Along Came Andrew

Chapter 5

I believe the entire time we were there that afternoon, my eyes never left that boy. That was until he looked up, and our eyes locked. It was almost like he was trying to tell me something, but I looked away; I couldn't hold gaze with someone for very long. It wasn't necessarily that it was awkward, it was just too much - of what? I don't know.

I decided to finally try and leave my post to go get in the water, because it was getting unbearably hot. The water kissed my skin like lips of ice and relief, and instantly, I thought of him.

I thought of how I wanted to wrap him in my arms like the water wrapped me in its, and I wanted to kiss his forehead, not in a romantic way, just in that guardian dynamic like - I'm going to protect you, little one. I wanted to tell him it would all be okay, and that he would get through this, because honestly I don't know if anyone had ever told him before.

I wanted to kiss his cheeks playfully and fill him with the kind of giddiness I see in Ryder everyday. Kara may seem like she's just another robotic adolescent - made of plastic and broken dreams, but there must be more than that. There's something about her that we don't see. I wonder if everyone has that something. I wonder what his something was.

I wanted to kiss his lips, and his neck, and pull him to my chest so that our broken heart beats would sync. Broken but still beating. Still beating.

When I saw them packing up, my heart sank to my stomach. I'm losing him. What if I never see him again? Just when I thought it was over, I saw that they left behind a bag. It was some sort of backpack or something, I didn't really know. I couldn't see from where I was sitting. I jumped up and sprinted over to it, grabbing it. There was a shirt hanging out of it - his shirt. As tempted as I was to take it, I had a better plan. I just hoped to God it would work.

"Hey, wait!" I shouted after them, but they didn't hear me. I ran after them with the bag in hand. "Wait, you forgot this!" Finally I caught their attention, and the family turned around.

"Oh, thanks. That's mine, I must've been distracted. I guess I forgot about it." He said, reaching out. I handed it too him. Me too, boy. Me too. In a matter of seconds, I was analyzing him: He had a very feminine voice.

"Yeah, n-no problem." I muttered.

The woman with him said "Oh, thank you. Andrew can be really forgetful, sometimes. You're a lifesaver. Are you staying here on vacation, too?"

"Yes, at the Hampton: Room 420." I waited for the boy to make some joke about smoking, but he didn't. Maybe he was more interesting than I thought.

"We are too," she explained. "I don't remember the room, uh..." She dug through her purse for the room key. "Room 320. What a coincidence! We're right under you." That made Andrew and I laugh. I wish he was right under me.

"Oh, okay. I'm Marcus, by the way."

"Well, Marcus, You stop stop by and see us sometime." The girl who I assumed to be his sister said. There was a sort of twinkle in her eye that caught me off guard.

"Yeah, I will." But not because of you.

"Great," the father said, "We'll see you. C'mon, guys."

"See you." And they were gone. In that moment, I knew everything had changed. For better or for worse? I wasn't completely sure yet.