Childhood Lovers

Childhood Lovers. 4

sorry for the wait, ive been having a really rough week so i couldnt really write, but thanks for reading! make sure to vote and comment!!!! i want all the feedback!  

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Who could blame the guy? He had a girlfriend, big deal. I wasn't angered or saddened by this; I was just rather annoyed by the fact that he was a total flirt in the car. Truth was, we were best friends. Back in the day, we kissed, we loved each other, but as friends and nothing more.

"So I'm going to go walk around," I said. Seeing that girl hang all over Chase made me want to gag. "I'll see you back at the house."

I was walking away, trying to figure out where to go. I felt Chase tug on my shoulder and spin me around.

"It's not what it looks like," he huffed.

"Look Chase, you don't have to feel sympathetic. You have a girlfriend! I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't," I said.

"Jessie isn't my girlfriend. Well, she was, but I broke up with her last May! We're just friends!"

It looks like she's got a lot more than friends on the brain, I wanted to say. But I didn't. Instead I said:

"It's okay. Go hang out with her; she'll obviously have an aneurism if you don't. I'll be fine," I said, before turning around and proceeding to talk again.

"Wait," he said, tugging me again, "let me make it up to you. 5 o'clock, meet me back at the house. I have a little surprise for you."

"Okay," I said. We exchanged smiles before heading in separate directions.

I had no idea where to go, so I stuck close to the beach. After aimlessly walking back and forth on the beach, I decided to park myself in a vacant spot, close to the shore.

For a while, I sat in the sand and watched the crowd of people swim. I watched as the kids ran in and out, only wadding out a few inches. I watched as the surfers hitched a wave, rode it for a while, and then wiped out. I watched as the mature couple treaded water for what seemed forever in deep water, far from the crowded beach.

Just sitting and watching, I couldn't help but get lost in my thoughts. Mostly, I thought about the past. Not particularly my past, but the past in general. If you think about it, the past is a strange yet amazing thing. A person's past shapes who they are now. Without our past, without our own personal history, we would be nothing.

But, how easy it was to forget the past. Sometimes, it's hard to remember the experiences and feelings we used to have. Sometimes, our pasts are so distant that they get replaced by our presents.

And that's what worried me the most about Chase. Not his ex-girlfriend, not spending the summer in California with him, but our past. Could he have forgotten everything we shared together? Could our past mean nothing to him anymore?

Before I knew it, it was time to go back and meet up with Chase. And I was a lot more nervous than I should have been.

Chase was already waiting for me on the front porch. Dressed in cargo shorts, boat shoes, and an American Apparel sweatshirt.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Uh should I change into something else?"

He took a minute to check me out. "No, you look perfect!"

Eagerly, Chase grabbed my hand, pulled me back to the beach, and led me onto a sandy path.

"So, what do you think of all of this?" he asked, after several minutes of walking. "I mean, what do you think of seeing each other for the first time in like a decade?"

This question caught me off guard. It wasn't a surprising matter, I was just shocked to hear it coming from him.

"Um . . . it's interesting. I mean, strange, but in a good way."

"Can I be really cliché and sappy for a minute, and say that this feels like finding that one puzzle piece that I lost a long time ago, and now I feel sort of complete?"

How cute, yet incredibly cheesy. And despite the fact that I really wanted to say awwww, I stopped myself, gave him a playful shove and said, "Leave the romance for Shakespeare."

He laughed at himself and said, "How did I know you were going to say something like that? I'm glad you haven't changed a bit, Ace."

Ace. That was the nickname he gave me after I told him I wanted to be a journalist when I was six.

"I can't believe you still remember that," I said, hopping over a piece of driftwood.

"Of course I do," he said. Casually, he took my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine. "So do you still want to be a big time journalist, reporting the news, traveling around the world, finding the scoop on the latest story?"

"I don't think so. I'm leaning towards going into the business field."

Chase stopped dead in his tracks. "You can't be serious."

"What?"

"I just can’t see you as a business woman. You’re just too energetic and interesting to be stuck behind a desk doing all that calculating and formulating.”

Maybe Chase had a point. Or maybe, he was trying to give out a compliment.

"Well, what about you! What do you want to do?"

"When I cross that road, I'll take it. But, honestly, I don't need to make a lot of money or become some worldwide house name. If I can just stay close to the beach, then I'll be fine," he said, kicking some sand up in the air. "The beach is a place where no worries exist. Just the smell of saltwater in the air, the sound of crashing waves, the sight of blue monsters swirling in a pattern - I don't need a big house or a fancy car, as long as I have the beach."

I was pretty blown away by this. How passionate and deep Chase was about this place. But it was in no way surprising. He was always the kind of person who loved to be outside, staying active, enjoying the pleasures of nature.

"Wow Chase," I said. "That was really deep."

He put his arm around my waist. "Now, don't go feeding my ego."