Summer Love

Summer love. It is what it is, and we can't make it more, no matter
how hard we try. Natalie was every high school boy's summer dream,
and for one blessed season, she was mine. She had silky, chestnut
hair that would make a shampoo model envious, and long, bronzed legs
that just didn't quit. The thing I loved the most about her though
was her smile, so beautifully quirky. It was unattainable sweetness,
like the inside of a rosebud. And she was way out of my league.
We were in the same circle of friends, and so I was able to see her
often. There were countless days of beach parties and house parties
and road trips. I'd watched her being pursued by dozens of guys, but
she always shirked them away. This gave me flying hope. The trouble
with being on speaking terms with the girl you like is that if all of
your friends know about it, then so do all of her friends, and pretty
soon she finds out too. I'd sometimes wondered if there was even a
slight possibility that that was why she'd remained single. I dared
to imagine it was for me.
On one such particular party night at the beach, with bonfire ablaze
and a few too many marshmallows all around, I was given a chance to
test my aspirations. I was sitting with Natalie, both of us patiently
listening to a tedious sister-fight-story from her gabbling best
friend when my buddy Jared came around back and put his arms around
Natalie and me.

"Ash my man, and ladies, you all up for some late-night skinny
dipping?" A plotting grin formed on his face. He started winking
furiously at the other girl, Jen.

"Skinny dipping! Jared are you insaaaa-oh my gosh!" And Jen started
grinning as well. "Skinny dipping in the moonlight! Cool! C'mon you
guys!" She stood up, brushing sand from her legs and tightening her
scrunchy. "Everybody lets go! Last one to the water's a rotten egg!"
Almost everyone followed suite, with a few stray people that
apparently didn't worry too much about their egg status. This
included me. I smiled at the fire and lay down on my back.

"Late-night half-drowning not your thing?" Natalie asked, seeming
actually relieved her friend was gone. She stretched her arms in a
half-yawn, and shifted a little closer to me as she also lay down.

"No." I grinned. "And I was just thinking those dorks could have
handled that a little more smoothly." My hand was about an inch from
hers; no, I thought and crossed my arms under my head. Why were girls
so damned pretty? Her knee was just touching mine and I could barely
contain myself from leaping up with joy.

"Oh, yea. Them." Natalie wrapped herself in someone's sandy sweater
and sighed. To my utter amazement, she then proceeded to snuggle up
to me and lay her head down lightly on my shoulder. Being too
awestruck for words, I braced myself accordingly so I wouldn't have to
move a smidgen away from her, incase I should disrupt this sudden
affectionate bubble. After what seemed like hours of
star-watching-silence, I hoisted up my courage and procured what
seemed like good conversation in my head.

"So, the Backstreet Boys. They suck, hey?"