Emma giggled.

"I don't know. I just wanna make as little noise as possible," he said quietly, causing Emma to snicker as he looked back, reversing out of the driveway.

Once they were far enough away from Emma's house, Aiden looked over at her with a smile.

"Where do you wanna go?" He asked a moment later.

"Dunno," she said with a shrug, causing Aiden to laugh.

"We've got to make this worthwhile - or like, what even is the point of stealing the car in the first place?" Aiden chuckled.

"Drive west - toward the city," she proposed and Aiden's smile turned wide.

"To Manhattan?"

"To Manhattan. I want to see the Statue of Liberty at night. It's been so long," Emma said with a nod of her head.

"Okay," he agreed as he took a left at the stop sign, heading in the direction of their destination.

Manhattan was an hour away, but like Aiden said - they needed to make the night worthwhile.

After a quick stop for burgers at a 24 hour McDonalds, and nearly an hour of driving later, they finally reached the waters of the Atlantic near Battery Park in lower Manhattan. Aiden parked the car and the two of them walked along the boardwalk, holding hands and falling in love all over again. The night was warm, but a balmy sort of warm that pleasantly wrapped around them with just a hint of a breeze coming off the water. They stood against the railings of the boardwalk for a while, looking over the water, admiring Lady Liberty in all her glory. Emma linked her arm through Aiden's and rested her head against his shoulder.

"It's peaceful here," she hummed, feeling nothing but contentment in that moment.

"It is. I'm glad you suggested coming here," he told her, resting his head atop hers.

"I love you," she exhaled quietly.

"I love you so much," he expressed.

Emma lifted her head up, looking into his eyes for a few moments before she leaned in, kissing his lips delicately. Aiden's hand came up, gently cupping the back of her neck, strengthening the kiss, sliding his tongue against hers. She'd never tire of kissing him. Even so, she found herself giggling against his lips.

"What?" Aiden breathed through a laugh as he pulled back to look at her.

"Nothing," she said with a wide smile as she shook her head.