My nostrils burn with the multitude of scents surrounding me. With a deep breath, I take in as much as I can, programming it all to memory. Who knows when I’ll be back again? A couple of kids, who can’t be more than six or seven, shriek with laughter as they run from one booth to the next. A sweet elderly couple walks hand in hand together and briefly pause to sneak a sweet kiss when they think no one else is watching. And a group of men with their fishing rods hanging over the edge of the railing. There’s nothing like all of the excitement happening all around me.
The house felt like it was closing in on me and I had to get out. After all of the revelations, it was all too much. I walked the almost five miles from the beach house and my palms are saturated as I slide them down the fronts of my shorts as I continue my exploration down the boardwalk. I didn’t even know that it was here, but I’m happy I found it.
But it’s been quite the experience, one I won’t forget for a long time. I felt like I was six years old again when I discovered the carousel. It’s dingy white antiqued over by the years of love and abuse. Some of the unicorns had their horns broken off as if they had been in a fierce battle and are standing tall with only some flaws and rough edges to show as proof. Battle scars. And I love every single one. Imperfections are the brightest stars shining through the galaxy that is your life. They make you the unique individual you are, separate from all the masses.
I rode it at least four times before I got dizzy and had to take a break. I really didn’t want to see what my breakfast would look like coming back up and I’m pretty sure no else did either. That’s when I discovered the popcorn stand. Twenty different kinds of popcorn? Talk about heaven. I almost overdid it like I did with the spinning ride of unicorns, but I decided to take it easy and buy a single bag, I’ve got all summer after all. Today’s drop of heaven in my mouth comes in the flavor of cotton candy. I admit I was mildly intrigued and hesitant to try it, but I wanted to be adventurous and give it a go. The minute the first morsel touched my tongue I closed my eyes to really appreciate the flavors bursting on my tongue. The sweetness of the cotton candy mixed with the saltiness of the popcorn was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. I half expected it to taste a lot like kettle corn, but it was different that’s for sure.
Walking down the boardwalk, I pop another delectable piece into my mouth and plop down on a bench at the very end. It’s quiet down here away from the madness of the food stands and the screaming children around the carnival type games. I relish in my little area of relaxation in the middle of the craziness. This is definitely a tourist hotspot if I ever saw one, but I don’t even care. I’m having the time of my life. The waves crash against the wooden pillars down below and seagulls fly overhead. I continue grazing on my scrumptious snack and just let myself enjoy the moment. It’s not often that I get a lot of downtimes. Back at home, I’m involved in so many activities, some of my choosing and others by my parents. They mean well, but sometimes I don’t want all of my focus to be on what I can do to pump up my resume for college applications. When does the fun and relaxation come in? Certainly not when I actually go off to school.
The wooden bench creaks as I lean back and close my eyes. I love the feel of the hot summer sun warming my skin and I wish I could stay in this moment forever. I rock slightly as someone sits on the other end and I almost pop my eyes open, but I refuse to let someone pushing their way into my perfect bubble ruin my time. It isn’t until the little paper bag is ripped from my fingers that I look at whoever rudely stole my snack. As one piece of popcorn is popped into his mouth, I come face to face with none other than the blue-eyed, sandy-haired jerk known as Anders.
His fedora-covered head rears back and he looks at the bag in his hands in confusion before shrugging his shoulders and shoveling more of the delicious corn into his mouth. I feel a small sense of victory at the fact that he pretty much hasn’t taken his hat off since we bought it at the mall. Which is cause enough for me to avoid him as it ramps his sex appeal. Ugh, why can’t he just be stupid and annoying like the rest of the boys who go to my school and offer me zero interest? I finally find a guy who I like and can have a normal conversation with. Why does he have to be my brother’s best friend and completely off limits?
With a mouthful of the precious morsels, he says, “I think there’s something wrong with your popcorn. It tastes sweet. Like really sweet. What the heck is that?”
I rip the noticeably lighter bag from his hands and toss more into my own mouth. “You’re right, there is something wrong with it.” I pause as I pretend to contemplate the taste in my mouth. I mull it around for a few seconds longer and then swallow the bite turning to Anders, “It’s mine.”
He reaches his hand out to grab the bag back from me, and this time I’m ready for him. When I pull it away, his bottom lip pops out into the perfect kissable pout. Son of a bitch. Why does this guy have to have me all twisted up like this? It’s not even a little bit fair how much he’s affecting me. Without even thinking about it, I flick my tongue out and slowly drag it along my bottom lip and he releases a small groan in response.
