The Princess in Me

Chapter 3

I am really depressed right now... Today is my last day here. My last day that I will see Shawn. I have gotten really close to him throughout my vacation. I have told him a lot about myself and my family. He has told me about his... He’s told me how he can't trust a lot of people because his family comes from money. How he feels like he has to fall in his father’s footsteps and over achieve what he's done. He has told me things that are very personal about his family; his younger brother who died. We have told each other so many things about each other and some things I could never tell anyone else. I have hung out with him every day at some point. We have gone dancing, ate in fancy restaurants, hung out on the beach watching sunsets, sunrise, gone out into the waves, went to the movies, we've done everything... I have never had so much fun in my life. And after today I will lose a friend that I care about. A friend that I have feelings for and that would be hard to explain to anybody. They wouldn't understand. But I know that nothing will ever happen between us because we live too far apart. An ocean apart. Countries apart. Continents apart. Ugh…

I am standing here in the same red dress that I wore tonight when I had dinner with my family. My feet are in the now cool sand now that the sun has set and I am lost in my thoughts about how hard it's going to be to leave this place. This beautiful place. The place that I have fallen in love with...

"Hey," Shawn said wrapping his arms around me from behind. I put my hands on top of his which were around my waist and breathed in deeply. He is so perfect. It's weird to feel this way. But I feel like we were meant to meet each other and now I have to leave. I wish I didn't but...

"Hey..." I turned around and faced him. "How did your day go?"

"Good. So tonight... Since its your last night here I thought that we could go and get dessert. Since you already ate dinner with your family. I want to spend as much time as I can get with you before you leave."

"Yeah that sounds good and me too." I said kind of gloomy since my mood was already poor. I think I might break down at any moment.

He took my hand which has become normal for us and we headed up the beach. "You're upset that this is your last night here aren't you?"

"Yes. I am really going to miss it. Miss you. Miss everything about it here." I mumbled under my breath, "...Mostly miss you..."

"I am going to miss you too you know. This isn't a one way friendship."

"I know." I smiled weakly.

We walked into a restaurant off the beach not too far from my hotel.

"What is this place? Is it even opened?" I asked still feeling down.

"No. “

"Then what are we doing here?"

"It's closed. But I know the owner and asked him if I could have dessert here with a friend so he gave me the keys."

"Oooooooo."

"What do you want for dessert?"

"I don't care. Surprise me with your awesome dessert skills." I said.

"Okay. Just give me a sec. "

I walked around the restaurant and turned on some music. The restaurant had an Italian feel to it. The tables had red tablecloths on them and the inside was normally lightly dimmed. The lighting above the table looked almost like fake candle sticks. It reminded me of what the inside of an Olive Garden looked like. I sat in a chair of a table for two.

"Okay..." He said "I made us an ice cream sundae!" His face was so cute at the moment like he felt so proud of what he had made. I love that smile. I have grown accustomed to loving it.

I smiled in return. That face definitely just brightened my mood. "Looks super good!" I said. "I feel like you don't cook very often."

"I don't. Maybe you'll have to teach me when you come back soon."

"I guess I'll have to do that. I said knowing that this might be the last night I will ever see him.

"Good! Cause I barely managed to make this. I hope it's good!"

I took a bite. It tasted awesome. "My mouth is in heaven." I told him.

"Good to know.”

We finished eating and he asked me. "Are you ready to go home tomorrow?"

"No. I miss my best friend but I wish I could stay. I don't want to leave you. You have become one of my best friends."

"You really are one of my best friends. You know so much about me than some people I've known since I was five. I have never really opened up to anyone else as much as I have to you." He said. Then a good song came on and he dropped the subject. "Do you want to dance?"

"Yes."

We both got up and danced to the song Last Kiss by Taylor Swift which was playing softly through the speakers in the room. I rested my head on his shoulder and danced with him. I don't know how long we stayed like this. It seemed like song after song after song was playing and we just kept silent. All I knew is that I really really didn't want to leave and that I really really like him. And that if I didn't get back to my hotel soon my parents are going to freak out.

