I stared at Justin. Did he mean everything he was saying? Or was this some kind of a trick?
"Justin... I-"
"No. Just listen okay?" He asked, his voice softening.
He sighed and looked up at the sky, as if struggling with his inner thoughts. I waited, keeping my eyes on his face, trying to decipher what was going on in his head.
"Ever since we met, you've always been there for me, it seems like everytime something goes wrong, you're always there for me. Out of all the people in my life, you've never turned your back on me once. You've never thought of me as a bad person. I didn't realise it until my mom... until she..." he said, closing his eyes unable to finish his sentence.
I scooted closer to him and took jos face in my hands, not wanting to think for a single moment that his mom wasn't coming back to him. She loved him.
****Flashback****
I ran up the steps that led me to Justin's front porch, hoping to catch him before he went off to camp for the summer.
I knocked on the door and waited. I heard the sound of voices, and then I heard the locks being messed with from the other side. The door opened and Mrs. Dawson was standing there.
"Hey, Mrs. Dawson, is Justin home?" I asked.
"Yes, come on in." She said, smiling and opening the door for me to come in.
She came over and sat down beside me.
"How have you been?" She asked, turning to face me.
"Good." I said, smiling.
"That's good, and your mom?"
"She's fine."
"Hm. Anything you want to talk about?"
I sighed. "I don't know, lately she's been distant."
"She has a lot on her mind, I'm sure." She told me reassuringly.
"I think she's starting to miss my dad again." I whispered.
"That's understandable. Your mom's never going to officially get over missing him; she's always going to miss him."
"I know. I just wish she'd talk to me." I told her.
"I know and I'm sure she has her reasons for not talking to you."
I sighed and looked at her smiling. She always made me feel better. No matter what.
"Mom!" Justin's voice called from the stairs.
"In here!" She called back.
Justin appeared in the room with two suitcases in his hand. He laid them by the door and came over and plopped down beside me.
"Hey Lil." He said.
"Hey."
"What brings you here?"
I nudged him. "Can't I see my best friend off to camp?"
He grinned. "Maybe."
"Alright. Alright." Mrs. Dawson said.
"Sorry mom."
"Yeah, sorry Mrs-"
"Cathy! Lilly, please call me Cathy."
"Cathy then."
She rose from the couch and headed towards the door to load Justin's things into the car.
Justin stood up and went over to help her.
I sighed and followed after both of them, hoping to get over the fact that Justin was leaving for the whole summer and that I wouldn't get to see him until 2 weeks before school started.
After they had loaded everything in the car, we all got in and drove off heading to the airport. Justin was going to some summer camp in New York. His friend had heard about it and had told him about it. He'd begged his mom to let him go, until she had finally said yes.
When we got to the airport, we all got out and headed outside.
Justin went through security until he eventually got through.
His flight was called and we made our way over to where we would leave him.
"Bye mom." He said, hugging her.
"Come back to me in one piece." She told him, her voice cracking.
"Aw, come on. Don't cry." He told her.
"Just don't do anything to get yourself hurt." She told him, wiping her face.
"I won't." He told her, hugging her again.
"I love you."
"I love you too, mom."
She kissed him on the cheek and pulled out of his embrace. He walked over to me and hugged me tightly.
"I'm gonna miss you, Lil." He said.
"I'm gonna miss you too, Justin." I whispered.
He kissed me on the forehead and then went and got on his plane.
Mrs. Dawson and I made our way out of the airport and then back to her house. I made my way home, knowing I couldn't wait until the end of the summer.
****Flashback * * * *
I shook my thoughts away and concentrated back on Justin.
"Justin, your mom is a fighter; she loves you more than anybody in this world. She's not going to leave you." I told him.
He looked at me, staring into my eyes. I felt as if he was staring right through me, like he could see everything I was thinking.
"What about you? You'll never leave me right?" He asked, placing his hand gently on my back.
"No. I love you too much to do that." I told him.
"Like, as a friend."
"No. It's deeper than that."
"So you're in love with me?"
"Yes Justin, I love you as a boyfriend."
He smiled and pulled me to the ground, so that I was lying beside him. He pressed me closer to him and kissed me again. I felt as if my whole body was on fire.
His knees were the strongest thing I'd ever experienced in my entire life. I'd always wondered what it would feel like to kiss him, to be the one in his arms, to be the one that he loved. And now I knew, and it felt amazing.
He pulled away, breathing heavy. I looked at him, tracing every feature. His face, his eyes, his mouth, every part of him.
"I love you." He whispered.
"I love you too." I whispered back.
He smiled and lay back, looking up at the sky.
"So now the sky's more interesting?" I asked, smiling.
"No." He laughed, looking at me.
"It is beautiful tonight." I stated.
"Not as beautiful as you are."
I smiled and leaned against him.
Who knew that this night could turn out to be absolutely perfect?
