"C'mon,” I giggled again, hooking my flip-flops over my finger and grabbing his elbow. "People are staring. Let's go be idiots in private."
Caz had once told me that you know you're comfortable with another person when you can sit in silence and not feel obligated to make small talk. That's how Jude and I were now. We lay flat on our backs on the gray sand, staring at the glittering sky. The ocean air was cool and refreshing. I was picking out the constellations I knew. Mainly the Dippers. I was pretty sure I knew Orion's Belt, too. I saw two bright stars nestled close together, far from the others, and decided that was our constellation. It felt romantic to think that we could be forever. Our love, written in the stars.
"What are your summer plans?" Jude asked me.
"Get a job, visit my family."I turned my head to look him in the eyes. "I'm not thinking about that right now."
"Stay. Here, with me."
I rose up on my elbow, searching his face to see if he was serious. "What do you mean?"
"My parents are in Europe for the summer. We've got plenty of rooms at our house. Caz and Juanita are welcome to stay. And if you're worried about a job, I know a few people who are looking for interns. If that's too fussy, there's always waiting tables. I'm here to help."
"You'd let us crash at your place the whole summer?"
"I'm pulling out all the stops on this offer. If I do it right, I'm hoping it'll be too good to refuse."
I smiled. "That sounds sinister, Don Corleone."
Jude said tenderly, "I let you go last year, and while I don't regret giving you the time to figure out what you wanted, I always hoped you'd give me a second chance. Say yes. Say you'll give us a shot."
"I don't know,” I told Jude, biting my lip to trap a smile. "Our last vacation together ended disastrously. I have to ask: Will there be snow?"
A slow smile spread over his features. "Just endless beaches and sun. And me."
I lay in his arms, my leg sprawled on top of his, my head on his shoulder. His eyes were closed, but he was awake. His arm was draped around me, his other hand resting on my thigh. A smile of contentment curved his mouth.
It was late the following afternoon, and the beach was ours alone. The sun had slipped across the sky, its rays encroaching on our sandy bed beneath an umbrella. I nudged the towel up to shade my foot.
"You're thinking about something,” Jude murmured, keeping his eyes shut.
"I'm thinking about you." I sighed happily, running my hand over his chest. Only the lightest scars from that night remained. I kissed them softly. To me they weren't imperfections, but a vivid reminder of that dark night we'd shared together. After the darkness comes the light.
"Interesting. Because I'm thinking about you."
I brushed sand from his bicep and laid my cheek on it.
"Go on. What about me? Don't leave me in suspense. I'm not opposed to flattery."
He rolled sideways, stretching his long, lean body alongside mine. "If you weren't so beautiful, I might have to reprimand your big ego." He traced his finger idly down my nose. "I always mean to do it, and then you look at me, and I forget what it is I want to say, and all I can think is that if I don't kiss you, and damn soon, I don't deserve you."
"I am perfectly fine with this."
"If I don't watch myself, I'm going to spoil you. Your head will grow so big, we'll have to roll it down to the beach." He propped his elbow in the sand, looking at me directly. "You haven't given me an answer. will you stay?"
My smile faded, and I pondered his question seriously. In a way the rest of the world wouldn't understand, four long days in the mountains with him, trusting my life to him, was all it took to know I was in love with him. If I had to do it over again to find him, I would.
I covered his mouth with mine. He tasted of saltwater, and it hit me how lucky I was. All summer, I could lie with Jude on the beach, dusting our bodies in sand, kissing the ocean from his lips, listening to the soft pound of waves lull us to sleep in each other's arms.
"I'll stay,” I said. "I think you're worth the trouble of putting up with endless beaches and sun a little longer."
He grinned. "I'm worth it, all right. And just to prove it, I'll show you. Come here. . . ."