The summer of our last goodbye

Saying goodbye

The summer everything changed, Ellie returned to the lake house with a mix of excitement and nerves. This was her favorite place, the small beach house her family shared with their closest friends, the Bennetts. For as long as she could remember, her summers had been filled with lazy days on the shore, bonfires that stretched long into the night, and endless memories with the Bennetts' two sons, Noah and Jake.

But this year was different. Ellie could feel it as soon as she stepped off the car. Her parents' hushed tones, the way Mrs. Bennett's eyes looked puffy and tired—there was something beneath the surface, something no one was saying out loud. She tried to push it aside, hoping to lose herself in the familiar rituals of summer, but even her old friends didn't feel the same.

Noah, especially, seemed distant. The boy who once spent every spare moment with her was now quiet and withdrawn, disappearing for hours at a time. In past summers, Noah had been her closest friend, her confidante, the one who taught her to dive off the dock and how to skip stones. But now, whenever she caught his eye, he would turn away, his face shadowed by an expression she couldn't quite read.

One evening, as a humid dusk settled over the lake, Ellie found Noah sitting alone on the dock, staring at the water with that same troubled look. She sat beside him, their shoulders just barely touching, the silence thick and full of questions.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly, breaking the quiet.

He didn't answer right away. The sun was setting, casting a soft glow across the lake, and in that golden light, Noah looked almost like a stranger—someone familiar but somehow unreachable. Finally, he let out a long breath.

"Everything's going to change after this summer, Ellie," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Ellie's heart sank, but she forced a smile. "That doesn't have to be a bad thing."

He shook his head, and for the first time, she noticed how tired he looked. "It just feels like nothing's going to be the same. My family...we're going through a lot right now. My parents are..." He trailed off, as if the words were too heavy to speak. But Ellie understood. Suddenly, everything about Mrs. Bennett's tearful eyes made sense.

She reached for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm here for you, Noah. Always."

He looked at her then, really looked at her, and in his gaze, she saw a depth of feeling she hadn't noticed before—a kind of sadness mixed with something else, something that made her heart race. The night air felt thick with possibility, and before she knew it, Noah leaned in, brushing his lips against hers in a kiss that was as tender as it was fleeting. It was a kiss full of questions, of hopes, of a promise that might not be kept.

From that night on, they shared stolen moments, hidden smiles, and whispered conversations about the future. Ellie could feel herself falling, deeply and helplessly, but with each passing day, the shadow of what was coming loomed closer. She knew that once summer ended, Noah would leave, moving to a different town with his mom, and she'd be left with nothing but memories of that final, bittersweet summer.

On their last night together, they sat on the dock one last time, side by side, saying everything and nothing. The stars were scattered above them, and the lake was still and silent, as if holding its breath.

"I don't want to forget this," Ellie whispered, her voice breaking.

"You won't," Noah replied, brushing a tear from her cheek. "I'll remember, too."

As he wrapped his arms around her, Ellie closed her eyes, letting herself feel every second, knowing this was their last moment together. And when the sun rose, she watched him walk away, carrying with him a piece of her heart she'd never get back.

That summer became the one Ellie would think back to for years, the summer that turned her world upside down, the summer of her first love and her first goodbye.