The Summer of Me & You (29 page)

“Oh yeah, and what's that?”

“Well,” he leaned in. “First there's this.” He planted a sweet kiss on my lips, making me blush, and smile. “And then there's
this.
” He lifted me up off the ground and tossed me over his shoulder, spun me around, making me dizzy. The world rushed by fast. I squealed. We fell down in the grass, intoxicated. We laughed and we laughed and we laughed. Then everything became silent again as we peered into the sky for the final show. The amazing flare of color right before the first shimmering star claimed its place in the twilight sky.
 

Unannounced, Kaleb jumped to his feet. Underneath the tree in his yard was a bag and in that bag was a firework. He lit it and our part of the sky lit up, glittering fire dust raining down. I stood, gazing upward at the burst of color. I knew then this wasn't the last night for us. I even said it.

“This isn't our last night together, is it?”

He took my hands into his. “No, you're right. It's not.” He swung me back. “Some things don't have a chance of ending.” He glanced down at my lips, hesitating. He still had a way of making me that jittery, nervous girl I'd always been in his presence—anticipating his kiss. But this time he kissed my neck, ceremoniously. “I'll stay though. Just one more night with you.”

“Won't you be late on your arrival?”

“Forget it.” Tonight, he had surrendered.

There would be another summer. A glorious summer of me, and him, and us. But before it could begin, this one had to end. I would release it—every little amazing detail of it—out into the universe, so next summer would be even more amazing. But not tonight.

Tonight, Kaleb was all mine.  

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

Stardust

*

In life, there is this thing called probability. Out of all the uncertainty there lies a chance, no matter how small, that maybe-just maybe, whatever it is you want will be yours. You're a dreamer and dreams are meant to come true. That's their purpose. But sometimes, you will realize it's more like stardust. Let me tell you about what I know.

Stardust—the dreams of the universe that didn't come true were held so tightly in the hearts of the cosmos that they incinerated and became ash—but not just ash, they'd ignited into glittering magic dust because the dreamer still believed in his dreams enough that he was still able to hold something beautiful in his hands at the end. That's what I had with Kayleigh.

And it's so beautiful, not having what your heart wants sometimes—it aches just enough to let you know you're still here—sometimes, it's the pain you need instead. The good kind of pain. Because sometimes, there's something better waiting for you right over that horizon. It's the pain that lets you know if what you want is worth fighting for.

I thought I'd never have her. For the longest time, my heart was in pain from not getting to hold her. Because she
wouldn't
talk to me. But now? I'd just spent the most unimaginable summer with her. I could've never dreamed of something like this for myself.
 

But this isn't just about Kayleigh and me. It's about my mom and her mom. It's about my father, too. It's the story of us all. Everything that had happened needed to happen in order for the pieces to fit together the way they had. Out of the heartache and the wanting, out of the secrets and the pain—something beautiful emerged.

Kayleigh was mine.

I will wait for you, Kayleigh.
 

EPILOGUE
 

The Summer of Me and You

*

I went off to college while Kayleigh finished her senior year of high school, but I returned the way I'd promised, so I could take her to senior prom.
 

We decided that in order for us to know how this story should end, we should both go our separate ways and each have our own experiences, and if it was meant for us to reunite then in time we would.

But before she began her freshman year of college, we spent three glorious weeks of that summer at the beach house. She ended up going to a different college than me, and studied theater and business. I completed my studies in cinematography.

For the next four years we didn't see each other, but we kept in contact through letters. I dated a few girls during college, but none of them were like Kayleigh.

I told Kayleigh I would wait for her.

During her last year of college, Brian sold the beach house to me for way less than what he could've gotten for it. But in order to pay for it, I had to work my ass off for him. I landed my first job with his studio.

Kayleigh became an art director. My last message to her had been:
Meet me at the beach house in North Port.
 

I was sitting in the sand watching the ebb and flow of the tide when she arrived. “I can't believe we're here again.” The ocean air blew her hair into waves.

“I can't believe
you're
here,” I said, standing.
 

“Are you kidding? I'd be
anywhere
you are.”
 

I gazed at her for minutes, trying to decipher what was different about her. What was different about us. Four summers later, and we were finally here again. I told her I would wait, and she came back here for me. That one summer we'd spent together had defined a lot of things for me. With Kayleigh I had grown and the time apart hadn't separated us. Right now, everything was the same. Exactly the same as it'd always been.

“I love this beach house,” she said.

“
Our
beach house,
our
summer.”
 

“Yeah, but we're gonna have to leave here again when the summer ends.”

“Maybe not,” I said. I held out my hands. In the palm of each was a sea shell. I smiled. “Underneath each of these sea shells is a prize. Pick the right one, and it's yours forever.”

“Ooh, that's
so
hard,” she smiled. “I don't know which to choose! I pick...
you
,” she said. “Just give me you, forever.”
 

“You want to be with
me
? Forever?”
 

“Yes. I want a lifetime of summers with you, Kaleb.”

“Then lift up the sea shells.” She smiled, reaching over with both hands to lift them. “No!—One at a time.”

“Okay?” she laughed. She turned over the one in my left hand, revealing a shiny silver key. “Kaleb?” she said, her eyes beginning to water.

“It's the key to the summer beach house.
Our
summer beach house. I bought it from Brian. We get to
stay
,” I told her. She cried, throwing her arms around my neck. I laughed.
 

“God, I'm so happy with you, Kaleb.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Then you should probably see what's underneath the other shell.”

She pulled back, looking a little anxious. Scared maybe, even. Not sure what was going to be there. I was uncertain of what her answer would be. My heart thumped madly, out of control. Slowly, she reached over, turning over the shell. When she saw what was laying in the palm of my hand, she cried out, “Oh my God! No, this
has
to be a dream.
Kaleb
?”
 

From her reaction alone, I wanted to do back flips from the excitement sparkling in her eyes.

“You kinda make me happy, too,” I told her, smiling. “And if you make me cry, I'm going to pick you up and toss you in the ocean,” I said, feeling the tears emerging from behind my lids. “I'm a guy, I'm not supposed to cry.” I dropped down onto one knee. “So, Kayleigh—will you marry me?”

“Yes, yes,
yes!
” she jumped up and down in a mad fit. I grabbed her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. Then I scooped her up, sat her on my shoulders and spun her around. She squealed, incredibly happy.
 

I sat her down, and we fell down in the sand, both smiling as the summer sun sat on another perfect evening. This was the beginning of everything. The waves crashed onto the shore. I buried my hands in the sand as I hovered over her.

“This is the greatest summer of my life,” she said, “and it hasn't even started yet.”

I smiled.

“Well, don't get
too
attached. We have a lifetime of summers ahead of us. It's going to be the summer of me and you, forever,” I said, dipping my head, once more, to kiss her.
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rae writes Dark Romanticism—sometimes with gears and clockwork. She has a cemetery obsession, misses Victorian London and ancient Rome, and believes in vampires and magic. If imaginary, she would be an automaton fairy. She's a Corvidophile. She is also content.
She secretly enjoyed writing this book and may write another contemporary soon.
 

OTHER BOOKS

If you wanna check out Rae's
Monster
books, she has a Gothic/Paranormal Fantasy called
Pretty in Black.
It's about raven/crow and Gargoyle shape-shifters who are also vampires? That's the rumor anyway.
 

Frankie's Monster
is about a xombie with pale skin and stitched blue lips.
 

FIND MORE OF HER BOOKS HERE
 

TWITTER HERE
 

GOODREADS HERE
 

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:)