Summer love

15

"Harry!? Hazzzzzzzzzzz?"

"hey Tay. I'm back. Drink this " I handed her the beer and looked closely at her scared blue eyes. "There's no other drink I can find but beer and here marshmallows. Tell me what happened after you eat a bit."

She nervously grabbed the beer from my hands, "I saw Jack back there. He was so drunk-"

"That asshole-" I stood and kicked the sand beneath, " I have got a bone to pick Swizzle."

I stopped as I felt Taylor's chest pressed against back. She was hugging me, "Please stop. Nothing happened at all. I got away he's just drunk. He got a family to feed Haz. Don't do this."

"For you. I will." I slightly move her hands away from my hips. I don't know what will happen if she's this too close to me. My body remembers all of her.

I turned around to face her face and cupped them in my hands, " The least I could do to compensate all the things that I've done is to protect you from bastards and make this trip enjoyable but I am not punching that guy as you wish if that would make you happy no matter how much I want to."

"Thank you Harry... I told you already I am enjoying the trip." She said kindly but I know how she feels behind her words. The very pain seeing me on board unexpectedly makes her remember the past but she's trying her best to move on. Oh God, I still know her.

"Then let's enjoy and not be sentimental." I kissed her forehead and went back to my spot. I grabbed my drink and my share of marshmallows. It is somehow unusually peaceful- no sound but your own heartbeat with the slight sound of movements from another sould close to your heart.

"You know Har. I'm sorry for dragging you here. You should go back there and have fun."

"Tay, you don't know how much I am loving this moment." I raised my beer, "To a peaceful evening away from opinions with only the night sky to judge us."

She giggled as soon as I made the toast, "Cheers!"

....After we had our share of silence, I got up, "Tay , I'll grab blankets you are cold."

"Be fast Harry. I am not scared but please just don't leave me here for too long."

"Oh, you didn't know."

"What?"

"I am flash. " I winked at her that made her laugh. I miss that laugh of hers and I usually make her laugh every day. As I said it I ran as fast as I can. Mission - to get blankets.

***

"Tay, there's only one blanket left. You can have it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"No, I can't do that. You are cold too. We're friends so let us just share." She walked around the fire and sat next to my spot. She scooted closer and covered me with the other side of the blanket.

I felt her slim body around which was kind of awkward. "Tay?"

"Yes"

"I know I said sorry a couple of times before. I mean , I wanna say sorry about the past- in person. I know it was because of me... I can't commit and I am afraid seeing my future determined already. Not that I don't want to be with you- God, how badly I want to be by your side all the time but I am afraid if I clung too long and depend on you and think of you already as the girl I'd marry then you'd get away just like my Dad. I am sorry for thinking that way and I am sorry for ruining everything but you believe me if I say 'I love you', right?"

"We both had our mistakes in that relationship Har. Even me, I expected too much and held you too much. You were afraid that I might be the one and your ending point - well, to me it was kind of I already thought ahead that you are already the one and my endpoint. That didn't scare me at all but I got overconfident in that idea that poisioned me and how I took part of the relationship. There I had a lot more mistakes, I need not to enumerate and yes, I do believe we really loved each other that time."

"I still love you though."

Her eyes sparkled because I know that she does too but we have no other choice now , we had moved on and had beautiful relationships.

But the touch of her hands on mine was vastly more potent than any word she could utter, the impact of her strength in my imagination was more alluring that the printed poems and spoken passions of a thousand generations of lovers.

I kissed her hand then her lips.

I Looked at her pleading blue eyes.

"I still love you too" she whispered.

We did only have tonight as consolation to what we had.

Nothing more nothing less.