My summer… yeah right.

For our first assignment, our teacher asked us to write an essay about our summer vacation. Nothing out of the ordinary if you ask me.

For most of you, summer was about heading off to camps, jetting off to exotic locations, meeting up with old friends and making new ones…

But for me, it was so much more.

My summer was about finding out who I was and what my boundaries were. It was about finding love and learning to cherish it. My summer was spent with the most amazing guy and I would never trade our time together for anything.

Because he taught me about love.

About trust

About life

And about… everything else in between.
.. . .
Every summer, when we can, my family and I head off to the sunshine state; Florida. We normally spend 4 to 6 weeks there.

You know the feeling… that euphoria you get when you’re in a different environment altogether?

Yeah, well that’s what I feel when I arrive in Florida. The sun is brighter, the grass, greener.

You feel the ocean calling out your name… your mind drags you off to an unknown sensation… overwhelment. I remember the first day we arrived; it was about 3 p.m. First place we decided to go to? The beach. Paradise Grille is one of them. Beautiful sunsets, amazing palm trees. The ocean is breathtaking and the beach is practically empty! No crazy tourists with their squeaky three year olds. When you lay on the soft white sand, you can taste the hot dogs that are getting grilled on the barbeque.

As I lay there for an unknown period of time, my mind was completely shut off. After a gruelling school year, I just wanted to pipe down and relax for once. That’s exactly what I did… everything felt so right at that moment. The sun was shutting down and you could feel the air get slightly cooler. Still, the thought of getting up and leaving was just atrocious. I was telling myself: how could I leave this place? I want to stay here forever.

At about 6 p.m., I started dealing with my hungry stomach. The smell of a freshly grilled burger was racing my mind. As I walked up the boardwalk, I couldn’t help but smile. This was so unrealistic… just thinking that a week earlier, I was on a wooden chair, scribbling answers for my math exam … crazy, don’t you think?

The locals were all scattered on different tables, with their beers and nachos. Tropical beats and reggae music was filling our ears with sweet bliss. The ‘Beach Grill’ was pretty packed for a Tuesday night; about five people were ahead of me, waiting on their order.

Thirty minutes later, I was munching down a Surf Treat, a burger consisting of lettuce, tomatoes, juicy beef and hot sauce. Let me tell you, it was the best thing I have ever tasted. All the flavours tingling in my mouth was a onetime experience.

And it’s in this grill that I met Aaron… blond golden locks, piercing green emerald eyes. Luscious lips and that lazy smile every charming boy processes.

Well, that was Aaron ladies.

We locked eyes as he was serving our drinks. His gaze was entrancing… and I felt so lucky at that moment. We definitely had a connection and we both felt it. He treated me to his infamous smile and I merely smiled back, a reddish tint taking over my cheeks.

Because of my conservative and authoritative father next to me, we didn’t dare share any words… simply gazes and stares for a short period of time. It was a pleasant dinner with my family, but the thought of our server was lingering my mind… his charismatic charm, his assertive impact… daring, yet safe.

After dinner was completed and the check was given, Aaron cleared our table and just as he was picking up my plate, I couldn’t help but feel something on my lap. Thinking he dropped a napkin, I picked it up and handed it over. He simply shook his head and mouth two clear words; read it. He winked and that was the last I would see of him for the night. I unwrapped the carefully folded piece of paper and smiled at the sight of his handwriting.

‘meet me at the pier, tomorrow night. – Aaron.’

A clandestine rendezvous? Thoughts were mingling in my head, whether or not I should meet him... The pier was not very far from the condo we were renting for the month… and it would be easy to trail off…

I guess my answer was already anticipated for me.