Summer Loving: Duke & Elle

Duke & Elle

He leaned forward, his minty breath blowing across her face, foreheads touching together, "That's a shame, because I missed you a lot, Elle."

After a moment, his lips brushed hers, he leaned back cackling, "Oh god, you should see your face," He snorts, "I'll see you tomorrow night, Elle, I've gotta get back to mowing your lawn."

She scowls at his leaving figure, rubbing her face, "Snorting is real hot by the way, Duke." She calls after, mockingly.

•••••

"C'mon, Elle, get ready," A voice called outside her room, muffled slightly from the door.

"For what, Duke?"

"It's a surprise, Sailor," He replies, his tone the same dull, flat tone that Elle had used prior.

Elle huffed, but got dressed, walking out of her bedroom arms crossed. He leaned against the wall.

She moved out of his way, "Creeping are we?"

Now he was flustered, "Wha?...no! I leave the perving to other guys."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Elle laughs, patting his chest, "so where are we going?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," He grins, walking down the hallway towards the driveway.

Opening the passenger door to his truck, he moves aside to let Elle get in, "It's like an
hour—" He shuts the door, the slam cutting off his words.

Duke drops one hand from the wheel, setting it on the console between them, his hand brushing against hers. Elle's hand flinches away, "Sorry, Elle," He quickly puts his hand back on the wheel.

"It's okay, just paranoid you're taking me out to the woods to kill me," She chuckles, nervously.

He awkwardly laughs, clearing his throat, "You know me, ever the murderer."

Duke comes to a stop at a dirt path, wide enough for a car to travel through. He reaches into the back seat, his hand brushing against her arm as he does so.

"Wear this," He hands her a blindfold, looking skeptical she puts it on.

"Definitely bordering murderer territory again," She laughs again.

He doesn't respond, and drives down the road. After many turns Elle feels the truck come to another stop.

"Stay here." He gets out of the truck, going to the bed, folding back the cover and opening the hatch.

He lays out the blanket, lighting candles, setting the picnic basket on the edge, tulips sticking out of it, he grabs these jumping down from the truck and going to the passenger door, "We're here, Elle, you can take off your blind fold."

Waves roll in behind them crashing against the shore, Duke extends his hand to her as she takes off the blindfold.

Her stomach fluttered, the beach bringing back memories of her first kiss, minus the awkwardness and the four other people watching that it had.

"Tulips?"

"They're your favorite, right?"

"Yeah," She takes his hand as he helps her down from the seat.

Elle says looking at the bed, then down the beach to the water, and up to the night sky, "I forget how pretty it is out here, I wanted to get out of this place so bad, I just didn't pay attention to what I was leaving." /Who I was leaving./

"I've missed you so much, Elle," He says, sliding his hands around her waist. She slowly relaxes against his chest.

"I've missed you to."

"Like I've really, really, missed seeing you."

They fall silent, he helps her into the bed of the truck, opening the basket, handing her some food.

They eat and laugh and another silence falls over them, Duke's body tensed.

"Elle," his tone is serious, he pauses, her name hanging over both of them like a weight, "I have to tell you something."

"What? You've got a girlfriend?" She giggles, "Looking for a side piece right?"

He doesn't meet her eyes, "I leave for England next week, I got accepted into a college there and...and it's a great opportunity for me, a chance for me to get away from this town, but I'm not sure if I can come back each summer and I...and I—" He swallows.

Elle sits, a frown creasing her features. She fiddles with part of the basket weaving that had broken. There's a few moments of silence, besides the sniffles coming from Elle, "Sail—Elle, please say something."

"What was the point of this?" Elle's voice was shaking, a few tears slipping down her cheeks, "Take me out here, make me happy, make me realize how much I miss you, and then tell me I'm not going to see you for four years."

"I won't see my best friend for four fucking years." She says to herself.

As he reaches for her, she's seething, "Don't touch me, Duke. I want you to take me home."

So Duke took her home, trying to say he was sorry, telling her how big of an opportunity this was for him. But she wouldn't answer, her favorite person in the whole world was leaving her for what felt like forever.

As he stood in the door frame, "Hey, Sailor?"

"What, Duke?"

"I'm just kiddin', I'm moving down to Gainesville to help my dad out with his shop," He starts laughing.

She stops, back still not facing him, "Not funny, you asshole," she faces him, eyes red and puffy.

"So, Gainesville, as in my Gainesville?"

Duke grins, "Your Gainesville."

"You better not be lying, or your gonna have hell to pay."

"So, forgiven?"

"Uh no."

"Even if I ask you to be my girlfriend?"

"You're my best friend."

"Is that a no?"

"It's an I don't know."