A Summer of New Beginnings | Completed |

Chapter 4

I head into the park, sitting down on the bench. My stomach tingles with anxiety. I check my phone. One o'clock on the dot. Is it Gavin? What if it's not? What if he never shows? With every passing minute that Firefly doesn't show, my heart drops.

At one-thirty, I look around the beach. No one is even looking or coming my way. I'll just go home. Out of nowhere, Gavin walks over. "You look lonely."

"Yeah. I'm waiting for my penpal. He's half an hour late." Surprise flickers on his face as he smiles at me sadly.

"He never showed?" I shake my head. "Wanna hang out?" I stare at him, surprised. He never hangs out with just me. "You know cause... umm, your lonely and I'm lonely. And now I'm rambling. I'll shut up now." He sticks his hands in his pockets, his cheeks flushed.

"Sure.

His face brightens." Really?"

I smile. "Yeah.

We wander in silence around Main Street until Gavin spots something on the other side. His eyes light up. He turns to me. "Come on!" he holds out his hand to me. I hesitate, glancing at him. I haven't heard the best things about him. His green eyes are warm underneath his beautiful eyelashes, his dimples visible as he flashes his bright smile at me. He has the kind of smile that's contagious.

I smile back. "Ok." I take his hand and he looks both ways before leading me across the street. We walked over to a small shop, Sandy Shores Ice Cream engraved into a white sign on the red roof, contrasting the light blue siding. We head over to the counter, reading the menu. I glance at it. With all the different flavors, sizes, and cones, I can't decide.

Gavin turns to me, pulling out his wallet. "What do you want? It's my treat."

"You don't need to do that."

"I insist."

"Umm, I don't know."

He smiles, turning the employee on the other side of the counter. He looks no older than us, loose blond curls blocking his vision, complementing his deep blue eyes and sharp jawline. He has on a long sleeve navy shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a pair of tan shorts, a sky blue apron with Sandy Shores Ice Cream embroidered across the middle. I glance at his name tag. Shane. "I'll take two birthday surprises."

"Ok. That will be four dollars and sixty-nine cents."

I avoided his eyes, my cheeks flushed. Gavin moves to the other side of the counter, paying for our order. He walks back to me. "I'll be sitting down over there." He points to a bunch of picnic tables along the grass.

"Ok."

I stand at the counter, waiting for our order. One of the female employees turns to me. She has an olive complexion, her long black hair flowing down her back, her radiating brown eyes twinkling, wearing a camouflage print t-shirt with a pair of small, cute black shorts with her apron, Malia on her name tag. "Your boyfriend's a keeper." She glances at Gavin.

I follow her gaze. "Oh, he's not my boyfriend."

She smiles. "That's what they all say."

I wait in silence for my order. "Here's your order." She says. I turn to her, grabbing my order.

"Thank you."

I walk over to Gavin, ice creams in hand. I sit down on the other side of the table, placing down our ice cream. He smiles at me.

I smile back. "Thanks for the ice cream."

"No problem."

I take a bit of my ice cream. " Mmm, this is delicious. "