Everlasting (4 page)

We both laughed, and my breath caught—laughter had never been this easy for me with other guys.

“She doesn’t like to shake. Pretty shy.”

That makes two of us.
I grabbed the sandy paw and held it in my hand, giving it a shake. “She listens well. How’d she get her name?” I looked up at him, my eyes darting when his gaze lingered too long.

“Well, I like classical and big band music, so it had to be Symphony.”

“Huh…guess so.” I giggled, nerves twisting it into a high-pitched clown laugh, and nodded. “It fits her.” My hands trembled.

I didn’t know what he was looking at—he still wore his dark sunglasses—but my heart fluttered, skipping beats. He burned a hole right through me with his stare.

He rubbed his chin. “So, what’s your name?”

“Sophia.” The heat rose from my neck up to my ears. “What’s yours?”

“Tate.” His confidence was brutal. He stood tall and faced me, brushing his long fingers along Symphony’s ears.

“Hi, Tate.” I extended a quivering hand, struggling to keep my head upright, the uneasy, no-self-confidence magnet trying to yank down my chin.

“Hi.” He flashed perfect white teeth at me and shook my hand. My breath caught at the coldness of his skin, and pain shot through my fingers from the strength of his grip. An awkward silence shuffled between us. “Well, I’m gonna go finish my game. Hope to see you around again sometime.”

“Me too, same here.” I pulled a strand of hair from my eyes, flicking sand in my face. My face, neck, and ears burned again. I silently thanked God for the color the sun had put into me that day—maybe he wouldn’t see the disturbing, gross splotches that had overtaken my face, itching like a contagious disease.

“C’mon, let’s go.” He whistled and called to the dog, then spun around, giving me one last look before he disappeared from view around the Ice Cream Shack.

My heart raced and clamored against my chest, its incessant loudness urging me to release it—to follow him. It shocked me how quickly I fell in love. Me, the shy, low-self-esteem girl who vowed that whenever I entered into a relationship I would take it slow, and I would seek out any warning signals, using them as an excuse to bail early, if need be. But this…this was exhilarating, and it took a while for my heart to return to its proper place.

I jumped at the sound of Mandy’s voice beside me, still lost in him. “
And…
you let him go. Sophia…how could you?” She clasped her hands together and stared at the sky. “When are you ever gonna learn? Jump, jump, jump on those bones. He was
so
hot.” Her gaze shifted toward Matt. “Sorry, hun, just being honest.”

Matt chuckled and kicked the sand, shaking his head. “Nope, don’t blame ya. If I was a girl, I’d be after him. I mean…did you see the guy? He had to have climbed off the page of some model magazine.”

Mandy gave him a playful nudge. “But, seriously, Sophia, did you get his name and number?” Her eyes drilled me, expecting a yes.

“Ha, are you kidding? I got his name, but I can’t ask a guy I just met for his number. You know me better than that.” I bit my lip and my chest became heavy, cursing myself that I didn’t.

Mandy stretched out on her towel next to me. “Guys like that don’t come around every day…you gotta jump on those opportunities. Quit being so shy. Ya never know…he could be your future husband.”

I cackled and slapped my knee. “Oh, what...
ever
. Guys like
that
don’t go after girls like me.” My gaze strayed toward the direction of the Ice Cream Shack. My eyes searched, hoping to catch another glimpse…another glimpse of this boy that had rearranged my life in a matter of seconds.

There was no way he could ever like me. My face was too round, and although my small-framed, five-foot-six-inch body was thin, it didn’t have much for curves. I forced my eyes to turn toward Mandy again. “Besides that, when did you get so brave, Miss Gab-a-lot?”

Mandy sat up, staring off toward the ocean, her eyes not looking at much of anything. “When I moved here I changed. This place has a way of doing that to you. But, I promise, by the end of summer, we’ll have you talking to everyone you meet.”

Matt dusted sand off his legs. “Good grief, Sophia, don’t be so hard on yourself. Why…if Mandy and I weren’t an item…”

“And engaged,” Mandy broke in, her face sour.

“Yeah, I was getting to that. And engaged. If Mandy and I weren’t an item
and
engaged…I’d date you.”

I twisted my hair around my finger. “Good try, you two, I know you’re just trying to be nice and make me feel better, but I know the kind of guys that are attracted to me, and
that
guy wasn’t one of them.” My posture sagged as I got up and gave my towel a shake. “Besides that, if he did think I was beautiful and wanted me, he would have asked for my number, and he didn’t.” I backed away. “I’m heading back to the house, now.”

Mandy pulled her sunglasses back over her eyes. “Don’t worry, he’ll be back. You’ll see him again someday. I can feel it in my bones.” She focused her eyes on Matt. He mouthed the word
bones
to her and laughed.

B
y the third
afternoon Mandy and I, having turned into shriveled prunes from too much swimming, spent the entire day baking ourselves into thin crisps on the scorching sand. Matt was running errands in town, so it was just the two of us.