"Sorry... I think I should go back now." I said holding back tears. Why did it feel like I was breaking into thousands of pieces? It's not like I'm breaking up with a vacation fling.

"Okay."

We walked back to the hotel and I knew this was going to be goodbye. "Well this is it..." I said.

"I know..."

I gave him a tight hug wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my head in his shoulder. “Sorry I have been down all night. But I do not want to go. I really don't want to go!"

"I don't want you to leave either. “

"I just need to go. Goodbye. I am going to miss you so much.”

"Me too. Goodbye."

Tears started rolling down my cheeks. I let go of him and ran toward the door to my hotel.

"Haley! Wait! Please. Don't go yet. "

He ran up behind me. We were still on the beach in front of my hotel. I turned around and faced him. He ran his fingers through his hair.

I wiped tears from my eyes. "I need to tell you something." He said.

"What do you need to tell me?" I said holding back a few tears.

"Well I came to tell you that I am really going to miss you too. And..."

He pulled me close to him gently. He looked straight into my eyes. He brought his hands up to my cheek and wiped away tears that were still on my face. My stomach started doing flips and my mind went blank. He slowly brought his lips closer to mine and as soon as they hit mine it ran shivers throughout my whole body. I put my arms up around his neck and kissed him back. I pulled away to breath. I rested my forehead on his and smiled. There were still tingles lingering on my lips. I couldn't help kissing him again it felt too perfect to stop. The same feelings hit me full on again. I smiled in the middle of the kiss. I couldn't help it. This is the first kiss I have ever had and it feels some much more amazing than I thought it was going to be. Like infinity times better than what I thought.

We pulled away and he still held me close to him. His hands wrapping around my torso resting on the small of my back. I still had my smile plastered on my face but I couldn't tell if he could see it or not. I was totally dazed.

"Wow." I whispered hoping I was the only one who could hear it.

Shawn chuckles. "What?" I asked.

"You’re really cute. And I wished I kissed you a lot sooner." He said.

"Me too... Did you feel what I was feeling because I have never felt that way before." I told him.

"Yeah... I think I was."

"It scares me."

"Why?"

"There are many reasons."

"Name some... Why do these feelings scare you?"

"I am leaving in 3 hours."

"Yeah I guess that's a big one."

"And I don't want to go. “I continued.

The last two reasons I said in a rush. "Idonotknowwhatiamtoyou and I didn't want to stop kissing you. I wish I could kiss you all day."

"I understand about all those reasons. But I will tell you right now we WILL see each other again after you leave. I promise! And I told you before that you mean the world to me. My family has a lot of money and you’re the first girl who knows the real me. What I really am like. And the thing is I am scared too because I feel like I am going to lose something before anything even started." He was making it so much harder to leave him.

"I am really going to miss you.” I snuggled up to his chest.

"I know me too.” He said. “There is something else I want to tell you..."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Don't get mad but I sent a present to you. It should be in Superior by the time you get home."

"You sent me a present? What is it?"

"I can't tell you."

"Fine..." I sighed. " I should go..."

He breathed in. "I know."

"Can you just kiss me one more time?" I asked.

He didn't say anything because he knew I already knew the answer. He just brought his lips down onto mine and kissed me softly. We both knew that I was going home today. He pulled away from me and kissed me on the forehead then whispered, "Goodbye." Then started walking back down the beach.

I stood there in the same spot until I couldn't see him anymore. I walked into my hotel room at 3:30 I had been out with him since 11:00. Everyone was asleep in their room when I went and jumped down on the couch. I stared up at the ceiling and brought my fingers up to my lips and touched them where I was kissed only minutes ago. My first kiss. It was one thousand times better than I have always imagined it. I just wish I could see him again tomorrow. Kiss him again tomorrow. Hug him again tomorrow. Be with him tomorrow. It sucks. It really sucks.