Remember Our Summer

C H A P T E R - 1

Chapter - 1

Delaney Lane

Ten years old

Just two more days until summer vacation.

I cross off today's date as soon as I jump off my bed. It's five am in the morning and I woke up a minute before my alarm clock was set to go off. I pat myself on the head and chuckle, walking to my study table to grab my glasses.

I wonder what Reid would think of me having glasses now, I was pretty insecure about them when I was first advised to wear them but I think I have grown to like them, they are better than contacts anyway. Not that I have ever tried contacts but the process of putting them inside my eyes makes me uncomfortable, so I might never try it.

It's just two days until Reid will be here, he's my brother's best friend who lives in San Francisco, California. He comes here to Georgia almost every summer to visit his grandparents who live just a few houses down the lane, they are nice people.

It's his birthday in a week, he told me about it last year so this year me and Rune, my brother, have planned a surprise birthday for him. Even though Reid and Rune, both are two and a half years older than me, they never mind if I hang out with them.

I freshen up quickly and rush towards the front yard so I can see the sun rise, it's the prettiest in mornings, there is a pink haze that covers the sky and it changes to slight orange and red, again changing to pink and then finally the sky gets clear blue with yellow sun rays. It's even more beautiful than sunsets, but waking up early is a difficult job.

When I was seven, Mom used to tuck me in bed pretty early and tell me that I should always watch the beginning and the ending of a day, only then I would have lived a whole day. I guess it stuck with me. Nowadays Mom is a little distant towards me, ever since she married Rune's father, she has grown distant to me.

Not that I am complaining, but it is weird to know that Rune and I don't have same dad's, and on top of that, I don't have any memories with my father, I only know one memory of him but my mom says that it's something I must have made up in my mind because he left us before I was at an age to remember anything.

The memory I think I have with my dad was him standing out in the yard with a backpack and when I looked at him through the window, he came and gave me a forehead kiss and said the words, "I wish I could stay and watch you grow.", but that might just be my mind making things up so I don't really think about it that often.

Rune's dad is pretty nice though, he loves Rune so much and we even have dinners together and he's polite to me too. Sometimes, I just heard him saying that I'm not his daughter so he doesn't care for me and despite knowing that it's true, I don't know why it still hurts. That's why I am not really close to him.

"Thinking about something, Della?" I hear a familiar voice as my eyes widen in anticipation. No, it couldn't be, could it? But only he calls me Della-I turn around only to find Reid standing just outside our yard's gate. I rush to the gate as fast as I can and he chuckles as I throw myself in his arms, I think I have gone speechless because of this surprise.

"HOW ARE YOU HERE!?" I ask him with my jaws widen open as if I cannot believe that he is standing right in front of me. He leans back and looks down at me, he has grown taller but so have I. "You're still waking up this early, hmm?" he hums as I nod, grinning. He smiles back at me, "I got an early ticket." he shrugs as I smile at him and take his hand to lead him inside the house but he stops midway.

"Everyone would be sleeping, Della. I only came to meet you, I will come by around noon again." he says and I let out an 'oh'. We walk and sit on the grass so that we can watch the sunset together. He is wearing a loose white t-shirt with some graffiti at the back and dull green flare pants. We talk about what things happened in my life because he never speaks about his time in San Francisco. I asked him if my glasses suit me and he just made a thinking face, "I'll have to think about it."

"I have also started learning guitar!" I say in excitement as I fill him in the details of chords and tuners and various strumming patterns, I have tried to talk about guitars with many people, including mom and Rune but they get bored halfway even when I try to show them what I've learnt, but Reid is awfully attentive to everything I say and his questions about minor and major chords makes me realise that he actually is sincerely listening to me.

For some reason, it makes me feel really happy.

"Why do you love the sunrise?" He asks when there is silence, so I just reply to him with what I remember mom said to me, "I think that if we watch the beginning and the end of a day, then only we have lived a whole day." I say and he chuckles, it's a sweet sound.

"I suppose you're right but you're as sunshiny as a sunrise so I suppose it's fine even if I miss them a day or two." he voices ruffling through my hair until they are a little tangled and he gets up, dusting his clothes. I stand up too and he places a quick kiss on my forehead, but I frown at him, what does he mean I am like a sunrise?

"You're filled with sunlight." he answers as if knowing what goes on in my mind all the time and then he turns away to leave. I think he just said the sweetest thing to me but I was too confused to understand him completely.

It's alright, he will be back soon anyways. 

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chapter 1 is up, hope yall like it!!