All We Are

Twenty Five

*****

"If I had only felt the warmth within your touch. If I had only seen how you smile when you blush. Or how you curl your lip, when you concentrate enough. Well, I would've known, what I was living for all along, what I've been living for. Your love is my turning page, where only the sweetest words remain, every kiss is a cursive line, every touch is a redefining phrase."- Turning Page, by Sleeping At Last

*****

Rose

We were all still on the beach, sitting around together, enjoying the crackling of the fire, hearing the evening waves rush up to the shore, listening to the faint cricket chirp, or the faint rustling of bushes. Hunter's whole speech had affected us. His words made us realize just how important this time really was.

Isn't high school supposed to be the time that we treasure? Aren't the friends we have then supposed to be the ones we cherish, learn from, and hold on to for years? Isn't this the time we never get back, the time people look back on and wish they had done more?

This was our time.

I decided in that moment that from now on, I was going to enjoy every waking moment that I had, not just in these next to years, not just in high school, but every day.

"Hey." Nate said coming up to sit next to me.

"Hi." I greeted him.

"If you're wondering why I chose tonight to tell them about the envelope and the text message, it's because James found it in my suitcase, and then I just had to tell them." Nate told me.

I nodded understandingly. "It's okay, you don't have to explain. They should've known sooner, I just didn't want to deal with it."

Nate nodded too. "I was just checking."

I smiled at him.

We sat there in silence for a few moments. Nate stared at Sarah with a smile on his face.

"You really like her?" I said.

"I do." He confirmed.

"Do you know her?" I asked.

He gave me a funny look. "Care to elaborate?" He said.

"I mean, do you really understand her, and see her for who she is?" I asked.

To me I had learned, especially over time that the person you love, should see you for who you are. They should know what our passions are, what drives you, what makes you love. They need to see you, there should be a time when they say, "I see you." If it happens, I think you have found your love.

Nate looked confused, but then he began talking. "I see her for who she is. I've spent these past months learning about her, and growing to care for her more and more with each thing that I've learned. That's why it took me so long to finally act on what I felt, because I knew that someone so honest, and so beautiful, and so authentic, wasn't supposed to end up with someone like me."

"But she feels exactly the same about you." I noted.

"Yeah, but either way she's more than I'll ever be." Nate sighed. "'We accept the love that we think we deserve.'"

"It's true." I sighed with him, as we both stared into the flicker of the fire, contemplating everything that had happened in the past few hours. I thought of everyone. In my mind everyone on this trip flickered through. "Is Sarah okay?" I found myself asking.

"What do you mean?" Nate asked looking over at her suddenly.

"I mean health wise?" I asked.

"As far as I know." Nate said. "So you've noticed?"