The Thought of You under the Sun

Chapter 1

Mirage

Summer was coming to a close, as September set in, and the final breathes of long, balmy evenings and crystal skies left Amber feeling a sense of dread for this was her final summer in college, and she wanted to make the most of it. She reminisced on the lazy days spent under the sun, as she absorbed the bright haze deep into her bones, deeper than skin; "I'm going to miss this," Amber turned to Dennis, a faint smile on her sun kissed face, "I'm going to miss you." Amber warmed at the thought of the many trips they'd shared: climbing on old train carriages, catching a 6 hour coach to Whitby, relaxing in lemony planes of rapeseed. She wondered if Dennis cast his mind back to early August - the long walks on the railway tracks, the tropic skies and rolling clouds as they lay in grassy viridian. "I'm going to miss the Sun," Dennis groaned, leaning on his elbows, "I'm going to miss your hair - it's wild." Frizzy strands of amber curls stood astray in the wind, framing her face. Taming the fly-aways, Amber fixed her hair into a bun, pinning any loose strands with a bobby pin. "It's this heat," she shrugged, cinching the corset back on her maxi dress. "Den, come on, it's late," Amber urged. An unamused look came her way, "So soon? it's only early evening," an irate grunt came her way. Holding out a hand, Dennis grabbed it, pulling himself up, meeting her face. "Food then?"

The cool breeze of autumn piled up rusted leaves on the side walk, as the two walked side by side in a shared silence - "I guess Autumn's arrived." Amber turned towards Dennis, a sense of gratitude washing over her. "Yeah." Dennis mumbled to himself; views like these became memories: the glaring sun casting shadows on the tree's, black and almost super-natural, as they discarded their leaves in the wind. "I guess this is far enough?" Dennis shrugged. Hiding her disappointment, Amber muttered goodbye and walked the rest of the way home, embracing herself as the soft haze of the sun shifted behind the trees and a chill came over her, "Where'd the sun go?" She gumbled to herself, walking up to her gate before glancing one last time at the streaks of fire lighting up the sky.

Closing her back door, she made her way for the dining room where a pile of letters lay unopened all dressed to her. Happy 18th. How was she supposed to spend it? The first thing that came to mind was a house party with an indefinite amount of booze, or an evening spent under the stars around a bonfire in the middle of nowhere. The thought of charcoal and the scent of a bonfire pitched an idea in her mind: a campfire. Autumn seemed to arrive just in time. She only had a couple weeks left of being 17 - she wanted to spend them well. She'd enjoyed 17; she began her second year in college and was comfy with where she was at. Stashing the letters behind an old pile of phone books, she made her way to the second landing, up the stairs and to her room. Sat on a heap of cushions, a white, tortoiseshell cat lay curled up in the last embers of the sun, soaking in the glorious light on her balcony. This sight had become quite prevalent. I don't blame him though. In all his righteousness, the feline stretched out his legs, as if sleeping wasn't hard enough. A quiet meow came her way as the cat made his way towards her, his tail sailing behind in the air. With a generous scratch behind the ears, Amber walked towards her balcony, breathing in the crisp air of autumn, watching the sun sink deep below the horizon before sitting down on her deck chair and pulling out her study book, as a cat sank into a light doze in her lap.