My eyes continued their incessant scan toward the direction of the Ice Cream Shack. I couldn’t get Tate off my brain, and I’d made up my mind that if I did see him again, I would muster up the courage to ask for his number. I didn’t care what he thought. This could be my only chance, and I wasn’t going to mess around and lose him again.

“What are you looking for, more boogeymen?” Mandy slanted her hand over her forehead and looked in the direction of my searching eyes.

“Oh…nothing.” My voice weakened, eyes darted to the side, wishing I wouldn’t have made it so obvious.

“You’re looking for
him
, aren’t you? Why didn’t you jump him yesterday? Let’s just hope he comes back again. He might not even live around here and could be gone.”

Mandy wasn’t cheering me up. Her words stung. “That’ll probably be my luck.” I swallowed hard, trying to ease down the golf ball that had embedded itself in my tonsils. The tears brimmed, on the verge of spilling over if I said one more thing. I couldn’t talk anymore.

I stretched out on my towel and closed my eyes, trying not to think. The flagrant sun bared down on my skin, but I loved its warmth. It engrained itself in my joints and soul, helping to soothe the pain.

Mandy crashed beside me, and we both were still, taking in the sounds of the ocean waves and the chatter of people playing.

My eyes flittered, and I opened them slowly. I must have fallen asleep because when I glanced at my phone, a half hour had gone by.

I peeked at Mandy. She slept, too. I took the time to study her skin and corn-silk hair. My eyes blinked, scrutinizing, and my hand moved to touch her hair. For all the time she spent out here in the sun, her paleness shocked me. Her skin was thin, almost transparent, and her hair glittered and sparkled as if it were made with real flecks of gold.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she caught me looking at her. “What’s wrong? Is there something on me?” She jumped up, shuttering, and brushed at her arms. “Is it a spider?”

I covered my mouth with my hand, containing my laugh, fighting hard to keep it hidden. “It’s nothing. Just amazed at how well you tan.”

Not wanting to look like a fool, she shook off her actions, changing the subject. She gathered her hair into a ponytail and snorted. “Well, you can stay here if you want, but I’m getting too hot.”

I waved. “Go ahead. I think I’m gonna lie here for a while, then maybe get an ice cream.”

Mandy walked over to the water and plunged in, leaving me alone to contend with the butterflies that swarmed and dive-bombed my stomach when I thought of seeing Tate again.

I got up, my mind stumbling, fighting with itself over the panicked thoughts that had wormed their way in. Should I go get an ice cream? What if he were over there? I looked horrible. He couldn’t see me like this. My stomach hardened, tensed up.

I sat back down, changing my mind about going. But, knowing I’d regret it, I got back up and walked over, joining in on the line of people waiting for a cold treat. Not wanting to make my search obvious, I kept my eyes in front of me, staring straight ahead—grounded. Determined to make at least one thing look better in case he was over here, I dug my fingers into my hair and fluffed it.

A line formed behind me, and a young boy chattered to his mother about the kind of ice cream he wanted. I silently agreed with him—chocolate all the way.

A wave of cold air surrounded me and eased the stifling heat for just a moment. My pulse quickened, and my mouth went dry when the new, yet familiar scent of shaving cream whirled to my nose.

A deep voice called my name. “Sophia?”

I jolted and spun around, a spurt of adrenaline shooting through me. My heart thudded rhythmically at the sight of Tate. The little boy who had been talking earlier stood behind him.

His brows arched. “It is Sophia, right?”

I swallowed fast a couple of times, struggling, keeping my chin from locking itself down against my chest.

His sumptuous body rippled my insides. He still wore his sunglasses, hiding his expression. If the rest of him was this impressive, I could only imagine what his eyes must be like.

“Yeah…yeah…Sophia Bandell.” My face flushed. I hated the way my voice eked itself out like a sick bird, making me unsure of myself. “And you’re…Tate, right?” Like I hadn’t thought twice about him since that first day with the Frisbee.

“Yep, Tate…Tate Forester.” He reached out to shake my hand again, his crooked smile jerking my heart.

My head tilted at the mention of his last name. I couldn’t remember why or where I’d heard it. Then it hit me, Lidia Forester…from the plane that day—the little old lady who was going skydiving to fill her bucket list. “Are you related to a Lidia Forester? I sat with her on the plane coming here.”

Then, a fat man—a white paper triangle hat situated on his bald head—scowled at me from behind a counter, waiting to take my ice cream order. Tate shoved two fives into my hand. “Here, order me whatever you’re getting.”

I stammered, the wadded fives crunching in my sweaty palms. “I’d like two hot fudge sundaes, please.” Out-of-sorts, I paid the cashier and stepped aside, handing Tate his sundae.

He stirred it, winding the hot fudge around his spoon. “Nope, pretty sure I’ve never heard of a Lidia Forester.”

We walked around to the side of the Shack. I gripped my sundae cup in my right hand, making sure I didn’t make the stupid mistake of dropping it. “I suppose not. It was dumb of me to even ask. I’m sure there’s a lot of Foresters around.” Symphony stood there, waiting for him. “Hi, girl.” My left hand lifted to scratch her behind the ears. She wagged her tail, letting out a whine.

