Love and the Sea and Everything in Between

chapter fifteen

The road between here and there is a long one. Liz takes a nap in the passenger seat so for now Gus is my sole companion.

On my phone, I open Pandora and select my Mumford & Sons station, imagining this is what it feels like to live. It's nothing extraordinary; just me and Liz on our own adventure, savoring the little moments. But these moments are ours and a rare few people can say that about their lives.

These are the moments that make life worth living.

I smile to myself.

* * *

A few hours later, I pull into the parking lot of the school, just as the sun begins to set. It's the last place I want to be, but knowing that Liz is here with me is enough to keep me sane.

"That was fun," Liz says with a yawn, shrugging off the drowsiness.

"I don't want it to end."

She smiles. "Me neither." A pause. "But we should probably do at least some studying." She winks.

Sighing, I say, "Yeah, probably. But I'm taking you out to lunch tomorrow."

"Good. I could do with lunch."

I laugh just as a heavy rain begins to pour outside. We sit in the van and listen to the sound of the rain as it pellets Gus' exterior, watching the tiny rivers wind their way down the windshield.

I button my jacket up and grab my beanie out of my back pocket. I put it on, pulling it over my ears and I open the door, stepping out into the rain.

"What are you doing?" Liz shouts above the storm. "You're gonna catch a cold!"

Not stopping to answer her, I close the door behind me and follow the sidewalk until I come to the field, where large mud puddles have formed, making it nearly impossible to cross without being soaked. But I don't care. The moment I step into the grass, my shoes are soaked as they sink into the earth. I wade through the mud until I come to the platform they use for outdoor events. I climb on top of it and lift my head to face the rain.

I watch it, falling down on me, a never-ending torrent sent to quench the barren California earth. I close my eyes and it's like my senses are on fire and I can feel every drop as it falls against my face, rushing across my entire body like a waterfall.

I feel the rain and the cold and the bite of wind like ice.

I hear the splash of feet as Liz runs across the field and climbs up onto the platform beside me.

I see the clouds as they give everything they have to the earth, holding nothing back.

I feel it all.

I feel it all...

"Do you feel that?" I shout through the downpour.

"Feel what?" she shouts back.

"Everything." I throw my arms out to my side.

"You are so weird!"

I just laugh and smile into the rain. And then Liz takes my face in her hands and kisses me. At first stunned, I quickly melt into it as our hearts move to the beat of the rain.

* * *

We run across the field back to where Gus is parked and, opening the doors, we dive inside. By now, the parking lot has begun to flood, if only partially. I strip free of my soaking-wet jacket and toss it in the back. Liz does the same and we're sitting in our soaking t-shirts and jeans as we watch the rain.