My Summer with New York

The First Day, The First Week, and the First Month

Colby's POV:
The First Day-
"She hasn't even been gone 24 hours and you're already mopey." Ryan complained as he stocks the shelves in the surf shop. I glare at him, and the look is enough to silence him for now. I knew going to see her before she left this morning would be harder on me, but I couldn't let her go without telling her I'd do everything I could to keep her around.

Aubrey looks at me like I'm some kind of lost puppy, and I hate knowing that I look like some lost puppy without her here. The bell above the door jingles, and I allow myself to be distracted by the customer that just walked in. The girls that walk in are wearing way too much bronzer, and it's obvious they use Sun In to lighten their hair. The only problem of them using so much of it is that their hair looks orange instead of blonde. I ring them out with a false smile and go back to ignoring everyone.

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I got off work at nine o'clock that night. I caught myself getting ready to turn on Rosie's street to pick her up for the night. My car smells like her Bath and Body Works perfume, and it's killing me. I pick up my phone to call her when I see blue lights in my rear view mirror. "Fucking great." I complain.

Harry, the same officer who arrested me, appears at my window. "Colby, you know texting and driving is illegal on the island." He tells me in a smug tone. I want to reach through the window and slap the look off of his face. "Harry you know I wasn't texting." I say coolly. "That's not what it looked like." He states. I don't say anything because I don't wish to get into an argument over something like this.

"You on the way to see that girl of yours?" Harry prods. I tense when he refers to Rosie as "that girl". "Her and her folks actually left town today." I say civilly. Harry takes note of my ridged posture before saying his next sentence. "Well you're better off without her anyways."

My whole body goes numb after he finishes his statement. I have to scream at myself that he's an officer of the law and that he could arrest me if I hurt him. "I don't think I am. I love her." I tell him. "If you don't plan on arresting me or giving me a ticket, I'd like to go home now. I have to watch Abel." Harry doesn't meet my eyes but he gives me a slight nod. And with anger seeping through my pores, I mash the gas hard.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

The First Week:

Work, work, work, work, work. That's all I've been doing since Rosie left. Ryan and Aubrey want me to go out to the Shack with them, but I swear I can't do it. I just think about how angry she was the last time I went with them. My mom doesn't know how to handle me. Damien just told her to give me some time, and surprisingly, she didn't push it. I hate the island without her. It's boring and lifeless without her constant attitude giving me something to talk about.

That night when I was closing the shop, Ryan came up to me. "You need to get out of this funk man." He demands. I want to tell him that it isn't that easy, that she became part of my daily routine, and that I'd do anything just to spend the night in her arms; but I don't. "Come out with Aubrey and I." Ryan begs. "No." I simply say. I'm tired of making excuses for my not being able to go because I honestly don't care how he feels about it anymore. "She went back to New York. It's not like she's dead." He hollers. That's when I snap. I grab him by his collar and shove him up against a back wall. "Don't fucking talk about her like that." I say icily. Ryan looks at me as if he doesn't recognize me, and I let him drop to the floor with a thud.

I call her on my walk home. "Hello?" She says breathlessly. My heart starts beating faster at the sound of her voice. "Hey New York." I say simply. "Colby Thomas." Rosie says simply. "That's my name darlin'" I tell her. I hear her laugh, and for the millionth time today I wish she was with me. "I miss our lazy days together so much! Ever since I got back here all I do is dance and sleep." She tells me. I laugh from the memories of how she complained there was nothing to do here. "Tell Isabelle you want to go swimming." I joke. She scoffs on her end of the phone and says "All she wants to do is dance Colby." She sounds so sad, but I can't help but laugh at her.

"Are you laughing at me?" She asks me. I can hear the smile in her voice, and a door closes in the background. "I might be." I joke. "Colby Thomas you really shouldn't try so hard to flirt with me this hard." Rosie tells me. "I'm not trying babe." I say. She laughs once more and  launches into another story about her life in New York. By the time she's finished with her story, I'm at my house.

"I just got home babe, I have to go take care of Abel until he goes to bed." I tell her. She yawns in the background and says "Okay love. I'm probably going to sleep anyways." I want her to stay up longer, but it would be selfish of me to ask her to. "Okay. I'll text you tomorrow when I'm off work" I say as I walk in the door. Abel is asleep on the couch like I assumed he'd be. "Okay Colby. I love you." She tells me. I can't fight the smile that grows on my face when she says those words. "I love you too Rosie."

As I slide my phone into my back pocket, I go to wake Abel. His blonde hair is spread all over the cushion as if he's some kind of angel; I smack him with a pillow. "Watch it butt face!" Abel snaps. I poke his side until he opens one eye to glare at me. "It's time to go to bed bud." I tell him with a smile. My baby brother asks me to carry him up the stairs, so I do. As I climb up to his room he tells me "I miss Rosie." I stay quiet until I lay him down. "I miss her too little man." I say before leaving him.

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The First Month:

August turned into September faster than I wanted it to. The number of tourists started decreasing drastically in August, and after Labor Day, Crystal Island practically belonged to the locals again. With the low number of people, my time at the surf shop was practically gone. There was nothing keeping me from remembering Rosie now. I see her everywhere on this island. I see her on the pier, on the beach, and in my bed.

Our last night together was perfect. It was the kind of shit that only happens in movies. I still see her walking into the surf shop with that ghostly look, and then later pulling me out of the back room with a smirk on her face. I remember thanking god my mom took Abel to see Damien's parents that night. I was more than happy to feel her tanned skin under my fingers. She tried to hide her tan lines under the covers, but I honestly didn't give a fuck. She's become a ghost and there's no way I can escape it.

After another conversation with Rosie that night, I was wound up. Nothing on this island can relieve the tension that I feel. I hate living here since she left for New York. Everyone can tell it, so I don't bother hiding my disdain for this place anymore. I grab my swim trunks out of the dryer and dive into the pool as soon as I'm changed.