“I heard you say you came in on the plane. You don’t live around here?” His step faltered unevenly when he asked this.

I took a bite of my sundae. “No, I’m staying with a friend for the summer. At her beach house. How ‘bout you? You live around here?”

“Yeah, just up the way there.” He motioned with his head to the west. Symphony plodded by his side, her leash dragging on the ground.

“So…have you lived here your whole life?”

We stopped, watching a parasailer flying over the water, and I dug my big toe into the cool sand. Then we walked toward my chair.

He laughed. “Yep, I’m just a beach bum. What about you? Where’re you from?”

I pulled my mouth to the side and looked at my feet, wishing I had some glamor town to brag about. Cascade didn’t compare to this place. “A little town called Cascade, Montana. The place where we rarely get this kind of heat and humidity. This takes some getting used to.”

My head jerked up, and I fought to focus my eyes on him, so I looked down again, wiping at a drop of sweat on my brow. For me, looking at someone this fine was difficult. I would have to work on this…maybe put it on my bucket list.

“I noticed you’re sunburned.” His scrutiny made me fidget, and it flustered me that he’d seen. “You get used to it, though. The heat really isn’t that bad once you’ve lived here a while…. So, what do you do for fun in Cascade?”

“Not much, just hang out with my friends. I’ll be a senior this fall, so I mainly do what other seniors do.”

“Which is…?”

“Um…cruise around.” I giggled and looked at the ground again, blushing at the simplicity of my life, my toe etching a cross into the sand. “Occasionally we take a trip into Great Falls to shop or cruise, but for the most part, we just hang out at Blinker Burgers to talk and dream…dream about getting out of town someday. Big dreamer I am.”

“That sounds…interesting.” I noticed how his top lip quivered as he gave me a slight smile. His hand shook as he brought it up close to my cheek. He left it there, hanging. After a brief hesitation, he wiped at a strand of hair that the breeze had pushed over my eyes. But soon, his expression darkened. “I just graduated a few weeks ago. I’m glad to be done with school…now I can get on with my life.” He turned away and cringed, a heaviness shrouded over him.

My stomach lurched at his touch. “I can’t wait to graduate, either.” I leaned closer to him, feeling a connectedness. Even my itchy bumps were dissipating. Maybe he was more like me than I thought. “If I can just make it through this last year…” I licked my lips.

My breath bottled up in my chest as I salivated, working up the courage to ask for his phone number. “I was wondering…oh wait, I see my friend Mandy is done swimming now. Better be going back.” With my confidence slipping away, my legs weakened, making me eager to get back to Mandy before I made a fool of myself again.

I turned to go, taking a step toward safety.

He snapped his fingers. “Wait…can I get your number?”

With a flash of heat coursing through my body, I whirled around to face him. I couldn’t control the rattle of my hands, so I hid them behind my back.

“Uh…sure.” I gulped hard, trying not to drool, unable to believe I’d heard him right. “My number…? It’s…hold on a sec, let me think.” The numbers finally stumbled out of my mouth, and I wasn’t even sure they were mine. For the state I was in at this point, they may have been someone else’s. That would be something I’d do.

“Six-seven-one, there, I think I got it.” He bit his tongue and punched it into his phone, then he flashed me another one of his heart skippers. “I really like your company. We should stay in touch.”

Heat radiated through my chest. Was this even happening right now? I pinched my thumbnail into my finger, making sure I wasn’t dreaming. Ouch…maybe it was true. “Yeah…we should.” My voice cracked and became thin, making me feel small.

“Well…see ya around.” He patted Symphony’s head, turning to go. “Maybe I’ll see you here tomorrow.”

“Hope so…bye.” My voice creaked again. I looked at him one last time, then ran back to my towel, praying that I’d stay upright and not face-plant.

M
andy gave me a ridiculous look
. “What are you so happy about?” My smile etched itself so deep into my face, I couldn’t have erased it if I’d wanted to. “Oh wait, let me guess, you must have ran into Tate.”

My breath spewed out in rapid waves. “I gave him my number.” I fell back on my towel, looking at the sky. The giggles bubbled forth from my throat, and I couldn’t quit laughing…giddy…couldn’t think straight.
What is happening to me?
Are these feelings normal?
“Can you believe it, Mand? He…actually…asked…for…my…number!”

She shrugged, and her nose wrinkled upward. “I knew it. Good thing you listened and took my advice. I’m happy for you…I guess.” Her voice dipped low and her neck muscles tightened. A stifling heat slithered through my insides, so I looked away, ignoring her.

L
ater that evening
, I went to my room to get ready for bed. I sat down on the window seat and brought out my journal. A breeze blew in through the windows, making the room cool and cozy.

May Thirty-First,

Tate Forester, the most handsome man alive, came drifting into my dreams. I never thought I believed in love at first sight, but now I might have to inhale those words. He even asked for my number today. I’m beginning to sense a tad of jealousy in Mandy, though, and I’m hoping this doesn’t cause a fight.

Sophia Bandell