Hmm, interesting.
“You’re always stealing my popcorn,” I say without thinking about what I’m doing, as I hand the bag over to him and he greedily starts eating the rest. No worries, I was starting to feel a little sick to my stomach anyway. Cotton candy flavored popcorn probably isn’t the smartest lunch choice. As he finishes off the last bites from the bottom of the bag I simply say, “It’s cotton candy.”
“Excuse me?” he asks as a piece of food flies from his mouth onto the pier in front of him. I should be grossed out by it. His bulging cheeks so overstuffed that when he attempts to talk the popcorn can only slip through his lips. I should tell him to get up and leave me alone, but I don’t. Instead, I find it boyishly adorable. He might be older than me, but that doesn’t mean he’s so mature that it’s annoying. They do say that girls mature faster than boys, so maybe we’re right on target age wise.
“The popcorn, it’s cotton candy flavored. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get the pickle one?” I sigh and turn away from him looking back toward the water in front of us. It teases me with its inviting ripples and waves. The combination of the sun beating down on me and just sitting in Anders’ presence has me overheated to an astronomical level. I’m on fire and I need to douse the flames. I could easily walk the extra steps to the foot of the boardwalk and jump over the railing into the abyss down below, but I would regret it the minute my toes made contact with the frigid temperatures. The pain of the coldness would be enough to put my body into shock and that’s just not something I’m willing to test out. Hell even standing on the beach I’m too chicken to stick a single pinky toe into the water. No thank you, I’m good.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Anders study me as I watch each wave roll in. I’m not even sure why he’s here with me right now. Hours ago when I left the house, my brother and he were plotting out their event-filled day and yet, here he is sitting next to me without my brother in sight. I think about one of my favorite movies of all time and say to him, “I’m pretty sure stalking is illegal in most, if not all, of the fifty United States.”
He grins and I want to really throw myself into the deep end and not give a care in the world for the repercussions when his dimples pop out. I bring my hand up and fan my face while looking up at the sun pretending like it’s the reason for my reddened cheeks. “What makes you think I’m stalking you, Peach?”
Wait, was that an attempt at a pet name? I don’t know whether to die laughing or be truly smitten that he tried to give me one. Because I can’t hold it in, I go for the former and the loudest most obnoxious laugh slips from my lips. In the most disgusting way possible, I throw my head back and my whole body trembles in a fit of hysteria. I would imagine the people around us are thinking I’m having an attack and in a way I am, because I can’t control myself in the slightest. When the hysterics finally stop and I allow myself to calm down, I turn toward him and ask, “Peach? Do I even want to know what that’s supposed to mean?”
“Don’t be gross. You always have this intoxicating scent of flowers and peaches surrounding you, therefore, I’ve nicknamed you Peach. Nothing more to it than that.”
I make a mental note to myself to never stop wearing my favorite body spray, Victoria’s Secret’s Love Spell. Even if he wants me to think there’s nothing more to it than that, I’m sure. I’ll let it slide for now, but I feel like there’s more to it than that. Why even give me a nickname in the first place? Heck if he didn’t care he could just call me “Hey you,” or “Marek’s little sister,” or not even be here right now. As I look up from the glistening water down below into his eyes, I’m not even a little bit shocked to find him watching me. Yeah, there’s definitely a lot more to it than he’s letting on, but I’ll let him off just this once and save it for another day.
“Really, what are you doing here?”
He points over his shoulder where Marek is standing in the middle of a group of girls. One of them, in particular, is a leggy blonde who keeps touching his arm and laughing like he’s the funniest person on the planet. Desperate much? “Your brother came here to meet up with the girls he’s been hanging out with. I saw you sitting over here with snacks and that sounded like a much better time than listening to them whine one more time.”
I pull my gaze from his eyes, although it isn’t easy, and look past his shoulders. It isn’t fair for someone to be that attractive. With a small gasp, I point and say, “Oh my gosh! Look at that.”
It breaks the spell pulling us together and he whips around looking at the whale swimming through the water. It swims above the break, shooting water out of its blowhole before diving back down beneath the surface. I’m completely fascinated and Anders starts feeding me useless information about marine life that sounds like he read out of a brochure at an aquarium. Doesn’t matter, I hang on every single word that falls from his lips and I savor each and every one. Because who knows if this will be the last time we have a real conversation like this especially with my brother always lurking around the corner and breaking up any kind of potential moment between us.